The training session

Thirty some people showed up for the educational training session today, and I think it was a great success.  Because of the high winds (which are not unusual up at the Flying X), four of the sessions had to be brought inside.  That's too bad, but it was impossible to do them outside today.

I was on the platform just before lunch, which can be a challenge after folks had been listening to lectures for three hours.  :)  I decided to insert several banding stories from my experience to lighten things up and it seemed to work.  The crowd was responsive, had a few laughs, and asked lots of questions.  That's a good thing in my opinion.  I even put in a plea for them to sign up to help at my station when the Lago Vista fifth graders come to the refuge in a little under two weeks.  After I finished, I had four people come up and volunteer for the dates.  That's fantastic!

Karen Kilfeather is a local volunteer and a fantastic photographer.  She was at the training today to photographically record the happenings.  She got a short video of part of my presentation which she'll be sending me.  I'm hoping to be able to include in a blog post.....maybe tomorrow.  I've never included a video, so this will be a learning curve for me.  :)  She shot the video as I was relating a banding story and demonstrating how and why I had a Goshawk sinking it's talons into my wrist.  Time will tell whether it's worth posting.  I hope I helped get some of these folks from the Texas Master Naturalist program to volunteer at Balcones Canyonlands NWR.

It looks promising, out the window, that tonight's sunset might be picturesque, so I'm going to put publishing tonight's post on hold for about an hour.  Keep your fingers crossed!  Some clouds are rolling in before the latest of several approaching fronts.

Well, it was a dissapointment, but any sunset is better than the alternative.  ;)

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later,  Judy