Thirty-three years ago, at the time I moved to Oahu, the only part of the island where I could routinely see cattle egrets was Kawainui Marsh. Now they're all over the island, or almost. As of October 2009, when I took this picture about a block south of my house, that spot seemed to be the northern limit of their spread up Kamiloiki Valley. I'd see them pacing off the soccer field there, walking behind the lawnmower in dignified single file.
Click to enlarge.
But on the morning of December 31, 2010, a flash of light reflected into my bedroom window. Startled, I looked up just in time to see a cloud of snow soar up the side of the house, take shape as bird, and rise away toward the east.
I took it as a found symbol for the new year.
