As the Mind Wanders

Red-headed Crossbill?

2011-07-22T12:26:00.001-05:00

... Or "Wicked-billed Woodpecker" — I just couldn't decide.

First let me just say, July in Houston is just plain hot. And muggy. And while I used to do "hot" without any problem, I've become spoiled in my dotage. I like air conditioning much more than I like sweating. So I really haven't done much in the way of birding in a while.

But one day last week, I dropped by the neighborhood park where I often spend my autumn, winter and spring lunch breaks — just to see if the usual Texas-summering birds had come to their senses and left for cooler climes. I expected to find the place pretty quiet right in the heat of the day but boy, was I wrong.

As I pulled up in the parking lot, I immediately spotted the brilliant scarlet streak of a Red-headed Woodpecker flitting between the trees in front of me. I watched from the driver's seat as it zipped back and forth, busily catching grubs and insects to feed a youngster who was following it around, apparently "learning the ropes" (trying to copy the parent but not having any luck catching food on its own). This industrious fellow was presenting a veritable feast for his young fledgling, who gulped down every morsel that was offered.

But when I pulled out my binoculars and took a closer look, I discovered something even more interesting than the action itself. The adult woodpecker was "handicapped" with a deformed bill which appeared to be at least twice the size of a normal RHWO bill, thinner than normal and curved to the extent that it must cross the tips in order to close its bill.

Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)

I was amazed at how adept the adult woodpecker was at catching food even with its "handicap." It definitely appears to have adapted to the deformity quite well.

Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera in the car that day; when I returned a couple of days later and got these shots, the juvenile was nowhere to be seen and the adult was just hanging out, taking a break from its hunting. However, I have been back once more since and once again spotted this distinct adult, so I assume it is at least a temporary resident of the area.

Here are a few more shots I snapped of this unique bird. Click on any of the thumbnails to see the full-sized image.

I hope to get back over there early next week to see if the woodpecker is still around, and hopefully to spot and get some pictures of the juvenile as well.

Dick Van Dyke: the man, the entertainer ... the memoir

2011-07-21T21:42:00.003-05:00

My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business: A Memoir by Dick Van Dyke

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow, what a great read! I usually don't spend time reading bio/autobiographies of still-living people, but I'm such a long-time fan of Mr. Van Dyke that when I heard about his newly published memoirs, I just had to read it. Believe me, it was not a disappointment. From the first paragraph on, this book was almost as full of laughs as the original The Dick Van Dyke Show series. With the wonder and enjoyment of Mary Poppins thrown in, to boot!

As he points out right from the start, there are no scandals here. I must admit I was a little disappointed by the kid-glove handling of the broken family and divorce, but I also realize that I'm a little more sensitive about such things than most in today's culture and he does treat it as a serious topic, just down-played. But there were so many things that I never knew about this great entertainer's life, from the way he first got into "the business" and the things that shaped his life and career to the lengthy struggle he had in overcoming alcoholism. But in spite of the hard times, he really has had (or should I say, made) a charmed life. And he covers it all here in heartwarming candor, from the most scandalous thing that ever happened to him (his birth) all the way up through his plans for this very afternoon.

If you have ever enjoyed having high tea on the ceiling with Bert and Uncle Albert, falling over the ottoman with Rob and Mary Petrie, or skating through the halls of Community General Hospital with Dr. Mark Sloan — you will absolutely love My Lucky Life.

Bad Hair Day

2011-04-19T06:36:00.003-05:00

This egret reminds me of one of those models on a shampoo & conditioner commercial, slowly slinging her long silky hair back and forth with a flick of the head.

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)

Taken on a very windy day out on the Texas City Dike.

A Return to SkyWatch

2011-04-15T12:11:00.001-05:00

It has been months since I have participated in the SkyWatch Friday meme, but last Friday's beautiful Texas sky just demanded to be shared.

Cowboy and I had arrived at the Cub Scout camping grounds with just enough light to help out a friend and then get our own tent set up and our gear unloaded from the truck. As we finished, I glanced up into the windy sky at the first real glimpse of blue that we'd seen all day. What a glorious sight!

We stood there for a while, soaking in the beautiful colors that played through the trees as the day — and a long and tiring work week — slowly came to an end. I really need to find more chances to stop and watch the sun set. It's been way too long.

As always, you can click any of the images above for a larger view. And for more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

The Daily Bird: Pied-billed Grebe

2011-04-14T18:14:00.002-05:00

Pied-billed Grebes (Podilymbus podiceps) are becoming quite a favorite of mine. I don't remember ever having seen or even heard of grebes before I started seriously birding a couple of years back, but now I seem to see them everywhere!

Swimming in the split pea soup at Brazos Bend State Park

Enjoying clear waters and sunshine at San Bernard NWR
Pied-billed Grebes are commonly found in fresh water wetlands and small lakes and ponds with marsh grasses and reed vegetation, but they can also be seen in saltwater habitats. I was surprised to find a couple of grebes diving in the choppy waters of Galveston Bay near the Texas City dike last month, in addition to the pair I spotted in the marshy pond of Bay Street Park, just a block or two inland.

As always, you can click on any of the images above to see a larger version on Flickr, or see a quick slideshow of more of my grebe photos.

Wednesday Warblers

2011-04-13T11:07:00.002-05:00

Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia)

Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea)

Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia citrina)

Northern Parula (Parula americana)

Blackburnian Warbler (Dendroica fusca)

All were taken last spring at HAS Boy Scout Woods in High Island, Texas.

As always, you can click on any of the images above to see a larger version. Also, check out World Bird Wednesday for more great bird photos from around the world.

The Daily Bird: Common Moorhen

2011-04-11T17:59:00.003-05:00

The original "candy corn":

Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

Taken at Elm Lake at Brazos Bend State Park in Brazoria County, Texas.

Pretty in Pink

2011-04-09T17:00:00.001-05:00

Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)
Spring fever is in the air all along the Texas Gulf Coast! And from what I hear, the rookery at High Island's Smith Oaks sanctuary is all aglow with the greens and pinks of happy egret pairs and spoonbill couples. (Can you say "twitterpated"?)

Unfortunately, I still have a week or two before I get to make that trek to High Island, so I'm biding my time by looking back at the shots from last year. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

Hopefully I'll get some better ones later this month!

As always, you can click on any of the images above to see a larger version. Also, check out Bird Photography Weekly #128 for more great bird photos from around the world.

Ibis in the Morning

2011-04-08T07:26:00.003-05:00

White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)

Taken at Elm Lake at Brazos Bend State Park in Brazoria County, Texas.

Scarlet Epaulettes

2011-04-07T07:00:00.001-05:00

We saw our first Red-winged Blackbird of the year yesterday, perched in the oak tree in the middle of our front yard. Not exactly where you would expect to see RWBLs, but I'll take a new addition to my miniscule yard list any chance I get.

Unfortunately, yesterday's visitor didn't offer any good photographic opportunities, but it reminded of these shots that I got a few months ago.

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

As always, you can click any image to see a larger version. Enjoy!

Wednesday Wings

2011-04-06T16:45:00.003-05:00

Being still quite the amateur when it comes to shorebird identification (I'm about at the level of, "Hey, that's a shorebird!"), I had some trouble figuring out what this handful of birds were from the Texas City dike:

After searching through all of the plovers in several different reference books — and after getting more and more frustrated at not finding an acceptable identification — I finally picked up my brand new Crossley ID Guide. I have been enjoying the beautiful photographic compositions included in Mr. Crossley's guide book, but this was the first real chance I'd had to go to it for help with an ID problem.

Sure enough, as I scanned through the shorebirds — first the plovers again, then moving on to the sandpipers — I found the telltale signs in his flight photographs. Those distinctive patterns on the back and wings that only show up when the bird is in flight (and which were not shown in any of the illustrated references through which I had previously searched) helped me get a firm identification:

Ruddy Turnstones (Arenaria interpres)
It's definitely not a field guide you'd want to take on a bird hike with you, but I think I'm really going to like this new work!

Texas City Dike

2011-03-25T16:59:00.006-05:00

I have wanted for quite some time to visit the Texas City Dike, near Galveston, but the dike had been closed for the past two year for repairs of damages sustained during 2008's devastating Hurricane Ike. I've heard nothing but good reports since the dike reopened late last fall. So when I discovered I was the only one in the family who got Presidents Day off last month, I leaped at the rare chance for an outing.

Royal Tern (Sterna maxima)
The dike itself is very nice, extending out about two and a half miles into Galveston Bay. There is a paved, two-lane road running the length of it, several piers and boat ramps and a nice stretch of sandy beach on the northern side (away from the gulf).

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
Since spring migration was still several weeks away, there were not any unexpected birds to be seen. However, I still found almost twenty different species on and around the dike just in the short time I spent there. There were numerous Royal Terns, plus a lone Forster's Tern diving for food in the choppy waters of the gulf side of the barrier. As you would expect, gulls were everywhere, from giant Herring Gulls to the smaller Ring-billed and Laughing Gulls. There were also a handful of egrets, pelicans (brown and white), and lots of both Double-crested and the smaller Neotropic Cormorants.

Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) in winter/non-breeding plumage

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)

I was a little disappointed at the extremely low numbers of shorebirds to be found, but I expect that will pick up quite a bit over the next few weeks as migration hits the Gulf Coast. The only shorebirds I saw were a lone Willet, two tiny Sanderlings and a handful of Ruddy Turnstones.

Laughing Gulls (Larus atricilla), with Ring-billed Gulls in the background
As I started to leave for home, I did make a very quick stop at the Bay Street Park, located just around the corner from the entrance to the dike. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the marshy pond running the length of this park held quite a few more birds, including Northern Shovelers, Gadwalls, Blue-winged Teal, American Coots and a couple of Pied-billed Grebes. A small pier overlooking the pond also gave some great photo opportunities with the dozens of gulls resting there.

Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis), with a Laughing Gull in the background
All in all, this was a nice day of birding. I will definitely be returning to Texas City whenever I get the opportunity!

Note: As always, you can click on any of the images in this post to see a larger version.

Catch of the Day

2011-03-04T06:17:00.002-06:00

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

Taken over Burnett Bay at the Baytown Nature Center, Baytown, Texas.

Roadside Portrait

2011-02-18T11:03:00.002-06:00

Another case of "drive-by birding."

As I was driving along Bolivar Peninsula one day, I saw a fairly large shorebird fly up from a nearby field and alight on a fence post just ahead of me. I carefully slowed to pull alongside the post and snapped a couple of quick shots before moving on.

The Willet didn't seem the least bit concerned at the truck pulling up next to him. I was rather pleased with the portrait I ended up with:

Willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus)

Lift Off

2011-02-17T06:36:00.000-06:00

Blue-winged Teal female in flight (Anas discors)

Taken at the Greens Bayou Wetlands Mitigation Bank in northern Harris County.

On the Wing

2011-02-16T07:03:00.004-06:00

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

Taken at the Smith Oaks sanctuary in High Island, Texas.

As always, you can click on the image to see a larger version. Also, check out World Bird Wednesday for more great bird photos from around the world.

Soaring High

2011-02-15T06:24:00.002-06:00

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Taken on Tri-City Beach Rd in Baytown, Texas.

The Daily Bird: Song Sparrow

2011-02-10T16:35:00.001-06:00

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

Wednesday Warbler

2011-02-09T07:52:00.002-06:00

Chestnut-sided Warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica)

Nesting at the Rookery

2011-02-07T06:57:00.003-06:00

We are counting down the days until spring migration and nesting season hit the Texas Gulf Coast.

nesting Great Egrets (Ardea alba)
Taken last spring at the rookery at Smith Oaks sanctuary in High Island, Texas.

As always, you can click on any image to see a larger version. Also, check out Bird Photography Weekly #128 and World Bird Wednesday XII for more great bird photos from around the world.

World Bird Wednesday: Prothonotary Warbler

2011-02-02T11:20:00.001-06:00

Here is another bird I am looking forward to seeing again when spring migration wings its way through the Texas Gulf Coast in a couple of months. I spotted this pretty little female Prothonotary Warbler last spring at High Island.

Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea)
As so often is the case in the world of birds, the male Prothonotary far outshines the female in terms of pure color and audacity. Unfortunately, the best shot I have yet to get of a male of the species pales in comparison to the image above. This one is from the year before, down at Brazos Bend State Park:

With a little luck (and a whole lot of time and patience), I hope to get some better views of this radiant warbler once April rolls around again.

As always, you can click on any image to see a larger version.

For some great bird photos from around the world, check out this week's installment of World Bird Wednesday.

The Daily Bird: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

2011-01-31T06:23:00.002-06:00

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)

Signs of Spring: Yellow-Rumped Warblers

2011-01-30T07:12:00.004-06:00

I'm beginning to see more and more of these little fellows all over town. We must be getting closer to spring.

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata)

Taken last spring at the Smith Oaks sanctuary in High Island, Texas.

As always, you can click on any image to see a larger version. Also, check out Bird Photography Weekly #127 for more great bird photos from around the world.

#200

2011-01-28T21:06:00.001-06:00

Last Saturday was an odd day, with nothing on the calendar until late morning. So I took advantage of the free morning, sneaked out of the house before the sun came up and headed for Bear Creek Park. My mission: the Rusty Blackbirds and Purple Finches that had been reported there for the past two weeks.

I arrived not long after the park gates were opened and began checking the reported hot spots. Maybe it was the temperature (I know 28F is nothing compared to what many of you tolerate every winter, but down here that's almost unheard of!), or maybe the recent lack of rain, or maybe just the luck of the draw, but there was not a single rusty or finch to be found.

Not that the morning was completely birdless. There were handfuls of crows and pine warblers, a couple of Caroline Chickadees, a little Downy Woodpecker and several Red-bellieds. I even watched as several dozen robins flew over, some lighting briefly in the treetops far above and filling the otherwise quiet morning with bursts of sound. But none of the stars, the celebrities that I had ventured out into the frozen morning in hopes of seeing.

As it neared my predetermined cut-off time — when I absolutely had to leave in order to make it home and shower before the kids' basketball games — I decided to make one last pass around the inner loop of the park. Coming upon a couple of birders with a scope, my hopes began inching up. Had they found the Rusty Blackbirds I had been seeking all morning? But no, their scope was trained on a tree full of starlings and grackles; it appeared my slow morning was being shared by all. But then ... "Oh, did you see the Merlin perched on the snag at Brandt Road?"

"Waitaminit. So you guys are standing here in the cold looking at starlings when there's a freaking Merlin a half mile away?!?" This of course was kept to myself as I sprinted back to my truck and headed across the park. And there she was, just as they had said. Life list #200, and what a beauty!

Merlin (Falco columbarius)
What can I say? Some days life gives you lemons, other days it send you Merlins!

The Daily Bird: Pied-billed Grebe

2011-01-25T06:08:00.002-06:00

Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)

Taken last spring at the San Bernard National Wildlife Reserve near Lake Jackson, Texas.

Hazy Morning Sunrise

2011-01-21T12:27:00.000-06:00

Our friends often ask why we live "so far away" from town and the center of life as we know it. Here's one reason:

No, it's not our land — that life is still just a dream for now — but there's nothing like being able to drive five minutes from home to see sights like this.

As always, you can click the image for a larger view. And for more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

The Daily Bird: Swamp Sparrow

2011-01-20T21:17:00.003-06:00

Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)
Taken last spring at Boy Scout Woods in High Island, Texas.

Little Lark on the Prairie

2011-01-18T19:07:00.001-06:00

Not the greatest shots, but the best I have been able to manage so far from the roadside out on the Katy Prairie.

Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)

The Daily Bird: Blue-winged Teal

2011-01-14T06:54:00.003-06:00

Blue-winged Teal male (Anas discors)

... and the female

Pictures taken at the San Bernard National Wildlife Reserve near Lake Jackson, Texas. Click any image to see a larger version.

The Daily Bird: Red-tailed Hawk

2011-01-11T06:07:00.001-06:00

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Avocets on Bolivar Peninsula

2011-01-02T16:52:00.001-06:00

In a return to last year's spring migration, I took an afternoon one day and trawled along the mudflats and beaches of Bolivar Peninsula — just across the channel from Galveston Island — searching for shorebirds, terns and gulls. The weather was nice and a strong southerly wind was blowing in from the gulf, so most of the migrating birds were high above, taking full advantage of the wind currents. However, I did happen on a small group of avocets taking a break from their long journey to hunt for food in the Texas surf.

American Avocets (Recurvirostra americana)

males

female
This is actually the only time I've found these beautiful shorebirds in the area, and it was an exciting addition to my life list.

As always, you can click on any image to see a larger version. Also, check out Bird Photography Weekly #123 for more great bird photos from around the world.

The Daily Bird: White-faced Ibis

2011-01-01T15:03:00.000-06:00

White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi)

Dreaming of Spring

2010-12-29T18:23:00.001-06:00

Today's downpour and the promise of more rain and cold over the next week have me dreaming of warmer, sunnier days. And nothing warms the soul like the radiant colors of tanagers during spring migration.

Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)
These two fellows were both life birds for me, seen last spring at Boy Scout Woods in High Island, Texas, just up the coast a couple of hours from Houston.

Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra)

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out this week's installment of World Bird Wednesday.

The Daily Bird: Red-tailed Hawk

2010-12-28T07:49:00.001-06:00

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Bird Photography Weekly #122

2010-12-27T08:05:00.001-06:00

One bird that can almost always be found around the Houston area is the proud Mockingbird, the state bird of Texas. Mockingbirds inhabit parks, suburban neighborhoods, and can even be found around downtown — anywhere that has trees or even shrubs, you can probably hear a mockingbird singing its pilfered songs. We even have one that serenades us year round from the trees in the parking lot of our office building.

Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
Mockingbirds reportedly form enduring and faithful partnerships with a single mate and are known to defend their nests and their young with surprising vigor, chasing away cats, dogs, hawks and other larger birds, and even humans who wander a little too close for comfort.

Each mockingbird seems to have a different repertoire, as they learn and mimic the songs of other birds they encounter or that live around them. And as they continue to learn new songs throughout their life, some individuals may have dozens of calls to choose from. Mockingbirds' mimicries are often almost indistinguishable from the original. But if you hear a certain bird song three or more times in quick repetition and then a totally different sound repeated from the same spot, you can be pretty sure you are listening to a mockingbird's medley.

As always, you can click on any image to see a larger version. Also, check out Bird Photography Weekly #122 for more great bird photos from around the world.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T00:05:00.002-06:00

Here's wishing you a very

Merry Christmas

from the entire McCreary family!

Have a safe and Christ-filled holiday season!

Great Egret in Flight

2010-12-24T08:48:00.001-06:00

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

World Bird Wednesday: Savannah Sparrow

2010-12-22T17:00:00.002-06:00

It's been a year since I have visited the Katy Prairie, but I'm hoping to get out there one Saturday morning before the kids' winter basketball season starts up in mid-January. One of the treats from last winter's visit to the area was this little guy:

Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)

I pretty much missed fall migration this year, but I am going to try to start posting pics of some of the great birds I saw and never got to blog about from last spring's migration and from the little bit of birding I did over the summer. In the meantime, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Wednesday Wings: Baytown Bald Eagles

2010-11-24T15:14:00.001-06:00

Featuring a pair that nested this past spring in Baytown, Texas, just southeast from here (and not far from where I grew up).

