Another American Beauty

We headed out to the store late this afternoon to restock the house. Passing by the Holyoke Range, we decided to stop and take a quick hike up the western end, and maybe get a good view of the coming sunset. In no time we were near a power line clearing which provided our first good lookout. The sun was just starting to wind down, reflecting off of the Connecticut river, and the semi-flooded farm plains below.





It cast long shadows on the farm buildings below...



Soon, it all became shadow...



The shadow deepened, and the sun finally bid farewell on yet another day...



Another beauty for us in the valley.

We climbed back down, and continued on to the store. We didn't get too far before we saw this beautiful thing, and had to pull over.



The birds were flocking around like this for a long time. When I shot the video it appeared a larger bird (Hawk or Crow?) was trying to harass the group. (You can see the intrusive bird in the video if you look closely). The intruder eventually gave up. The swirling mass became smaller and smaller as birds dropped off in smaller groups, into a nearby barn roof to roost. We just sat there and watched them. It was mesmerizing to see the bird-cloud swirling about, as one entity, against the backdrop of the darkening sky. The way the flock moved and changed shape reminded me of that scene in 'American Beauty', where a plastic bag is being kept aloft by the wind...

Also, kind of reminded me of a giant sky amoeba, come from outer space to take over the Earth.

You pick the scenario.