As the winter drags on here in Vermont, I’ve been thinking about our past travels south for warmth and birds. Sally and I took our first trip in the Airstream Van in January 2017 with our dog Penny.

We traveled four days to arrive at Fontainebleau State Park just north of New Orleans. While it was chilly, we saw a lot of southern birds like this wind-blown Loggerhead Shrike.

At Galveston State Park, there were some nice birds including this Roseate Spoonbill.

Our next stop is one of my favorites – Goose Island State Park where we stayed for over a week. It has wooded sites, great bird walks, and is near many other great birding sites. This Black-capped Titmouse is typical of the 100 species we saw here .

A short drive away is Aransas Pass with its amazing wildlife refuge and a must-visit site, the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. The center, with long boardwalks over wetlands from the local wastewater facility, is amazing. This Green Heron, used to visitors, was not shy.

On other trips from Goose Island, we saw this Whooping Crane and a mixed pair – a young Crested Carcara and an adult Turkey Vulture.

At month’s end we drove to Falcon State Park where on the first day, we saw a Vermilion Flycatcher.

On a gray day, it’s fun to see the color and uniqueness of these birds. Next post will show more examples. Good birding to you wherever you are.