From the deck, this looked like a man wearing a bulky overcoat but it turned out to be a turkey vulture perched on a tall stump, making it about 6′ tall. It is so bulky!A common loon, but an uncommon sight here. They do show up occasionally. We heard a loon call last summer but this year, nothing.Jon’s remote holder has turned into a baby bird holder. They are Bewick’s wrens, with six or seven babies that hatched a few days ago. The plastic bag was to protect the remotes from the rain, and the upside down pot was for further protection. This photo shows the dad bringing home takeout for the mom to give the kids. This flock of white pelicans was a mile away out in the middle of the lake; this is the best I could get. They are huge birds, bigger than bald eagles–50″-65″. We’ve seen smaller flocks but this was a large group–this picture shows about a third of them.Fluffy little baby cardinalCowbirds are a nuisance bird, but this was an amusing pair–the boy fluffed himself up and fluttered around but the girl really wanted nothing to do with him. He followed her around the yard and danced for her, but no luck.Our pond is home to a dwindling number of tadpoles, and a garter snake that gets fatter every day.
Northern Mockingbird, the state bird of Texas. I’ve been trying to take a picture of it but it doesn’t hold still long enough. Tonight it spent some time on the fence, posing perfectly.This golden-fronted woodpecker has been a frequent visitor. Over the last week it has been making a lot of noise and flying back and forth to the trees. It’s remarkably friendly; it didn’t leave even as I fussed with arranging my camera, and talked with Mom.
