A Nature Break

Where do I go when I want to get some walking in but don't feel up to going anywhere? The Laguna Vista Walking Trail, just blocks away from me. I rarely ever seen any wildlife there, except for maybe the occasional lizard, but it does have a rustic flair and I always feel better for having made the rounds. 

I don't know how it escaped me before, but this picnic table setting just looked particularly attractive to me today. There are actually several places in this woodsy little park that would make a nice backdrop for personal photograph, senior pictures, etc, especially for someone decked out in western wear. Don't you think? 

Roseate Spoonbills on Display

  When you first catch a glance at the roseate spoonbills, you might think you've just spied a flamingo or a pink pelican. but the spoonbills are related to neither group. But they sure are pretty! Here I actually did my third composite, joining parts of two pictures together, to show these spoonbills on display.

And who should we have here, putting in a command performance, 

but Gladys White and her Pips! 

Now that's something worth primping for!

Now on Display - Tri-Colored Heron

 

This beautiful tri-colored heron was really on display in all this bright green shrubbery. 

Primping and putting on his best. 

White Egret on a Sandy Beach

This gorgeous white egret spends time preening and primping on the beach at the SPI Birding and Nature Center.

I was tempted to call it a white heron, as it looks so tall and grand...

but, from what I've read, the black legs indicate a white egret...

But whatever he is, he's beautiful!

 

A Cardinal Makeover

I haven't been getting out nearly as much as I did in the hot weather, but that just means that when I do, it really means a lot. And now that I have a regular digital camera, rather than just my phone camera, it means that I have a lot more to do when I'm at home. Not only do I get to upload and process my raw photos, but I can play around with some artistic effects when I don't feel like doing much more than sitting at the computer. 

Recently I went to Laguna Atascosa and got a few nice pictures of a cardinal, to which I applied some effects that I thought might make nice cards, if I ever get around to that. 

A Pretty Spot

 

Today is a rather melancholy day for me. Memories. But this little garden spot at the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center is a pleasant distraction.

I was hoping to find some pretty little songbirds, but they all flew away as I walked up. I guess I'll have to learn to walk more softly. But it makes a pretty background. Maybe someday I can use it to practice composites - taking some birds with plain backgrounds and transplanting them in this beautiful space. 

Heron on the Beach

After several months of going to the beach almost daily to walk and see the sunset, it has been hard to give it up for the winter, since the early morning temps have just been too cold for me. For a Nebraska girl, 50's and 60's shouldn't be too cold, but I am wimpy, wimpy, wimpy when it comes to the weather. I have been experiencing a lot of setbacks with my health and have been staying inside most of the time, but today the sun came out and I was able to get to the beach for a while with my daughter Audrey, who had come for a visit before moving even further away from me.

I was especially happy to see my old friend, the great blue heron. Actually, it's probably not the same one all the time, but I kind of like to think of it that way. 

 At first, he protested a little and tried to get away from me, but eventually, he settled down and did a little posing. How nice!

At Pirate's Landing

 

Pirate's Landing has a long pier you can enjoy for walking or fishing. Inside there is a bait shop complete with all kinds of fishing needs and even attire. Out on the docks, you can usually find someone to clean your catch, for a small price.

 

As the guys clean the fish, they throw the scraps overboard, 

causing food fights to break out among the pelicans. 

I might just learn to fish one of these days, but for now I'd rather take pics of the pelicans.

Pelicans Galore!

Since my first days here in the Rio Grande Valley, I have been hoping to get a good, close-up look at the pelicans. I have seen them fly in formation over the beach at South Padre Island and I have seem them playfully diving and surfing the waves near the Jetties, but they were always out of reach of my normally perfectly adequate Moto G camera.

Well, today I got my wish! I had my new camera (at least by my standards) with me when I ran to the post office on an errand, and I decided to walk the pier at Pirates' Landing before going home. It was cool, even with a jacket, but finding a large group of pelicans waiting for scraps of fish, I just had to stay long enough to get some long-awaited photos.

I didn't stay long, but it was a pure joy to watch the pelicans floating, flying, diving, landing, and fighting over scraps of fish. I love these last-minute adventures!

I've Looked at Clouds

 

The clouds over South Padre Island are just about always impressive.

I never tire of looking at them,

meditating on the many wonders that surround us.