Getting close to moving on?

More moms and little ones , Moor hens

Whistling Ducks and brood.

These ducks are really large.

some of the water lilies have yellow flowers .

So many Wood Storks.

Their numbers are growing every day.

A red eared slider taking in some sun .

Wood Storks in flight.

Found this beautiful  spider by the wash station where we need to do a little job.

Our last program on the refuge was with 25 inner city kids from Houston.

All smiles as we stop to take pictures as the birds from the marsh swirl above us .

As I sit and write this blog we await the arrival of a new /used slide motor . The big heavy slide with the refrigerator in it has given up the ghost and the replacement should arrive by the 15th we hope. So our arrival in the Outer banks has been delayed. Hope to be there by the end of August .

It's rally hot in Texas and life still goes on.

My feet are just so hot

We have Wood Storks in shoveler  pond

Our best guest is there are right now about 175 of these just beautiful birds.

Watching them as they just do their normal is just way cool.

In flight the are just beautiful

Been watching this Heron for the last few months in the same area and never get tired of the action .

A night heron in their usual  you can not see me  pose .



One big ass dragon fly , the mesh you see is a quarter inch .

It's been so hot here the last month that the Gators have been all in cooler areas, at least 115 with the THI each day with nights in the mid 80's

My favorite Heron leaving as it hates to have it's picture taken.

Another mom and little one , Moor hen

Baby Greeb

There are millions of Dragon flies and they top every piece of grass and reed around the pond , just so cool to see .

So many flowers that it's hard to say just how many can you see on 33 thousand acres .

Oh yeah , we are still doing programs for the Kids , even though it's over a hundred degrees out, were walking the boardwalk on Shovelers Pond .

The Ibis rookery on the pond is so full of birds that the least amount of noise sends them in the air, I did enjoy raising my voice to do it .

Adding a solar panel to insure that the pond pump in the wood lot here runs more often . This has been a work in progress as no one here quiet understands the  way solar power works and for last three years I have been struggling with it and I hope to get the message through sooner  than later as they now believe me .

The pied piper of cattle egrets as the grass is cut they just love the bugs kicked up by the mower.

Our Raccoon babies eating our bird seed on their time out of the den.

Mom and four of the five eating and playing by the RV pad.

Installing the new Solar Stop signs in the Refuge .

As you can see Lauren shows a better face as we complete the jobs more than I do

Had to move this sign from the pole the stop sign was on as it was not visible under the stop sign? Who can figure that .

Whistling ducks are now every where on the pond and they are just so great to listen to.

Just looking for a few good bugs

Mom and little one

See I really can walk on water.

Thousand of Lotus Blossoms are still in bloom.

Odd ends

The new Alligator display in the main Visitor Center



A Crested Cara Cara  looking for some thing to eat

Rain drops on the lotus pads , some are 30 inches across

Hunting in the lotus field, I do believe it's his favorite spot. We see him almost every day there.



A little Heron saying it's too hot, you have to love it's long head feather.

A Turn hunting on the pond.

A honey comb hanging from the roof of the old visitor center

More babies

A couple of  Whistling Ducks out by our RV

Our new neighbors have just moved in.



Babies and such

Waiting for some more rain . Our view from the Visitor Information Station.

Just some thunder and lightning , no rain.

The first Bob White Quail I have seen in 50 years . They were 25 feet from the RV.

Our resident Bull frogs hanging out at the RV Pads.  Since I took this picture the little ditch they were in has dried out.

Walking on water again.

Moorhens and babies .

They are more than a dozen family groups on Shovelers pond right now .

All ages from just hatched to a week old .

Mom and dad are always near by.

Getting too tired to swim about.

Just too cute.

Wading by the Lotus field.

More little ones .

A Great Tail grackle trying to dry it's wings .

Passing through.

A Pied billed grebe and her one young.

Just so much green after 6 years of drought.

Just so beautiful.

Babies and flowers.