Bambi

Ann and I found these very young deer remains on our property about 100 yards from our house last week.  The vultures had already had their way with it so there was no clear sign of how it died.  No obvious broken leg or any thing unusual we could see.   A few years ago we found a dead Bambi not far from it's dead mother which evidently starved to death without her, so that is a possibility.  Or maybe it somehow got lost from her, or had some kind of birth defect or illness.  Whatever the cause, this was another one of the frequent messages we get from Mother Nature about how hard life often is for critters in the hill country.  And everywhere.    

Enchanting Friends

Before it got too hot this summer we had a wonderful weekend visit from our friends Shawn and Mike.  Our adventures included a hike to the top of nearby Enchanted Rock, where these photos were taken.  It is so nice to have friends who can make a fun weekend even better! 

 

Not-so Babies!

Ann and I are proud to announce that our two-week-old Carolina Wrens have just passed their pilot tests.  It turns out their were FIVE of them in that tiny nest, and this is a photo of them taken the day before they flew the coop.  And we now understand that Carolina Wren parents often have THREE sets of babies in warm climates!  We assume that this is the first set of babies but are not sure, so we'll be looking for new eggs on our next stay in Wimberley.

Babies!

We are proud parents of four baby Carolina Wrens in a nest behind a hanging sun sculpture on our upper deck.  You can see the open mouths of three of them; this shot is looking down at them from above the sun sculpture.  Such a wonderful sign of the ever-renewing cycle of life in Wimberley, especially after our recent devastating floods.