Other Texas Sights – August 2024

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I made short visits to two other locations on my last trip to Dallas. The Welcome Center on US 75 just after entering Texas from Oklahoma always has some native plants blooming. It was about 100 degrees when I stopped so I quickly photographed the hibiscus that seemed to be thriving in the heat.

The beautyberry has more purple berries that last time I saw it.

The second place was Josey Ranch Lake in Carrollton. I haven’t visited since last winter since it is not near my dad’s assisted living home. It was about 100 degrees and very humid…so I did most of my looking from my car. The water was very low. I saw some birds in the shallows, but they were far enough away that I wasn’t sure what they were. Finally - I got the impression that one was a Yellow-crowned Night Heron although it was hard to be certain. It was so hot that it seemed like the humidity just above the water was visible! When I got back to the hotel, I loaded my pictures onto my Mac and confirmed the identification; the light was so bright that the camera could ‘see’ better than my eyes could.

I was glad I had taken pictures of the other birds that were further away too…since they were juveniles of the same species!

Savoring these two short stops for a nature fix….

Zooming – February 2024

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It’s been a busy month with 2 trips to Texas and then a flurry of activity when I was home in Missouri. I tried to take breaks for photography…even if they were very short! There are pictures from my parents’ house in Carrollton that has been sold, Josey Ranch in Carrollton, Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, and snow at home. Enjoy the February 2024 slideshow!

My Favorite Photographs from 2023

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Photography is something I enjoy frequently (one of those hobbies that pop up almost daily!). I’ve picked 2 photos from each month of 2023 for this post. Picking favorites is always a bit of a challenge; looking at the collection as I write this post I realize some were chosen for the light

  • A heron in morning light

  • A backlit dandelion

  • High key image of iris…and then a turkey using the same technique

…some for the subject

  • The busy fox squirrel

  • Two insects in one flower

  • The egret struggling to control a fish

  • The feet of the American Coot

…some because they prompted a strong memory of the place.

  • Driftwood at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge

  • Sculpture in the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House Garden in St. Louis

  • Metal iris and sunrise at my parents’ house

  • Geese on the snow and ice in my neighborhood in Missouri

  • Cairn as the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden in Springfield, MO

  • A flower blooming in December at Josey Ranch Park in Carrollton, TX

Enjoy the mosaic of images (click to see a larger version).

Josey Ranch – August 2023

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The low temperature of the day was in the 80s…first thing in the morning. Josey Ranch Park (Carrollton, TX) just after sunrise was the most comfortable it would be for the day. The water level in the largest pond was low – the cattails no longer standing in water, lots of dirt ‘beach’, cracks in the soil along the banks, soil pulling away from the sidewalks.

The ducks were maturing. The only male ducks I saw were ones that were just growing their adult plumage.

The two swans were on the opposite shore where the water was a little deeper.

A group of killdeers were feeding on recently exposed mud. The pond was going to shrink more with temperatures still soaring above 100 degrees almost every day and no rain.

A flock of pigeons welcomed the morning from the roof of the Senior Center.

A Great Egret was looking for breakfast but I didn’t see it find anything.

I headed over to the pocket prairie. It must get watered occasionally but there were still big cracks in the paths.

A few plants were blooming.

Around the smaller pond, there was a tree that looked like it had fall foliage although it might have been more sinister – a tree so heat stressed that the leaves (or maybe the tree) was dying. A great blue heron was under the tree - looking toward the water for breakfast.

The was a hot morning and I opted to head back to the air conditioning rather than do more walking!

Josey Ranch Plants – July 2023

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Some plants of note at Josey Ranch (Carrollton, TX).…noticed while I was looking at birds….

In the garden between the big pond and library/senior center – I realized there were quite a few beautyberries. Most of them were doing great. There was one that was wilted (as was the redbud tree growing near it). I guessed that the sprinkler system was not working properly. Even native plants are challenged by days and days (maybe weeks and weeks) of 100+ temperatures with very little rain!

In the Pocket Prairie area – the sunflowers were still growing very well.

There was a surprise zinnia. Not sure why it was there with the native plants but it was growing quite happily.

In the area just outside the Pocket Prairie, there where cracks in the sod/soil and some strange features. At first, I thought they were roots but now I am not sure.

