A snowy egret watches white ibis feeding at North Pond on Pea Island. 



rare bird, and my dubious limpkin is much 

 more likely in South America or western 

 Florida than in the marshes of Lake 

 Mattamuskeet. 



Of course, I can't be sure of what I've 

 seen. After further questioning, Watson 

 convinces me I've seen a juvenile great 

 blue heron. 



Still, for one brief moment I've tasted 

 the thrill of bird-watching: the search for 

 something wild and fleeting, the satisfac- 

 tion in discovering something new. With 



the bird book open in my hands, I know 

 what a limpkin sounds like, what it eats 

 and how it flies. For a few seconds, I feel 

 like a real expert. 



Outside, the Wings Over Water 

 Festival is in full swing. While booths 

 inside the headquarters are open every day, 

 selling T-shirts and posters, binoculars and 

 books, the festival is a one-day celebration 

 to bring the birders together with the local 

 community. There are exhibits and games, 

 a photography contest, kayaking lessons 



and carnival food. Kids can make kites, get 

 their faces painted or build their own 

 birdfeeders. 



Gwen White, Wings Over Water's 

 executive director, is especially proud of 

 the festival and of the way Wings Over 

 Water has grown. "I'm proud of the 

 community for the way it's pulled around 

 and supported the event," she says. In 

 1999, she promises, the Saturday gathering 

 will be "even more of a family festival — 

 we'll have music and lots of environmental 



12 AUTUMN 1999 



