I'm the Captain Now!

This evening I joined the NYC Audubon's sunset eco-cruise, and it was super cool.  My friend and uber-ornithologically- inclined DJ naturalist Gabriel Willow lead us all in an East River birding adventure, sharing not only his extensive bird-y expertise, but also the fascinating history and ecology of the area.  If you've never gone on a tour with him, I suggest you do so ASAP!  We were also joined by Director of Conservation and Science, biologist Susan Elbin who, last time we met, spent thirty minutes with me as I covered her head in several pairs of (unused!) underwear and sent her off on a second-hand bike trailing wings and wearing a homemade tern mask.  See kids, science is awesome!
Thanks to Kathryn, Danielle. and Kelley for being great hosts and letting me tag along and commune with some amazing birders, the youngest a 14-year-old birding wunderkind with the eyes and ears of a fox!  He'll be leading his own tours soon enough.
Last night I also spent time with a tiny sketchbook, taking quick impressions of the river in the evening.  I am not much of a sketchbook artist anymore...my anxiety and other issues have interfered with my ability to consistently work on the small things, but on the boat I found I was able to take a moment to play with no expectations, and I'm glad I did.  Against the advice of all my inner demons, here are some of my five-minutes-in-the-dark scratchings. 
Oh, also, I stole someone's captain's hat.  Aw yeah, I'M the captain now...