Josey Ranch – January 2023

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The birds on the water at Josey Ranch in Carrollton, TX changed from when I was there in December. The Northern Shovelers were not there in January! The American Wigeon were there the first day I went in January but not on the second. It seems a little early for them to be migrating; maybe they have moved to a bigger pond. On my first visit – I saw American Wigeon, Lesser Scaup, American Coot, Great Egret, Ruddy Ducks, and gulls.

The surprise birds of the day were a pair of Buffleheads. They were busy diving for food! I’ve seen them occasionally at Josey Ranch before but they are not in the ‘regular’ birds there.

On the second day I visited, there were gulls lined up on the walkway near the parking lot. The Lesser Scaup, American Coot, and Great Egret were still around. The mallards seemed more numerous than on the first day (seemingly skewed toward males). There was a Great Blue Heron almost hidden in the reeds. The Ruddy Ducks were still there but sleeping just as they were on the first day.

I walked around to the native plants in a terraced area between the Library and Senior Center. It was almost too windy for macro pictures…but I tried anyway. Some berries were the only color….but the shapes of the dried remains of the plants from last summer are interesting enough.

Josey Ranch – September 2002

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Carrollton’s Josey Ranch Lake still had noticeable problems. The broken sidewalks and disassembled boardwalks were still the same as in August. The heavy crane was gone. 3 city trucks drove on the walkway to get to the other side of the lake to begin repair to the boardwalks while I was there. Maybe the broken walkways will come next….or they’ll wait until next summer.

I saw one swan in August but didn’t see any in September and there were a lot of white feathers in the water and mud near the remaining cattail area. They were not native swans…but they have been at the lake from the beginning. They will be missed if they are truly gone.

I did see some other birds which made for a good morning of bird photography.

Great Egret

Great Blue Heron


Green Heron

Snowy Egret

Hopefully the work around the lake will be done before the winter birds arrive.

Unique Aspects of Days - July 2022

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Settling into our new home in Missouri is still prompting unique aspects of our days!

1st doctor’s appointment in Missouri. Getting medical records transferred from a specialist in Maryland to a new specialist in Missouri was a first for me…and I was pleasantly surprised that it happened so easily and that the new doctor continued the monitoring/treatment as I expected.

Callery Pear to the recycle center. It was a unique experience to discover a pear tree growing in a crepe myrtle in a front flower bed of my new house. I cut it down…discovered it had thorns…and was very pleased to get it cut up enough to fit in the back of my car and then to the recycle center yard waste bins without injuring myself. It was an experience I hope is unique!

Unpacking the art glass. I packed it but my husband unpacked it. There was a joy in packing and unpacking the beautiful pieces….savoring them individually and then again as a whole in the display cabinet. We left 2 pieces that are on light stands out on a desk beside the piano to act as ‘night lights’ in that part of the house. It has been over 25 years since we enjoyed the glass the way we did in July.

Making a compost ring with cedar edging. I bought two sections of edging made with 3-6 inch vertical lengths of cedar branches and formed a circle to hold my kitchen scraps and soft yard waste under one of our pine trees. There is not enough material to require a bigger compost bin so this is a relatively unique solution. I’m not sure whether I will move the ring once the compost is deteriorating enough to continue as a pile without the ring or ready to spread out. There is space to move the ring and start another collection nearby.

Finding the camera battery charger. It seemed like there were about 5 times this month where we came close to panic because we couldn’t find something we needed in our new home. The one that had me most worried was not knowing where the charger was for my camera battery; luckly I found it after an hour or so of hunting through boxes. Now that we have unpacked most of the boxes, it is less likely to occur…making this particular kind of anxiety unique to July 2022.

Forgot my toiletries. I travel frequently enough that I rarely forget anything I need…but I did for our trip back to Maryland for the closing on our house there! The compartment bag for toiletries was left hanging on the bathroom door in Missouri. I quickly bought essentials…glad this event was unique in my travels.

Hot and dry Josey Ranch lake. The lake at Josey Ranch near where my parents live was lower than I’ve seen with deep cracks where there is usually water or mud. The cattails area is dry and other plants are taking over. I hope this is unique and not what it will be like every summer from now on in Carrollton TX.

