Steve and Judy's Travels!

At our house.

Taylor’s flat in Goring on Thames is on what we call the second floor of this building, the Midland House. 

Taylor’s Flat Link

(In Europe, the first floor up is called the first floor.  The one underneath it is the ground floor.)

Taylor is all settled in.

Becky and Brian are off to their flat in York for the next month.

Becky and Brian’s Flat Link

England Trip Map

And, on a totally unrelated note, tonight Andy and Christie are in the air on their way to Dublin!

I will, because it’s part of the natural world around us that we spend so much time in and admire so much.

Usually, I just send out the prettiest wildlife pictures I can take.  But in our time out watching what nature does, we’re regularly reminded that survival is a constant battle.  If you’re feeling a little squeamish, you may not want to read any further.  Just crumple this up and toss it.

The good news is, Freddy is okay.

The bad news is, some other little toad had a bad day.

He got swallowed.

I know this is just how life goes.  Every critter survives at the expense of some other plants or animals.  In the grand scheme of things, it’s the balance of nature.  On an individual level, it can be brutal.

My sympathies are with the prey more than with the successful predator.  Can’t tell if the compression on this little guy has already caused him to expire, or if he’s just waiting out the inevitable, thinking “damn”.

From a ribbon snake’s perspective though, it was surely a fine day!

A cool bath on a hot day.

And a green jay that seems to be feeling pretty good about it!

Late summer.  It’s hot.  It’s quiet.  We still have the usual suspects at the feeders.  Grackles, sparrows, doves.  Only the occasional cardinal or thrasher now.  Not as many as in the winter.  There is probably enough natural food for everyone.  The feeders aren’t that big a deal like in the winter.

Then we hear that sound.  A groove billed ani.  Its call is a distinctive chortle, unlike any of the other birds around.  First, we hear it.  Then we see it.  It flies its wobbly floppy flight into the tree behind our fence.  Then another.  Then another.  A whole gang of anis shows up; eight in total.  Mostly, they stay obscured in the foliage of the tree.  One lands on the wire.

I zoom in.

Groove-billed Anis are sometimes described as looking disheveled.

Disheveled.  Yes.  But charming.

The anis are here in our neighborhood for two or three hot months, then they’re gone to Mexico, Central and South America for the rest of the year.