Saturday, September 22, 2018

Kingfishers and Dragonflies

Kingfishers and Dragonflies

Last year while off to the Abbey of the Genesee for retreat and rest, I was entertained by two Kingfishers actively feeding in a stream near the retreat house.  This year I happened to see one but it was quietly perched over the water.  Not feeding time?

But I did note the dragonflies.





One curiously attempted a landing on my head.    White patterns on its wings and body.   Another steel blue.  Another using a strong dry branch in the wind.   For twenty minutes on end it eyed its prey and did its own feeding.  And curious about me, too.

I was reminded of Hopkins' poem:

As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame...
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same...
Crying What I do is me: for that I came.

And reminded, too, of this simple Hiaku penned by a Gesu student about an unlikely sight there on North Philadelphia's Thompson St.

A butterfly lands on a leaf.
I look at it.
It looks back at me.

Friday, September 21, 2018

Chimney Swifts






CHIMNEY SWIFTS AT WERNERSVILLE JESUIT CENTER




An inactive chimney on our building  is the nesting place and night nest for hundreds of swifts.   These late summer, early fall evenings the ritual of floating into the chimney in great numbers takes about ten minutes.   Here is a portion of the show taking place each day between 7 and 7:30 PM.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1A-qRCI8vskw8rliBYmwMuGWUyLR7kYUi


Post Script:   Swifts left for the south most of them toward the end of the week of October 7.   It is said that some fly even to the Amazon.   We look forward to their return!



Always Partly Cloudy


ALWAYS PARTLY CLOUDY





Today partly cloudy.  The Future?
Ignore the foreshortened horizon, 
The clouds clumped in storm formation.
Tomorrow's forecast:
It's always partly cloudy.