Back to the Birds

2010-11-09T19:41:00.001-06:00

There's nothing like an awesome, spontaneous event to make you realize how much you miss a loved hobby. And quite by accident, that's just what made me realize last week how much I have been missing birding over the past several months.

A week ago Friday, I realized that my son's Cub Scouts camping trip was almost upon us and I had not yet started breaking in my new hiking boots. (When the third set of soles wore out on my old ones, I decided it was finally time to break down and get a new pair.) So I took them to work with the intention of going walking at lunchtime. I happened to still have my camera in the car after Cowboy's last soccer match, so when I got over to Bear Creek park at noon I grabbed the camera just out of habit.

Other than a handful of crows and a Red-tailed Hawk soaring high overhead, I hadn't seen anything of interest by the time I reached my halfway mark and began walking back toward the gravel parking area. Then I heard a familiar call overhead and stopped in my tracks. It took only moments to find them — a pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers flitting from one tree to the next.

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)

I followed the pair for a few minutes, trying to get a good shot or two, but was quickly distracted by a soft hammering just a bit further down the trail. Following the sound, I came across another, smaller woodpecker — this little downy female, drumming away on a small branch above me:

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
Very shortly after this sweet find, yet another distraction flew right by the downy's tree. The third member of the woodpecker family within five minutes.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
What a day this was turning out to be! I was smiling broadly over my good fortune as I turned back down the trail in the direction of my truck. Three woodpecker species in one quick, unplanned outing, and it was the first time I'd been birding since spring migration. You just can't beat that.

Until those red-bellied fellows flew back into view, this time accompanied by what I first thought was a female of the breed. She was pretty elusive, but it had to be another red-bellied. Looked like she had red on the back of the head but none on the cap. About the same size. But the coloring was wrong. I'd never seen one that was more tan than black or gray on the back and wings.

Then I got my camera on her, and you could have knocked me over with a feather. A Northern Flicker feather, at that!

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
Okay, so it's not much of a shot, but I couldn't care (much) less. Believe it or not, this fairly common resident of the area has been on my wish list for a long time. It's a lifer!

After that, I think I pretty much floated back to the truck. I hardly even remember the drive back to the office. So much for "no time for birding" — I've got the bug again! I may be limited to short lunch excursions for the most part, but I'll take what I can get. Which, as you can see, can be pretty awesome when you least expect it!

Bird Photography Weekly

2010-11-07T22:16:00.002-06:00

From my weekend camping down at Brazos Bend State Park, just a few miles inland from where the Brazos River meets the Texas Gulf Coast.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Check out Bird Photography Weekly #115 for more great bird photos from around the world.

Blackburnian Warbler

2010-05-03T16:32:00.001-05:00

This weekend I got to meet and spend the afternoon with fellow bloggers Dawn and Jeff Fine (of Dawn's bloggy blog) out at High Island, Texas. Dawn and Jeff are the nicest folks you could ever meet, and were quite willing to help this poor little warbler-ignorant blogger find a few treasures. And treasures there were aplenty!

The morning was a bit nasty, with rain and then a heavy foggy mist covering the area like the proverbial pea soup. Which, to our luck, turned out to be the perfect weather for bringing migrants in for our viewing pleasure. There were warblers, warblers everywhere! One of my favorites — a new addition to my life list, in fact — was this male Blackburnian Warbler:

Blackburnian Warbler (Dendroica fusca)

I'll post a few more pics from the High Island Migrant Extravaganza as soon as I have time to get them uploaded. In the meantime, check out Bird Photography Weekly #88 for more great bird photos from around the world.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-14T14:43:00.002-05:00

Tern Here for Fishing

2010-03-30T16:36:00.001-05:00

While in Baytown a few weeks ago, I happened upon a fishing frenzy of Forster's Terns out over Burnet Bay. There were forty or more terns wheeling and diving over and over into the choppy bay water. Most of the flock was concentrated about halfway across the bay, too far to catch any decent pictures, but a handful of terns ventured closer just long enough for me to fire off a few shots.

Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)

It was really quite something to watch.

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #83.

Life Bird #150: The Elusive Osprey

2010-02-23T11:54:00.002-06:00

It pays to take your camera along when making a pit stop.

Hmm... That didn't sound quite like I meant it, but I stand by the statement. There have been numerous occasions when I've been out birding, either by foot or in my truck, and emerged from a rest stop or port-o-potty to find birds that I've been watching for (or didn't even know to expect) perched outside just waiting for me. It's as if they've been carefully avoiding me as I moved through the area, but when I disappear for a few moments they have to stop by to see where I've gone.

Such was the case last week as I visited the Baytown Nature Center. I had one primary goal, one target bird that had eluded me both in the local coastal sanctuaries and in last summer's trip to Colorado — the Osprey.

I had tried all the suggested locales in the park to no avail, and after two hours of driving, walking and freezing I was about to give up on finding any ospreys. No sightings at the (completely deserted) Duck Pond or the Brownwood Marsh Pavilion, nothing moving on the promisingly-named Osprey Island, nary a sign of any perched in the trees by the Y-intersection. Finally I was running out of time and decided to head once more down the thin peninsula to San Jacinto Point for a final quick check for waders and cormorants near the fishing piers. I took my camera and binoculars and walked over to the little birders' room.

When I emerged from the cramped, plastic cave — Why are those things never tall enough for a person to stand up straight, anyway? — there he was, not thirty yards away, sitting primly atop a wooden piling near the water's edge.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
I moved slowly to a nearby park bench and sat, taking pictures, until this magnificent creature lifted suddenly into the air and headed across the bay. I followed his flight with my binoculars, but within seconds he was only a dark spot against the hazy background of the opposite shore.

Minutes later I found him again, wheeling back towards me with a trophy clutched tightly in his talons, the triumphant fisher returning with his lunch.

Click any image to view full-sized version
I stayed in my spot as he returned to his former perch, taking a few more snapshots. But since he seemed somewhat reluctant to begin eating his catch with me in such close proximity, I decided to ease myself up and move on.

Click any image to view full-sized version
More to come from last week's trip to Baytown...

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #78.

Bird Photography Weekly #77

2010-02-14T07:43:00.000-06:00

Since I spent Friday complaining about the cold dreariness of our Texas Gulf Coast winter, I figured maybe a little reminder of our other season might go a long way towards warming up the place.

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)
These are what I'm really looking forward to again: the bluebirds of summer. Last summer, in fact, with the golden sun shining above and plenty of good ol' Texas heat warming the heart and scorching the grass.

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #77.

In the Bleak Mid-Winter

2010-02-12T17:18:00.002-06:00

Okay, so it's a little past "mid-winter," but with all the rain and sleet we've had lately and the temperatures hovering just barely above freezing, I'd say the bleakness wins out.

Luckily, I did catch a break in the steady drizzle long enough to make a run over to Bear Creek Park at lunch. Most of the park is currently closed — due to being underwater at the moment — but I was able to find a few objects of interest lingering on the outskirts of the flooded areas.

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
This Red-shouldered Hawk was hunkered down against the wet and cold, and nothing and nobody was going to make him move.

On the other hand, there were dozens of warblers flitting about, heedless of the inclement weather conditions.

Pine Warbler (Dendroica pinus)

There were harbingers of the coming spring already in place as well, mobs of robins scouring the soggy green groundcover for sustenance during the cool spell.

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
And as always, the waders were out and about, treading slowly through the standing floodwater and along the water's edge.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

I look forward to the end of this rainy season, to heading back onto the trails at Bear Creek once the water goes down and things dry out just a bit.

Fishin's Over, Time to Get Back to Blogging!

2010-02-09T15:47:00.000-06:00

When a friend asked me the other day when I was going to "come back from that fishing trip," I honestly had no idea what he was talking about. Turns out that my last post here bore the somewhat prophetic title of "Gone Fishin'." The prophetic part — I haven't posted a single time in the five months since. Ack!

As a matter of fact, I have hardly even done any birding since last September. About that time we started going into overdrive mode on a big project at work, with pretty much all "off time" (including lunchtime, evenings, late nights, weekends, etc.) being spent in bishok mode (butt in seat, hands on keyboard). Before I knew it, Christmas was here with choir programs and family in town and everything else that entails. Then the kids' school was starting back up, our project was going into final testing and then production, everyone got sick, the autotrophs began to cool, Neanderthals developed tools, we built a wall (we built a pyramid), math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries that all started with the... well, you get the idea. Busy.

Now here it is February already and suddenly I'm realizing — I need to get outside and live again! So yesterday I headed over to the little neighborhood park where I used to go so often on my lunchbreaks and WOW, I'd forgotten how wonderful it was to sneak away from the office in the middle of the day and just walk.

It was pretty cool and extremely windy, but as usual there was plenty of avian life to see. Twenty some-odd white ibis waded through the marsh and mud across the field, looking for their own lunches. A couple of red-shouldered hawks soared in the winds above the treetops. The resident kingfisher skimmed over the surface of the bayou, his rattling call echoing through the area. And almost a dozen cormorants were busy swimming and diving in the smaller pond.

Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus)

Yup, it's past time I take down the "Gone Fishin'" sign and got back to birding!

Gone Fishin'

2009-09-07T21:07:00.003-05:00

Houston summers are not always the best for noontime birding. Between the heat and ... well, actually the heat is pretty much the problem all by itself. Blistering 100° days with 90% or higher humidity and little or no breeze just sort of takes the fun out of lunchtime excursions. Especially when the birds themselves are generally too smart to venture out between the hours of sunup and sundown.