Hummingbird moth. I was surprised…glad I had my camera with me…when I spotted a hummingbird moth at the Springfield Botanical Garden. They are fun insects to watch and I always feel priviledge to see even one a year.

Hummingbird outside my office window…on the crepe myrtle. I looked out my window one morning and saw a hummingbird checking out the crepe myrtle outside my office window. It was the first I’d seen in our Missouri yard.

Missouri watermelon at the Carrollton (TX) Walmart. I noticed that the watermelon I bought for my parents in the Carrollton Walmart had been grown in Missouri…and discovered when I got home to Missouri – the watermelons in the Walmart were from Missouri too!

Josey Ranch

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The winter birds have already left Josey Ranch Lake (no shovelers or scaups or buffleheads or ruddy ducks). The normal residents were going about their morning routine when I ventured out at sunrise. The Coots were noisy.

I only saw one Swan. I wondered if there was a nest in the reeds (with the other swan on it); it would be great to have cygnets this year. The nest was flooded last year.

There was a Great Egret walking around the shallowed. Maybe the bird had already caught breakfast because it seemed to be moving about rather than actively fishing.

There was a pair of Pigeons interacting. I assumed the larger one strutting around was the male.

There were Cormorants that were staying on the lake but occasionally flying to another part of the lake. They too seemed to have already gotten breakfast; there were not diving.

Even Mallards are worth photographing in morning light!

I didn’t photograph the Canada Geese or the Grackles….they were a big part of the morning soundscape around the lake.

I’ll be in Carrollton again soon…can track the progress of the birds using the lake in late Spring and into Summer.

Last Images from Texas

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I was checking my SD cards in all my cameras and discovered some ‘new’ images from my last days in Texas during November.

There were still roses blooming on the oldest rosebush at my parents (about 30 years old)..

The cosmos were attracting butterflies. There might have been monarchs migrating through since some seemed larger than others.

The place still had a look of summer.

Over at Josey Ranch Lake….there was a different story. More winter migrants had arrived.

Scaups

American Wigeon

Pied-bill Grebe

There were also more American Coots that before…and they were not happy to have so many of their kind around…squabbles were happening frequently with one or both birds running across the surface of the water.

A Great Egret was hunting in the shallows and

A Great Blue Heron had waded into deeper water for a bath.

Overall….the images were a way to savor the good experience of my weeks in Texas last month.

Ten Little Celebrations – November 2021

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Celebrating a month of Thanksgiving…

A 90th birthday.  Both my parents turned 90 this year. I couldn’t be there for the 1st one (wasn’t vaccinated yet) but celebrated the 2nd on my last trip to Texas in 2021.

Coconut wind chimes. There are wind chimes outside the bedroom I use in Texas….and there were several days where the wind was brisk enough for their sound to be my evening lullaby….a celebration of the day.

Josey Ranch birds. The winter birds in Carrolton, TX are probably more exciting than the summer ones. I celebrated that I was there for their arrive this fall.

Fall foliage…and mowing leaves. The burst of color that is the last hurrah of summer foliage is always worth celebrating. This fall I saw more along the road as I travelled between Maryland and Texas than I did at my house….so I celebrated the effectiveness of mowing the still colorful leaves after I got home.

Narrow bridges over the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. A little driving adventure…a route not taken before. I celebrated an uneventful and scenic hour on two lane roads going from Missouri to Kentucky…particularly the bridges over the big rivers.

Cuddle socks. I love the thick socks I wear in the winter indoors; I celebrate the way they feel and my sister that bought them for me every time I put them on.

Hike with volunteer group. Celebrating being outdoors with people that enjoy it as much as I do…lots of shared field trip experiences before the pandemic and slowly starting up again.

New low weight for the year. Taking off weight requires a lot of focus so I celebrate every ‘new low.’ In November it happened just before Thanksgiving (which, of course, was a couple of weight-gain days!)

Daughter’s visit for Thanksgiving. Finally, we celebrated the holiday with a visit from my daughter. It was the first time she and my husband had seen each other since before the pandemic.

Josey Ranch Birds

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The lake at Josey Ranch in Carrollton, Texas is my favorite place to look for water birds. There were not very many this time…only a few of the winter birds have arrived. The two resident swans were still there, and they were both on the water preening.

