Birds and Nature

I stopped at Garner State Park in the Texas Hill Country to have my lunch 2 days ago and was delighted to find the camping area near the Frio River to be very birdy. In addition to dozens of Yellow-rumped Warblers I found this bright Pine Warbler actively foraging in a mixed flock. Other birds included Carolina Chickadees, Carolina Wrens, Golden-fronted Woodpeckers and Eastern Bluebirds. I think this species, which is usually found a little further east, isn't very common here. This one is quite bright yellow, very fitting for a warm day with temps in the upper 70's. SeEtta

On my way through the town of Zapata, TX I stopped for lunch in their city park. In the past the rare White-collared Seedeaters have been seen in this area but I didn't see any. I did enjoy this gorgeous male Vermilion Flycatcher. SeEtta

I visited So. Padre Island yesterday and after the light rain finally stopped I was able to photograph a few birds from the still free portions of the boardwalk that provide wonderful opportunities to view waterbirds, waterfowl and shorebirds much closer than usual. This pretty Little Blue Heron posed for the top pic then looked like it was experiencing pure ecstasy when it scratched an itch as shown in the bottom pic. SeEtta

This should provide some interesting and valuable information--it's pretty cool, way to go Cornel Lab. SeEtta

I finally made the trip this morning to Sabal Palm Sanctuary, one of my favorite birding hotspots in the Rio Grande Valley. I refound this female Crimson-collared Grosbeak that was first found on December 15 by Jimmy Paz and David Benn during their Christmas Bird Count. This rare Mexican bird had not been seen since Dec 18 but Jimmy Paz optimistically told me the locations it had been seen and promised a hug if I found it. And Jimmy kept his word when I returned to let him know I refound this bird. I got these photos during the 10 minutes I watched her. She fed in several trees quite actively and stayed in the shade, often partially obscured by foliage or branches making it challenging to get reasonable good photos. SeEtta

I found this scaup yesterday while participating in the Harlingen CBC, a count that has never had an identified Greater Scaup in it's history so I am going to be conservative and call this a possible Greater Scaup. The bird was among about 250 Lesser Scaup on the lake in Dixieland Park. I believe it has following characteristics that distinguish female Greater from Lesser Scaup: black nail is large, shape of bill is more spatulate, the bill is larger proportionally to it's head than on Lesser's, and the forehead is not as steep as on Lesser's. Since the bird had just come up from a dive and it's head is wet, I don't think the head shape is helpful in distinguishing the species. Note: the only thing I did to these photos was crop them to enlarge the duck and not other editing. Photos can be enlarged for closer viewing by double-clicking on them. SeEtta

I photographed the Verdin the top pic at the photo blind feeders at Falcon State Park earlier this week. It was in the company of 2 other Verdin that stopped for a quick pick-me-up at this orange before flitting away. I spotted the Verdin in the bottom two pics this morning at Edinburg Wetlands. It was foraging actively with a second Verdin in several of the many native trees at this great birding spot that seems the host the most Yellow-rumped Warblers in winter of any place in the Rio Grand Valley. These photos aren't really sharp but they both show the rufous on the shoulder of this species but is often hidden. I was delighted as I have never seen this, not that I have seen that many Verdin. SeEtta