Today was our friend Hely’s 70th birthday so we went out looking for birds. We saw kestrels, Cooper’s hawks, Harriers, PELICANS (first this year!), great blue herons, American egrets, PURPLE MARTINS back in their houses, swifts, bank swallows and tree swallows, turkey vultures. Heard spring peepers. The day began with a lovely moon framed between sycamore limbs in the back yard. Now it is raining- a good afternoon for some pool hall action. Tomorrow the arboretum, rain or no.

Breakfast at McDonald’s- I felt so American!

Coots- I’ve never seen one out of the water before

Pelican on left is catching a fish-

Eating the fish- see its tail to sticking out of the pelican’s mouth?

Hely says he is wearing mating plumage- the tufts at the back of his head

Hely and Dennis at Riverlands

The locks