Bob Tarte - Octodon @BobTarte@octodon.social

My sister Joan died one year ago this month. We share an identical love for animals. Here's an amazing drawing she made in first grade of our parakeet, Kee-kee.

Mother Tree Swallow peeps out of nestbox at Nayanquing Point Wildlife Area, Michigan USA

Stunning newly emerged Blue Corporal Dragonfly, West Michigan, USA

Two-Striped Grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus). I had trouble finding the name of this one, because it's a youngster and the coloration is different than the adult.

Close-up of Blue Corporal Dragonfly, West Michigan, USA

Close-up of Twelve-Spotted Skimmer Dragonfly, West Michigan, USA

American Rubyspot Damselfly - female

Tiny grain-of-rice-size Long-legged Fly on a nettle leaf.

This beautiful Eastern Meadowhawk dragonfly showed up in our yard in West Michigan over the weekend.

Here's the cover I designed over the weekend for an eBook I'm writing called "How to Write a Book About Your Pet."

Fox goes all slurpy during visit.

Very poor photo of a Worm-eating Warbler taken under overcast + gloomy conditions on the Swan Creek Trail at Allegan State Game Area. But this bird is so rare in Michigan, I'm happy for any photo of a Worm-eating Warbler.

Awkward warning from Firefox about its Firefox page.

Looking back on my life, I will own up to several egrets.

Spotted Sandpiper struts his early-morning stuff on the beach at Tawas Point, Michigan.

American Redstart warbler conspicuous through the leaves at Seidman Park, Ada, Michigan.

#Introduction
I'm very happy to be here. I live in West Michigan in the US. I've written three books about our pets and one book about wild birds. I'm currently writing a book called "How to Write a Book About Your Pet" and finished a novel called "The Happy Mid-morning Music Show Meets Alfie, the Psychic Coyote," which I haven't done anything with yet.

I also love 'world music' and 70s prog rock.

I enjoy posting photos of local birds. Here is a Blue-winged Warbler from last month.