Birds and Nature

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