Steve and Judy's Travels!

It goes with the yellow huisache tree blooms,

And the yucca bloom just peeking out.

And swirly swamp water.

And a yellow-crowned night heron buried in the branches.

As the day warms, they rise from their overnight stop in the forests to the south of our house, hundreds at a time, just dots in the sky.

With sufficient altitude, they set out on a glide to the north, right over us, on their way to the eastern half of the rest of the country for the summer!

(If the timing of this seems a little off, that’s because it happened a couple weeks ago, and I just now got the pictures out.)

Smaller than a robin, and with a tail that makes up half their length.

They’re almost completely gone from here during the winter months, but spend all summer perched on powerlines chattering and flying out and back catching bugs.

That long tail splits out like scissors when they’re maneuvering in the sky.

It’s primarily a Southern Midwest bird in the U.S.

They’ll keep us company here all summer.  I’ll try to catch a photo of one in flight with its tail spread.

Judy’s hearing is back!

The ear infections are gone.  The hearing aids have been returned to service.  Hearing is restored.  She can hear like a normal person again.  We weren’t sure that was going to happen.

No more headsets required to have a conversation.  She can talk to other people again.  A scary six weeks, and now a big relief.

A trip to the shore at Port Mansfield an hour away.

google map

Laughing gulls.

And the slightly larger ring-billed gull.