 |
| "Yeah, this feels good." |
... and let's go birding!
I'm going to jump right in with my favorite photo. Cam's, too.
 |
| Coyote |
Isn't he stunning? I know. It's not a bird - but Mom likes things other than birds, you know! But let's get to the birds. Here's a tiny one that Mom was able to get close to:
 |
| Least Sandpiper |
And here are some large ones she wasn't able to get close to:
 |
| Sandhill Cranes (standing) and Greater White-Fronted Geese (swimming and flying) |
She was thrilled anyway; she had never seen Sandhill Cranes before! That kind of goose, either!
These guys are Mom's favorite duck in the world:
 |
| Northern Shovelers, male and female |
Quite the snooters on those guys, huh?!!?
This guy was practically stalking Mom:
 |
| Cattle Egret |
Mom couldn't make out the tiny duck swimming with the Coots until he did this:
 |
| Ruddy Duck |
Very cooperative of him, don't you think?!?
I like the nonchalant way this guy flies:
 |
| Long-Billed Dowitchers |
We also saw quite a few of these:
 |
| American Avocet |
And happy ducks:
 |
| Mallards (the male is smiling!) |
And the biggest thrill of the day was seeing one of our rarest birds in North America - the Whooping Crane!
 |
| Whooping Cranes! |
That was as close as we could get! Like I said last weekend, we took some roads to try to get north of them, on the other side, but we couldn't really get there. We did see one more thing that made Mom happy, though. Check him out:
 |
| Donkey! |
Cam and I didn't get to meet him, but we would have loved to.
Anyway ...
 |
| "That's a wrap, folks!" |
... I'm so relaxed now, I'm ready to fall asleep. Thanks for letting me share Mom's pix with you; we hope you enjoyed them. If you'd like to see more, please click here (it's a 2-page album).
Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher
PS from Mom: It was such a thrill to see the Whooping Cranes! In the 1940s, their numbers had dwindled down to about 20, but have now risen to about 600. They are still considered an endangered species. We saw 6 of them from about 1/4 of a mile. The photos are blurry, even with my 600mm lens, but just to see them ... WOW!
Maggie,
ReplyDeleteOhhhhh don't you just love it when you have support for your beautiful head!!
We have never seen a coyote in the wild...or Whooping Cranes great pics.
Mom loved the Northern Shovelers, their bills are amazing.
I like donkeys. I once rode on the back of one of Marg's donkeys in a blogville parade
Hugs madi your bfff
Thanks for the lovely bird tour. And you do look so very comfy on your chair.
ReplyDeleteOh, you had us with your "Pull up a chair" photo! These photos are all stunning! Absolutely beautiful and so sharp!
ReplyDeleteYour Pals,
Murphy & Stanley
Incredible photos! Your mom is very talented! Of course not as talented as you are but for a biped she's pretty awesome!
ReplyDeleteWe (and our mom) always love your birding pictures. How rare to see a coyote during the day too.
ReplyDeleteGreat pics, especially the whooping cranes!!
ReplyDeleteAnd Maggie, guess who else likes to place herself under the chairs? The only thing is she gets the NO NO command because she likes to wrap her mouth AROUND that rung instead of just resting it on top like you do:)
Woos - Lightning and Misty
How cool to see the whooping cranes. Mom saw several geese the other day just strolling through a farm field on her way home from work
ReplyDeletehugs
Mr Bailey, Hazel & Mabel
What a great day your momma had! I'm glad her stalker didn't skeer her.
ReplyDeleteOMD..We think our Mama might have fainted if she got to see whooping cranes!!! We always love when you all go birding!!
ReplyDeleteSmileys!
Dory, Jakey, Arty & Bilbo
Your photos are fantastic - so clear and crisp! Just beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSo excited for you to see the cranes, but wow, that coyote was stunning too!
ReplyDelete