Birds in Fall

Lately the birds have been in large groups. Skeins of geese across the sky, masses of starlings on poles and in trees and grass, dozens of mourning doves sitting side by side on the telephone wires in the evening. Friday I startled a bunch of what I thought were sparrows or finches up out of the grass and was startled in return by the flash of their white undersides - juncos here again. But Thursday in the heavy morning mist this fellow was all by himself on the pond, a lonely drake getting ready to head south, where maybe he'll find a mate for next year's long summer.