And a bit more!

One thing to share is that we are experiencing the Corona Flu here in the campground and until April 6 we will be evaluating the progression of the pandemic and decide whether we should start our trip north or not. We are blessed to have good friends to share meals and movies with as well as times with their dogs. They let us do laundry and have showers in their rig since the buildings are all closed here in the camp. Here are Chelsea and Snappy playing and in their baby carriage 😍

We are almost out of toilet paper however!*****


But we continue to visit World Birding Centers since we can easily keep the social distance as suggested. One we visited last week was the Edinburg Wetlands and here we picnicked and got some pictures of the Ringed Kingfisher, Purple Martins and the Chachalaca.

Here are some mor bird pictures from the past few weeks.

Cormorant

Osprey

Cardinal

Group of birds with reflections

Mangrove warbler

Pied Bill Grebe

Bewicks Wren

Summer tanager

Least Grebe

Avocets

Tricolored heron with wind in top feathers

Snowy Egret

Killdeer

White-tailed Kite

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird(can you see it)

Bird collage

We feel grateful for the opportunity to find new and creative ways to spend our days. For example, for dinner last night we made Jambalaya -  a first!

We are having fun!,❤️❤️

What Do We Do (part 2)

Well, here I go again! As I was thinking about another post, I realized that we have done a lot of interesting things that are somewhat particular to Texas.

We went to a town called Port Mansfield that is famous because the deer have made it home. People now feed them and the cycle continues.

Another day, we visited Oliveria Park with Sharon and Pat. The park is in Brownsville, and the parrots fly around,  and land eventually in the eucalyptus trees at dusk. They roost there for the night. It sounds like a jungle when several hundred wild parrots land.

Now, spring has really started here in the Rio Grande Valley and we 
are amazed as we anticipate the Yuccas and the Prickly Pear blooms. Here are a few of what we are seeing.

                     We are surrounded with beauty in nature!   
We are also surrounded by surprises like the times we have seen bobcats. Here is a photo of the day that a mother and two almost full-grown young ones jumped in front of us and ran off. We captured a fuzzy picture. If you count the legs you can see them all.
Another day we saw a coyote feeding with a crowd of vultures, and of course the alligators are ever present!

There is also an antelope that was brought to the area by the some of the ranches so that hunters would have a large prey.  The are called Nilgai and we saw this female with three young.

As you can see, we are using our zoom to bring the picture closer. They are about the size of the moose (in Maine) and apparently the meat is very tasty. They are a smart animal and make the hunt quite challenging. 

I am going to cut this short with a great picture of the one who has walked beside me for a long time, and with me over many lands. I love her❤️❤️.

What Do We Do!

What do we do in our normal everyday activity. We live in a campground with mostly -55 and above folks and managed by a wonderful person, Patti. We decide each day what to do and where to go. Sometime we go with the Traveling Sisters and other times we go alone. 

I mentioned the rodeo a few posts ago so I want to add a few pictures:

Another day we visited the statue of the Marine Landing on Iwo Jima, with Kerry and Janet. It was a powerful reminder. Here are some photos of that day.

But, as you know, the main activity of our winter is walking, hiking and birding! One of the areas where we walk is the South Padre Island Birding Center and Nature Park. We often visit with Sharon and Pat, who have new cameras and enjoy seeing what shots they can get of the birds.

There are so many to show but here are a few of the ones we have taken pictures of in various places.

Curved billed Curlew

White Ibis

Roseate Spoonbills

Screech Owl

Thrashers

Audubon Oriole

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Caspian Tern

Tricolored Heron

Wilson’s Snipe

Altamira Oriole

Green Jay

Javalinas in one of the bird blinds

There are a few other places we visited like Claytons Beach Bar and a Shrimp Boil Cruise into the Port of Brownsville, and a trip to Port Mansfield. They will keep for another post.

But I will sign off now with a message of gratitude and joy! So many people our age have health issues or have passed away. We are enjoying these years with an appreciation of our friends, our health, and  the incredible magic of nature. I am so very thankful for this life, these friends, and my wonderful partner❤️