A Great Egret was in the shallows near the cattail bed. I didn’t see it get any fish was it was strutting around

And flying short distances to continue searching. By the time I left, it was standing almost hidden by the cattails…looking out toward the lake.

There were mallard pairs – probably year-round residents.

The American Coots were the most numerous birds. They were interacting with each other…seemingly having spats…taking off running across the water to separate themselves.

There were a few Ruddy Ducks…with their upright tails.

The first Northern Shovellers had arrived. One male looked scruffy (and angry) to me!

As the season progresses, there will be bore Ruddy Ducks and Northern Shovellers…Scaups will also appear. In the previous winters, there always seem to be a few Bufflehead as well. I saw a cormorant in the air but didn’t see any in the lake this time.

Josey Ranch Birds in July – 2

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I walked around to the Josey Ranch Lake boardwalk on the other side of the cattails….and saw another kind of heron after a few steps onto it: a green heron was on the end of the boardwalk!

I had seen green herons at the lake before. Back in June 2018, I saw young birds feeding in the shallows near the cattails.  This year I saw at least three birds in the same area but on snags or up in trees.  Some of them were clearly juveniles based on their plumage…although further along in development than the birds in 2018. At this point the youngsters are flying like adults. The one with fuzz on the top of its head is certainly a bird that hatched this year!

As I walked back to the car, I spotted a feather in the grass. Perhaps from a Canada Goose? There were a few at the lake. They give a nice size compassion when they are on the shore with the swans (the swans are huge!).

Josey Ranch Birds in July – 1

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There always seem to be interesting birds at the Josey Ranch Lake in Carrollton TX. They are somewhat acclimated to people because of the walkers that frequent the circuit around the water; most people stay on the paved surface and the birds are close or in the water. I went to the lake several times over the past 2 weeks. At first, all I see are pigeons, grackles and swans. But even those birds are photogenic. There is a lot of variety in the pigeons. I use the zoom on my camera to take portraits. There was a rotating group moving out on some rocks at the lake’s edge to get a drink.

The swans appeared to be preening a lot and there were feathers that surrounded them. I wondered if they were molting.

And then I spotted a different bird – a yellow-crowned night heron! It flew up onto the boardwalk (the one that was flooded when I was in the area last May). I had seen this species before at the lake. It always surprises me how hard it is to spot. I’m usually close before I see it; this time was like that – as soon as I saw it, I stopped and took pictures. Eventually the bird became aware I was there but didn’t fly away. More pictures. Then it flew out across the water toward the morning sun.

The mesquite trees on the banks of the cattail end of the lake had beans. I was more interested in the foliage for photography….took a high key image as I made my way around to the other side of the cattails on the paved trail.

More on another bird I photographed at Josey Ranch in tomorrow’s blog post…..

Ten Little Celebrations – July 2021

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Half of July was at home in Maryland…and half was a road trip from Maryland to Missouri to Texas.

Wegmans. I celebrated being comfortable doing my own grocery shopping in the store (early morning….still masked). Maryland’s vaccination rate is high and the infection rate low (although trending upward). The pandemic has honed my appreciation of ordinary activities….things that were curtailed during the peaks of COVID-19.

Getting a haircut. Another ordinary activity that I didn’t do (or put off) during the pandemic. I wore my KF-94 mask and discovered that my stylist is South Korean (he commented…”this is a good mask, made in my country”).

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Starting the morning outdoors (on the deck). Last summer I developed an appreciation for being out on the deck in the early morning -  enjoying a light meal, reading or making a Zentangle tile. It is a little celebration at the beginning of the day.

Farmer’s Market. What a thrill to buy my favorite veggies from the Farmers Market. I love the changes in selection as the season progresses. Celebrating the ongoing harvest!

South Mountain rest stop encounter. One of the deprivations of the pandemic was causal encounters…so the trucker that I encountered at the vending machines during the first rest stop of my road trip was something to celebrate. A little conversation…a wonderful beginning for my travels.

Scenic drive through Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky. I enjoyed the 8 hour drive from my home in Maryland (between Washington DC and Baltimore) to Frankfort, Kentucky… a celebration of curvy highway through lots of forest…no traffic problems.

Springfield Botanical Garden. Celebrating hydrangeas, hostas and day lilies…on an early summer morning.

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Xeriscape Garden. A small, lush oasis within walking distance of my daughter’s house in Springfield! It’s another reason to celebrate their neighborhood.

