I’ve said it many times before: if you don’t get out and bird, you never know what you could be missing. Such was the case this past week. Birding has been slow, especially with the lack of warblers. I awoke early Tuesday morning and argued with myself whether to stay in bed and get a few more “shut-eyes,” or get out and see what had stopped over to refuel in Abilene (migratory birds have to stop and eat every now and then before moving south). Since two weeks had slipped by since I’d been to Dyess (ah, that kiskadee is so distracting) I decided to check out the activity there.

So I’m toolin’ along in the golf cart when the corner of my eye says, “Stop!” I look up and see a very white-breasted hawk staring back at me. “It’s an Osprey!” and I’m really close to the bird. So close I think I’ll scare it off it’s perch. I slowly get out of the cart, barely breathing as I set the scope and camera on the hawk. Click, click, click. I take a few pictures. Mesquite limbs in my way. Slowly move to the right. Click, click, click. Take a few more pictures. Still some branches in the way. Move a step further to the right. Now I’m totally exposed, out in the open but the Osprey doesn’t give me a second look. I’m able to take a few pictures (well, OK, I took 105 pictures the first day, and about that many the next day!). After sending John several pictures and teasing him with them (na-na-na look what I found), he tore himself away from his busy schedule (ah, he was so torn up) and got some stunning action shots of the Osprey.

Hey, don’t fret that you weren’t there. Lorie reported two Ospreys at Lake Fort Phantom. Just get out there and start looking! And by the way, if you don’t get out and bird, you never know what you’ll miss.