Birds and Nature

I birded Frontera Audubon in Weslaco, TX today and got these photos of a Green Kingfisher. Though this species is found in parts of the Hill Country it is most often seen here in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

Didn't have time to pay attention to this photo I got of a White-eyed Vireo, on my trip down at the Falfurrias Rest Stop. Famous for it's rare birds, this highway rest stop with lots of trees had reports of a Painted Redstart but when I got there it had been raining and birds were very scarce. I didn't find the redstart, and haven't heard of it being reported that day or since. I did get this interesting photo of this White-eyed Vireo, a common bird down here in So Texas, in the light rain with an overcast sky and low lighting. SeEtta

This little rarish warbler was found a few days ago at Edinburg Scenic Wetlands/World Birding Center. I looked for it briefly after a lecture at that facility but was tired from my trip so chose to go take a nap. Though it continued to rain in this area all morning it slowed around noon and I tried again. It took a bit as I had to keep going inside to warm up as it continued sprinkling with unusually cold temps of low 40's and a frequent wind. It was working trees in a mixed flock with 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, an Orange-crowned Warbler, and a Nashville Warbler. Timing is everything, as I took photos of the parula it started to rain not just sprinkle and got these pics before I got my camera (and me) too wet. SeEtta

I found this Peregrine Falcon on a tower structure in Mercedes, Texas. It was more than 50 feet above and another hundred feet north of me but I used a long telephoto equivalent to about 1200mm; however, I still stayed in my car I stayed in my car and took photos from it to reduce the risk of flushing it. It was still on the tower structure when I drove away. SeEtta

Busy start to my trip to the lower Rio Grande Valley--arrived Thursday, participated in Weslaco CBC Friday and then found out there was a lecture by Bill Clark on Saturday morning at Edinburg World Birding Center to drove up there. And it was well worth it, excellent presentation with neat photos of various rpators found in the Rio Grande Valley. The top photo shows photos of the Hooked Bill Kite that I have yet to see. The bottom photo shows some of the hawks with Avian Keratin Disorder that results in unusually long bills on hawks. Fortunately at least some of these hawks with very long bills have learned how to accomodate and have been surviving. And those with especially long bills sometimes have the end of the bill break off which effectively gets it out of their way (though at least in one hawk, it would grown back the next year and then break off again). SeEtta