Inspired by . . . the prevailing Light

"In the beginning the Word already was. The Word was in God's presence and what God was the Word was. He was with God at the beginning and through Him, all things came to be; without Him, no created thing came into being. In Him was life and that life was the light of mankind. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never mastered it." John 1:1-5

There is evil in this world and at times it may appear that those instruments of evil are prevailing. They are not. Darkness can not and will not ever master the Light.

We all have a choice; we can increase the light or cast a shadow.  May we go forth today shining brightly.

Blessings,

Inspired by . . . Life thru My Lens 30:52

Looking for some help from my birder friends this week to identify this bird:

It can be difficult this time of year with so many immature birds around. Please leave a comment if you have an ID to share. I'm in south Texas.

UPDATE: popular opinion thinks this may be a female indigo bunting. I'll let you know if the male shows up!

It's fun to watch the birds preen. They strike the funniest poses. This is one of the few times the Mockingbird is silent. Preening and eating.

We were blessed with some rain yesterday!

Rain showers my spirit and waters my soul.

~Emily Logan Decens

What's watering your soul this week?

Blessings,

Sharing inspiration here:
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Bird D’pot, Saturday’s Critters, Life thru the Lens, Wild Bird Wednesday,
Our World Tuesday, Community Global, Photo Friday

Inspired by . . . Life thru My Lens 29:52

As you might imagine we are full on summer here in south Texas. It.Is.Hot!

Too hot to do much of anything, other than, well, maybe this:

Activity slows down to a crawl with most of it centered around water. Even the terracotta turtle gets a bath. 

Seriously, though, the birds seem to be eating less and bathing more.

Lesser Goldfinch

House Finch (female)

House Finch (Male)

The sweet little Inca doves are back. The range map shows them as year-round visitors but I only see them in the summer. It is likely a food source that brings them around.

Inca Dove blending into her surroundings.

Here's another summer visitor. Although I'm not 100% sure I'm ID-ing her correctly. The photo is cloudy because I was shooting through the window.

Summer Tanager (female)

The mockingbirds have been acting crazier than usual. I'm not sure if it's because they have another nest to defend or if it's because the persimmon fruit has ripened. 

Mockingbird eating persimmon fruit

We have a lot of dragonflies and damselflies this year. But I haven't seen as many butterflies since it's turned hot.

Not much is blooming in this heat, but you can always count on the crepe myrtle to put on a beautiful summer show!

It's not all birds and blooms, though. This baby lizard has been entertaining me for the past few days, and the deer come daily for water. I just have to remember to look before I open the door, so as not to scare them away!

Texas Spiny Lizard

White-tailed Deer

I don't know if the temperature has anything to do with it, but the sunsets have been red hot, too!

Last night I sat out on my porch and watched the night invade the day. The sun lit the moon with her rays even as she relinquished her place in our sky. The earth calmed and breathed a sigh of relief. The moonlight kept the darkest shadows hidden as the birds sang their postlude. Peace descended. Light and airy. Welcoming.

And then they came on silent feet. The does and the little spotted one. They came for water.

And my soul drank with them.

Under the light of the moon.

Blessings,

Sharing inspiration here:
Nature Notes, Through My Lens, Little Things Thursdays,
Bird D’pot, Saturday’s Critters, Life thru the Lens, Wild Bird Wednesday,
Our World Tuesday, Community Global, Photo Friday

Inspired by . . . Life thru My Lens 22:52

I'm calling this the front porch edition. All of these pictures were taken from my front porch.

We had a beautiful full moon earlier this month. I was hoping to share pictures of the moon along with the planet mars with you, but on the prime nights for viewing mars we were shrouded in clouds making viewing impossible.

Birds are a constant source of amazement, and JOY for me. We're all used to seeing them perched on tree branches, but my flycatchers seem to prefer dead stalks instead. It's a keen reminder of just how light our feathered friends really are!

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Western Kingbird

I've been trying to catch these beautiful birds in flight. They are so fast! This is my best shot yet - I've got a long way to go!

It's always a treat to see the rock squirrels, they don't come around very often. Here's one sitting on his namesake.

Rock Squirrel

With the warmer weather that inevitably comes as the calendar approaches mid-year we're seeing a lot more lizards around.

Texas Spiny Lizard

We had quite a bit of hummer traffic last week. I'm also working on capturing these beauties in flight. This was my favorite out of the hundreds of shots I took. Again, I've got a long way to go.

I often have help when I'm out shooting the birds. Technically this shot wasn't taken from my porch, but from atop a large rock in my front yard. Selfie with me and Kitty.

I think Mr. & Mrs. Wren have finally decided to use the nest they built in this birdhouse. I hope so, I can't imagine anything cuter than baby wrens!

Carolina Wren

The mockingbird couple have built a nest in our cottonwood tree. These birds are completely nuts. They stand guard over their nest, and anything within a 100 yard radius, with a fierce tenacity. The poor srub jay can't even come to feed on the suet cake without being attached. Yesterday, they had him pinned down in the cedar tree for ten minutes before he was able to make a fly for it. The poor guy. He will have to learn not to announce his presence so loudly in the future if he wants a chance at a meal.

Mockingbird

Crepe myrtle blooms speak the language of summer. Steamy days, and deep blue skies.

Lazy afternoon naps, and late nights around the campfire. Finding pictures in the clouds, and chasing butterflies. Days at the beach, or skimming the lake. Sun-baked bodies, and salty ocean mists. Cool forests dripping with dew.

What does summer

have in store for you?

Blessings,

Sharing inspiration here:
Nature Notes, Through My Lens, Little Things Thursdays,
Bird D’pot, Saturday’s Critters, Life thru the Lens, Wild Bird Wednesday,
Our World Tuesday, Community Global, Photo Friday