Watching the Evening Sky

  • by Amy Earls

    • Seasonfold Postcard No. 2 – Watching the Evening Sky

    Another glowing sunset performance from Nature’s Masterpiece Theatre.

    This will be the second installment in my new “Seasonfold Postcard” series of short format entries. Join me as I watch the evening sky. I will share a brief reflection of my thoughts from sunset and birdsong to blue hour and the first signs of night. I hope you enjoy reading!

    As Night Falls in Early Spring

    8:25 pm – It’s a nice night. There is a light breeze and the air is still warm. The sun is setting, gifting us yet another beautiful sunset. The giant glowing orb slowly sinks out of sight leaving a wash of color in its wake. Sitting outside on the balcony I can hear chickadees, chimney swifts, and the occasional robin still chattering away, even though it’s getting late. They sing as if to bid the sun goodnight.

    Random thoughts float through my mind as I look up at the sky.

    It’s one of those days of the year that has a fun date, well, at least for Star Wars fans… it’s May 4th. Which leaves me feeling compelled to say, “May the Fourth Be With You”.

    The sun as it sinks below the horizon.
    An airplane in the evening sky.

    An airplane passes overhead, I wonder where it going… What stories do the people on board have to tell? This gives me the odd sensation of being aware of something distinctly present, yet so far out of reach.

    I like watching the chimney swifts speed through the air in search of insects, chirping and twittering all the way. They can turn on a dime. Their every motion like liquid metal cutting the air. It’s amazing how fast they are on those tiny sickle wings.

    Occasionally, I can hear my neighbors talking from a few doors down, their voices a muffled but familiar sound. I cannot make out what they are saying but their presence is comforting nonetheless. Knowing this brings a smile to my face.

    The afterglow of the sun in the evening sky.
    Illuminated clouds and the afterglow of the sun in the evening sky.

    I try to take some photos of the sky but the resulting images fail to capture the subtle colors and soft hues. The view before me is purely pastels; a baby blue canvas swathed in pinks and purples, but in the phone it looks yellow and orange. The delicate palette completely skewed by the camera’s photo sensor. Disappointing. Ah well, I guess I shall have to get my paints out of if I want to do it justice. The colors slowly shift and fade. The glow of the sun is well past the horizon now and only the clouds remain illuminated.

    8:28 pm – The light is growing dimmer. I wonder when the next performer will take to the stage. The bird voices grow more quiet, aside from a lone robin who sings a final serenade. The vibrant colors from a few minutes ago are shifting to night. We are rapidly approaching Blue Hour1, which is 8:52 to 9:03 pm today, according to my Daff Moon app (available for Android and iOS). Looking at the sky you can see why, everything is taking on a cool tone.

    The light of the sun is growing dim as the light shifts to night.
    The light of the sun is growing dim as the day shifts to night.

    8:44 pm  – The breeze has calmed a bit and grown gentle. Somewhere a stubborn bird refuses to go to bed. It’s getting quieter little by little. I keep looking to the sky but I don’t see them yet. Perhaps it’s not warm enough out? All the while, the hum of the city never ceases.

    8:52 pm – The stars are starting to come out (maybe they are planets?) and along side them, a long awaited dancer finally makes an appearance, the bat2. The ones here are small, only a bit larger than the chimney swifts, and they are a wonder of anatomy and physics. Unlike the birds, they flap their wings at an almost frantic pace. Their flight is much more of an abrupt zigzag pattern compared to the smooth slicing motions of the chimney swifts, which makes them easy to identify against the evening sky (More about bats in my next full length post!).

    The evening sky has shifted to blue and the stars begin to come out.
    The evening sky has shifted to blue and the stars begin to come out.

    8:57 pm – It’s getting chilly and I am wishing the breeze would stop stealing my body heat. Perhaps it’s time to go inside and have a cup of herbal tea. Another beautiful show of sun and sky has come to a close. As I recently commented, “the sky is endlessly beautiful, every sunset another grand display of nature’s majesty”. I fear this daily miracle often goes over looked or is taken for granted. I hope you can find time in your busy life to enjoy such a moment as well.

    “I find it incredibly amazing how, at every sunset, the sky is a different shade. No cloud is ever in the same place. Each day is a new masterpiece. A new wonder. A new memory.”

    — Sanober Khan

    If you enjoyed reading this, then you may want to check out my previous post from the Seasonfold Postcard series, Waiting for Rain. Thank you once again for taking the time to read my ramblings. And do let me know, what have you noticed in nature today?

    1. Blue Hour – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_hour ↩︎
    2. Big Brown Bat – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_brown_bat ↩︎
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