Aloha Everyone,
At 7:30 this morning, I joined Liz and her husband Norm for early morning bird watching. The congenial couple are from Wisconsin and have been coming to Falcon State Park for nearly 12 winters.
Butterfly Garden is located about a 7 minutes brisk walk from our campsite. The sun was out, but the wind velocity was stronger than yesterday. A brave monarch alighted on my hand then instantly was blown away.
"Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you."
-- Nathaniel Hawthorne
Before our evening walk, J.J. and I visited Liz and Norm again and we also met their neighbors, Shirley and Tom from Virginia. Shirley invited Liz and me over to her motorhome to see her art work. Referring to herself as a "figurative artist" Shirley produces sculptures and pen and ink illustrations. Enthusiastic about her art, I wish her commercial success.
I was delighted when Norm and Liz whispered to me, "here comes Ani and a flock of them."
Interesting thing about Anis is that they nest communally. A number of females lay their eggs in the same nest and then share incubation and feeding. They are easily spotted because of their large size, black feather with a long tail nearly the length of its body and a deep ridged black bill. Anis flight is not graceful, but they usually feed on the ground and are very quick runners if disturbed. (Source: Wikipedia)
Aloha -- Cathi