A Welcome Breather

Pete and I are moving into our new house in two days and we've been packing away like crazy since yesterday.  To get a breather from the chaos that our apartment has become, we headed out to Fossil Creek Park, a 3/4-mile walk from our place.  It was scorching hot at 88 degrees F.  With binoculars and camera in tow, we ambled to one of our favorite destinations when we're in need of our wildlife fix and some relaxation.  And we weren't disappointed :-)     

Killdeer - known for its sly strategy in luring intruders from its nest, the "broken wing" display. (Vuilleumier, 2011)
Vuilleumier, F.  (Ed.).  (2011).  Birds of North America Western Region.

                                            New York, NY: DK Publishing.

I saw American White Pelicans here first week of May but there's something different about these guys.  Their heads are grayish and the ridge on their bills is missing.  We surmised that the differences would have something to do with their gender and age.  We checked our guide book as soon as we got home and we found out that they're actually in their post-breeding plumage.







AWP in breeding plumage.  Photo taken on 03 May 2011.

I thought this was a dragonfly since we call it such, tutubing karayom (dragonfly needle) in my mother tongue, Tagalog.  It's a damselfly, in fact.  A Familiar Bluet.

When I was young, I used to chase damselflies.  They're more difficult to catch than the dragonflies.
"Tutubi, tutubi ...
Wag kang pahuhuli ...
Sa batang mapanghi." 

Female Red-winged Blackbird, year-round resident of Fossil Creek Park.