September 3, 2013
A couple of weeks ago I was awakened by a small flock of
geese honking noisily as they circled “The Haven” in Swan Creek just west of
our marina. While the temperatures
continue to hover near the 90’s in the afternoons the telltale signs of fall
are approaching. Last week we anchored for a couple of nights in a protected
cove of the Magothy River. Each morning a building flock of Tree Swallows
flitted between our mast and spreaders and those of another boat anchored
nearby. By the second morning they literally covered our superstructure and
fought for landing rights.
The realization of fall’s approach hit home yesterday
afternoon. As we walked down the docks
another couple on a boat nearby asked if we’d seen the Bald Eagles circle over
the pool this afternoon. I said we’d
missed them, responding with a question, “Are the Ospreys gone?” Our eagles typically hide in the woods all summer
until the Osprey’s head south. Sure
enough, their familiar cry was missing at dawn this morning as I sat in the
cockpit with my first cup of coffee waiting for sun to appear.
The cloud cover remains this morning and a north wind precedes
the approaching cold front that is predicted to arrive tomorrow from the upper
Midwest. I don’t know how the Ospreys choose their departure. In previous years I’ve watched parents
encouraging fledglings circle higher and higher in the towering thermals of the
late summer afternoons just before they disappeared. This year I missed the signs but remember the
ritual.
A few hours later we took a drive into
Chestertown and leaves from the Remington woods swirled in our truck back
draft. Temperatures are in the sixties at night now, high temps are a
moderating and the breeze
is picking up. Sad to see summer end, we look forward to fall sailing.
