American Kestrel

                    
It's finally getting a little busier over here. I guess people have waited, and were counting on, some cooler fall temperatures to visit the Parks, but unfortunately we're having a kind of Indian Summer around here at the moment.
The mornings are much cooler, true, around 65 degrees, (love it!) but than the sun comes out and brings the afternoon up to a nasty, toasty 95! Oh well!

The Terlingua Preservation Society was very happy with the weather though since they were having their yearly Terlingua 'Shelby' event.
Carroll Hall Shelby (January 11, 1923 – May 10, 2012) was an American automotive designer, racing driver and entrepreneur. He was best known for his involvement with the AC Cobra and later the Mustang-based performance cars for Ford Motor Company known as Shelby Mustangs which he had done since 1965.

The Terlingua Preservation Society is a 501(3)(c) non-profit corporation headed up by a group of friends who share a love for Carroll Shelby-designed vehicles and the Carroll Shelby legacy, in particular the very special part of the world he would go for R&R in his heyday: the Texas Big Bend country.
It is dedicated to raising funds in support of the Terlingua, TX, community, while sharing the Carroll Shelby tradition of automotive excellence and it does this by operating an annual event in the Big Bend region for cars designed by Carroll Shelby.

 

The event is largely a big group of people who love the cars of Carroll Shelby of all models, who get together for socializing, fun, ½ mile drives, slalom, meals, a closed road speed run of 16.5 miles and an auction and car wash from which the proceeds go to local Terlingua beneficiaries.

Can't beat this technology for documenting your event!




Although this is not really my 'scene' and I don't know anything about cars it was sort of fun to watch since the slalom races were in the campground right in front of our RV!
I'm just no fan of these kind of shows (cars, planes, etc) when they involve races or demonstrations. Too many accidents, very often involving innocent bystanders, and all 'just for fun'?

Now this is more MY sort of fun:
                                                                                       


My first American Kestrel (in the wild)! At the first sight of him I almost broke a leg in my haste to get the camera and get outside before he'd fly away. I misjudged the steps of the RV while running out and did my own version of 'fly like a bird'. 
Not as graceful though ... better leave it to the experts.

In hind side, I could have taken my time because over the last week he has become quite the 'regular'. He hangs around the RV, perching often in the dead tree next to us and annoying the heck out of my friend the Shrike who thinks that tree is his and his alone!

See the Shrike at the top right?

        

Isn't he beautiful? I know it's a 'he' because of the blue/grey of his wings. See what I mean:

OK, that was probably a little Kestrel-overkill but he's my first so you have to deal with it!

Oh, and look who are back?

It's the Crackle clan!

                                                                                                                                              
I haven't seen them all summer, who knows where they've been (somewhere cooler I presume) but they're back and it's so good to hear them whistling and 'crackling' again, especially when they all gather around sunset!