More Lubbock Wildlife 4-25-20

Spring is definitely here. My birdhouse architect/builder and friend - otherwise known as Lyle - advised me to keep an eye on Clapp Park this month to see a great variety of birds migrating through town. It was very good advice.

A yellow (maybe a pine) warbler - my first of two birds I'd never seen in person (or is that in bird?)

A mockingbird shopping for hardware

Yesterday I grabbed a bike, a camera, and a powerful desire to see some natural beauty and took off pedaling.

Amphibian Break

Bullfrogs, represent! (two)

A trio of white-wing dove

Mallard

Let's Break for Flora

(I wasn't the only one there with crazy hair yesterday)

Back to the Birds

A male redwing blackbird talking

A female blackbird...

...takes flight

A lovely shorebird

Mammal Break

Squirrels being squirrels

And the other bird I'd never seen in person/bird

The official coolest sighting of the day - an osprey

This is a bird I've wanted to see for at least forty years - and to see one less than a mile from home was downright blissful. I'm still stoked and excited to share it here.

The rear view

This bird was pretty unconcerned about me, so I took about 100 photos. I was able to hear its surprisingly delicate vocalizations and able to watch it dining on a carp.

The eating-a-carp view

It was a great day out!

This post was brought you by...

Canon, Huffy,

my  talented friends at Yellowhouse Coffee, Lyle, and Lubbock Parks!

May you find wonders nearby, may you be well and healthy, and may you be thankful for all you have.

Friday Carbon-Neutral Commute: No Electric Car Required

It is a cold and damp morning here in Lubbock. I got up. Looked at the weather, had a talk with myself, and chose the e-bike.

This morning's coffee

The five-mile ride to work was cold and damp. I arrived at work with a smile on my face and feeling more energized. Yes, the bike creates a few more hassles, but the experience, the exercise, and the lack of climate destruction are more than worth it for this less-than-trim blogger.

May we all find places to choose better and truly enjoy the ride!

More Random LBK Wild(and not-so-wild)Life October 2019

Happiness

Peace at Dusk

Burrowing glare

Cormorant

Luke Ellis (live at SB's)

Radial Preyer

Newborn

Sunny Soft

Tall Birds 1

Tall Birds 2

TJ's House

Great Blue Dawn

Be well, friends!

Spider, Cicada, Moth(?) and Yellowhouse Sun - Very Recent Pics

Mesquite Hugger Front Porch

Mailbox spider 6am

Same spider (and mailbox) 6pm

Yellowhouse Canyon (water crossing)

Cicada Shell

Cicada (out of shell and out of focus)

Moth (or butterfly?)

Wings up

Wings down

Yellowhouse Coffeehouse

Wings up

May you see the world through an amazing lens, friends!

I rode the bike today...

(Shots from several commutes over the last few weeks)

It was a beautiful morning! Very little traffic. A cool (but light) breeze. The bike was working well. My knees were working well. I rode a few miles on Sunday. I rode to work on Monday. I hope to ride tomorrow.

My wife and I saw an OmniMax movie last night - part of the BBC Blue Planet series. And it had astounding footage of all kinds of creatures. And it offered up some optimism for the future; however, like all modern nature documentaries, the ever-present villain was man-made environmental destruction.

They're too small to see here, but there's a cow bird,

a snowy egret, and a green heron in this one.

And that makes the bike rides even better. Every time a person chooses to travel by bike (in place of a single-occupant car) we all breathe a little better. I know it's very simplistic, but my greatest hope in all of this is to have thousands of people making incrementally better choices about petroleum and plastics and pollution. I know that would have a massively greater impact than just this one dork joyfully riding a bike as often as possible.

The view over the handlebars this morning

 

May you joyfully make a positive impact!

Father's Day Random Pics

A new bike rack in Lubbock:

The MH upcycled BMX at YellowHouse Coffee's brand new bike rack!

In front of the MH corporate office:

A ladybug punctuates tiny flowers

 Meanwhile in Waxahachie:

A Mayfly accentuates a plastic tub

Down in San Angelo, Texas:

This blue jay attacked JG repeatedly, much to the amusement of everyone who was not JG!

 Electric vehicles finally go Mainstream in Sweetwater, Texas:

It had to happen some time!

Douglas Adams invades a fortune cookie:

May your father's day be blessed regardless of who you are, where you are, and whether or not you are about to panic. Thank you for spending a little time here!