Category Archives: Southwest trip

Birding at the Cocina

We had breakfast at Irma’s, a small Mexican restaurant just outside [Pancho Villa State Park](http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us//panchovillastatepark.html) in Columbus, New Mexico.

The food was great and the decorations quite unique. The owner has a penchant for roosters. They are too neat not to share.

There was a rooster in the cooler. Irma said, “He’s being punished.” (She had no other place to display him)

This statute is made in Mexico out of car tire rubber.

We returned to Irma’s this morning for a get out of town breakfast. Next stop – Patagonia Lake State Park.

All Cracked Up

We were heading west from Laredo on a rural highway with many trucks sharing the road. Sally was driving, doing about 75 which is the speed limit, and I was editing photos on my MacBook. The road was smooth and traffic moving nicely when, wham, there was an explosive noise in front of me and I was covered with tiny shards of glass. We had taken a hit, probably from a rock from a truck in the oncoming lane – but Sally thinks it was a small meteorite. In any case, she saw a dark image fly across just before the impact.

The result was dramatic, a bullseye hole in the windshield, up in the black radio antenna section, was visible with three cracks emanating from it. We pulled over, dusted off, and were back on our way.

The small hole and long crack are dramatic but seem stable. The crack has gone from five inches long to down the whole windshield.

I called my insurance company who took down the information and told me to contact them when I was ready to replace the windshield. (We are a long ways from shops where we can wait all day for work to be done.)

The bad news is that I have $500 deductible on my glass damage but keeping things in context, it could have been a lot worse. I’m glad I was wearing sunglasses to ward off the glass particles, many very minute, that plastered my face and shirt front. We have some down time in the weeks ahead where I can get a shop approved, get the windshield ordered, and leave the van for a half-day. Hey, it’s only money – and it wasn’t a bird strike.

Some Birds From Salenino

I first wrote about Salineno, Texas a few years ago and my recent visits to this wonderful site were just as satisfying. It is easy to see, as you sit in lawn chairs watching colorful birds flock to the feeders, why this little patch on the Rio Grande attracts birders from all over. Merle and Lois, the long-time volunteers, do a great job of hosting neophyte to expert visitors.

Here are some shots I took the other day.

The first three shots are an Altimira Oriole, a Golden-fronted Woodpecker, and an Audobon’s Oriole. (The Hooded Orioles have not shown up yet this winter. Here is an Orange-crowned Warbler.

The Green Jays were everywhere as were the Great Kiskadees, like this one.

The Rio Grande is higher than often but still rather narrow. That is Mexico in the background.

Next – some birds of the desert as we head toward New Mexico.

Reds

We are at Falcon Lake State Park, just across the Rio Grande from Mexico, and on the first evening were greeted with this splendid sunset – and have had several more since.

The birds here are wonderful. The Northern Cardinals, like this one, have a vibrant vermillion color – seemingly much more "red" than our pretty ones in Vermont.

At the campsite, we are treated each day to the aerial antics of several pairs of Vermillion Flycatchers. Here is a long-range shot of one of the handsome dudes.

We are heading west but I’ll be showing you some of the other neat birds that have graced our lives the last few days. Stay tuned.

Farewell to Goose Island

After a nice eight day stay, we bid adios to Goose Island State Park where we had enjoyed camping amongst the bird-filled oaks and seeing nearly 100 different bird species. We sampled some of the cuisine, hit some birding hotspots, and got in some good walks and bike rides, in shirts, shorts and sandals.

Several days before we left, we went back to visit the Whooping Cranes. They were there feeding but suddenly they were heading off to roost. I spun the dial to what I thought was "action" and fired away. I still am not sure what setting I ended up at but it resulted in some interesting photos. Here are a few – a farewell to the cranes and this wonderful part of Texas.

More Port A Birds

We had just stepped on to the boardwalk at the Port Aransas Birding Center when these two birds greeted us: a Snowy Egret and a Tri-colored Heron side by side.

Just ahead, a Green Heron posed and then did a little hunting while we watched.