But every now and then we get a little respite, a brief relief in the form of a day or two of cooling showers, and for a time the world comes alive again. On just such a day, I recently headed over to nearby Bear Creek Park to try to get in a little "fishing." Or more to the point, to look for a little fishing.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
As luck would have it, I found just what I was looking for, in the form of a handsome Great Blue Heron who was enjoying the temporary rise in the water level of Langham Creek.

In just a matter of minutes, I watched as this majestic piscator caught and feasted on over a dozen small fish, a meal fit for a king.

Unfortunately, my lunch break wasn't long enough to enjoy the spectacle for long. But days like this are wonderful reminders of how fortunate we are to have several scenic parks and venues around the Houston area where we can observe and appreciate the beauties of nature. Bear Creek Park is one of those places where you can always find such hidden treasures. And it invariably is the perfect destination when I need to take a little lunchtime fishing trip.

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #54.

Personality Portraits: Cattle Egrets

2009-09-01T15:02:00.003-05:00

One thing I have noticed while photographing birds over the past couple of years is that, like people, different birds quite often seem to exhibit different personalities.

Sometimes this is a reflection of mannerisms and vocalizations, other times it is simply a side effect of distinguishing markings or other physical characteristics. But once you begin to closely study a group of birds, it is quite easy to realize that not all birds — even of the same species — look and act the same. Of course, it is also a little too easy sometimes to begin to assign human "personality traits" to birds and animals, simply because of their different looks.

Take for instance this group of Cattle Egrets that I spent some time photographing a few weeks back. Looking back through my photos of the day, they each quickly stood out as a unique persona.

There was the cool bird, fit and trim, full of self-confidence:

There was the cranky old codger with what seemed a permanent scowl on his face:

There was the quiet loner who stayed off by himself, meekly blending into the background:

And then there was the tall, wide-eyed, gangly, gawky one — his hair never quite lying straight — who tried but just never quite fit in with the "cool" kids. You know, kind of a birdy version of me back in high school:

Of course, in reality all of these birds acted pretty much the same, too busy hunting for nourishment in the heat of a dry Texas summer to reveal much real personality. But that's part of the magic of photography: it can take a simple moment in time and feed the imagination into whatever wondrous revelations the mind can create.

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #53.

SkyWatch Friday #58

2009-08-20T14:01:00.001-05:00

A hazy morning sunrise, painted by the loving hand of the Creator.

(Click image for larger view)

For more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-19T16:16:00.000-05:00

Willet Stay or Willet Go?

2009-08-18T21:51:00.003-05:00

On a recent excursion down in the direction of the coastline, I made a swing by Bryan Beach (near Quintana) to see what shorebirds were out and about enjoying the summer heat. Somewhat to my surprise, there were almost none to be found.

Willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus)
Only this one lone Willet was wandering around the shallow pools behind the dunes, searching in vain for some small midday snack. He was a bird on the move, running or flying from one pool to the next.

Unfortunately (for me), it wasn't long before he gave up and shook the sand from his feet, winging it off to find some more lavish locale.

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #51.

The Dog Ate My Blog Post

2009-08-17T12:49:00.005-05:00

Well, not literally, but that's the best excuse I can come up with on the spur of the moment.

In all actuality, there are a number of reasons why I haven't posted in more than three weeks. Work has been completely crazy lately, with several big deadlines having just passed (and still more looming on the horizon). The kids started back to school last week, which always means a big adjustment to both morning and evening schedules as we try to reorient our lives to doing homework every night, getting the kids to bed on time and dealing with the new transportation schedules that always seem to change with a new school year.

And oh, yeah — we got a new puppy three weeks ago. So throw out all those silly notions of "keeping schedules" and "getting enough sleep." They just ain't gonna happen. *sigh*

So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce you all to the newest (and by far the most spoiled) addition to our wandering household: Jubilee.

(pictures by Tiffany)
"Jubilee, meet the blog. Blog, Jubilee."

As I'm sure you can tell, she is not the least bit loved.

And as for blogging, well ... I'll do my best to get back on some semblance of a schedule. But honestly, if you had a choice of sitting down at the computer each night or snuggling on the couch with a lap full of cuddly love, wouldn't you be a week or two behind?

'Nuff said.

SkyWatch Friday #54

2009-07-23T13:10:00.000-05:00

My last Colorado SkyWatch shot, from somewhere along the drive through the winding canyons of the Colorado Rockies.

One of the many things that impressed me so much about the beautiful imagery in Colorado was the deep rich blues of the sky. You just don't see that kind of color in the low-altitude, smog-saturated skies of Houston.

For more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

Bird Photography Weekly: Horned Lark

2009-07-20T16:30:00.001-05:00

Another outing we did in Colorado was to Fossil Creek Reservoir in Fort Collins (Larimer County). As we first entered the area, we were met by this friendly fellow:

Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)
He was not at all intimidated by our presence, sitting calmly as we admired him and even turning his back on us long enough for us all to get a good look at his "horns."

If you look closely, you can even see the subtle yellow highlights around his eyes (hard to make out in the bright late morning light).

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #47.

SkyWatch Friday #53: Still Standing

2009-07-16T12:09:00.001-05:00

For more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

Reaching the Summit

2009-07-15T14:09:00.000-05:00

A few more pictures from the last leg of our winding ascent through the Rocky Mountains.

This is the beautiful view from Rainbow Curve, where I spotted the Clark's Nutcracker of my previous post. In fact, at the top of the largest clump of scrubby-looking trees in the lower center of the picture is where the nutcracker was perched. (If you look at this much larger version of the image, you can barely see the little blog of light gray and black that is the nutcracker.) Not quite at "eye-level" as I had remembered, but still an excellent vantage point from which to bird.

Running crazily in and out of the rocks and boulders in the foreground were several small chipmunk-looking critters, which according to this authoritative site were actually Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels.

These spastic little creatures were constantly on the go and not at all afraid of people, to the delight and enjoyment of a number of kids and other sightseers who seemed more interested in their antics than in the beautiful panorama spread out before us.

Moving farther up the slopes, we quickly move beyond the tree line and into more and more patches of still-lingering snow. And enjoying the thin air and cool summer temperatures were a small family of the most magnificent animals we had yet encountered in the park: North American Elk.

Unfortunately, it was just about the time we spotted the elk that the altitude sickness hit me square in the head (with a corresponding kick to the stomach). We stopped off at the Alpine Visitors Center for the kids to realize their lifelong dreams of touching real snow, and for me to get a little fresh air to clear the cobwebs. But as the headache and nausea increased and a wave of dizziness started to take hold, a resident park ranger / E.M.P. sent us scurrying back off the mountaintop with scare tactics worthy of a middle school principal. The rest of the trip was, quite literally, downhill from there.

Tree Top Surprise

2009-07-13T16:35:00.001-05:00

Nearing the top of the tree line as we climbed steadily toward the snowy caps, we stopped off at the observation point at Rainbow Curve. Looking out over the spectacular landscape stretching away before us, it was very easy to miss the hidden treasure perched in the top of a much closer tree top. Just at our eye level, this Clark's Nutcracker sat quietly watching the busy sightseers coming and going.

Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana)
This turned out to be one of two of Clark's namesakes (the only two resident to North America, as far as I know) that I added to my life list during my weekend in Colorado. I'll post pictures of the Clark's Grebes as soon as I can remember to download them from the other memory card...

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #46.

Rocky Mountain Skies

2009-07-09T13:27:00.001-05:00

We break the blow-by-blow account of our recent trip to Rocky Mountain National Park to simply enjoy the deep blue perfection of the Colorado skies, the peaceful green valleys, and the brilliant snow-capped peaks of this beautiful area.

Click any image to see the full-sized version

For more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

A River Runs Down It

2009-07-08T21:35:00.006-05:00

Once we got inside the park, our first stop was for a nice picnic lunch with the birds. Next stop, however, was to do a little climbing to see this glorious sight:

With my knee problems, I quickly decided that I would be the one to stay down low and take pictures. Cat and her Aunt Susan got a little more adventurous, climbing up the rocks that bordered the swift-moving flow.

Of course, if the girls were going to do a little climbing, then Cowboy and Uncle Jason were going to have to work to show them up. This shot is taken from the same vantage point and at the same resolution as the one above. See those two little blue forms in the middle of the picture that appear to be waving?

Eventually, they all came back down, and my sister even enticed me to get out from behind the camera for a change, if just to prove that I really was on the trip. Then it was time to pile back in the car and head farther up into the mountains.

For more great water-themed images, visit Watery Wednesday #43.

Lake Loveland and the Search for Bighorn Sheep

2009-07-07T22:58:00.006-05:00

Starting out for the mountains, we first passed through the city of Loveland, Colorado. Loveland is well-known for its public arts collection, most of which consists of sculptures that decorate various public lands and parks around the city. (In fact, one of the sites I hope to see the next time I visit the area is Loveland's Benson Sculpture Garden, which contains what is reportedly one of the nation's best outdoor sculpture exhibits.)

We hadn't planned on stopping in Loveland, but as we drove alongside Lake Loveland we just couldn't pass up such a picturesque view of the mountains.

And of course we then had to stay and enjoy some of the sculptures located along the scenic shore.

Once we finally had our fill of scenery and sculpture (and, of course, had skipped about half the rocks in Loveland across the surface of the lake), we piled back in the car and headed into the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

One of the things Cat had been hoping for was to catch a glimpse of the mountain goats that live in the mountains of Colorado. (Well, the actual request was for "yodeling mountain goats," but I blame that on too many hours spent watching The Sound of Music when the kids were younger.) As we passed through the canyons leading toward the park, we soon discovered that Colorado doesn't have mountain goats. We all agreed that Bighorn Sheep would do just fine, but no matter how hard we looked we never did spot any of the creatures. Yodeling or not.

