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Sunday, August 30, 2015

It's Phenomenal


On August 4th, I linked up to
Sew Bitter Sweet Designs,
committing to finish my Wish Upon a Star quilt
by the end of the month.
Well, I did it with one day to spare!


If I hadn't linked up,
I probably would still be working on it!
So, today I'm linking back up with a finish!
Just click on the button below to see
who else achieved their goal!


*
Last weekend, I was lucky enough to witness 
A Phenomenon of Nature...


...A murmuration of Least Sandpipers


These migrating wonders are feeding


on little mudshrimps.
Each bird will spend 10 to 15 days foraging on the exposed mudflats


during low tide.
A bird can double its weight over that time, building up the 
fat stores to fuel its non-stop transoceanic flight south.
As the tide comes in,
it forces the shorebirds closer and closer to the shoreline

Click on this picture for a better, clearer view!

where they rest on the ground in tight nervous flocks,
vulnerable to predators and most susceptible to human disturbance.
On another shore not too far from here, 
we obsrved ten plus times this amount... of 
It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.
I believe that next year, if we travel to Grand Pre
a week earlier, we'll see even larger numbers.



25 comments:

Terry said...

Great quilt! Congrats on the finish! :0)

hetty said...

Your Wish Upon a Star quilt is gorgeous! I love your posts about wildlife. Those migrating birds are so interesting. Wish I could be there.

eileeninmd said...

Hello, your quilt is just beautiful. And I love the images of the Least Sandpipers, they are amazing. Awesome sight to see! Have a happy new week ahead!

Paula, the quilter said...

What a fun quilt!

Maria said...

Such a fabulous finish...

TexWisGirl said...

beautiful quilt and very cool birds!

Lesley said...

Your quilt is gorgeous. Love it so much!

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

Gorgeous!!!

Lin said...

How amazing to see all those beautiful birds! What a fantastic sight, you are so lucky. Great quilt finish Karen. xx

Simone de Klerk said...

Congratulations with this wonderful quilt with the special words.
You always have such interesting facts, concerning birds and such.

Raewyn said...

Your finished quilt is gorgeous Karen, well done on meeting your goal!!! What an amazing sight, seeing all those sandpipers and plovers. I hope they have fed up well and make it to their destination safely :-) [Wow, just clicked on the last photo - what I thought were lots of rocks were the birds!!!!]

Roy Norris said...

Amazing experience to see such a mass of birds Karen.
We get similar views with Starlings here.

Abby and Stephanie said...

Wall to wall birds. I'll just bet that was super spectacular to view in person. Beautiful quilt. Sometimes we just need a motivator to get things done!

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

Wow, love that quilt. Incentive takes many forms ... whatever it takes to get a finish, right? Wow on all those birds ... what a sight!

Linda said...

I love your quilt, good for you for finishing it. It looks great.

I have never seen so many birds like this. It is amazing. I see lots of birds on poles and wires but nothing like this on the ground. I bet it was wonderful to see this.

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

Congrats on your finish!!!

Bob Bushell said...

I love the quilt, there is nothing quite like it. And there was the Sandpipers, excellent photos.

Teresa in Music City said...

What a great quilt! Very happy and bright and fun :*) And good for you getting it done under deadline. I'm like you, having deadlines and linky parties that hold me accountable are the main reason I ever actually finish anything LOL!!!

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

COngrats on the finish!! It is such a cute quilt!
The birds - Oh My Gosh!! That had to be a sight!! Thank you for sharing!!

Lynn said...

What a terrific quilt. I love the rainbow squares! Is it a pattern? I bet it's a great scrap buster. How interesting about the birds, I'm sure it must have been something to see in person. A transoceanic flight? I wonder how long that takes. I always enjoy the nature part of your blog!

Allie-oops Designs said...

I can't even imagine seeing that in person - wow. How amazing!!! I didn't even recognize those as birds until I clicked twice to make it larger, my gosh that's incredible.

I really love your quilt - yay for motivation!

FlourishingPalms said...

Phenomenal is right! I've never seen such an aviary sight! It's great seeing your quilt again too.

Binsa said...

Lovely quilt Karen amazing sight
Mother Nature regardS lyn

Julia D @ Jada's Quilting Adventures said...

Love the quilt! Absolutely gorgeous :)

canuckquilter said...

Love your Wish Upon a Star quilt! The sandpiper migration pictures are wonderful. It must be a sight to see in person. Now I'm homesick for NS beaches and ocean...