While we were on Maclellan Island, several of us got ahead of the rest of the group.  When we arrived at the meeting place to wait for our ride home, one of the women suddenly asked, “One of you doesn’t have a tow-headed boy on the island, do you?”

None of us did.  She explained that she had just seen a boy in a pair of plaid bermuda shorts on the path.

We all looked.  No boy.

A few seconds later, she said, “There he is!” We all turned to look.  No boy.

This repeated at least 3 times.  The boy was playing hide-and-seek.  The poor woman was sure we all thought she was crazy.

Eventually, we all saw him, but he immediately ran away.  We decided he was a wild boy.  Of course, I’m not sure how common it is for wild children to wear plaid bermuda shorts.

On the theme of unusual sightings, I continue to try to create photographic evidence of my white-tailed starling.  I have, over the course of the last few days, come to think of this bird as my own personal starling.

I have made a habit of taking my camera with a long lens every time I take Tisen to the park.  But having seen it 3 times when I couldn’t get a picture, I have yet to see it when I’ve had my camera at the ready.

I managed to get a few shots of other birds, including a cedar waxwing.  The cedar waxwing, like the wild boy, always plays hide-and-seek with me.  I feel fortunate to have gotten one in my frame at all even though it’s not a great image.

I also spot a very strange looking turtle.  I’ve seen one like it at the aquarium.  I guess I will have to go back to find out what it is.  It has a long neck and a pointed nose and a very long tail.  I couldn’t hold still enough without a tripod to get a good shot of it–it really is like some of the pictures of big foot you see!

This morning I slept in.  When I got up, poor Tisen had decided to let me sleep even though he couldn’t hold it anymore because of his medication.  We had quite a puddle.

I rushed outside with him feeling guilty that I was so late taking him out.  It was raining and Tisen really didn’t want to spend a lot of time in the rain, so he started heading on the short route we usually only take at night.  When we got to the parking lot, there, pecking at some trash from Krystal burger, was a group of starlings.  Sure enough, the white-tailed youth I’ve been hunting was among them!  And, as one might predict, I was there without even a cell phone.

Oh well.  At least I know it’s still hanging out in the neighborhood.