I'll Bee There for You

 

This bee was hard at work the other day on this cactus blossom.

Pair on a Perch

These guys each claimed one of these old concrete piers on Lady Bird Lake. They remained there calmly while I went down the hill to frame a shot. They are some sort of geese, I think. They might have gotten this vantage point to look for breakfast.

What up, Mr. Duck?

This guy had planted himself on a railing on one of the many bridges on the hike and bike trail. He didn't seem to want to move and I wondered if were ill. He is probably a Muscovy Duck, although I'm not an expert.

Bird Down

We discovered this Painted Bunting on a downtown sidewalk. Breathing but not hopping or flying from the foot traffic.

Monk Parakeets

Jackie shot this picture a couple of weeks ago near Town Lake. Here's what she said about the shot and this flock often seen around Austin:

There’s an enormous bird’s nest atop a power pole at the corner of Sandra Muraida Way and Lamar. We can see it from our apartment but can’t see inside it from here. Walking below we always hear chirps but no bird sightings until yesterday. Lo and behold, we confirmed that the nest belongs to feral monk parakeets, year-round residents of Austin since the early ‘70s. Cornell’s Ornithology site says “They are the only parrots to nest communally; dozens live together year-round in large, multifamily stick nests built in trees and on power poles.” The bird at the top of the shot posed for me patiently as I clumsily dug my phone out of my backpack and zoomed in. There’s another parakeet visible at the lower left of the shot; looks like that one is busily doing nest maintenance.

Goose, Goose, Goose

Jackie sees these Lady Bird Lake geese from her apartment but recently got up close for a photo. Today is theme day at City Daily Photo. The theme is nature. Downtown denizens like Jackie and us are often asked if we miss being around nature like people who live on ranches or in the suburbs. Our answer is that nature is a short walk away for the taking. Click here to see interpretations of the nature theme from all over the world.

House Finch at Sunrise

Shot from my easy chair through a dirty window. These guys usually get stirred up and show up when the weather is in flux. Except for a wind shift this day not much was happening with the weather.

Detail from Walk

When I walk, I like to look at the details of things like this feather against the crushed rock of the Hike and Bike Trail.

Bucolic Scene in the City

The wading bird waits for some breakfast near a boat stowed for later recreation.  Joggers, walkers and bikers pass nearby on the Lady Bird Lake Boardwalk. All in the middle of our high-rise city.

Hierarchy

We are always snapping pictures of turtles sunning on Lady Bird Lake. Jackie recently captured this one. She was wondering how they decide the hierarchy on the log!

Camoflague

We were plodding along the trail, slower than the runners and bicyclists. I always try to look around for wildlife. And I spotted this lizard which almost but not quite blended with the log where he was sunning. His camoflague hopefully didn't fail him against his predators and he lived to snag a bug or two another day.

The Family that Suns Together

We took our exercise walk to the University of Texas one day in June and snapped this picture of a turtle family sunning themselves at the Turtle Pond. (Or Memorial Garden.) This little enclave is north of the Tower.

Habitat

Among the intense construction that is going on around our building there still stands an abandoned railroad bridge. As we walked by on the pedestrian bridge next to it a couple of weeks ago we observed a couple of squirrels who seemed to be making the bridge a home and an outpost for being construction observers.

Growing up On Lady Bird Lake

I'm thinking this is a Black-crowned Night Heron juvenile. What do you think? Spotted on Lady Bird Lake, of course.

Me and My Shadow

This egret appears to be walking on water but really he's wading in the shallows near the Lady Bird Lake boardwalk.

Stand Up Straight!

It's funny how different the yellow-crowned nigh heron looks when he stretches up.

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron

Seen early in August from the boardwalk.

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron

Jackie shot this while we were on our boardwalk inauguration adventure a few weekends ago. I believe it to be a yellow-crowned night heron. Lovely to have all the flora and fauna we do around Lady Bird Lake.

Playing Possum

This little fellow was peeking out of a tree on Butler Trail around Lady Bird Lake the other day. Possums (opossums to more educated folks) are nocturnal but this one was watching the passing parade from a high perch in bright daylight.

Muscovy Duck

Encountered this fellow on the Hike and Bike the other day.