Birds and Nature

Embedded in the reeds in this pic is the neck and head of an American Bittern. Actually the brown and white stripes formed by her feathers make it stand out. The bittern's head is best seen by double-clicking on the pic to enlarge it. Their very effective camouflage makes it a real challenge to spot them even when they are known to be in an area like this bird at Estero Llano Grande State Park. SeEtta

I spotted this Great Kiskadee catching this small frog not far from the visitor center at the Estero Llano Grande State Park today. Right after I took this pic the kiskadee raised it's head skyward and swallowed the frog in one quick move. This is a good pic to enlarge--just double-click on it to get a ringside view. SeEtta

This is a Sickle-winged Skipper, it's wings being shaped somewhat like a sickle. The top edges of it's wings fold over onto themselves, as though they were curled. This is one of many butterflies that seem to fly all the time at the Estero Llano Grande State Park, especially along the path that goes from the parking area to the visitor center. I was told that all the plants are in the park are native and planted when the park was established. It certainly has wonderful habitat for butterflies as well as birds. I learned this and more on a butterfly walk with one of the park's staff naturalist's, John, one of the great staff and volunteer naturalists at this location. He was not only highly skilled at identifying butterflies but birds as he also led a bird walk I attended earlier that day. SeEtta