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Josey Ranch Pocket Prairie in Carrollton, Texas. I celebrated the place looking more and more like a real prairie!

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Green herons. I saw three green herons at Josey Ranch Lake; probably one adult and 2 juveniles. They are so well camflauged – I always celebrate seeing these birds and three at one time was a special treat.

Josey Ranch Swan Rebuilds

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I went back to Josey Ranch Lake (Carrollton, TX) a few days after seeing the drowned swan nest – and discovered that the pair had rebuilt – higher this time – and one was sitting on the nest (maybe they already had a new egg)!

The other swan was out on the lake – showing off a bit.

My 90-year-old father was with me…enjoying looking through binoculars to see the swans and other birds as well as wildflowers. There were pigeons and grackles and mallards that are always around. The mallards were on the bank dabbling in the muddy areas of the grass. A male red-winged black bird made a lot of noise in a tree….making him easy to locate. Dad discovered that it was easier for him to hold the binoculars steady when he was sitting on one of the park benches.

The little blue heron was in the same place I had seen it last time and it appears that it is injured (wing)…benefiting from being close to the swans’ nest (the swans will drive away most predators) but it won’t last long if the injury won’t heal.

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I saw a bird flush as a jogger went by and managed to zoom in to where it landed on a grassy berm. A killdeer! My dad couldn’t find it with the binoculars; the birds blend in very well. Once I looked away…I didn’t find it again with my camera either!

Getting ready to leave Texas….glad to see the swans on a new nest!

Josey Ranch Lake After a Heavy Rain

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I headed over to Josey Ranch Lake (Carrollton, TX) late in the day when the heavy rain finally stopped. Lots of water was still running off into the storm drains on the streets during the short drive; I avoided the curbside lane when I could. My goal was to see if the nesting mute swans at the lake had a cygnet.

When I got there, one of the swans was out on the lake – doing a lot of preening.

As I got closer to the area of cattails where the nest was located, there was a sheen of water running over the sidewalk and part of the boardwalk was under water. The white blob in the cattails is the second swan.

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I zoomed in on the blob. The camera focused on the cattails, but the second swan is identifiable. There is a second bird in the picture too…more about that one later.

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I walked further around on the paved bike path, stepping around the drifts of silt and trying not to splash water into my shoes. I found a little better vantage point to watch the second swan. The bird was picking up soggy sticks and dried cattail leaves…trying to pile them up again…frantically moving about as the vegetation sank into the water. Oh no! There must have been about 6 inches of water where the nest had been. The nest had been flooded. No cygnet…no egg…no nest.

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The bird that had been on the lake moved onto the bank still preening. The two birds were responding to the stress of the nest flooding very differently. I wondered which one was the male and which was the female. Was it early enough in the season that they will build another nest and try again?

 Now for the other bird that was near the swans’ nest – a juvenile Little Blue Heron that I had seen previously at the lake. It was standing in the cattails…observing the scene. It had more blue feathers since I saw it a few weeks earlier. The color of the beak and eye ring looks very striking on this young bird. As I looked at my pictures of the bird on my larger monitor, I wondered if the bird had a damaged wing or if it was simply wet. I’ll have to go to the lake again before I leave Texas to find out.

There were a few Mallard Ducks. It appears they already have 4 young with them….juvenile size rather than ducklings! They were on the shore rather than in the water the whole time I was there.

Rounding out the birds I noticed but didn’t take time to photograph - pigeons and grackles. There were people venturing out for exercise; some had already made it around the lake and commented about the water gushing from the dam on the other end. Others arrived while I was there. It was a quick outing. I was sad about the swan’s nest…. felt privileged to observe the birds’ response to their tragedy from a distance.

Birds at Josey Ranch

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The day was cold and gray but there were a few interesting birds I saw at Josey Ranch (Carrollton, TX). The Boat-trailed Grackles are there every time I’ve visited. The males were constantly posturing and chasing each other. There was a female gathering nest material in front of the library.

There were not many ducks this visit but a group of Canada Geese were making their way from the grassy area to the water and they seemed to be getting drinks as soon as they reached the water (note the head tilt of the bird in the foreground…swallowing the water).

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One goose had a feather sticking straight up on its back – a distinctive look!