This Common Gallinule was fun to observe.

The little walk, full of looks at good birds, ended with this American Bittern almost close enough to touch.

When I lowered the camera, he struck, got a small fish, and gobbled it as we watched only yards away. I think the head of the prey is visible in his beak.

We extended our visit an extra three days to enjoy the birds and the nice temperatures. Come on down, you-all!

Feet

The Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center at the Port Aransas Wastewater Treament Facility is one of the hotspots along the Texas coast. Not only are the birds plentiful, they are accustomed to visitors and allow pretty close access. So these amazing feet belong to a bird I see in the hundreds – but never knew about about their spectacular feet.

You can see that it is an American Coot – a bird that is easy to take for granted.

This Pied-billed Grebe was grooming away in a variety of poses. We really liked to see his feet in action.

Sorting out herons and egrets can be challenging but when you can see the black legs and the yellow "slippers" you know you’ve got a Snowy Egret.

It’s a great experience to see wild birds, who normally flush when you raise a camera, stay around and act like avian models. You’ll see some nice stalking shots on the next post.

Companions

While I record each species we see and use eBird to track birds as we travel, my birding partner is more interested in "slow birding" – taking time to "smell the flowers" – to mix metaphors. It’s got me seeing more and enjoying birding even more.

We came upon these gulls just after a lesson from a local bird walk leader. So we paused and sorted them out into Laughing Gulls, Ringed-billed Gulls, and Herring Gulls. Right now,those are the three species here so it is fun to sharpen ID skills by just going over groups – and when they line up on a pier it’s even more interesting.

Just up the road we saw these Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. Can you see what they were looking at?

Yes, it was an Anhinga, a relatively rare bird here. We watched it as it fished with snake-like movements and then strolled back up to the larger group of ducks, spreading its wings to dry out, and hanging out with the kids with bubble-gum legs.

In the next field we saw an odd couple – a young Crested Caracara and an adult Turkey Vultures. I know that they are both carrion eaters and sometime soar (kettle) together, this seemed almost like a foster mom situation.

A second juvenile joined the group as we watched entranced by what appeared to be flying lessons.

There were three juveniles, one of whom could barely fly, several Turkey Vultures, and everyone seemed at ease with the scene. No adult Caracara seemed present. We loved what we had seen but were a bit bewildered about what was going on. Anyone have any suggestions? Leave a comment if you do.

Goose Island Birds – A Sampling

Goose Island State Park is one of my favorite birding spots. Our first few outings have been very rewarding. Here is a Black-capped Titmouse who showed himself just a few hundred yards from our campsite as we started out.

Walking down to the bay, we saw these two Northern Pintail’s and a Little Blue Heron.

We paused for a few photos of an interesting live oak in the campground.

A short drive away is the field where Whooping Cranes often congregate. There are three regulars including a youngster. Here’s one of the parents.

A number of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks were also there and it was interesting to watch the cranes shoo them away from choice feeding spots. The ducks are quite the characters, making you smile with their actions and their voices.

We will be here about a week and while having to deal with scattered thunderstorms, are enjoying the birds and mild tropical conditions.

Biking For Birds

We had three days of foggy mornings at Galveston Beach State Park but every so often, the sun showed itself.

Saturday morning, we rode our bikes over to some of the bayside trails and in spite of wind and fog, saw some nice birds. We heard this Loggerhead Shrike calling as we rode in and he sat nicely for us.

A fresh water pond held a neat variety of waterbirds including several White Ibises, a Roseate Spoonbill,

Walking the Clapper Rail Trail, we came across this Great Blue Heron who seemed to think he was hidden from us.

Biking back to the little pond, we saw this Tri-colored Heron in alternate plumage.

Returning to the campsite, this Savannah Sparrow and his buddies welcomed us back.

Our trip to Goose Island State Park featured stiff Texas crosswinds and temperatures in the high 70’s. Off to look for Whooping Cranes in the next few days.

Remembering Martin Luther King and his dream as we move onward, with hope.