Standing on a post

 

 

 

It’s so easy.

 

Until it isn’t.

 

 

 

Trails

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drove into Rockport for a visit with Dovie.  She’s the one who painted pelicans and spoonbills onto shirts for Judy all those years ago.

 

 

Now in her late 90s, she says we’re the most longtime friends she has from the shop.  It has been 25 years.  She made all the fish decorations on that shirt she’s wearing.  Now she uses a computerized sewing machine though, instead of hand-painting.  She says she just doesn’t have the time to do as much artwork now.

 

Goose Island State Park

 

 

Evening in the woods.

 

 

 

 

#SilverVanLife

 

 

We’re at Goose Island State Park, 180 miles north of Sandpipers.

 

March 2026 trip link

 

 

Bayside.  Fresh sea breeze, but we’ll take a sheltered site in the forest for a few days.

 

 

 

Mighty Mouse

 

 

 

Rocking it!

 

The many moods

 

 

 

…of morning light.

 

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

 

 

You can’t see me.

 

Right?

 

Collared doves

 

 

 

Assessing the yard.

 

Sand patterns

 

 

A buffer behind the dunes, built up at great effort with tractors and loaders; dunes which are then elaborately sculpted by the erosion of wind and rain.

 

 

 

 

I saw a statistic

 

 

It said:

 

“Men are twice as likely as women to have a hearing problem,

but only half as likely to admit it.”

 

What?

 

Okay

 

 

It’s gnarly trees again.

 

 

 

We looked at blackbirds

 

 

First, we found a place with plenty of them.  The grain silos around Progresso are a good place to start.

 

 

A lot of them were red-winged blackbirds.

 

 

There were brown-headed cowbirds.

 

Bronzed cowbirds.

 

And our target for the day, the yellow-headed blackbird, in the center of this frame, to the right of the pole.

 

He was being reclusive.

 

Follow-up on Sal del Rey

 

 

 

It’s a lake with no outflow and an underground, 4-million-ton, salt dome right beneath it.  The salt is from the Jurassic period.  This area was part of the Gulf of Mexico back then; that’s where the original salt came from.  This is not the only salt dome around here, it’s just the one that geological conditions exposed.  Salinity in the lake is 10 times that of the ocean.  Seasonal rainfall determines how wet or dry the lake is.  It’s pretty white right now.  We haven’t had a rain lately.

 

I could write more about the Tesla

 

 

But then I might be sounding too much like the guy who just bought an iPhone instead of an Android…

 

 

 

Morning Light

 

 

 

I’ve known her since I was 16

 

 

She was 15.  Judy’s older sister, Sue.

 

In their family, Sue filled the role of parent, so when I picked up Judy to go out on a date, we sat at their dining room table with Susie while she set the rules.  We acknowledged even then, with a smile, that it was a little odd having someone younger than me being the parent, but the rules weren’t too tough.  Home at a decent time and don’t get in any trouble.  We never did.

 

Judy and Susie were so close.  As children, they protected and comforted each other, as much as they could, through some difficult times.  And all of our adult lives, the three of us, Sue, Judy, and me, were good friends.  We enjoyed, respected, and supported each other.

 

Sue passed away peacefully in her sleep today.  It was a several-year fade as her memory left her.  Another contemporary we love and will miss.

 

 

 

FW: GBBC Final Results Are In with More Broken Records. 🎉 🙌

 

 

The Great Backyard Bird Count.  (The backyard now being every place on the planet.)

 

8,257 species reported.  That’s out of about 10,000 known species.  Pretty good percentage for a four-day effort.

 

e World Once Again Showed-up for the Birds...and Each other.

A World United by Birds is a Wonder Worth Celebrating 🎉 Wow! What a spectacular year for the Great Backyard Bird Count. People were out in every corner of the world watching, listening, photographing, recording, and enjoying birds. Thank you for being a part of another record breaking year.   Here is a quick snapshot of results: 8,257 species of birds identified 216 countries or eBird subregions 467,696 eBird checklists 1,239,329 Saved Merlin Bird IDs (step-by-step, sound, or photo) 246,225 photos, videos, and sounds added to Macaulay Library 1,146,284 estimated global participants 435 reported community events Dive deeper into our final results and feel pride knowing you were a part of greatness.   In gratitude, The GBBC Team   "Dive In" to GBBC 2026 Final Results   This is one of many incredible captures from GBBC 2026. This Red-breasted Merganser is also diving in and Holden Van Dyke / Macaulay Library, was able to snap a spectacular shot! To see more beautiful bird photos, see our collection from GBBC 2026. Black-capped Chickadee on the roof. Photo by Janet Pawlowski / GBBC Participant. Congratulations Binocular winner! Our proud winner enjoyed seeing Black-capped Chickadees visiting her home and feeders during the GBBC weekend. We appreciate being able to share in the joy of observing birds with people all over the world.   Next year is our 30th Year for the Great Backyard Bird Count. Mark your calendars, February 12-15, 2027. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds.   You received this email because you are subscribed to Lab Project Participation, Discounts, and Promotions from Cornell Lab of Ornithology.   Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd.,  Ithaca,NY,14850, Unsubscribe or Manage Email Preferences