Abstract Art in Nature

A stone looks like the head of a crocodile with teeth.

Centuries of flowing water made this stone smooth.

The surface of the water serves as a mirror to the forest. 

Nature looks beautiful wherever she takes root to grow.

Dedications at Wild Bird Rescue

Missi greeted Wild Bird Rescue's many guests at the memorial ceremony this afternoon. Though winds outside the center gusted to forty-five miles per hour, several families, friends, and volunteers celebrated the touching ceremony of the Chimney Swift Tower in memory of Janiece Vitek, and Missi's Mew in memory of Brittani Maye Gossett.

Glenda cut the ribbon to dedicate the Chimney Swift Tower while her husband John watched, and Wild Bird Rescue's treasurer, John, and Alicia, super volunteer and rehabilitator, held the ribbon.

BirdManBob received a hug.

The Gossett family supported Melanie in cutting the ribbon to dedicate Missi's mew.

 Missi's Mom and Wild Bird Rescue's vice-president, Terry, held the ribbon.

Baby Barn Owl On Its Way

          Happily, Wayne and Sue transported a baby barn owl to Lubbock, to a facility where rehabbers can raise large predator birds. I hope he will return to our neck of the woods. Wild Bird Rescue volunteers work hard to raise funding needed to build a facility that will enable them to maintain large birds, like the owls, in this area, where they were born. For now, they have to transport them four hours away to Lubbock, where eventually the birds, all grown up, will fly freely, and, one hopes, toward the area of their birth.

In the meantime, I've seen a large number of Northern Harriers in Archer County. (Yay.)

          I've also seen Sandhill Cranes flying about, but haven't pinned down where they are landing. Here I show a group flying over ranch land in Archer County.

Stealth Cam First Image

           Increasingly interested in viewing wildlife in any way I can, I bought a wildlife camera. To practice with the new camera, and to familiarize myself with the way it functions, I placed it outside my door. No birds, no squirrels, no frogs, nothing, appeared in the images taken for two days, except for my dogs.

Hodge would kill me if he knew I posted on the Internet a picture of him piddling!

12th Armored Division

            The 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum in Abilene serves to honor the valiant soldiers who served during WWII. The exhibit includes most equipment employed by the soldiers. On display on the second floor, they show photographs of the horrors imposed upon the citizens by the Nazis. To add somber levity to the exhibit, they displayed, too, a bicycle with an amusing sign, pictured below.

"Anyone caught touching the colonel's Harley will receive 39 days latrine duty!"

They Arrived! En Masse.

       Perplexed by the lack of attendance at my bird feeders, I have looked out the window nervously, waiting for any bird, any single bird, to come in for a chomp. This morning, behold, they arrived en masse. Accompanying a single White-winged Dove sitting gently on top of the feeders, two blue jays, one mockingbird, and ten, yes, ten juncos. Happily I will jot it down on the Project Feeder Watch sheet. 

Fewer Doves

      The Cooper's Hawk that has lived in our trees for the past eight months or so may have decreased the populations of doves at my house. A couple of years ago I began to see rampant numbers of white-winged, Inca, Eurasian collared, and Mourning. This morning I saw three white-winged; yesterday I saw one, and no other. 

       Flying over Lake Wichita in the early morning, I always look down to the water in search for bird life (and scan the skies ahead of me to avoid collisions). The pelicans are there now, and Penny saw semipalmated sandpipers. View her report at her blog. 

Grand Theatre

           Volunteers renovating the The Grand Theatre in Electra will drive through rough weather to work on their tasks. Little by little, they raise the funds to restore some of the theatre. Below I show a few images taken with my iPhone during a visit to the ol' opera/vaudeville/other functions house.

Equidae at a Friend's House

Into a Wheat Field

White eyelashes. 

Hodge would like to jump out of the truck to chase the cattle. 

Flowers along the fence at a wheat field. 

Myrmecologist in Town

          E O Wilson, biologist specializing in the study of ants and Pulitzer prize recipient, gave a lecture at Akins Auditorium. His plea: Let us work together, everyone, scientists and creationists, to save Earth's creatures from pollution, over-harvesting, over-hunting, and over-population. And neglect. 

Take Your Camera Everywhere

Aircraft parked at sunrise.

Early morning flight.

Pilot profile at sunrise.

As the sun rose on our port side, the moon set on our starboard.

Assassin Bug

                   The assassin bug, with its proboscis, will perforate the body of another insect and suck its insides for supper. Ack. 

P-51 of the MONTH

             The Museum of North Texas History hosted a barbecue supper for supporters of the Call Field Museum. David Martin flew aerobatics over the airport, then landed to share with us our meal.

Here I show David Martin and Bill English posing for their fans. 

Wide angle view of the P-51 and the fans walking around it. 

Of Birds and Barking

BirdManBob released a burrowing owl today amid barking prairie dogs.

Prairie dog, new neighbor to the Burrowing Owl.

Robert Lee

      The town of Robert Lee, Texas, named after Robert E. Lee, became known to sport fishermen and hunters for the striped bass fishing and prevalent white tailed deer. As the damned (pardon the pun) Colorado River water levels became lower, fishermen did not frequent Robert Lee as often. I think the hunting and fishing led to the development of a fine runway, but the decline in the numbers of visitors has led to . . .  the neglect of the runway. We landed on a strip needing some attention.

Can you see the grasshopper in the foreground? 

To Fly Before Sunrise

The wind sock at Kickapoo Airport indicates winds from the south at five knots per hour before sunrise.

Feisty Burrowing Owl

       The Burrowing Owl convalescing at Wild Bird Rescue shows signs of improving strength. After the storms pass through the area, BirdManBob will place the owl in the outside aviary so that he can exercise his injured wing. After a week, BirdManBob will release him.

Bats

         A colony of bats cared for and nurtured by Gail, in Lubbock, spent the afternoon at Wild Bird Rescue, resting and preparing for the evening's lecture to the public at Riverbend Nature Center. 

          Occasionally, Wild Bird Rescue receives injured or orphaned bats, so Gayle taught the rehabbers how to care for the bats before transporting them to her sanctuary.

Vulture!