Titmouse Symphony...


I will be in and out today, so I am posting early to make sure it works properly before I leave.  The linking tool is scheduled for the NOON hour as always!!


I'm not 100% sure about one. It's definitely a sandpiper! And it definitely was spotted on a mudflat here in town as described in my bird guide books where they're commonly spotted. I'm temporarily ID'ing it as a WESTERN Sandpiper [according to my Texas Bird Record Chart it's rare in the Summer months here...yet these two were spotted the last week in July!!] With referencing  and online research, there are three distinct 'tell-tale' features to look for...one: The rufous coloring of the scapulars,  two: the longer, slightly down-curved beak, and three: the lanky shape of the body overall.  Any expert opinions will be greatly appreciated.




WESTERN SANDPIPER
photo taken:  Hans Suter Refuge - Corpus Christi, Texas
habitat range map:  Western Sandpiper





The 2nd 'new' bird I spotted was a family [adults & juveniles] of Black Crested Titmouse. The Tufted Titmouse is not the same as the Black Crested!! Tufted has a lighter, grayer, crest while the Black Crested is obviously adorned with BLACK!! Both species are found in Texas. From Cornell Lab:
    The Black-crested Titmouse hybridizes with the Tufted Titmouse where their ranges overlap in central Texas. They were considered the same species for a while, but they are distinct genetically and vocally. Differences in mitochondrial DNA suggest that the Black-crested Titmouse and Tufted Titmouse diverged about 250,000 years ago.
Getting photos of them was quite a challenge. With the sunlight and the continual flitting around the tree's branches; moving constantly, these are the best I could get:


BLACK CRESTED TITMOUSE
photos taken: Hazel Bazemore Park - Calallen, Texas




The third bird is in a way, 'new'. I've seen hundreds of Crested Caracaras while birding, but always adults and usually in pairs.  While we were at a local city park I spotted a juvenile caracara! And it was very attractive. The juvenile is much more subtle in markings. Where the adult has black, the juvenile has a beautiful brown! The white areas on the adult are a rich, pretty, cream color with the juveniles. Its legs are gray as the adults' legs are yellow. And the orange beak of the adult is a salmon-pink on the young!



CRESTED CARACARA [Juvenile]
photos taken: Hans Suter Refuge - Corpus Christi, Texas
habitat map: Crested Caracara



Now share your birding experiences:








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20 comments:

  1. Margaret Birding For PleasureAugust 8, 2015 at 7:25 AM

    Hi Anni This post has a narvvellous variety of birds images. I particulary like the last shot Have a lovely weekend.

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  2. TexWisGirlAugust 8, 2015 at 8:56 AM

    always love spotting the caracara. congrats on the black-crested! neat!

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  3. GayleAugust 8, 2015 at 10:30 AM

    Caracara - neat. The titmouse shows up here for winter feeding.

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  4. RajeshAugust 8, 2015 at 12:09 PM

    Beautiful birds.

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  5. Ruth HiebertAugust 8, 2015 at 12:20 PM

    Great shots. You find so many interesting birds.

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  6. RoseAugust 8, 2015 at 1:02 PM

    I would love to see the caracara--that will probably never happen. Your Black Crested titmouse looks like it might be bigger than ours...something to look up after while if I remember!

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  7. eileeninmdAugust 8, 2015 at 3:25 PM

    Congrats on your newbies! The Crested Caracara is my favorite, cool bird. Thanks for hosting, have a happy weekend!

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  8. Sharon WagnerAugust 8, 2015 at 4:18 PM

    What an odd beak on the young Caracara. Young or old they're new to me.

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  9. ~Lavender Dreamer~August 8, 2015 at 7:21 PM

    The juveniles make it a challenge to identify many birds. But it's so much fun to see them. We're still watching 2 nests of ducks that haven't hatched yet. We are getting anxious! Hugs, Diane

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  10. DeniseinVAAugust 8, 2015 at 8:43 PM

    Wonderful pics again Anni. That juvenile Crested Caracas is such a pretty bird.

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  11. NatureFootstepAugust 9, 2015 at 6:15 AM

    love the coloration on the WESTERN SANDPIPER, It is a beautiful wader :)

    And both the titmouse and the caracara are gret in their own ways. Interesting note of the titmouse. )

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  12. Phil SladeAugust 9, 2015 at 7:17 AM

    After studying my "Crossley" I too am sure your wader is a Western Sandpiper Anni. A nice find!

    Of course you know i would love to see a Caracara also but if pushed i'd sooner see a Western Sandpiper.

    Thanks for inviting me along to your birding blog today. Have a great week you both.

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  13. A Colorful WorldAugust 9, 2015 at 10:23 AM

    What truly wonderful encounters! Love that you found two totally new birds, and one juvenile of one you've seen many times before. I had never heard of a black-crested titmouse! The caracara photos are awesome! Love them all!

    P.S. My husband confiscated Wesley the Owl to read first! :-) He's loving it! :-)

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  14. MontanagirlAugust 9, 2015 at 10:30 AM

    I LOVE getting to see the variety of birds you are seeing! So glad I found your blog!!

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  15. photodougAugust 9, 2015 at 11:08 AM

    Anni, interesting birds. Thanks for sharing.

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  16. Kenneth Cole SchneiderAugust 9, 2015 at 12:47 PM

    I've never seen a juvenile caracara. It does have quite a soft look about it. Can't help with the sandpiper but your analysis seems dead on. Wish I had more experience with them but not many come into my neighborhood.

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  17. Gail DixonAugust 10, 2015 at 8:53 PM

    Congratulations on your two new spottings! Along with the juvie Caracara. Love the colors in the Sandpipers. I've not seen any of these birds and would be thrilled as punch to have that opportunity. Sorry I don't have any birds to share this week. Hopefully I'll have something next week. It's too hot to shoot, but maybe I can do an archive dive. :)

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  18. RohrerbotAugust 11, 2015 at 1:14 PM

    I agree on the Western Sandpiper ID. Sandpipers are always fun to ID:) Your other birds are sublime. One, the BCTI, would be a lifer!

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  19. Elizabeth EdwardsAugust 12, 2015 at 8:17 AM

    i always enjoy your shots. hope you are well. can i pick your brain for a moment. where do you make your watermarks? i have had some recent complaints my mine & i was just wanting to prevent people using my shots. i know you would understand that considering you do the same to your photos. using a watermark i mean. please advise, i would love your comments. thank you. take care. is your Texas weather ok? rainy here in VA. ( :

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  20. Germán Ibarra ZorrillaAugust 13, 2015 at 10:02 AM

    Unas imágenes fantásticas, muy bonitas. Me ha gustado mucho tu blog, enhorabuena. Saludos cordiales desde España.
    http://faunacompacta.blogspot.com.es/

    ReplyDelete

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