Steve and Judy's Travels!

Grackle.

Collared Dove.

Green Jay.

Curve Billed-Thrasher.

Kiskadee.

And the back end of a Loggerhead Shrike.

Native to Argentina, traded as cagebirds, escapees have established breeding populations in cities around the globe.  There is a flock in the small town of Hidalgo, near the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse, south of us.  They fan out during the day to feed (and get photographed by me) returning to the large communal stick-nest to socialize and spend the night.

They build their nests on and around power transformers. 

Each nesting pair gets their own entrance.  The heat from the transformers helps keep them warm in winter. 

… and get “Due to increased volume, wait times will be longer than usual.”

Here’s the deal.  This website has said that every day for two years!  When does longer than usual become usual?

I think it’s called a Neon Skimmer.

They like to hang around sheltered water in the American South and Southwest, Louisiana to California.

Turns out Freddy is a warm weather frog friend.  As the summer heat let up, he came home less.  Now we only see him once in a while.  The fountain is still full of water, but it looks kind of empty.