According to Asian tradition, the crane is a bird of good luck and long life, and further, if you fold one thousand origami cranes you’ll be granted a wish. If a picture is worth a thousand words, is a photo of a great egret* equivalent to folding a thousand pieces of paper? I obviously can’t… Continue reading A New Year “Crane” for Good Luck
Category: Wildlife – Birds
Bird
I see a lot of websites during the course of a week. Many of them are design-related and thus represent what should be the most striking, innovative, and creative examples the profession can build. Still, it’s not often that I run across one that simply takes my breath away. This is one. Andrew Zuckerman is… Continue reading Bird
Woodpecker
Debbie was watering the plants on the front porch when she heard a tapping sound. She looked up and spotted the source: a ladder-backed woodpecker working its way up the trunk of our neighbors’ red oak tree. We don’t see many woodpeckers around here, so it was definitely a photo opportunity. In the second photo,… Continue reading Woodpecker
Green Heron
I spotted a bird of a type I hadn’t previously seen wading in the stream between the two ponds this morning. I took a couple dozen photos and shipped a few off to our resident wildlife expert, Burr Williams, who identified the bird as a green heron. He said they reside year-around in certain parts… Continue reading Green Heron
Sunday Morning Hawk
I was sitting on our front porch after breakfast, accompanied by a Bible and a cup of coffee – both being essential to Sunday morning (or any morning, for that matter) – enjoying the beautiful weather. The street light at the corner of our yard was decorated with five or six Mexican doves basking in… Continue reading Sunday Morning Hawk
The Original Hummer
Back porch hummingbird views:
First, coyotes. Now, barn swallows. Roadrunners can’t catch a break.
You’d think that by now I’d have learned not to leave my camera inside when I retire to the front porch for Sunday morning coffee. I invariably see things that I wish I could share with you, but by the time I rush back inside, the moment has passed and all you’re left with are… Continue reading First, coyotes. Now, barn swallows. Roadrunners can’t catch a break.
This Bird’s a Hoot!
More nature encounters…this time, a Great Horned Owl makes an appearance in the neighborhood.
Turkey Stalking
I’ve written before about the flock of wild turkeys that have taken up residence in my old neighborhood in Fort Stockton. For whatever reasons, the size of the group has dwindled from the upper teens to just three, a gobbler (male) and two hens. The male has been known to exhibit aggressive behaviors towards people,… Continue reading Turkey Stalking
Neighborhood Killdeer
Killdeer are exceedingly common throughout the US, and they’re even regularly observed around bodies of water in our arid part of the state. Still, I haven’t had the opportunity to observe them up close until a family took up residence around the stream and pond located in our new neighborhood. I shot the following video… Continue reading Neighborhood Killdeer