Another thing we had talked about seeing was waterfalls, and Cowboy was so excited when we came across our first one that he used up half the film in his camera documenting this natural wonder.

Unfortunately, this one was man-made and only about three feet tall, located near the parking lot of a strip center in the touristy town of Estes Park. A bit of a letdown, but the next leg of the trip more than made up for it!

TOMORROW'S POST: The real thing...

Bird Photography Weekly: Birding Colorado

2009-07-06T21:58:00.004-05:00

Last weekend, the kids and I headed to Colorado to visit my sister and her fiancé. We spent most of the day Saturday in Rocky Mountain National Park. (Most of the day, that is, until wimpy Dad got altitude sickness and the park rangers sent us scurrying down the mountain so I wouldn't pass out or toss my cookies all over their pretty little mountains ... but we won't bring any of that up, okay?)

Anyway, my first definitive lifer of the weekend was actually the Black-billed Magpie, a beautiful bird that we saw several times while driving and about which I am still kicking myself for the repeated phrase of, "No, don't stop. We've seen so many, I'm sure I'll get another chance to photograph it." D'oh!

However, the second lifer of the trip pretty much demanded that his picture be taken. As we stopped for a picnic lunch about a half hour inside the park, we could hear plenty of bird life surrounding us. Hawks cried from somewhere above, chickadees and other unrecognized passerines chirped and sang from within the full green branches, and a small woodpecker taunted us from the deep shadows of a nearby trunk. But almost before we had even managed to unpack our fruit and sandwiches, this handsome fellow came a'calling.

Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
With his coal black eyes and head and crest of charcoal, this western jay is quite striking. The white streaking above and below its beak and around the eyes lend it an almost malevolent air.

And yet its other end almost glows in contrast, with the gleaming blue wings and tail and the softer blue of its undersides.

As bold and tenacious as the blue jays or grackles of home, this Steller's Jay became our constant companion ... for as long as we had food in sight. In fact, it scolded us rather soundly when Cowboy "accidentally" dropping a handful of grapes in the direction of our other companion, a fat little chipmunk that had also taken up sentry duty near our table.

My first instinct was to label his attitude "imperious," demanding his rightful share of the glorious bounty we had brought. But looking at the deep burning embers of his eyes in that shot, I'm beginning to agree with my sister's more instantaneous reaction of "demonic." I certainly wouldn't want to meet this guy alone in a dark alley...

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #45.

Quintana Concluded

2009-07-02T15:47:00.001-05:00

Besides the enthralling hummingbirds and abundance of wildflowers featured in my two previous posts, there were plenty of other wonders to enjoy at the Quintana Neotropical Bird Sanctuary.

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
There were cardinals and mockingbirds, ever present and always enjoyable.

Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
There was a surprising number of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers in and around the area — surprising to me anyway, since I'd never seen them in the area before.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus)
This was my first opportunity to photograph these slender beauties or even to observe them close up, and I was amazed both at how graceful they were in the hard winds blowing in from the gulf and at how quickly they moved in flight. I've decided that I'll need quite a bit more practice and familiarity with these tyrant flycatchers (or a good helping of luck) if I want to capture any shareable pictures of them in flight.

Another treat of the morning's trip was the opportunity to watch five Common Nighthawks wheeling and diving overhead. I climbed to the top of the sanctuary's observation tower and spent a good twenty minutes trailing them as they moved down the island until they finally passed beyond the range of my binoculars. New addition to my life list!

Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)
There were also plenty of dragonflies and butterflies on hand, busily enjoying the bounty of this small paradise.

Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)
I ended the day with a quick drive down the road to nearby Bryan Beach, where the tidal pools hiding behind the dunes often attract a variety of shorebirds, herons and such. This particular morning, two lonesome Willets comprised the total count of shorebirds and no waders were in sight, but the sandbars and the far edges of the water were teeming with Laughing Gulls and terns, including Caspians, Royals and even a couple of Sandwich Terns.

Juvenile Laughing Gulls (Larus atricilla)
However, these three young gulls seemed to be the only ones not taking a midday siesta; they were busy cackling and playing in the water like their human counterparts just on the other side of the dunes, enjoying the beautiful weather while the grown-ups lazily soaked up the early summer sun.

"What, you're still here?"

Wordless Wednesday: Field of Dreams

2009-07-01T15:54:00.001-05:00

The Magical Fairies of Childhood

2009-06-29T19:20:00.003-05:00

There are several types of birds that remind me of my grandmother, who for most of my life lived in the piney woods of East Texas. Mammaw always kept bird feeders around her house — always well-stocked and perfectly positioned for maximum viewing from the kitchen windows and the covered back porch — and one of the many thrills of visiting her was seeing the birds that visited her yard and feeders. Most prominent in these memories are visions of chickadees, cardinals and hummingbirds.

Even though those visits to East Texas are far behind me, I get to see plenty of cardinals and more than a few chickadees on a fairly regular basis, and they still hold a special place in my mind. But those hummingbirds of my childhood visits seem more magical than simple memory, especially since I so seldom see them now. And until recently, even the few that I have managed to see have eluded my camera lens.

Luckily for me, that changed a few weeks ago with a trip down to the Quintana Neotropical Bird Sanctuary. After seeing several common and expected birds (mockingbirds, grackles and the like), I spotted something new (for me) to the area.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)
Off through the branches of the nearest tree I spotted something small and decidedly non-butterfly-ish hovering over a cluster of purple blooms. Hummingbird! I snapped a few hurried shots as quickly as possible before it moved off, out of my line of view.

I waited a while in eager anticipation, but the little hummer didn't reappear, so finally I moved on. The morning brought a few more pleasant surprises, but no more sign of hummingbirds.

Now, the Quintana site is relatively small — a single block of the small township — but often full of surprises. I was given some excellent advice on my first visit there: don't give up until you have been around the short walking trail at least twice in a row with no new sightings. And sure enough, as I made what I expected to be my last slow circuit on this particular morning, something buzzed across the trail so close in front of me that I instinctively ducked. Expecting a wasp or horsefly or the like, I turned just in time to catch the culprit as she landed daintily on the tip of a slender branch nearby.

There she sat in all her beautiful, shimmering glory, with a soft orange dusting of pollen crowning her lovely head. I stood stock still, just watching for a couple of minutes — lost in those magical memories of childhood — before I even thought to slowly bring my camera up and start shooting. Luckily for me, this little lady was quite content to sit and rest for a bit. Most of the time she had her head turned away from me — I'm not even sure if she knew I was there for a while. When she did turn my way, she seemed to size me up rather succinctly and then gave me a little head-cock as if to grant permission for a few more clicks of the shutter.

Click image for full-size detail
Moments later she was gone in a blur, but the magic remained. And in my mind I was back in East Texas, standing on tippy-toes and straining to see those magical hovering fairies that lived outside Mammaw's kitchen window.

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #44.

Birding without Birds

2009-06-25T16:27:00.001-05:00

One morning earlier this month, I headed over to Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary for a couple of hours, hoping to have a nice quiet morning of birding. Edith L. Moore is a nice little sanctuary run by the Houston Audubon Society, surrounded by neighborhoods and just minutes from one of the busiest freeways in Houston and several key business, medical and shopping centers.

Yet once you head up the gravel drive and start wandering through this lush wooded sanctuary, you would swear you were miles away from civilization. The footpaths wandering through the trees and along the creek are perfect for losing yourself in a world of nature far away from the rush and problems of everyday life, and even on the worst of days you can normally find a dozen or more species of birds here. Is it any wonder that I find some excuse to sneak over there at least once every month or so?

But for the first time in all my visits to Edith L. Moore, I was shocked to find the place almost completely barren of birdlife! Sure, the temperature and humidity were battling it out to see which could reach triple digits first. And yes, there were dozens of kids running pell-mell through the park, doing their best to release nine months of pent up energy in one massive celebration of the beginning of summer. But to find only eight species of birds in two whole hours? Oh, the inhumanity of it all!

Actually, I have to admit that it was quite an enjoyable morning. Once I'd seen and logged the handful of birds to be found that morning (chickadees, cardinals, mockingbirds, one far-off woodpecker and a couple others), I looked down for a change and realized why they named it the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary rather than simply a bird sanctuary.

I found wild rabbits munching in one clearing, and two more scurrying from my path near one heavy thicket. There were moss-covered turtles, big bulgy bullfrogs and slithering water snakes in and around the pond. There were squirrels darting through the undergrowth and leaping from branch to branch overhead, and lizards scurrying through the leaves that covered the ground. There were spiders lying in wait in various nooks and crannies, bends in branches, bundles of leaves, and one giant monstrosity hanging right at my eye level with his massive web stretched tightly across the path. There were butterflies and moths, dragonflies and damselflies, crickets and grasshoppers, and more crawlies and winged bugs than I could possibly name.

Oh, and the cutest raccoon I've ever seen, warily making his way down this tall tree trunk and disappearing near the water's edge below.

To be honest, this was the best non-bird birding trip I've ever had!

Little Shrikes on the Prairie

2009-06-20T17:58:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, I headed out to the Katy Prairie to see what birds might be lingering after the rush of migrations had passed through. There were no big surprises to be found: Grackles, Mockingbirds, fields of Cattle Egrets, a couple of hawks, one lone Crested Caracara. But by far the biggest treasures of the day were a pair of fledgling Loggerhead Shrikes I spotted by the roadside.

