§ It's The Weekend...again!

Gosh, I haven't been blogging much lately. In fact, Google has changed their format, youtube changed with it, commenting on blogs has become a hassle, getting Word to open on my computer is a challenge and my paint program software [ever since an update] has been a royal pain! So, I've been offline for a goodly time...I am reading other blogs but can comment on some, others the comment becomes stagnant and won't work. I give up. And, I gave up. Know I have read blogs tho...just unable to leave a few words. I will try and catch up when things get back to normal with blogger. I uninstalled all updates and rebooted. So, maybe that will help. In the meantime, I cleaned out the computer files, deleted over a gigabyte of junk. I read my book. Did some yard work with Bud. Went on a couple of birding excursions. Took down and packed away Valentine decorations and restyled the blog look for Hootin' Anni and I'd Rather B Birdin'. Yes, the ol' gal in the header is ME sitting on the seawall downtown!!! While doing the computer cleaning this past week, I came across some photos taken this past Fall while I was walking along the river. Thought I'd share the serenity and beauty of the slow moving stream...

§ Park Deer

Early one morning before rush hour traffic built up, I left in a light fog, heading to Calallen Texas and my favorite park along the river. In hopes of seeing some wildlife. Not only birds, but perhaps some white tailed deer if I got there early enough. And sure enough, just before reaching the gates to enter the park, a hawk was perched on a power pole, but flew off before I got some really good photos. [I will share one photo on my bird blog this Saturday]. No sooner had I entered through the open gates to the park, two white tailed deer were grazing on the grass. But this time they had company! A solo javelina [ha vah LEEN ah]. Once they noticed I had stopped the vehicle, they all ran for shelter in the wooded area behind them. I had only time to take photos with my cellphone.

I spent some time walking and driving along the riverbank, around the circular drive to the ponds, climbing down to the observation deck on the larger pond, and up the hill to the hawkwatch platform. The fog lifted, but it remained gray and overcast. The temp was a mild 66 degrees. All the time while I was walking and climbing I started watching a green kingfisher [I took many many photos of it fishing and will share the string of action photos at another time] that was on the pond diving for its breakfast, I could hear the beautiful calling of a Carolina Wren...which I finally found and also took a photo. Of course, all my bird photos [including the kingfisher next week -not this weekend, but next week] will be shared on my other blog "I'd Rather B Birdin'". By the way on the other side of the river, the trees were lined with vultures. And one area, along the picnic area, so too were dozens of vultures!! Here are a few photos of nature calling to me. As you notice, our "Autumn foliage" happens in the dead of Winter.  The very last photo is a long distance shot of the kingfisher; see it?...

February 4th is National Heart Awareness Day...wear RED!

§ A Busy week, But Time for a Walk....

The two of us have been busy doing more yard work. This week, it's getting rid of the winter killed ferns!!! And we have TONS of them. All along the foundations and in flower beds. The biggest "problem" of it all is we need to get on our hands and knees to cut. We can't use the electric trimmer, because the ferns are growing in amongst roses, bougainvilleas, hibiscus, ---don't wanna chop anything down in error, etc. Each fern has to be trimmed out individually. That's gonna take days!!! But, one morning, early, this week, I went to another area with no spring breakers to walk [I haven't been walking nearly enough to satisfy me, but I just can't and not be here to help with yard work]. I went to the river. I took several pictures of the lakes more than I did of birds this time....

Along the river, I walked along the boardwalk and through the trees sweeping the air with the spanish moss while a gentle breeze blew. It was a beautiful morning. Blue sky, new green spring growth just about everywhere I went -no wildflowers yet, tho...puffy white clouds, birdsong, a squirrel chattering away since I was disturbing his sanctuary, ducks in formation flew overhead while a silent raptor [the caracara] glided through the air thermals on the hunt! A lone kiskadee called out a warning. This photo in the paragraph is not the river, it's a feeder channel that flows into the river at the bank behind the boardwalk.  Did I  mention just how perfect a morning it was?  Silence; yet filled with sounds of Springtime along the river bank and in the woods...

§ ...Foggy Morning, Continued...

All the shared photos below are still of the foggy Thursday morning walk at the park along the river bank and in the wooded area. It shows quite a lot of color change on some leaves [which we don't see often here]. I thought it was exceptionally pretty with the misty atmosphere, the quiet gray-green current of the river, and a favorite of mine...the Spanish Moss!  Along the trail I also went into a dense area that has a viewing  platform nestled in the woods on the large pond shoreline and sighted a Green Kingfisher, silent in the murky air.  So, we continue with the woods, the fall colors, the deer, and even a dew-laden web...

If you missed part one, click HERE



...and a few more critters: