birds

Not the bird itself, although I heard several1 in the same area, but its nest:

1. The white-eyed vireo’s song is often represented as “Chuck! Pick up your beer!” but there are variations.

I love seeing swallow-tailed kites — they’re so sleek and graceful — but in the area we’re working lately I see them all the time and the excitement has worn off. But this time I was lucky enough to see a whole family of three. The baby seemed fascinated by us; he kept circling just above the trees as if wondering what the hell we were doing. He caught something in a tree and was eating it in mid-air.

Here are some recent shots that turned out badly. Of course, the other thing they have in common is that these creatures are hard to find. I stumbled onto all of them accidentally, and I’m unlikely to find them again to take better pictures. So here they are, in all their grainy, blurry, badly-composed glory.

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