Good Morning!

I've already had some response to the bird pictures. Here's one from Steve Allen:

Although the picture enlarges a bit grainy, the bird doesn't look to be glossy black like a cormorant. The coloration of a great blue heron is a bit similar to an osprey, but the heron's shape is more like a cormorant. I'd have to get a better look, but herons (as well as ospreys) do nest on a platform in a (usually) dead tree. I beleive the bird is a heron. Ospreys look very much like eagles - no long neck. Also, deer are surprisingly strong swimmers, and often take to the water. Somewhere we have some pix from a couple of years ago of deer swimming across in just about the same spot as your pix - same time of day, too.

Regards,

Steve

Also, here are links to photos of the three suspects:

Osprey

Great Blue Heron

Great Cormorant

*****

I didn't know that deer will go into deep water voluntarily. I did some research after I got Steve's message, and apparently they are comfortable swimming even long distances. I suppose they get hot just like we do and a cool swim is welcome relief. Perhaps they sometimes want to escape the flies, too.

Did anyone else think the air felt like it does in September yesterday? Even today, that crispness, while very welcome, makes me realize how fleeting summer days can be here in the Kingdom. The 30 degree dips and surges are sometimes hard to keep up with. I guess as long as you keep your bathing suit and a sweater handy you'll be ok. We think our cat, Woody, may have brought a friend into the basement with him last night, so we have the door open down there. The breeze sweeps through from there upstairs so the whole house has cooled down. Fred is working at his computer downstairs with a jacket on, I'm going to find some wool socks to keep my feet warm. Hopefully, if there is a critter downstairs, it will find the open door soon - trouble is, how can we be sure? Woody is no help at all. After a long night hunting, he seemed alert and still in hunt mode downstairs when he first came in, as if looking for whatever he'd brought with him, but now he's crashed beside my chair in the living room. I don't know which is worse, miscellaneous body parts on the floor in the morning or a terrified wild critter running loose in the house. We were going to keep Woody in last night, but at the last minute I felt sorry for him, his wails were pitiful as he waited in vain for me to let him out. So we finally relented. He was so grateful he probably brought us a gift . . .