A Cool Cormorant

We spotted this Double-crested Cormorant at Grand Lake St. Marys last week. They are such an interesting diving duck. I saw this comment on wikipedia:

The double-crested cormorant swims low in the water, often with just its neck and head visible, and dives from the surface. It uses its feet for propulsion and is able to dive to a depth of 1.5–7.5 m (4 ft 11 in–24 ft 7 in) for 30–70 seconds. After diving, it spends long periods standing with its wings outstretched to allow them to dry, since they are not fully waterproofed. This species flies low over the water, with its bill tilted slightly upward, sometimes leaving the colony in long, single-file lines. wikipedia

Very cool

~ Rick

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Still Hanging Around

The [American Goldfinch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_goldfinch) seems to be the last bird to migrate. I see them late into the season every year. We saw several along the Great Miami River this week and I photographed this pair. I did not see any males, just several females. ~ Rick

Making A Photo Difficult

I enjoyed this Red-bellied Woodpecker. We were hiking along the Miami River when I saw him fly into this tree, then he started his journey. He really made getting a photo difficult. How fun.

~ Rick

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Count Them …

Yes, we hiked at Grand Lake St. Marys this week. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed some time in the sun.

I don't think we have ever seen more American White Pelicans in one location before. My favorite photo is the top one.

~ Rick

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Introducing Cooper

I have not said a lot about it but in January of this year we had to put our Belgian Sheepdog, Rio down. He was getting old, but had developed a major health issue. It was very difficult, as it is when any of our pets pass away.

Rio was a great dog and he will be missed.

RIP Rio

After some discussion Teresa and I concluded that we did not want to get another large dog. I have ways loved larger breeds. I thought there was no reason for me to bend over to reach a small dog. On top of that, I was never really interested in a 'lap dog'. I was not really sure I was ready for a new puppy anyway.

Well, age and time has a way of changing our thinking.

In early September I was home alone when I saw a post from a dear friend in Utah that had two puppies remaing from a litter of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. There were so cute and my heart was empty and ready for Rio's spot to be filled. We still had Roxie, an English Springer Spaniel that we have had since she was a puppy. She is 11 now and while she may live a few more years, she is getting old.

Back to the puppies: these cute puppies .. I wondered if we had any chance of getting one? I mean, they are in Utah .. we are in Ohio. I made a phone call, then later that day I spoke with Teresa. (in that order .. bad Rick).

I'll keep this short: We drove to Utah the week of September 13 and picked up two puppies .. one for us, and one for another Ohio family.

We named him Cooper. It was between that and Tucker, but we went with Cooper. I am totally in love with this puppy. He has captured my heart.

About the time we were heading to Utah, he developed a case of Cherry Eye, which quickly turned into both eyes. It looks like it may require surgery to repair it and we will be seeing an expert to help with this very soon.

We have been taking cooper on walks and hikes when we can. I wanted to share this video of his first hike. ❤️ He has walked with us a few times since. Did I mention how cute he is? 🤣

~ Rick

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Check out our vlog, which includes more pictures and video on YouTube at tales.photos. Remember to subscribe!

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©2019 ©2020 ©2021 Rick Cartwright