A kayaker on the sound as seen from Golden Gardens Beach.
The sky ignited, turned to embers, and lingered as night fell.
The visitor and the resident /
An adult Cooper’s Hawk rests on a snag in the light of the rising sun. I keep an eye on this tree every day hoping a raptor will visit. This is the second one and both have been coops. Judging by the way they cleaned their bill before leaving, I’d guess a small songbird met their end at first light.
A bit closer to home, on the front window, a resident orbweaver works steadily to rebuild a web destroyed by yesterday’s rains. I love the changes, at all scales, that happen within a familiar setting. Each day brings something different whether it’s merely the quality of light or a new encounter. I try not to take my surroundings for granted.
A brief walk in the rain /
I’ve been in the house with my sick child for a couple of days so I decided to go for a stroll at Union Bay Natural Area even though it was raining. What started out as a mild drizzle became a proper rain and didn’t let up while I walked the loop. There wasn’t much light and things at a distance became difficult to discern. Thankfully the camera can resolve more detail than my eyes can through foggy glasses.
Aside from the Northern Shovelers spinning in circles on the rain textured pond, there were Mallards, Gadwall, a distant audible Belted Kingfisher, a cormorant who descended through the mist to scratch a landing in the little pond and, after I kept walking I noticed an unfamiliar shape on a distant nest box .
A closer look revealed a Great Blue Heron, still as night, peering into the darkness. I couldn’t tell what had attracted them. Was it a mouse? A snake?
As much patience as I tend to have in these situations the rain was getting heavier, and so was my coat since I don’t have proper rain gear, so I went on my way and was delighted to hear, and then see, two very distant Bald Eagles flying toward the trees near the stadium. A brief, lovely, and very soggy stroll. Even on the gloomy days it really makes a difference to venture outside when you can.
Birdturntable is building a new nest /
I’m going to switch to posting my images and stories right here on my own site. This means I can tell longer stories and provide the context the images need without creating long threads. I hope you will take the time to check in regularly. I’ll make sure to send an automated post to twitter whenever there is something new here for you to see. Thank you.
Your comments still mean a lot so please leave your wonderful thoughts below. However, I will be moderating comments to limit spam.
On the Road in South Texas /
I spent a few hours in the countryside west of San Antonio today and encountered quite a few Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and a number of Swainson's Hawks, in addition to the birds who were too far away to ID, or appeared too briefly to my unfamiliar eyes.
Behold the gloriousness of a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
This male has a tiny morsel in sight...
... but returns to the perch to deal with a larger meal.
Leave it to a bird this elegant to find a pretty power line.
The female is a world of wonder unto herself.
These birds make me feel like I'm in Tanzania.
Touchdown.
Adult Swainson's Hawk on the move on a hot day.
Juveniles were also to be found acting weird as young birds tend to do. This one seems normal but don't be taken in by this deceit.
Happy Friday everyone!