Saturday is our Anniversary!

   Today is our wedding anniversary. We have been together twenty-six very happy years. We ate breakfast at the Hilton. Robert had the cantaloupe, honey dew, strawberries and blueberries. Berry had scrambled eggs and bacon. After breakfast, we drove along the beautiful Natchez Trace. Where we got on the parkway, right outside of Jackson, Mississippi, it runs along the northern bank of the beautiful Ross-Barnett Reservoir.

   At the eastern end of the reservoir, we birded the Pearl River Wildlife Refuge. We drove down an administratively restricted road and then walked out to a small gazebo, looking for birds. A Little Blue Heron (Egretta Caerulea) was nibbling things out of the bog in front of us. A beautiful Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis Phoebe) was flycatching from the fence, flying out and snagging an insect, then returning to the fence. Next to the Wildlife Refuge, there was an outdoor shooting range. The loud sounds did not seem to bother the birds in the swamp.

   We found a coffee shop called Cup Overflow. Mediocre coffee, but an interesting fellow. The owner was Tom Alexander and his father had been a share cropper, growing cotton and corn. He became a cameraman and then a production manager. For some reason, we discussed child development. He had a poster about arts in the schools.

   We ate lunch at Papitos. Berry had cheese enchiladas. Robert balanced his diabetic concerns with his cardiologist's weight loss regimen. From there, we traveled to Old Trace Park, next to the reservoir. It was a beautiful day. The weather was clear and cool Spring is the time to visit Mississippi. We were driving around and found Dyke Road. Along this road, we saw eight sailboats playing in the wind on the reservoir. Not a cloud in the sky and moderate temperatures. It was a beautiful day.

   We drove around the Marina where we saw Ring Billed Gulls (Larus Delawaresis), with their diagnostic black rings on the beak. There were Mallards (Anas Platyrhynchos), mingling among the gulls, And then, there were clouds of Bank Swallows (Riparia Riparia) and Barn Swallows (Hirundo Rustica), dancing in the air, making blue swirls in the sky. The weather was perfect today for sailing and birding.

   We went to the Spillway, where the water was churning and broiling below the lake. There were a number of fishermen drowning their hooks in the canal below the spillway. We heard the distinctive, waxy song of an Indigo Bunting (Passerina Cyanea), and, having identified the bird by its sound determined that we need not actually see the bird. Chalk up the Indigo Bunting.

   On the way back to the hotel, we spotted Chimney Swifts (Chaetura Pelagica), soaring above the tall buildings in downtown Jackson. Robert sometimes requires a nap in the afternoon. Berry listened quietly to a Cardinals baseball game on the radio. For dinner, Robert enjoyed a Greek salad, and then a bowl of Tomato Basil Soup served with a grilled Gruyere sandwich. Berry had a large Ribeye Steak and an order of macroni and cheese. We had a great day and a happy anniversary.

Robert and Berry

Photos courtesy of dsanches, rfowler, wikipedia, jknapp