Widow-hood...

All-l-l-l-l-righty, then!! After days, weeks, totaling nearly a couple of months returning to a certain park within the downtown city business area here in Corpus Christi, knowing that at least one of these birds was taking up residence there [from going on the Audubon Hikes on Sundays each week in April], we all saw it several times as it flew around the heavily treed areas of the park, but never landing long enough to get a good focus on the rascally, cagey one....Bud and I made many daily trips back to the park throughout April and into May this year. Recording on May 17th, I was off by myself in a darkened corner, under the heavy canopy of oaks and mulberries, one flew into the trees and lighted on a far away branch outcropping!! I slowly, trying not to draw any attention to myself, brought the camera up to my eyes and looking through the viewfinder, I focused on the branch where he perched. Now, if any of you are familiar with this bird, you will know that it is most definitely a flighty, very nervous and cautious bird!! Any sudden movement from anything will trigger an instinct for it to flee the premises: as quickly as possible and making a direct flight out of harm's way. If you don't focus through the lens quickly enough, you're more or less out of luck in getting another opportune time to capture it on 'film' for the day. And in my area of Texas, it's a rarity to even see one during the daylight hours since it's most active at night. It is a night hunter. Their song is what gave them their name!! The song itself is quite beautiful!! It's nearly a continual song...repeating over and over and over throughout dusk and into the darkened hours of the night. The lyrics are hard to describe verbally, but I'll try. The first syllabic note is more or less quite a bit subdued in tone..."Chuh"...then after an instant pause, the sounds become a bit more strong, yet a soft pitched whistling..."quill -whi- doe". Over and over, it's repeated. And once you've heard this melody in the darkness of night, you'll never forget it! Also, the "Chuck" is VERY similar to the Whip-poor-will!! But there are a couple of defining ID'ing facts to decipher the differences...Chuck Will's Widow has a more flat topped head [while the Whip-poor-will has a rounded crown] and the tail...Chuck Will's Widow carries/holds its tail downward. Also, I've seen Whip-poor-wills in Colorado, and to me, if my memory serves me correctly, the Chuck Will's Widow is more tawny brown than the Whip-poor-will which has a gray tinge to the feather color.

...from first landing, to zooming in close:

They are the largest of American nightjar species!! When flying, the size is shocking comparing to when perched. The wingspan is entirely rusty brown in flight. I believe this is a male. The female, according to my books and online research, the gal pal wears a more prominent cream-colored collar around her neck. The nests are non-existent...they lay their eggs on the ground, camouflaged in the woody, leafy ground cover. The whiskers under the beak and on the chin [rictal bristles] are an aid to catching insects while in flight during the darkness.

Here's a link from Cornell Lab Birding Site that you can play to hear its night time lullaby: click here.

CHUCK WILL'S WIDOW

photos taken: Blucher Park - Corpus Christi, Texas

Habitat Range:

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Again, after weeks of attempting to sight and photograph an American Redstart [especially the colorful male] without success, I, finally, was able to watch the two forage on the ground where some fallen tree branches were located nearby the water outlet over on Mustang Island. The grounds were lush with tall grasses and with the drizzling of water from the piped in water supply...I guess the insects were quite heavily populated and the two Redstarts were scurrying and munching away. Allowing me to get several shots of them. I love their fanned tails...

AMERICAN REDSTART

[male and female]

photos taken: Paradise Pond - Port Aransas, Texas

Habitat range:

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