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Great Egrets are frequently sighted around the lake.

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One special treat this year – last year’s cattail foliage is flattened rather than still upright which makes the Mute Swans’ nest visible right now (until the new grow gets high enough to hide it). They were both at the nest when I was there. These are not native birds to North America….but they are widespread here and have been at Josey Ranch for years.

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A surprise for me was the juvenile Little Blue Heron that was just beginning to develop adult plumage. It was the most actively feeding bird while I was there, but I didn’t see it catch anything!

Another bird I have seen occasionally at Josey Ranch previously was a Yellow-Crowned Night Heron. If I had not seen it fly into the a stand of cattails, I wouldn’t have see it since it was standing still and seemed to blend with the gray of the day.

Overall – a good group of birds to see in less than 20 minutes!

Birding at Josey Ranch Lake – Part 2

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Continuing my post about my walks around the lake at Josey Ranch (near the public library on Keller Springs in Carrollton Texas)…

There were 6 birds that I only saw on one of the three days.

I saw a pair of Eastern Bluebirds near the library building. They appeared to be investigating possible nesting sites. There were not nesting boxes around….or trees big enough to have cavities for nesting. They were looking at vent openings in the building --- probably not a good site.

As I walked , I saw a bluebird across the lake from the library. It could have been one of the pair….or not.

On the one sunny day, I saw a juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-heron – I didn’t yet have the distinctive face marking but it’s body shape/posture and leg length made this the likely identification (rather than a juvenile Black-crowned Night-heron).

The Pied-billed Grebe is small and dives….but I did get three pictures. There might have been a pair, or the pictures could have been the same bird.  

A small group of Ruddy Ducks made a rest stop on the lake. It was a mixed group of males and females.

Other ducks that were only at the lake one of the cloudy days were Ring-necks – yes, the ring is on the bill rather than the neck….the name is misleading.

Finally – I saw one European Starling. The grackles seem so dominate that the starlings stay away! Or something else might be going on…and they aren’t as numerous as they once were.

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While I was in the area – I walked through the Pocket Prairie that will be bursting with spring wildflowers…but is now dormant. The dried vegetation was mostly cleared…but the green leaves of perennials were visible…some of the leaves had red highlights!

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I also photographed some feathers on the one sunny day. Birds preen to keep their feathers in working order – the barbicels and barbs perfectly aligned. Once the feathers are detached from the bird, the barbicels unzip…clumps of barbs form…the feather begins to degrade.

As usual – I enjoyed the walks at Josey Ranch. There are enough people and birds to make it a little different every day!

Josey Ranch Lake – July 2019

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Last April when I walked around Josey Ranch Lake, there were grackles, coots and cedar waxwings.

The coots and cedar waxwings were gone, but the grackles were around – and noisy. The Great-tailed Grackles are probably the most noticeable bird at Josey Ranch Lake (along with pigeons) but what made them more interesting this time were fledglings – new enough that their parents were still feeding them occasionally. Note that the adults have yellow eyes that is indicative of Great-tailed Grackles rather than Boat-tailed Grackles (dark eyes). The juvenile grackle has dark eyes…but since a yellow eyed adult was feeding it, I expect it is a Great-tailed juvenile.

There were white feathers on the grass.

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And three kinds of white birds that I saw in the short time I was there: 1) a Great Egret. At first it was fishing in the water then strutted out onto the concrete walk. Those toes are long…and the feathers were ruffling in the breeze!

A resident 2) Mute Swan was on the lake. I didn’t see one in April, but they were probably there. I’ve seen one juvenile years ago, but I don’t think there have been any cygnets in the past few years.

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A 3) Snowy Egret preened and hunted in the shallows. The wind ruffled its feathers. It stayed in the water, so I didn’t see its yellow socks, but the beak and size are distinctive enough for the identification.

As I walked around the lake, I noted spider webs and shelf fungus. The cloudy day was not the best for photography, but the morning was my only chance to be there.

The high point of the morning was an accidently sighting of a Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron. I wondered if it was the same one I had seen there in June of 2018. This one was in one of the smaller ponds near the lake. I was looking through the vegetation to see if there were any ducks on the pond when I saw it…the only bird in the pond. It didn’t seem to notice me. It was casually hunting the area; I didn’t see it catch anything.