Sights from my Bike Ride

I finally got out for a ride on day that wasn't windy, but, as you can see from the weird light in my collage, it went from sunny to completely socked in.  Not great for photography and, to make it worse, the birds were all far away.  Anyway, that's my excuse.  It was still a good ride and I was sleeveless for the first time this year!   I'm excited about a full bird collage today. I rode 25 miles, about half on dirt roads.  Trixie and I were both pretty dusty when we got home. ;-)

Top Row:               Yellow-headed Blackbird.  He was the only one I saw in a place where they usually nest.  The rest of the flock must be on their way.
                                Great-tailed Grackle showing off his lovely tail.  They are very rare here so I'm always happy to see them.  I like them much better than their "Common" cousins.  
                                American Avocet

Middle:                   Western Grebe
                                "Fairgrounds" Ospreys.  This is a screen shot from the nest cam.  I was there standing about 50 yards from the nest and I could see that they were both in the nest.  There was no way to get a shot of anything but their heads, so I brought up the nest cam on my phone and took a screen shot.  The female is sitting on 3 eggs and the male is keeping her company. :-)
                                  Pied-billed Grebe

Bottom:                   Willet, probably migrating.  I've seen them in the mountains in the summer, but not down here.
                                  Red-winged Blackbird 
                                  Blue-winged Teal.  This guy was really far away but I took the shot so I could check the ID.  Then I decided to add it, despite the poor quality, because I don't see them very often. ;-)

While I was riding, I got a call from Piper's vet to go over her labs.  Fortunately, I was in a place where I could easily stop and answer the phone.  I am very grateful that all her tests were normal, and the vet thinks she's in good shape except for joint stiffness.  She thinks that Piper may be having some pain, so she's giving her an anti-inflammatory to try on days when she seems lethargic.  It's such a relief to know nothing is wrong!