The first one I found was staying as still as could be in the tangle of twigs and vines that lined the edge of Longenbaugh Road. The parents were nowhere in sight, and this little shrike was not taking any chances — the only part of him I saw move as I rolled by was his little head, swiveling slowly to make sure this big creature was not coming any closer.

Farther on down the road, I spotted an adult shrike perched on the telephone lines overhead. He/she was keeping a careful eye on something in the bushes below, so I paused a short distance away to watch.

Sure enough, a minute or two later this young shrike darted out of the bushes and winged its way up to the telephone line, just a few feet away from its watching parent.

The adult flew off just seconds later, with the youngster following shortly after.

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #43.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-17T11:27:00.002-05:00

Bird Photography Weekly: Cliff Swallows

2009-06-16T09:14:00.002-05:00

On my last trip out to the Katy Prairie area — maybe three weeks ago, now — I was barreling along Highway 290 when I noticed several swarms of what looked (at 70+ mph) like swallows swooping and diving around and beside some of the highway overpasses. I was running too late to stop on the way back, but I did make a mental note of exactly where I had seen these birds so I go back and find them later.

A few days later, I found myself with no lunch plans and no leftovers in the office fridge, so I hopped in the truck and headed back out in search of the swallows. Sure enough, I found two colonies of Cliff Swallows nesting under the highway bridges.

Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)
There were dozens of adobe-looking nests plastered to the concrete wall of the freeway overpasses, high rise rooms with a view. Some were obviously new and intact, others appeared to be refurbished models with a cracked edge or two, and still others were just the old broken shells of abandoned nests from years past.

Almost all of the intact nests seemed to be occupied, with some swallows sitting alertly inside watching the nonstop comings and goings of the other birds. At any given time, there seemed to be at least two or three dozen swallows in the air around each colony, performing acrobatic feats of flight that left me dizzy every time I tried to follow them with my lens.

I haven't had a chance to return in the three weeks since I first visited these colonies, so I don't know if there are babies in the nests now or if they've already fledged and moved on, but I sure enjoyed the half hour or so that I got to spend watching their frenetic activities.

As always, you can click on any of these images to view them on Flickr, and then click the "All Sizes" button above the image to see the larger versions.

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #42.

Backyard Doves ... or Feeding the Pigs

2009-06-11T22:04:00.005-05:00

Okay, I need some advice from my more experienced birder friends. Or perhaps I should say my more experienced bird feeding friends.

We finally got our first set of bird feeders set up in the back yard about a month or so back. For the first couple of days, we got a few visitors: a pair of cardinals, a sparrow or two, a smattering of chickadees and a handful of blue jays. And then the pigs moved in.

White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)
From what I've read, White-winged Doves were until recently pretty rare in Texas north of the Rio Grand Valley region. In fact, as I have previously mentioned, they do not even appear in either of my Texas-specific birding guides. However, over the past ten years or so they have quickly moved into the Lone Star state in a big way, becoming regular visitors and even breeders in many parts of the state. And not only have they become a common sight in the Houston area, they are quickly taking over our neighborhood!

For the past four weeks, our feeders have been hosting White-winged Doves almost exclusively. And while they are beautiful birds, they are driving away all the other neighborhood birds from our yard. Within minutes of my filling the feeder, they converge on our back yard. One morning, I looked out the kitchen window and counted nineteen of them (plus one lone Mourning Dove) in our tiny little back yard, with four or five perched on the feeder and trays, a couple more on the surrounding arms, four standing sentry duty on the back fence and the rest looking for scraps on the ground directly below the feeder. And while nineteen is rare, an even dozen at a time has become fairly common. By the time they leave the yard, the feeder has usually been emptied and the cupboard is bare. (Now I know how the owners of the local "all you can eat" Chinese food restaurant feel when all the guys from our office descend on their buffet at once.)

We are currently using a seed mixture recommended by our local Wild Birds Unlimited store manager that is intended to draw in a "nice variety of clinging and perching birds." Unfortunately, the White-winged pigs are driving that nice variety away. According to the bag, the mixture consists of black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, shelled peanuts, safflower and stripe sunflower seeds.

Can anyone recommend a different seed mixture that would attract the other area birds and yet not be quite so appealing to the doves? Or offer any other suggestions that might deter them from their gorge-fest? Any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated!

Early One Morning on the Way to...

2009-06-04T13:47:00.000-05:00

Early last Saturday morning, I was on the way to W. G. Jones State Forest to look for woodpeckers, when I just had to stop on the side of the road for a bit. The morning's first light was just peeking over the horizon, painting the Texas sky with beautiful colors before waking the surrounding trees and farmland with its gentle touch. I sat there on the shoulder of the country road and ate my breakfast, soaking in the splendor of this morning light show in the quiet solitude of the moment.

For more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

More from Jones State Forest

2009-06-03T20:09:00.002-05:00

After leaving all the activity at the Red-cockaded Woodpeckers' nest on Saturday, I only had to turn around to find another nesting pair.

Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
The Red-headed Woodpeckers were every bit as active as their endangered cousins, and I got several good looks at both adult birds as they flew to and from their nest cavity. As soon as one would complete a few trips, the other would fly out to begin a new round of foraging, leaving room for the first parent to enter the nest and take over babysitting duties.

After watching these birds for a short while, I gave up my prime viewing spot to another birder who had joined me and headed deeper into the pine forest. The trail was lined in several places with wildflowers of all sorts. I can only imagine how beautiful the area must have looked a month ago when the spring flowers were in full bloom.

A volunteer organization has placed a number of bluebird nestboxes around the area, and I saw at least three that are in use.

Eastern Bluebird female (Sialia sialis)
The woods were full of life, from the cawing of crows and the happy calls of cardinals, mockingbirds and pine warblers to the fluttering of a myriad of butterflies and dragonflies.

And while I didn't see any of the other woodpecker species that normally summer in the area, like the Downy and the Red-bellied woodpeckers, the nesting Red-cockadeds and the abundance of Red-headed Woodpeckers that were all over the park were more than enough to satisfy my woodpecker cravings.

All in all, a fantastic morning of birding to kick off the summer season!

What I Want for Father's Day

2009-06-03T11:37:00.001-05:00

Hint, hint...

Breakfast with the Red-cockaded Woodpeckers

2009-06-01T09:45:00.004-05:00

I got up early Saturday morning and headed north to W. G. Jones State Forest to look for woodpeckers. There had been reports of nesting activities up there on the TexBirds listserv, and I wanted to get out to see the Red-cockaded Woodpeckers while I had the chance. (By the way, thanks to Bill Godley of Brazos Bend State Park for the detailed directions on finding the nest trees!)

I stopped about halfway to the park to enjoy the beautiful sunrise, arriving at the ranger station about half an hour later. Following Bill's directions, I found the nesting tree and entrenched nearby to wait for this rare bird. And apparently I had timed it just right, because within fifteen minutes I began to see plenty of activity.

Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis)
An adult woodpecker stuck its head out of the nest cavity briefly, then plunged from the tree and winged quickly away. I could immediately hear cries and squeaks coming from the tree, so there were obviously youngsters inside — and from the amount of noise and the sheer number of trips the parent made to and from the tree over the time I spent watching, I would guess there were several present in the nest.

Judging from the behavior at the cavity entrance and some (perceived) slight differences in facial markings, I'm pretty sure there were at least two adults participating in the breakfast foraging service, possibly more. One had a tendency to dive dramatically from the tree trunk — plunging sometimes six to ten feet before extending its wings to curve back upwards — while the other would often loop directly around the tree with hardly any dip in altitude. On at least two or three occasions, the departing adult would fly away with what seemed to be rejected bits of food (see above). They kept it up continuously, with a visit to the cavity at least once every five minutes or so.

Unlike most North American species of woodpeckers, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers build their cavities in live pines rather than dead trees. Their cavities can be found by the streaks of greenish white pine sap that run down from the holes they drill, which when hardened help to protect the nests from tree-climbing snakes. They often nest in small clusters and may have several adults that help the breeding pair in brooding and feeding the young.

Unfortunately, the babies were apparently not yet old enough to venture out of the nest, but it was still a fantastic morning of birding with plenty of activity. For a couple more shots of the Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, click here.

There were more sights to enjoy at Jones State Forest on this beautiful Saturday morning, including plenty of Red-headed Woodpeckers and an abundance of wildflowers scattered through the forest, but the Red-cockaded feeding frenzy was by far the most enjoyable. I'll add some more pictures from the morning's excursion in the next day or so.

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #40.

Watching the Texas Skies

2009-05-28T16:24:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to share a few insights into the ever-changing Texas skies from the past week.

We've gone from clear, almost spring-like deep blue skies ...

... to the beginnings of thunder storms rolling slowly in ...

... to puffy cotton ball clouds in a bright pastel sky ...

... and back to crisp, clear breezy skies that have the birds all awake and ready to soar!

They always say that if you don't like the weather in Houston, just wait a few minutes and it'll change...

For more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

Smile for the Birdy!

2009-05-28T09:46:00.002-05:00

So, just how far would you go to get that perfect shot?

(First seen on the Living the Scientific Life blog.)

One Good Tern Deserves Another

2009-05-26T11:01:00.002-05:00

Living as close to the Gulf Coast as we do (and having kids that jump with excitement every time the word "beach" is uttered), you would expect we would spend quite a bit of our summers frolicking in the waves and brushing sand off our tushies. Unfortunately, we don't tend to get down to the beach nearly as much as any of us would like to.

