SOUTH BOUND BIRDS

  Rain poured down. Not a day for working outside, except in South East Alaska.

  Fall always bring rain. Not just rain, but rain pushed by wind.
  I read the forecast to my wife.
   “Outside waters: Gale warnings, winds SE 40 knots. Tomorrow: Gale warnings, winds 35 knots seas building from 15 foot to 21 feet.. Rain!”
  We could look out our window at Vitskari Rocks and see the huge swells pushing smashing waves over the rocks. Open the sliding door of the condo and you can hear the roar of waves crashing into the breakwater.
  “Must be dive season,” I commented to Rene.
  Every winter the wind, rain, and big ocean accompany our winter diving for Sea Cucumbers. Just part of the game.
  I have the boat hauled out to make the change from fishing to commercial diving. Load after load of fishing supplies ride in the back of the truck bound for the garage, while load after load of dive gear take its ride from the garage to the boat.
  I try my best to dodge the heavy rain and do my work in the lighter misting rain. Most times you just get caught in the heavy rain anyway. Full rain gear from head to toe is in order.
  I am staring out the window again this morning, watching the trees thrash about in the rain driven wind. Sure looks like a good 40 knot blow happening.
Something out over the ocean catches my eye. Smoke?
  I quickly grab the binoculars and scan the white capping ocean. There is the smoke. It is not smoke at all, but a huge flock of migrating geese.
  We have been watching the ducks and geese fly South for a few weeks now. The little ducks like teal lead the way, followed by the larger mallards, Gadwalls, and other such ducks.
The ducks seem to migrate just ahead of the bad storms.
  The Geese do their migrating right in the heart of the big blows.  We will watch for days and see nothing but ducks, but when we wake up to the wind trying to rip the trees out by the roots, the silly geese start flying.
  They work so hard against the wind. We watch them drop from high altitudes by the mountains to skim the water of the ocean out front.
  Big wings beat steady as the hearty birds struggle their way into the gale force winds. These birds are coming from the nesting grounds near the arctic circle, so we know many of the birds are youngsters making their first journey South.  The old birds do not wait for them but muscle their way forward. Many times we watch singles struggle behind the flock working hard to catch up and gain the draft of the stronger birds.
   It is quite a time of the fall, the waterfowl migration.
  My big question is: “If the birds are smart enough to head South, Why am I not headed that way as well?”