Birds and Nature

These cool rails are found mostly in salt marshes and mangroves including the marsh area along South Padre Island. The convention center boardwalk that provides wonderful access to the birds and other critters in this salt marsh is well known for providing great views of Clapper Rails. As these pics demonstrate I wasn't disappointed when I visited that island over the week-end. SeEtta That said, I was very disappointed in the new "Birding and Nature" Center built and operated by the So Padre Economic Development Corporation. What a sad thing to waste this opportunity to showcase the ecosystems found on this island--instead, visitors are greeted "pretty" waterfalls (I have been told that the closest waterfalls are about 300 miles away in the hill country, a very different ecosystem, of central Texas). The very fancy building with 5 story observation tower cost $6.5 million according to Island Breeze news article--now they are having trouble making operatin...

Besides all the cool birds at the So Padre Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary, I also saw two lizard species including this brilliantly colored lime green lizard. Unfortunately I'm not skilled at lizard identification so I'm hopeful that someone will let me know what species it is. SeEtta I got an email letting me know that this is a Green Anole, Anolis carolinensis . Thanks to Joshua Rose, Ph.D., a Natural Resource Specialist at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park. Joshua is a great resource on birds, butterflies, insects, reptiles and probably more.

This is another bird that I saw at the So Padre Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary. This bird appears to be a male but it certainly is not in full Definitive Basic/Alternate (same for males) plumage like the Painted Bunting a few posts below. I suspect this bird is in partial Pre-Alternative Molt. According to Birds of North America online, this molt occurs for this species between Jan 1 and May 31. SeEtta

Yesterday I drove out to So Padre Island, TX to enjoy the great birding opportunities that this barrier island provides. One of the hotspots I visited is the So Padre Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary, an unassuming but vital stopover for landbirds that are migrating across the Gulf of Mexico. Its' just a few vacant lots filled with vegetation that migrating songbirds need and which is becoming scarcer on this terribly overdeveloped island. This is one of the birds I saw there and I believe it is a Philsdelphia Vireo. SeEtta

Today enjoyed a boat trip from So Padre Island to do a little birding with Fins To Feathers boat ecotours run by Scarlet and George Colley. The Colleys are birders and conservationists who also run the Sea Life Nature Center in nearby Port Isabel. Sandpipers are rare birds in Texas. They winter on the Atlantic coast no further south than North Carolina and breed in far north locations. They forage on rocky coasts like the jetty on the far south end of So Padre Island where this bird has been since it was first seen at the end of November, 2008. As shown in the bottom pic, the Purple Sandpiper lets the surf wash over it while the nearby Ruddy Turnstone moves away from the wave. Purple Sandpipers are on the National Audubon Society Watch List.

Though clearly not blue, this is a Little Blue Heron. Immature Little Blue Heron's have white feathers with bluish gray ends on their primaries. And they have the distinctive greenish legs amd feet (evident in these pics) to grayish legs and feet. SeEtta

Today I visited So Padre Island, a wonderful barrier island just off the south Texas coast. The "good" is the birds that are still found there including this Caspian Tern. Though the temps today were in the lower 80's, the strong breezes on the island made it feel cooler. SeEtta