I'ts really quiet here.

Now that the gator hunt is over they have started to show up again in the Refuge . The recovery of the Gators after their near total wipe out after Hurricane Ike has been really well managed and there were enough to allow 20 permits to catch one in the refuge were issued for  10 day window for the hunt  . The gators won this one as only a few were taken and now it is over .

There are still a few Lotus blooming in the pond but most have passed as the cooler weather is arriving. We haven't hit a 100 degrees now in almost a week. The next cool front may take us down into the low 80's in the day and some 60's at night . we haven't seen those temps since early April.

All the baby ducks are now grown and getting ready to migrate .These Whistling ducks have been flying all around the Pond and are ready for migration south from here very soon.

A Yellow Crown Night Heron out looking for dinner . We had several hundred that had nested here and the to will soon move on .

So many rain storms and so many Rainbows .

A young Spoonbill working a mud flat for lunch.

We were helping with a bird survey on one of the non public parts of the refuge and came across a bunch of new born were standing in the road .

As free range cattle they have no fear of vehicles and they moved along with us as we traveled .Some of them still had their umbilical cords hanging and had some dried birthing fluids on them . Just so cute .



                                                                                 We see a rainbow almost everyday .                                                               It looks like we will be here for at least another month or two as we will see Laurens surgeon on next Wednesday and will find out when she will have her surgery. We are missing the family at the Beach in NC  this week and will miss a wedding next week in PA,. But our needs are coming first and we need for Lauren to feel better again before we move on. If things drag out here for to long we will stay in Texas until next year . Then we go back to our normal travels     G

Our back yard

The Ranchers' cows have taken to sleeping by our back gate to the RV pads .

Once again the Spoonbills are just loving the Rice fields .

They are so neat to watch as they feed ,

A Cormorant drying it's wings after diving for lunch .

This  is the first full size Gator we have seen in over a month. They really don't like the hot weather either.

This Hawk dropped into watch the Blackbirds work our feeder . It just hung out for a half hour and then just flew away .

Nature at it's best .

So many cows and so many Egrets .

Just a little conversation between friends.

A Big Heron drying it's wings and enjoying the sun.
Still in Texas awaiting the hospital tests for Lauren on Monday and Tuesday. Then we will figure out if we are moving to the Outer Banks for the rest of the year.