Owls at Wild Bird Rescue Recently

Eastern Screech Owl.

Barn Owl.

Fledgling Great Horned Owls saved by Lila.

Pump Jacks, Power Lines, and Birds

Driving along the Texas countryside with MyMrMallory, 

I glimpsed egrets hanging around cattle and sunflowers.

I spotted pump jacks surrounded by summer flowers.

I may not like to see huge power lines traversing 

farms and ranches, but the vultures seem to like  to sit on them.

Ann My Rancher Friend

Ann, one of my fave persons, invited me to hop on behind her on her

All Terrain Vehicle to go see her new-born calves. Above I show her interacting with a Holstein.

Distracted by Nature

I particularly appreciate it when snakes play dead, instead of lunging at me, frightfully.

Above, a Scissortail Flycatcher standing on a Mesquite branch 

observes me; another dives to catch an insect.

Mourning Dove.

At this time, Starlings grow into adulthood and change into their Fall plumage. 

Flowers still abound in the countryside. 

Prairie Dogs barked, alerting others of my presence. 

The Burrowing Owls remained vigilant of a Northern Harrier hunting above the Prairie Dog town.

Of Birds

Nighthawk.

Fledgling Mississippi Kite.

Missi, Wild Bird Rescue's Avian Ambassador. 

View Missi's Blog.

Killdeer.

A woodpecker hungrily accepts a worm from BirdManBob.

Mallard Duck (female).

And eager to eat all the cute little birds is a Cooper's Hawk!

A vulture will eat the left-overs, if any.

Big Mushroom

Along the Bank

Dabbling in Photography in the Garden

Spider Lillies

Most Remarkable Matilda

         Matilda, a young dog rescued by Lila, has no sense of hearing. Special training comes into play -- and I don't employ the expression lightly -- with Matilda for her impairment. 

        Lila has encouraged Matilda through training classes, including jumping and going through the tube.

       Matilda, in addition to her intelligence and character, can make funny faces. Here I show some images of her in black and white.

Jumping.

Going through the tube.

Matilda looks up as if interrupted by something, perhaps my camera. 

Long tongue.

Matilda playing wyvern.

Matilda adores her owner. 

Bugs Uncropped II

         I dabbled with Gentle Giant's old Nikon D2h for some macro. Since it has only four megapixels, I thought of it as an important exercise in approaching closely my subjects, in the spirit of non cropping. Today my subjects, grasshoppers, mayflies, and a praying mantis, seemed cooperative, seemingly feeling unthreatened by my 105mm lens close to their noses.

I saw, too, a turkey feather on the grass, and my first Monarch butterfly.

Love Bugs II

I took these images with the Nikon Coolpix S8000. The grasshoppers and crickets seemed baffled, or stunned, rather, petrified, by the Coolpix, for they allowed me to place it on the ground close to them.