Bird Photography Weekly #77

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

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.

More from Jones State Forest

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!

Identification Milestone

I headed out to Bear Creek Park at lunch today for a little exercise and a quick bit of birding. I've been reading about the First Annual Rusty Blackbird Blitz, and thought I'd see if I could find the Rusty Blackbirds that have been reported at the park this week.


American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
The first thing I found was a whole horde of robins. They've been all over the Houston area for a week or more — a sure sign that spring is right around the corner. Several others made an appearance before a pair of the much sought after Rusty Blackbirds finally showed. Rounding out the small count for the half hour were an Eastern Bluebird, a few vultures and crows, and a pair of woodpeckers.

The first woodpecker I spotted was a Red-bellied Woodpecker. But soon after, my attention was drawn to a darker bird of similar size but much more aggression. It took me a little while to recognize what I was seeing.


Immature Red-headed Woodpecker
(Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
An immature Red-headed Woodpecker had staked its claim to a nearby tree and was busy venturing from trunk to ground and back catching bugs, grubs and tasty treats. Its brown head was just beginning to show hints of the bright red hood it will eventually flaunt.


Further evidence of its immaturity was demonstrated as it showed juvenile delinquent tendencies, repeatedly launching itself at its red-bellied cousin several trees away and finally driving the other woodpecker from the area.

But the highlight of my lunchtime excursion came from a pair of warblers that ventured down to the damp grass nearby, although it was not so much the sighting as the recognition of these two that got me so excited.


Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronate)
I mean, sure, one of them was a "butterbutt." But I recognized it! First time I've ever been able to identify a warbler on my own, and in the field at that. Definitely a milestone worth celebrating!

The second one took a little more work and cross-checking between my Peterson and Sibley guides, but I'm pretty sure I nailed this one, too. If not, I trust someone will let me know and give me another lesson on warblers...


Pine Warbler (Dendroica pinus)
I trust you will excuse the quality of these last two images, but I had to have some proof to share of my milestone.

SkyWatch Friday #30

No matter what ol' Punxatawney Phil has to say, the prairie dawgs here in Texas have declared that Spring is just around the corner. And judging from the crisp mornings, warm afternoons and radiant blue skies we've been having all week, it's going to be a whopper of a season!

Enjoying the beautiful weather we've been having all week, I couldn't help but hear the nasally, twangy voice of Willie Nelson celebrating with me:


Blue skies smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies do I see


Bluebirds singing a song
Nothing but bluebirds all day long


Never saw the sun shining so bright
Never saw things going so right
Noticing the days hurrying by
When you're in love, my how they fly


Blue days, all of them gone
Nothing but blue skies from now on

Here's wishing you blue skies and bluebirds for the foreseeable future!

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

The Birds of Mercer

It was later than I had planned when I arrived at Mercer Arboretum last weekend. The sun was well on its way toward its zenith, and the heat and humidity were already setting in. The parking lots were all empty, as were the skies above.


Heading into the piney woods growth, it had the feel of the Big Thicket area of East Texas where we had visited my grandparents so often as kids. The look, the smells, even the bugs were the same. The only things missing were the sounds of the thicket — the beautiful, ever-present backdrop of birdsongs and insect noises that caress your ears in that wonderland of forest life.


The trails at Mercer wind through the forest floor, offering a beautiful respite from the neighboring airport and the nearby metropolis. There are a couple of pond / swamp areas, complete with knobby-kneed cypress trees rising out of the murky waters.

After about an hour of walking, I finally began noticing the missing sounds of the piney woods. Cicadas buzzed from the trees and undergrowth around me. Mockingbirds sang high overhead. But still no birds within sight.


Then I arrived at Hickory Bog, and the "bridge to nowhere."


Suddenly there were plenty of birds overhead, diving, flitting from branch to branch, and singing their magnificent choruses.

(Click any image to enlarge.)
I spotted a tired-looking robin who perched on a nearby branch, seemingly as interested in me as I was in him.

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)


Unfortunately, most of the birds I saw and heard stayed in the limbs above, where I could only catch glimpses of them from time to time. One of these days, I've got to start learning to identify birds by their butts ... er, I mean, "undersides and outlines," as that's all I was able to see of most of them.

But even I could identify this one:

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

There were three or four male cardinals playing chase through the swampy terrain, dodging in and out of branches and tangles of roots and limbs.



There was a pretty little female cardinal as well, with her glowing red beak offsetting the rusty brown of her feathers, but she stayed well-concealed from my camera lens as she kept the boys hopping around her.


After a time, the cardinals took off, and I turned to find another treasure in the trees just behind me.

(Click image to enlarge)

A female Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) was slowly working her way up a limb, looking for lunch.


She reached the broken end of the limb and rummaged around, looking from every angle for any juicy little tidbit that might be hiding within.



I sat there for several minutes, quietly watching her work, until she finally gave up and flew off to find food somewhere else. Realizing it was past time for my own lunch (and for getting home to help with the weekend chores), I took her cue and headed back out of the park.

No swarming hordes of migrating Monarch butterflies in sight, but all-in-all a very nice adventure.