However, I did make a run down to Quintana Beach a few weeks ago and was surprised at the number of terns that were present. Until the last year or so — when my interest in birds really grew into something that went beyond "Oh look, there's a bird!" — I had always lumped many of the shorebirds found at our local beaches into that ignorant misnomer of "sea gulls." But with the (mostly) patient tutoring of several more experienced birders on recent outings, I'm quickly beginning to discover the vast variety of gulls and terns. Here are a couple of my recent forages into tern identification:

Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia)

Royal Terns (Sterna maxima)
(with more photos here and here)
Other terns seen on the trip included Least Terns, Sandwich Terns and a solitary Black Tern. Unfortunately, I didn't make it back with any decent shots of these.

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #39.

SkyWatch: Hazy Morning Sunrise

2009-05-21T13:26:00.001-05:00

We stopped to take pictures on the way to school one morning when the kids called my attention to this beautiful scene. They are beginning to notice the beauty around them without it being pointed out to them. We must be doing something right!

Hazy morning sunrise over the neighborhood trees

For more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

Perseverance and Determination

2009-05-20T16:36:00.005-05:00

I spent the morning at the kids' school today, proudly cheering Cat and Cowboy on during their end-of-year awards assemblies. The elementary teachers at the school present each student in their classes with a unique quality or characteristic that defines their attitude or distinguishes them from the rest of their class. It is always a highlight of the school year, and often a bit of a tear-jerker for teachers and students alike.

Cat's teacher assigned her the quality of perseverance, always striving to do her very best and put her all into her work no matter what effort or how long it takes. This was doubly emphasized when she also received the Principal's Honor Role award for maintaining straight A's through the entire year. She was one of only seven in the entire second grade class to make the honor role this year.

In Cowboy's assembly, his teacher bragged on his being both smart and eager in his work and in all that he does. He was assigned the quality of determination, and his teacher noted that she saw real leadership qualities in him and looks forward to watching those manifest as he grows older.

Okay, so I'm bragging a bit here. Can you blame me? I'm a pretty proud papa!

After the fourth grade assembly, Cat took me outside to see the vegetable garden their class has been working on since the fall. She has peppers and a nice yellow squash growing in her section, plus tomato and green bean vines that she hopes will bear fruit (or vegetables, as the case may be) before school ends. The kids have been wanting us to plant a small garden in our backyard. After seeing how proud she is about the school garden, I'm thinking we just might have to do that this fall!

And since I hadn't realized until now how long it's been since I've posted pictures of the kids, here are a few more shots of some of our recent doings:

Cowboy's entry in the Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby earlier this month

Cat stylin' at the Houston Zoo in April

Llovin' on the llama at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo in March

You Talkin' to Me?

2009-05-19T19:42:00.004-05:00

Of Mudbugs and Night-Herons

2009-05-18T09:53:00.005-05:00

When the kids and I asked Tiffany where she wanted to eat out for her special (early) Mother's Day lunch last weekend, it was no surprise to any of us that she picked Pappadeaux, the Cajun seafood member of the Pappas Restaurants chain. We both have a weakness for their brand of vittles, and our overall favorite is a spicy combination of those two most wonderful Cajun delicacies: fried crawfish and crawfish etouffee. Oh, man, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

Crawfish, crayfish, crawdads, mudbugs — no matter what you call 'em, they're good eating. And it's not just Cajuns and Texans that think so. Just the other day on the way home from work I passed this distinguished-looking gentleman:

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)
He was busily hunting frogs and crawdads in the post-flood mud near Big Cypress Creek. You can tell by the half-lidded expression of ecstasy just how much he was enjoying these fresh-caught morsels. (Fresh is always better than frozen when it comes to shellfish, you know.)

Of course, every now and then you come across one that's got just a little more kick in it than the rest. In fact, this poor fella found one particular critter that just refused to go down without a fight!

Unfortuntely, after a brief battle that mudbug was lunch, and I had to leave the bird to enjoy the rest of his buffet. It just goes to show you, though — no matter our differences, everyone can agree when it comes to good food.

Hmmm, I wonder if Pappadeaux has frog legs on their menu...

[To view any of these photos in more detail, just click on the appropriate image to view them on my Flickr photostream, then click the "All Sizes" button above the image.]

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #38.

SkyWatch: Week's End

2009-05-14T11:52:00.001-05:00

Driving home last Saturday evening, I just had to stop and enjoy the peaceful beauty of the setting sun painting the skies over the trees that border our neighborhood.

For more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-13T11:53:00.001-05:00

Bird Photography Weekly: Whistling Ducks

2009-05-11T09:14:00.002-05:00

I have had several good opportunities since the beginning of the year to see Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, but for one reason or another had never come away with any decent photographs of them. But it was one of the first birds I saw when I arrived at Brazos Bend State Park, flying over the parking lot toward 40-acre Lake.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis)
We got several good looks at the whistling ducks throughout the morning, both in the lake and perched on various stumps and trees around the water's edge. But the best by far was this pair that was perched atop a trailside nesting box.

You can see the entire set of shots from Brazos Bend here.

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #37.

Tooting My Own Horn

2009-05-05T05:20:00.003-05:00

Okay, no pretense of false modesty here. I'll admit it. I'm proud of myself!

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from some guy named Matt Mendenhall, who claimed to be sitting on several billion dollars in a Nigerian bank account that once belonged to his dearly departed uncle and all he needed in order to give me all that money was my own bank account inf... oh, waitaminit, wrong email.

Actually, Matt is an associate editor for Birder's World magazine. He was writing to let me know they had picked one of my photographs to use on the magazine's home page for the next month or so. Imagine my excitement!

But then, it got better. Not only were they going to feature my photo — a shot of a White-faced Ibis that I recently took at San Bernard NWR — but the shot was going to be used as a front page link to an article by Kenn Kaufman! Namely, the online version Kenn's article on identifying ibises from the June 2009 edition of the magazine.

To see my ibis shot (complete with a link to my Flickr page), go to the Birder's World site and page down to find the "Subscriber-Only Features" section. There are a number of different pictures (and articles) that rotate under this section each time the page loads, so you may need to refresh the screen a few times to see the image. (I've done it a few times now, and have had to refresh anywhere from once to a whopping eighteen times before my shot popped up.)

Okay, so it's not a featured photograph included in the magazine itself — I've got a long way to go before that opportunity comes around — but it's a start. And I'm a bit proud, if'n I do say so myself!

Bird Photography Weekly: Green Heron

2009-05-04T08:44:00.001-05:00

Living in what has been nicknamed the "Bayou City" — surrounded by bayous, creeks and rivers — and less than a hundred miles from the Texas Gulf Coast, I am blessed to see an abundance of herons and egrets. It is rare day that I do not see a handful of egrets flying over on my way to work in the morning, and I can usually drive less than ten minutes from my office to find one or more species of herons during my short lunch break.

But until a week ago, I had never seen one particular member of the heron family that is supposedly not uncommon in this area: the Green Heron. I had followed numerous park trails and sighting reports in search of this small heron, but to no avail. So in heading to Brazos Bend last week, the Green Heron was at the top of my "Want to Find" list.

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)
Eureka! Twenty minutes into our hike around 40-acre Lake, we spotted our first Green Heron of the day. All in all, we came across seven of them lurking in or around the water's edge, with the last sitting patiently only about twenty feet away as we paused to admire the rich, earthy tones of his plumage.

What a magnificent way to add this beautiful bird to my life list!

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #36.

SkyWatch: Daybreak

2009-04-30T13:32:00.002-05:00

I drove down to Brazos Bend State Park last Friday for a day of birding. The early morning skies were filled with ominous dark clouds, and for the first hour of the drive I was afraid I might have to leave the camera in the truck for fear of it getting drenched. But as I continued, much of the clouds and the haze gradually burned off and the rising sun appeared. By the time I had almost reached the park, I just couldn't help but pull off the two-lane highway to snap a few pictures.

For more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

SkyWatch: Hawks and Kites

2009-04-17T08:34:00.002-05:00

I've had a couple of really nice raptor encounters this week over at the neighborhood park where I often spend my lunch break. The first happened on Monday, when I sat and watched several Red-tailed Hawks wheeling lazily around the sky and in and out of the treetops. The skies were blue and cloudless, and the day seemed perfect as these noble birds celebrated the warmth and beauty of spring.

(Click any image to enlarge)
Yesterday, I returned to the park just as the storm clouds began moving in for the weekend. After a half hour of watching egrets and herons wading about in the pond and swallows performing their aerial acrobatics all around me, I happened to notice a small group of large birds flying high above.

I pushed my zoom lens to its maximum length and grabbed a few quick shots as they passed straight above me. Even though the picture quality is pretty dismal due to the distance and the bright glare of the overcast sky, I had to share these shots of the newest addition to my life list:

Mississippi Kites (Ictinia mississippiensis)
nearing the end of their spring migratory flight from South America
You just never know what wonders you might find waiting for you in these vast, rich Texas skies!

For more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

SkyWatch Friday #40

2009-04-16T13:34:00.006-05:00

I headed out for a walk at lunch today with camera in hand and a pack slung over my shoulder. Besides a few mediocre shots of hawks, herons and egrets, I brought back some views of the Houston skies to share today.

The blue skies of morning are quickly being overtaken as storms move in for the weekend. This was the view looking off to the west of my position:

...while turning around to the eastern skies revealed a bit more foretelling of what's in store for the next few days:

For more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.

Bird Photography Weekly #33

2009-04-14T13:52:00.001-05:00

I passed this handsome fellow on the way to work this morning and just had to double back and grab a quick picture.

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #33.

Of Flower Power and Easter Luckies

2009-04-11T23:29:00.001-05:00

"Oh, sweetie, have you seen my flowers lately?"

"Well, I don't know, Mom. Which ones?"

