Memorial Day

Pam and I took Mom down to Jack and Mary Jo's Sunday evening with the plan of going together to put flower's on Dad's grave on Monday morning.  On the way home I drove them through Squaw Creek Wild Life Refuge.  There was very little visible water, mostly some green vegetation.  Didn't see any shorebirds, just a few Great Blue Herons, one Egret and a Dickcissel, which I thought was a Western Kingbird until I started looking at him on my computer!

Afternoon Promenade with Sam

White-breasted Nuthatch, Wilderness Park

The mosquitoes were terrible at Wilderness Park so Sam and I went to the Lincoln Saline Wetlands, the place I wanted to go to on Friday.

The wind was rather strong which made the grass look pretty. 

This guy was pretty happy.

Wrong Tern?

Finally another beautiful day, especially the afternoon, so after school I decided to take my camera in my new camera backpack and go on an adventure.  I thought I knew where I was going (so many comments could be made here) but I must have taken the wrong turn because I never found the trail I was looking for.  Anyway I ended up at Oak Lake Park and saw this Tern.  I'm just not sure if it's a Common Tern or a Forster's Tern.  I'm guessing it's a common one as they must be more common, right?

This photo is not very sharp (they are fast little buggers) but I loved his form.

Another Western Kingbird.

Mr. Baltimore Oriole.

Mrs. Baltimore Oriole.

Mr. and Mrs. Oriole.

Beside Still Waters

This time of the year I usually struggle with my attitude about my job and I find that the daily confrontations with students and sometimes adults weighs me down.  This morning I read Psalm 23 and since weather was beautiful this afternoon I decided to go to Pioneers Park to explore.  I was too late to do the Chet Ager nature trail, so I found another place to walk.  Here's what I saw.

I don't know what these are but they were growing wild in the fields.

I couldn't believe my eyes after I took this photo.  I had seen the Baltimore Oriole and focused on him when I took the photo.  It wasn't until after I took the shot that I saw the Meadowlark!

Notice how this little guy is holding on to two stalks of dried prairie grass.  That can't be too comfortable.

Baltimore Orioles

Mr. Oriole hiding in the tree.

Mrs. Oriole hiding along the lake shore.

Two Mr. Orioles vying for Mrs. Oriole's attention.

The happy winner.

Bottoms up!

Western Kingbird

Another Western Kingbird

Finally a Nice Day

After some gray and rainy days the sun came out and we had a beautiful afternoon.

This little Meadow Lark looks like he's trying to read the flood gauge.

This Iris will be beautiful when it opens.  Hopefully we'll have more sun so that I can photograph it then as well.  These flowers are on the south side of our house.  Most of them are Sue's but the purple Iris is mine (I think).

Spring at Squaw Creek

The last time I visited Squaw Creek was in November.  It was fun to see changes Spring has brought to the area.  There were lots of shore birds and a couple of Herons.  We met a man with a spotting scope who saw a Peregrine Falcon, one Pelican and some ducks we could not identify (imagine that).  I've labeled the birds below but I could be wrong, I'm pretty new at this.

Black Bellied Plovers?  Probably not.

Lesser Yellowlegs

Killdeer

Lesser Yellowlegs, and below

Great Blue Heron on a Muskrat Mound

More Birds at Holmes Lake

Kris and I have walked around the lake every day this week!  On Thursday we saw more Western Kingbirds and even a Baltimore Oriole.

Western Kingbird

Female Red-winged Blackbird

Baltimore Oriole

Another Western Kingbird

and another, or maybe the same

and a view from the rear =).

Evening Birds

Western Kingbird

Barn Swallow

Red-winged Blackbird

Female Red-winged Blackbird, I think

On the Road Home

These were taken somewhere near Sydney, NE.  There's a windmill in the second picture near the left hand side, helps to give some perspective of the vastness of land and sky.