We were sitting at the dining table in the RV, at Lake Colorado City State Park, drinking hot chocolate. The day was cold, cloudy and very windy keeping up mostly inside. Kloudy alerted us to the fact that something was in the area. Looking out the window we spotted a covey of Northern Bobwhites.
I scrambled to get my camera to take some photos. These are not the best quality shots, but I enjoyed seeing this group.
This is the closest I have ever been to a covey of Northern Bobwhites and the most I have ever seen at one time.
Northern BobwhiteSite 63, Lake Colorado City State ParkAll alone, but not lonely.
We spent two nights at Lake Colorado City State Park, waiting out the snowy weather in Colorado.
Instead of heading to Amarillo and spending our time in a private RV park, we chose to stay another day in this lovely Texas State Park, observing nature without neighbors.
This was our second visit to Lake Colorado City State Park.
You just have to go with what you are given and that is what we did, several walks around Copper Breaks State Park with the doggies for a total of 4.5 miles.
During our walks we saw some interesting sights….
It was early evening when we saw this fellow hunting bugs in the grass.
Roadrunner – Beep, Beep
A Texas Longhorn from the herd at Copper Breaks.
Texas Longhorn
Perhaps it is the vintage look of these Windmills that I like so much.
Windmill Pump
Well past its blooming season, but still lovely with a splash of color.
Dry arid land
It is always interesting to walk along a river bank. The Pease River, a tributary of the Red River which runs through West Texas, meanders its way through Copper Breaks State Park.
Pease River in Copper Breaks State Park
Tall reeds, protection for wildlife.
Grasses surrounding a pond
One of the small ponds in the park.
A small pond
Now for the fun part ` seeing the Texas Longhorns at Copper Breaks.
A little Texas Longhorn
If you are interested you may read about these handsome fellows by clicking on this link Longhorns
“What you looking at sister?”
The end of our day, enjoyed and treasured.
Looking forward to what tomorrow will bring. We will be on our way to Cooper Lakes State Park.
How many country and western songs would you guess have been written about Amarillo? I don’t know, but there are several. One of the most famous is Amarillo by Morning, which has been recorded by many artists including George Strait. And, why is it stuck in my head? Read these lyrics and it will be stuck in yours!
Amarillo by Morning
By George Strait
Amarillo by mornin’
Up from San Antone
Everything that I got
Is just what I’ve got on
When that sun is high in that Texas sky
I’ll be buckin’ at the county fair
Amarillo by mornin’
Amarillo, I’ll be there
They took my saddle in Houston
Broke my leg in Santa Fe
I lost my wife and a girlfriend
Somewhere along the way
But I’ll be lookin’ for 8 when they pull that gate
And I hope that judge ain’t blind
Amarillo by mornin’
Amarillo’s on my mind
Amarillo by mornin’
Up from San Antone
Everything that I got
Is just what I’ve got on
I ain’t got a dime but what I got is mine
I ain’t rich but Lord I’m free
Amarillo by mornin’
Amarillo’s where I’ll be
Amarillo by mornin’
Amarillo’s where I’ll be
Thursday evening we receive a phone call from the Ford Dealership in Canyon, TX letting us know our car is ready. Just like that our plans change; we will have to visit the Amarillo Botanical Gardens and see the Christmas lights another time.
Friday morning was hectic, up early, on the road to Canyon with the rental car to pick up our car, back to Amarillo to drop off the rental car, and then back to the RV Park to get the coach ready to pull out before eleven o’clock. We made it!
We decided to travel to Copper Breaks State Park in Quanta, TX and stay Friday and Saturday night. We visited this park once before and enjoyed staying here. We arrived at Copper Breaks early in the afternoon and after getting settled in our site we enjoyed a walk and a sunset.
Copper Breaks State ParkSun starting to set
The sounds of Amarillo…..trains, planes, helicopters and eighteen wheelers, were becoming unpleasant. All sounds we could hear from our site at Amarillo Ranch RV Park.
Perhaps this is why so many country songs have been written about Amarillo, to simply drown out the noise with music.
Or it could be Amarillo rhymes with a lot of words!
Today was peaceful, quite, un-crowded, with dark (I mean dark) skies.
The Daily Post – Photo Challenge – Week of May 2, 2015 – “Intricate“.
Hubby and I like to hike and on occasion we come across a Golden Orb Spider. They create a huge and intricate web.
This photo was taken at Lake Louisa State Park, near Clermont, Florida.These two photos were taken at Ray Roberts State Park near Dallas, Texas
The following photos are Milkweed Seeds. I took these photos while visiting a local park where I live. I think they have an interesting and intricate form.
MilkweedBursting Milkweed PodIt looks like the silk from a spider’s web.
The featured image is a photo I took at another local park located off Highway 34 as you would travel west from Loveland to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. It is early morning rain drops on a spider’s web. The header photo are two Lady Bugs doing what they do to create more Lady Bugs! Photo taken in my yard.
Such a tiny little bird, only 4.25 inches! It looks like a very small mockingbird.
`Male has bluish-gray upper parts and the female is more gray
`White eye ring
`Long black tail with white outer feathers
`Black bill
`Black legs
The white eye ring gives this lovely little bird big facial expressions
The Blue-gray gnatcatcher feed entirely on insects, which it pursues actively through the foliage of tall trees. Catches insects in flight. May hover briefly above food before taking it in its bill.
Its nest is interesting, a small cup made up of plant fibers, down and decorated on the outside with bits of lichen. This lovely little bird can be spotted in woodlands, thickets and chaparral.
When breeding it is monogamous and is a solitary nester. Its eggs are incubated 13 days by both sexes, stays in nest for 10-12 days and fed by both sexes. They usually will have one brood per year maybe two in the far south.
**information above taken from Smithsonian handbooks, National Geographic Society, Birds of North America**
Breeding male I believe, bacause of black line on sides of crown.
Conservation: neotropical migrant. Common victim of cowbird parasitism
Population: common, increasing with range expanding northeasterly
Neotropical Migrant – (noun) A bird that spends the summer in its breeding range in North America but migrates to Central or South America for its nonbreeding range in winter. The winter range may also include the Caribbean, and the general dividing line between breeding and nonbreeding ranges is the Tropic of Cancer at 23 degrees north latitude, though the entire range does not need to be either north or south of that division for the bird to be considered a neotropical migrant.
More than 200 species of birds are considered neotropical migrants, including at least a few species in most bird families. Many warblers,hummingbirds and shorebirds are neotropical migratory birds, as are some hawks and many other songbirds.
The exact distance and route of migration between breeding and nonbreeding ranges varies for each species, and migration time between the separate ranges may take anywhere from just a few weeks to several months. It is essential to conserve habitat not only in the birds’ different ranges, but also along principle migratory flyways so birds will have sufficient feeding and resting areas to successfully complete their journeys. (taken from the web, written by Melissa Mayntz.
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher (long black tail with white outer feathers)
I took these photos, on April 13, 2014, sitting in the coach with the window glass open and the screen pulled back; what a nice bird blind it made. This oak tree was not too far away and this little guy fluttered around catching insects for awhile. We were camped at South Llano River State Park in Junction, Texas.
Red Admiral, VP in charge of direction.”May I help you?” “Which way would you like to hike?”
Northern Mockingbird I have not been close enough to birds to get any photos. Lucky I got this one!Yellow Wildflowers and a BugClouded SulphurGulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) A little beat-up!One still blooming with a spider calling it home!Sumac bloom I’am sure there is a bug in there somewhere.Past their prime, but still pretty!Red Admiral
I took these photos in Ray Roberts Lake State Park.
