Listless feeling

FEB. 26, GRINDSTONE PARK, sunny, 45—Shut out. Pulled a Bode. Fell on a triple-triple combination. Straddled a gate. Missed the podium. DNF. Maybe I've been watching too much Olympics, but for the first time of the little big year I registered no new species on an outing. It was bound to happen soon.

Still, the day and birding were enjoyable. Hinkson Creek runs through the park and always draws turkey vultures. During the warming afternoon I rarely saw fewer than 4-5 soaring above the bluffs. Once, while sitting in sand in the creek bottom, I sensed the sky darkening and turned on my back to see 17 overhead. An hour later and half a mile away, I saw 25 above the same section of Hinkson.