Texas Birding Day 2
I started my second day of birding in Texas by heading back to Estero Llano Grande State Park. I had a list of 4 bird species that I wanted to find and photograph. I was able to find all 4, each in a different but appropriate habitat in the park. My favorite photo of the four species is this one of a pair of Crested Caracaras. I was walking on a levy where I had a good view of the sky. I saw these two fly overhead then land in a distant tree not far from the levy. I walked slowly along the levy to get closer. Since the tree was not that high and the levy was at least 10’ tall, I was able to get this shot where I am closer to eye level rather than looking up from the ground. These birds remind me of a Russian Tzar from the 18th or 19th century wearing a black fur hat and cape.
The first target bird that I found was this Green Kingfisher. I knew the pond the Green Kingfishers were most likely to be near. Unlike the previous day when I could not find either the male or the female of the pair, this morning I was able to quickly spot the female hanging out on a snag.
On my way to search for the Green Kingfisher, I past another pond filled with a variety of birds including these White Ibis.
The pond also had White-faced Ibis. When they are breading, they have their white face, but during the rest of the year, the white around the eye disappears.
I also saw this Anhinga nearby. I had photographed the White Ibis, White-faced Ibis, and the Anhinga on my April birding trip when I bicycled from Savanah to New Orleans.
Next, I spent some time near the Nature Center searching for a Black-crested Titmouse. I had heard them there the previous afternoon, but had only gotten a brief glance and no photograph. Today, I had better luck when this one landed on a branch slightly overhead.
While near the Nature Center, I was also able to photograph this Great-tailed Grackle. I like this photo in part because it clearly shows the Grackle’s iridescence.
Next, I headed to a wooded section of the park looking for the Altamira Oriole. The Altamira Oriole has a beautiful call, and when I heard it, I knew one was nearby. With its bright orange coloring, it was not hard to find as it hopped around one of the nearby trees.
After finding my 4 target birds at Estero Llano Grande State Park, I went back to Edinburg Scenic Wetlands to see if I might find a Fulvous Whistling-Duck which had been reported thereabout a week prior. I was unsuccessful in that attempt, but did grab this photo of a Blue Winged Teal that I thought was funny. It reminds me of someone doing balancing exercises at the gym.
I then headed back to Santa Ana NWR to discover what I might see. The previous day, I had seen Cave Swallows at Estero Llano Grande State Park, but the photos had been terrible. While this photo from Santa Ana is still reasonably poor, it is significantly better than the photos from the previous afternoon.
Later in the afternoon, I spotted a raptor off in the far distance. I could not identify it until I was able to get the photo on the computer and zoom in as far as I could. It turns out it was a Hooked-billed Kite. It uses its hooked bill to hunt snails in the tree canopy. They are generally found in South America, Central America, and Mexico. Every year, only a handful of them make it up to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, so seeing one was a stroke of good luck.
As I walked along, I saw a group of women looking into the brush. It turns out they were following this Clay-colored Sparrow as it hopped from bush to bush. It is identifiable by its gray patch behind its neck.
As the day was drawing to a close, I headed to a Target store in Mission Texas. My objective was not to do any shopping, but rather to see Green Parakeets which roosted in the area every night. I arrived shortly before sunset, and there were already over 200 Green Parakeets on the telephone poles and wires all around. I liked this photo of a little group of 4 snuggled together.
For the weekend, I had a guide which I will cover in my next post.