I'd Rather B Birdin': BRONZED Cowbird

Showing posts with label BRONZED Cowbird. Show all posts

§ Holly Trail by Oso Bay...

The first bird I sighted was a Bronze Cowbird! My first thought, "there must be a nest around somewhere close-by". And not theirs! In other words they are what I call "stealth bombers"! The female, after mating, lays her eggs in OTHER birds' nests. A bit parasitic in nature.

BRONZED COWBIRD

Habitat map: Cowbird

And sure enough, just a few dozen yards beyond this sighting, I spied a nest. It was for the clutch of Scissortailed Flycatchers.

SCISSORTAILED FLYCATCHER
Habitat map: Flycatcher

After getting photos here, I continued my trek to the observation tower about 1/2 mile away as the crow flies. Along the way where the paved trail ends, and the caliche trail begins, as the trail continues an uphill incline, I sighted in on a 'clump' in the middle of the trail! Quite a distance from me, as it began to move about. Could it be a bird? I raised my viewfinder and focused on it...a male Painted Bunting!! I approached closer yet, and it seemed to have no fear. But, I took no chances and zoomed in on it before it realized I was human, and flew off into the brush country!

PAINTED BUNTING
Habitat map: Bunting

Three photos then....& "Elvis has left the building".

When I climbed the observation tower, there was very little water below me in the bay. And very few birds. I watched two gulls soaring high above, listened to a couple of Willets calling but never spotted them, a Little Blue Heron flew off to disappear, and all that was left were Two Black Bellied Whistling Ducks at the water's edge. And you know me by now, I have a bird foot fetish. I find bird feet most interesting and how the are adapted to the species life-style...

BLACK BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS
Habitat map: Ducks

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§ Migrants...

A few migrant birds are showing up here and there these days. Altho, I haven't taken much time to chase after them in hotspot areas around my part of Texas, but I have seen some while on my walks. I walk, with birding in mind tho, relying on chance sightings. I was quite elated to actually get a photo of the 'widow' as I walked along the sidewalk leaving a wooded park area... since they are always so skittish and quite elusive, and being a swift flyer, they are a challenge to re-spot again when flushed out of their quietude....

AMERICAN REDSTART [male]
Habitat map: Redstart

BRONZED COWBIRD
Habitat map: Cowbird

WOOD THRUSH
Habitat map: Thrush

NASHVILLE WARBLER [?] id may be incorrect - If not, help will be appreciated

Habitat map: Warbler

PURPLE MARTIN [males outside the 'condo', female inside peeking out]
Habitat map: Martin

CHUCK WILL'S WIDOW
Habitat map: Widow

HOODED WARBLER
Habitat map: Warbler

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§ Cowbird, Whimbrel, Curlew and Godwit

First, these birds...especially the male, can look quite sinister with the coal black plumage and the devilish red eyes. But, they're quite harmless of course. And, during their mating ritual, they're even comical when they're all poofed up and strutting their stuff. lol - shown here in this post [the female always seems to not give a darn what he's up to...she saunters off and continues to feed]

BRONZED COWBIRD
photos taken: Blucher Park
habitat map: Cowbird

One bird that seems to be more scarce each year here in South Texas is this one. They don't show up on the endangered list, but for some reason I see very few compared to about a decade ago...

WHIMBREL
photos taken: Ocean drive NAS [near naval air station]
habitat map: Whimbrel

I must admit when I am out birding, I kinda get excited when I see a long legged shorebird along the beach/coastal areas; always hoping it's a Whimbrel, but once I get my binoculars in focus, they're always too long a beak, or a straight beak...but markings and colors are SO SIMILAR. Here's what I mean:

MARBLED GODWIT
photo taken: Hans Suter Refuge
habitat map: Godwit

2-

LONG BILLED CURLEW
photo taken: NAS
habitat map: Curlew

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§ Courting...Nesting and Youngsters...

Along the trail, a male Bronzed Cowbird was busy trying to attract the female who was feeding in the grass alongside the edge of the path. She really wasn't impressed at the moment! But he was definitely persistent.

BRONZED COWBIRD
photos taken: Oso Bay Wetlands - Corpus Christi, Texas
habitat map: Cowbird

Walking along the boardwalk at the Salt Flats of Charlie's Pasture North, I was being reprimanded and partially attacked along the way...by a Willet. There was a second one in the muddy marshland nearby, but another persistent bird - it continued to call threats and diving flyovers over my head as I snapped some photos of the action. Once I was out of range, the two settled down and became still. Only thing is, once I ended my trail walking, I had to turn around and go back the way I came!!

WILLET
photos taken: Charlie's Pasture North - Port Aransas, Texas
habitat map: Willet

A Scissortailed Flycatcher zoomed down near me as I entered the gate to the wetlands. It flew too quickly out of camera range for me to get any photo. I walked my total step count and then, just as I was nearing the car afterward, I noticed another flycatcher flying above me once again. Was it the same one? I followed its flight with my eyes only to see if it would perch somewhere nearby. It did! It landed on the power line just ahead of me. I focused on it and got a few pictures. Another, second one, flew in! Landed close by the first one. They chatted a bit. The 2nd one took off just a short distance from the first...into the power line connections at the power pole! Aha. A NEST!

How exciting! One of the prettiest of flycatchers and I may be able to see some chicks! Well, after the two left in search of more food, I walked around the pole with my head to the sky in hopes of getting a glimpse of some nest activity. