Osprey building their nest

It is almost time for Smugmug to close down Flickr for maintenance so that they can perform the mammoth task of transferring every single thing on Flickr to a new server. Hard to imagine, and I'll keep my fingers crossed that the transfer all goes smoothly. There will probably be a few glitches to iron out afterwards, but these will no doubt eventually be fixed.

Tonight, I added 10 photos taken in May at a local park in the city. One of the rare occasions these days, that I actually get out on a birding walk. Really, it is more a social occasion than anything else. Having spent so much time sorting and editing photos from our Texas trip, it felt good to get out into the fresh air and catch up with friends.

When I was editing the Osprey photos, I wondered what all the tiny white specks were. It turns out that they are all insects of some kind. I would guess that the bird had been eating or carrying fish in its talons. I don't usually see an Osprey this close, mainly because I don't get out, so it was great to get a look at those feather textures.

Another bird that I had been hoping to see was a Black-crowned Night-Heron. We did see one adult, from quite a distance, so not the best photos. Also, a couple of Double-crested Cormorants were hanging out at the far end of the pond.

As usual, a few of us went for coffee after the walk. I enjoy this just as much as the walk itself, maybe even more.