Whoops then Brags

Suspect most of our readers know my long training runs are used to work out upcoming posts. There is plenty of “noodle time” to come up with a theme and decide on the best supporting series of shots from the tiny sliver of backlog in the image queue. Did you just chuckle, I heard you chuckle!..okay, maybe “three year” backlog would be a more accurate description. Too my credit I have tried to stay in that 1 to 1.5 year range over the last year or so, but I digress. Arrived at the trail yesterday, stretched, looked at the forecast, noted the heat index and prepared to be miserable for the next several hours. That is when I noticed every post was absolutely covered in Cicadas, some partially in and others fully out of their shells. The holes had been noticeable in the trail dirt for about a week or so, but had not really noticed them out – they have now formally arrived. There was an unfortunate Cicada that had emerged, but then apparently “smacked” into lifelessness. The thought of waiting 17 years (granted some are on a 13yr cycle), digging yourself out of the ground, graduating from nymphood into adulthood and then “splat” consumed me for the multitude of miles – futility, mortality, lifespan, purpose, the lockers at the end of Men in Black and a cadre of other topics since sweated out. I mention this only as an excuse for completely forgetting about working out the post.

Soooo…. Whoopers it is!

Whooping Cranes found at the Big Tree in Rockport, TX in January 2023

Hit the jump to read more about these birds that nearly met the same fate as that unfortunate insect.

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Leaps, Jeeps and Misfits

Every four years we are granted and extra calendar day to attempt getting all the crap done we’ve procrastinated on since the previous gift of 24 hours. We’ve come to that charity point and I sit here staring at all the things on my to-do list wondering just how long ago each of those items were added. Each comes with a progression of analysis honed over the many years in the corporate grind – does it really need to be done, does it actually have to be done now, is there something more important that delivers greater benefit, is it still as critical as it was when the item was added, is it really independent or it is preceded by another task on the list (or worse, not even there), is it too daunting and needs to be broken into subtasks and more important than all, what kind of trouble will I get into from Linda if I delay any longer. Scan the list, re-prioritize, rearrange, prune some, add some, stare at it, flip some coins…screw it, let’s have some fun and write a post!

Want to give Brad a little bit more time to process all the tins from his recent adventure, so spent some time going through the recently processed shots from our Texas 2023 snowbird migration- you have probably noticed the heavy emphasis on that January trip as of late. What could we feature in celebration of this Leap Year. Then I jumped over to see Jet’s latest post and she absolutely Caarussshed it (link here)! All of my Bunny shots have been used and the only other good option was a Leopard Frog I took several years back – pretty lame. Maybe I could get “close”

Ladies and gentlemen, would you accept Jeep Year!?! Unfortunately, I should have been working on this years in advance to have a nice collection of shots to use (like it says right there on my to-do list ha). As a substitute we are going with a Free-For-All clear out of the (mostly) Texas one-offs. Put your seatbelts on and hit the jump for a joy ride.

Continue reading Leaps, Jeeps and Misfits

Standing Tall in the Aftermath of Tragedy

Greetings from the white tundra.  For those curious (and hopefully in warmer climates) it is currently 3F out with 18 mph winds with warnings of windchill temps below 20F.  A far cry from the relative desert like conditions the Texas Gulf Coast is getting at the moment – although I did think it would be warmer than high 50’s/lows 60’s.  Time for Linda and I to get back in our RV and get our butts to some warmer settings ha!  I have been holding off on talking about our holiday activities, but most of you know we once again headed back to the Texas border for a little R and R after a rather rough ’19.  Kicked the year off right birding the Gulf Coast and checking our favorite spots along the Rio Grande.  It will be a while before the fruits of that endeavor get fit for consumption 3..4..5..6 years…hehehe..

Whooping Cranes in Rockport, Texas December 2017

In the meantime, thought I would go with the bird that has a lock at the top of my list for favorite North American birds.  Now, a bit of this decision was based on the fact if you read my previous bird post you should already be standing about 10 feet away from your monitor.   Hoping that is sufficient distance to make these pictures somewhat viewable – keep thinking to yourself that there’s at least one bird somewhere in the shot  – to help you out, it is white and really tall.  These birds top out in the 5 foot range and command attention whenever in their presence.  Reminds of the traveling basketball team for the Great Egrets.

Whooping Cranes in Rockport, Texas December 2017

Take a few brief steps toward the keyboard and hit the jump to read more about these Cranes (then quickly take a step back).

Continue reading Standing Tall in the Aftermath of Tragedy

Whooping it Up

Sorry these posts are coming so slow.  Of course, the reason for this is the “epic” post theme for this month.  I’m trying my best to cover some very significant events, but that means I have to work for subjects.  Well, actually, I have the subjects, since I’ve been waiting awhile (in some cases what seems like forever) to get some of these topics published but I still have to process all the images.  Case in point, today’s featured bird.

Whooping Crane from Texas Trip Nov 2013

If you are a birder, you are probably salivating right now.  That my friends is a shot of not one, not two, but three specimens considered the holy grail of my North American Bird List.  For those of you not drooling, these awesome birds are none other than the rare Whooping Crane.  Let’s type that again .. Whooping Cranes – wow, that feels really good.

Whooping Crane from Texas Trip Nov 2013

Hit the jump to read more about this epic bird

Continue reading Whooping it Up