Great Blue Heron at Sunset

                                                   Portrait, Female Red-winged Blackbird

                                                   Immature Northern Mockingbird

                                                                      Great Egret

                                         Female Red-winged Blackbird Straddles Sunflowers

                                               

                                                      Marsh Rat Seeking Food

                                                          Immature Mallard Duckling

   
                                                                      Viceroy

                                                              Tawny Emperor


The first three of these were from last evening, and the remainder were from this morning.  This morning was 67 degrees, partly cloudy, with light and variable winds.  There was a hint of a sweet aroma in the air and the birds were actively feeding.  It must have rained overnight, for the grass was heavily wet, yet hosted numerous butterflies, also feeding.  It was a rare morning to greet the light of day, as well as my priceless denizens of the lake. Oh, happy morning, and I do hope that you were able to share the same kind of treasures...

                                                            Great Blue Heron

                                                    Female Red-winged Blackbird

                                                                  Eastern Kingbird

                                                          Eastern Kingbird Pair

                                                                Taking Off

                                                               Wild Sunflower

                                                              Mallard Pose

                                                         Mallard and American Coot

                                                                 Mallard Pair

                                                     Dusk at Veteran's Memorial

82 degrees/light and variable wind/evening

Fall is beginning its descent upon Boomer Lake and cooler evenings will soon be upon us.  The silence was permeated by the call of the Eastern Kingbirds, who are here in full force.  A beautiful evening, thought provoking, and a much deserved respite from the earlier day.  My thoughts were not nearly as profound, but a sense of calm and solace was in the air...

                                                         Crape Myrtle, Pre-Dawn

                                                               Eastern Kingbird

                                                                  Great Egret

                                                                        Ditto

 
                                                                        Ditto

                                                          Great Egret In Flight

82 degrees/20 mph wind/mostly cloudy/

It had rained several times today, but luckily, I was able to get out and not worry about any precipitation.  The Eastern Kingbirds were all over, chasing each other, as well as what few Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are left.  It was a beautiful, careful and quiet day at the lake.

                                                                Brown Thrasher

                                                           Brown Thrasher in Flight

                                                                  Great Egrets

                                                                  Great Egret

               
                                                   Mallard Hen with Growing Ducklings

Early Morning/72 degrees/10 mph wind/clear skies

The beauty of morning with new light and so silent that the water can be heard rippling.  As the golden orb rises, the sounds of life beacon, entreat, and implore one another to get on with a new day.  These are pictures of those moments, captured by your resident photographer...

I will never forget you, no matter how much time passes, and I will smile at your approach for all the joy that we bring one another in this lifetime.

Great Egret

84 degrees/evening/15 mph wind/cloudy

Great Egret was very generous today with a photo shoot.  This gorgeous bird usually flees the area when anyone comes by.  After all, when we are all stars like this beautiful specimen, I think we could be entitled to a little privacy.

                                                  Canada Geese Feeding on Grass Seed

                                                 Unknown Variety Wild Mushroom

                                                             American Coot

                                                       Mallard Hen Shedding Water

                                                                   Great Egret

                                                         Mallard Portrait in Early Light

                                                            "Isn't She Lovely?"

                                                 My First Sign of Migratory Forster's Terns

 
                                                 One of Four Forster's Terns Seen Today

                                           
                                       
                                             Female Red-winged Blackbird Strikes a Pose

0800-1030 hrs./partly cloudy/15 mph wind/72-80 degrees

One of those rare mornings that I am able to get to the lake for perfect ambient light.  With the sightings of the American Coot and the Forster's Tern, there is obviously more southern movement of birds, indicating migration, but at a fairly early stage.  This appears to be two weeks early, so it makes me wonder if we could be in for an early winter.  Let's see how accurate the birds' biological clocks are this season.

                                                              Marsh Rabbit

                                                                   Leslie's Cicada

                                                   Male Cattle Egret in Breeding Plumage

                                                                        Ditto

   15 mph wind/partly cloudy/88 degrees/evening

It was quite a bit cooler than it has been, a thunderstorm occurred overnight.  It made very little difference to the water table, but it permitted a little relief to both humankind and avian friends.  This was the first time that I ever saw the Cattle Egret in breeding plumage, and I was duly impressed.  He was shaking his feathers on the final picture, and for some odd reason, I thought about Chubby Checker and "The Twist."  What do you think?