Lying flat on my back on grass looking up, through nearly closed eyes, at sun which looked something like this... Straight above me, among the uppermost branches of a tall maple tree were 8 or 9 birds, large and black, which I first mistook for blackbirds, but which closer inspection showed to be crows. There were directly over me, and I felt sure a dropping would land squarely on my face. I was able to see the eye of one of the crows cocked first this way then that, as he carefully surveyed me and his surroundings. It was a quiet, warm, lazy day.