...The sand was dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud because
No cloud was in the sky.
No birds were flying overhead.
There were no birds to fly.

Recognize that from "The Walrus and the Carpenter?" Substitute "blue" for "wet" and you have the river this morning, as gloriously blue as I'd ever seen it under a cloudless sky. But cold! The pilings were covered with gulls, and those gadwalls nibbled at moss, but all the other birds were huddling somewhere and who could blame them? We had a mild global-warming winter here in NYC, and then all of a sudden in late March, the deep freeze! Some of the early daffodils are goners, I think. The beach roses are all putting out tentative little red buds and new leaves, but everything stopped and re-grouped in the last couple of days.

Thanks, all you folks who suggested ducks to match what I saw yesterday in the park. (Except maybe ed's "turducken.") I have to be up there again tomorrow, and I think I'll go early with the binocs and see if I can get a good look at the thing. Unless it flew back down south to wait few weeks!