Subject: [Tweeters] swans and rainbows
Date: Nov 24 23:18:17 2005
From: Martha Jordan - swanlady at drizzle.com


I finally got out to the Skagit Valley to look for swans at the
Johnson/DeBay Swan Reserve. My friend, Barbara Jo, and I took a walk on the
hunt unit side and were awed by the spectacle that unfolded before us. The
skies had darkened to a deep gray, spitting rain, then a rainbow slowly
formed between a farm and the hills to the east. It got more and more
intense until it was glowing neon from end to end, then a shadow rainbow
formed in front of this. We watched several harriers in the field and then
the swans began to fly to roosts. Small groups and pairs flying across the
sky, their white bodies glinting from the sun, they stood out against the
dark sky or green hills. They flew behind the rainbow colors, and through
them. It was an amazing site to see for more than 20 minutes. Hundreds of
swans passed us, some low, some high, some close some far away. It was a
song fest with a light show-- birding at its best. Once the rainbow passed,
several harriers once again began to work the fields in the area.

Martha Jordan
www.swansociety.org