Home Again,Briefly

Phil’s job wrapped up early,and what was suppose to be a 3-4 month job turned into a 5 weeks job. That is what happens when they work 7 days a week and over 12 hours a day.
So we are back home in Mission until he gets called for another job.
I’ve already seen some amazing things since we got home.
When we got back from dinner the other night, we saw this duck perched on the wires outside the gate of our place. I thought that the poor thing had gotten up there by mistake and was stuck. I called our neighbors who are bird savvy and asked if we needed a ladder. To my surprise they said that this is a Black Bellied Whistling Duck and they often perch on wires. Thank goodness, because I hate heights.!


It feels good to be home.
The village is just about empty though,with most of our neighbors having gone north for the summer.
Phil took me to South Padre Island to see if there were any Warbler’s left from the migration.
I met Tim Bradshaw who is a naturalist at the World Birding and Nature center on the island and he took time to show me a female American Restart, a Veery and an Olive Sided Flycatcher.

Female American Redstart

The American Redstart is not particularly closely related to the Painted Redstart and the other redstart warblers of the Neotropics. They all are similarly patterned and forage in similar ways, flashing their tails and wings to startle insect prey

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Redstart/lifehistory


Olive sided Flycatcher


Inca dove
The Inca Dove engages in an odd behavior, known as "pyramid roosting." Pairs or groups of Inca Doves may huddle together in the sunshine, with some sitting on the back of the others. The pyramid may be three layers high and include up to 12 birds.


Books I’ve read lately