Red-Winged Blackbird

I guess I am really on a bird theme this week. I went down to a small pond this morning and had a great time watching the birds. Warblers, blackbirds, and swallows. The swallows were wild, going after bugs in the air, apparently. I took many shots but couldn't catch them. The black birds have a very distinct call as they talk back and forth to each other. As I was looking across the pond I saw this visitor. Thankfully he came down to the water and turned around and went back over the hill!
We had an exciting evening at an event for Capture Minnesota. Our local public television station has a website similar to blipfoto in that photos taken in Minnesota are uploaded, shared and voted on by other members. To raise money the station publishes a book of their favorite 125 or so photos. Both Don and I had photos selected for the book. Tonight was the book reveal party at the Mall of America. The Grand Prize Winner and the Cover Photo Winner were revealed. We didn't win those spots but were honored to have our photos chosen. We also had a lot of fun meeting in person many of our "virtual" friends we had met online. (also like blipfoto). This is my photo that was published.