Smile

Tom the Fishing Guy gave us the theme of SMILE for our header challenge this week. It could be a smile or something that made you smile.

Tom Wigley, on of the original headbangers, has returned to the challenge this week. We welcome him--you will see his link in the sidebar.

I had two family smiles in the posts  last week.

Hubby's smile showed that he was not disappointed that he did not get to climb the wind turbine tower.

And Benjie in last week's giraffe diptych.




But here is something else that made me smile this week.

 

Now, I am not a birder.

 

I would not have the patience to search quietly with binoculars for hours, nor ply the field guide to determine if I was seeing a red tailed hawk or a--well--I know that there is a red tailed hawk but have no other names but hawk.

 

I know my local birds--robin, magpie, pigeon. I watch along my travels for some of the more exotic local residents--great blue heron, American white pelican, bald eagle.

 

And once a year now, we go seek the Lesser Sandhill Crane and this is the sort of view we get of them.



Actually, we saw MORE cranes last year, but saw them closer this year.

And I smile at the flock of "American Crane Seekers" lined up to get a chance at the spotting scope to see them just a bit closer.

Here are y best crane shots from this year's festival.

The Lesser Sandhill Crane stands about four feet tall. Their wingspan is about six feet.

What made my headbanger colleagues smile? Check out their blogs from the links on my sidebar.