MAY DAY!

It's been a while since I've done any posting to this blog, but the muse grabbed me today and here I go.  I want to do a little boasting.  Our daughter, Mary Szecsey, is the executive director of the West County Health Centers here in Sonoma County California.  Recently, she co-authored an article in PACIFIC HEALTH.  I've copied it out below so you can take a look (just double-click the photo for a readable size):

Good things are still happening in this world!  I'm proud of our daughter's contribution.

My own contributions have been quite modest lately.  Getting out to find those hawks and shore birds is getting harder and harder for this 83 year-old.  I have gotten lucky occasionally.  Here's a red-winged blackbird I shot (with my camera) not too long ago:

He looks almost angry, doesn't he?  Truth be told, he was quite happily chirping away as he guarded the nest.

One of my favorite birds is the avocet.  There were quite a few of them assembled at Shollenberger Park in Petaluma the last time we visited.  The avocet comes from the same family (recurvirostridae) as the stilt which is black and white and similar in size.  Here's what an adult avocet looks like at this time of year:

For years Mary and her husband, Christopher, have been telling me they see coyotes on their property out in Occidental, CA.  I finally got to see one on Mother's Day weekend.  I took this pic through a window, so it's not as sharp and clear as I'd like, but, if you look closely, you can see the gopher in his mouth:

I guess that's enough for now.  It's time for me to get ready for the Cardinal ballgame.  Dickie and I watch them all.  Happy May!