Coromant Rising 2011-09-24 Disturbed by our passage along the Danube River, this coromant left its stone perch. They were a rare sight this year, for some reason. [This, of course, is a small crop out of a much larger shot - the rest was water] Thanks for the comments on 'girls day out'. This shot and that one were taken on the same day.

Lapwing 2011-09-03 My wife and I were at a garden show yesterday in Austria's province of Burgenland, and decided to have lunch at a favorite restaurant. Along the way between show and food, we drove by a 'salt pond' - one of many such salty ponds in the area - and saw this lapwing. It was shy, so this is the best I could do. I assume the green on the wings is just reflection from the bright sun. The salt (mainly sodium carbonate) whitens the stones. And thanks for the comments on yesterday's writing desk. So many great shots yesterday.