"Oh, honey, it's these white ones that you brought me the other day. They're absolutely gorgeous. I've got them sitting between the ... um, the little purple ones I have and then the big plant with the ... the dark leaves. But these blooms are just so pretty, I've been sitting here looking at them all morning while I drank my coffee. They're ... Easter luckies, I think."

This was the first call of the morning. We had already covered the normal opening topics. What day is it? Does she have a person (caregiver) coming today? Is there anything specific I need her to try to accomplish today? (There rarely is.) Oh, and Jake (the cat) says to tell me _______ (some variation of hi, he's hungry or he wants to go outside).

And now we were to my favorite part of the first call routine: the daily flower report. This is when Mom's inner joy finally bubbles up and overflows the worries and confusion that constantly cloud the mind of an Alzheimer's patient. Never mind that she cannot remember the names of the flowers and plants she enjoys so much. Or that it was actually a pair of sweet ladies from the church who brought the Easter lilies earlier in the week and I haven't even seen them yet.

Of course, it isn't always even the flowers she reports on, although that seems to be the most common topic. Sometimes she launches into a colorful description of the previous night's sunset, or the wonderful spring weather outside her back windows, or a card she has just gotten (or just discovered anew) from a neighbor, or a letter from one of my sisters. The topic isn't really important at all; the daily flower report is all about the simple things in her life that bring her happiness.

Raising three kids alone, my mother did an amazing job of teaching us all the life lessons she could pass along, including a love of life and the Lord that I sometimes found unfathomable. As I grew into adulthood, I continued to learn lessons from this woman who had given so much of herself for her family through the years. As her Alzheimer's began to progress over the past several years and I began to take on more of a responsibility over Mom's care, I discovered there were even more lessons to be learned, many of which (loving patience, for example) I am still struggling to apply in my role as a father.

But the simple routine of our morning flower report is one of my favorite lessons of late. I'm learning once again that it's good to slow down and focus on the beauty in life, in spite of the problems and adversities around me. And that the small details aren't always as important as we think they are. And that sharing the joys in your life with someone you love makes that joy grow even more.

And I am looking forward to Sunday morning, when we'll go to pick Mom up and take her to church for Easter services. And we'll finally get to see Mom's beautiful "Easter luckies." Or whatever their name may be this morning.
_____________________

This post is an entry in the group writing project What I Learned From.... This month's topic is "adversity." To read more participating posts or to find out more about this project, hop on over to Middle Zone Musings for all the details.

Ten Thousand Birds, One Million Visitors

2009-04-08T16:32:00.000-05:00

This is almost two weeks old, but I just spotted it today as I was browsing through their site. The excellent birding and nature blog 10,000 Birds — hosted by the terrific trio of Mike Bergin, Charlie Moores and Corey Finger — just hit an amazing milestone: 1,000,000 visitors!

Of course, not to be outdone, I immediately had to go see what kind of statistics I've been compiling here on my own home turf. So I checked SiteMeter and did a little figuring, and as it turns out I’m getting pretty close to the 1,000,000 visitor milestone myself. If I can just keep up the pace I’ve been averaging, I should hit my millionth visitor sometime around the beginning of summer... in the year 2195!

Ah, well. Congrats to Mike, Charlie and Corey on their fantastic milestone. Keep up the great work, guys!

San Bernard Revisited

2009-04-07T16:47:00.003-05:00

It's been three weeks now since I returned to San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge with three separate memory cards full of photos. I've simply got to work on getting a better turnaround for getting pics downloaded and posted!

(Note: You can click on any of the images in this post to see the full-sized, detailed versions on Flickr.)

The morning sun rose unseen behind a dense fog that had settled in from the coast to well north of Houston, but the weathermen swore it would clear out by mid-day. As luck would have it, the skies had just about cleared by the time I made it to the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory in Lake Jackson, just a couple of miles from the refuge. Stopping over briefly at the GCBO, I started the morning watching cardinals, chickadees and titmice taking turns at the feeders and a tree full of roosting night-herons.

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)
By the time I turned down the gravel and dirt road leading into San Bernard, the fog had finally burned off, revealing a beautiful expanse of crisp blue Texas sky chocked full of life.

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
I started with the drive around Moccasin Pond, which was not quite as crowded as on my previous visit but still had plenty of waterfowl enjoying the spring weather. There were Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers and American Coots aplenty.

While I saw fewer Red-winged Blackbirds than expected, there was an abundance of Boat-tailed Grackles on hand. Males and females alike perched briefly on branches, reeds and roadside posts all along the drive.

Boat-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus major)
I also saw plenty of ibises, with both adults and a few juvenile White Ibis present. The White-faced Ibises were even more numerous than on my last visit, and they seemed especially active and vocal this day.

White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi)
The egret family was well-represented...

Great Egrets (Ardea alba)

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
... as were the herons.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)

Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)
There were also a handful of Black-crowned Night-Herons, both adult and juvenile birds that had not yet lost their youthful plumage. The glowing orange of these night-herons' eyes were absolutely stunning.

Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
I have already posted several pictures of the kingfisher, grebes and bitterns that I saw, all of which were especially exciting finds.

American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)
A trio of cormorants rounded out the highlights of the trip. One perched gracefully within fifty feet of my truck, its clear aqua blue eyes keeping a close watch as I crawled slowly by.

There were at least a dozen or so more birds on hand, including gulls, several shorebirds, Tree Swallows, sparrows, kinglets, mockingbirds and cardinals. Plenty of Red Slider turtles, a sleeping snake and a pair of alligators also made appearances. All in all, this was one fantastic outing.

I've uploaded more photos from the trip to my Flickr photostream, in case you haven't had enough. (The first six in that set are from my previous visit to San Bernard, all others are from the more recent trip.)

Bird Photography Weekly: Belted Kingfisher

2009-04-06T09:19:00.003-05:00

I see and/or hear Belted Kingfishers several times a month now near the neighborhood park where I so often go to walk and bird at lunch. Unfortunately, that one is extremely wary of people and I have yet to get more than a blurry streak of a photo as he zooms back and forth patrolling the bayou.

I got much luckier with this kingfisher that I spotted at San Bernard NWR a couple of weeks ago. He was so busy fishing in the waters right next to the road that I was able to observe him for a good long while and to get a few decent shots of him.

Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)

(Click on any image to see the full-size version)
Click here to see the rest of the shots I got of this little 'fisher, including one exultant pose with fish in bill.

And for the record, I did finally finish going through all those San Bernard pictures that I promised to post. I've got them all on Flickr now and will try to post some of the highlights here by Tuesday.

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #32.

Watery Wednesday #29

2009-04-01T07:58:00.000-05:00

A couple more shots from my recent San Bernard trip, which in itself would have made a great Watery Wednesday post.

Blue-winged Teal, female (Anas discors)

Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)

For more great water-themed images, visit the Watery Wednesday home page.

Bird Photography Weekly: Pied-billed Grebe

2009-03-30T10:33:00.003-05:00

More shots from my recent trip to San Bernard NWR. I've really got to finish weeding through the 350+ pictures I took on that trip. At this point, I'm still only a little over halfway through them.

Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)

(Click on any image to see the full-size version)

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #31.

Happy Birthday, Cowboy!

2009-03-26T12:55:00.002-05:00

I just got back from having lunch at the school with Cowboy and 49 other screaming second graders. Those teachers will probably hate me forever for introducing sugar into their maniacal little bloodstreams with half a day of school still to go, but you just can't beat the feeling of delivering a sheet-cake-sized birthday cookie to a lunchroom full of seven- and eight-year-olds. You'd think I was Superman or something!

I'll post more after the weekend birthday celebrations have taken place ... assuming we all survive the experience. For now, I'll just post this nice shot I got at the rodeo a couple of weeks ago:

Happy Birthday, Cowboy!

Bird Photography Weekly: American Bitterns

2009-03-23T11:24:00.003-05:00

One of the birds I was especially looking for on my trip down to San Bernard National Wildlife Reserve last week was the bitterns. We had missed them on my first visit to San Bernard and I was a little unsure of just how and where to find them.

As luck would have it, I came across not one but two bitterns foraging along the edges of Moccasin Pond. The first one was found about a quarter mile into the loop. It was idly wandering around the long grass at the water's edge, seemingly much more interested in a big yellow butterfly that kept flittering nearby than it was in my truck moving slowly down the road.

American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)

(Click any image to view full-size version)
Lifer!!

The second bittern was a bit harder to spot, located among the reeds and grasses at the far end of the pond. He was standing stock-still, having just completed a successful hunting venture.

After grabbing a few nice shots of this fierce-eyed hunter with his bloody prey dangling from his open bill, I moved slowly along so as not to frighten or disturb him without cause. He must have taken his prize and moved back into the cover of the reeds soon after I left, because none of the folks I talked to later in the morning had spotted this second bird. I guess I was just in the right place at the right time!

For more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly #30.

SkyWatch Friday #36

2009-03-19T11:59:00.004-05:00

After four days of much-needed rain, the heavens over southeast Texas have turned a brilliant blue once again. And while we have awoken over the past several mornings to some of the thickest fog we've seen in months, once the mists burn off we are enjoying beautiful spring weather and cloudless skies.

To celebrate the gorgeous weather, I took off from work one morning and headed back down toward the coast on a solo outing to San Bernard NWR. Just as I arrived in the reserve, the sun burned through the last patches of fog to reveal a glorious blue sky. And while there weren't any interesting cloud formations at which to gaze, there was plenty to garner my SkyWatching attention as herons, hawks, ibises, gulls and more filled the skies.

(Click on any image to view the full-sized version)

I'll post more pictures from the trip as soon as I can finish weeding through them all.

For more intriguing images of the skies above our world, check out the SkyWatch Friday home page.