A blue heron

Last evening at the strip pits, this blue heron was one of the first things I seen. I almost missed him in all the mess. It don't look too bad from this angle, but from the angle of approach, he was hardly noticeable.
He eventually took off and went to the bank across the strip pit. There he really did blend in till he was hardly noticeable. Most of the ones I see out there take off before I ever have a chance to take a single picture. I don't know why this one stood around as long as it did.
---------------
Lorelei was on the solemn side for her today. Just quiet a big part of the day. However, right before her mom picked her up she started laughing at Shelby. First Shelby came up sniffing of her feet and that got Lorelei started smiling. Then we were talking to Shelby and she was going from Roger to us, and back to him and she started laughing out lout at her.

It was hot and miserable here today...so hot we didn't enjoy sitting in the swing very much. And I think Lorelei definitely missed it. We are talking about getting a fan to have out there to keep the air moving around a little bit...but we shall see.

Right now, I am going to post this and head to bed.

If not a partridge in a pear tree....

Please click to enlarge for a better view!

If not a partridge in a pear tree.....then how about a bob white on a hay bale?
I had not been out to the strip pits in a little while so decided to make a run through this evening late. As I have said before I am not seeing near the critters that I was seeing, but still managed a few captures. I took about a dozen of this bob white...they all were similar so I just chose these two to show.

I was almost through my first run when I was headed down the hill and happened to glance at this these bales of hay and almost didn't see him perched up there. I took several pictures from my Rav4, but then got out...the top picture is the first I took and the bottom one is a cropped version of the last one I took of him. And it is a male...notice the white stripe above the eye and I call it a white beard.

I think most of us know the standard bob white call...and I did do that and he was stretching and looking. But there is another call that I used to could do that would for sure bring them in close...my brother George was who taught it to me. I have never heard anyone else do it, and I have been searching the internet trying to find an audio of it, but the only one I can find is the standard bob-white one, but I did find where they have several different calls.

I do think they are a handsome little bird....and does anyone else remember the book, Robert, the Quail? I read that when I was a kid and don't really remember much about it, except that I really liked it. Anyway, seeing this fellow brought it to mind, and maybe next time I am at the library I will look for it.