Better Days

It's summer. It's hot. The bugs are out. Sure, there are better days to bird, but at 7:00 this morning I was not prepared to wait for the next one to come around. And besides, it's all a trade-off. The birds need the bugs, and when there are birds I don't mind the bugs (as much). The summer heat, well it's Texas, and it's going to be here for a while (forever). On a positive note, the wind stayed down. So all in all, a day just nice enough to head out a little farther than I typically go.

The first bird I saw, or should I say heard, this morning was a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks. The first flushed pretty quickly as he saw me coming, but the second remained still and allowed me to fire off a couple shots. At the time, I chalked it up to the fact that he was a more mature bird and perhaps not quite as quick to abandon his post. When I got home and downloaded the picture, I noticed he was missing his left eye, which also could have been a factor. Definitely, he's had better days.



The last, new bird I saw of the day was also the BOTD. This Prothonotary Warbler crossed the river, bounced around the foliage, and finally appeared as I was walking back up the trail to my car. Definitely, she's had better hair days.



Other than the hawk, the Prothonotary Warbler, and a first-year male Summer Tanager, other birds were out and looking their best. This was one of a number of Eastern Bluebirds out this morning. I cranked up the exposure a tad to make him stand out.



Also out in good numbers were Eastern Kingbirds and Red-bellied Woodpeckers.





All in all, a Better Day (than I expected).