A last Day of Birding On the Coastal Bend

The small flock of birds whirled down to the waters edge and flew tantalizingly close to the ground. It didn't seem possible that the birds wouldn't crash but they were more agile than a crop duster and so they landed gently in the sand.
We had dropped off our fifth wheel for its yearly maintenance, which included wheel bearing, brakes, refrigerator, and propane service checks and had a day to spend.Renita wisely came up with the idea of going birding and so we first headed to Paradise Pond, at Port Aransas.
Now Judy and Lannie had told us about the huge schools of redfish at the ferry crossing but the water was too murky and so we didn't see any. Parking at Paradise Pond we walked along the boardwalk and stopped to read the bird list. Nothing really new on the list but there was a Northern Parula seen that morning and that would have been a new bird for us, but it wasn't meant to be.
Next, we drove to Charley's Pasture and strolled along the boardwalk. A pair of black necked stilts entertained us with their mating ritual, but we were to surprised to take a picture! As we walked we saw several reddish egrets and some shorebirds. nothing new but a nice stroll.
We ate lunch and then headed across the ferry only to discover that we had a bad set of bearings and that the dealerships was having problems finding parts. Renita reminded me that it is what it is and so we went to the Rockport City Park for more birding.
We watched as black skimmers flew off the water and dove down to the ground in an amazing aerial display. Their black wings barely cleared the ground on the down beats and their larger lower beak seemed to almost touch the ground.
We watched them perform as singles and doubles and even large flocks of a hundred or more would come in and then swoop down to the beach. As the day waned I became less concerned about getting our house back and really started to enjoy the moment.
Of course when we returned to the dealership everything was fixed and we were able to hook up and drive to our new location, Golaid State Park. I think the most important lesson I have learned since retirement is that it is what it is. Clear skies.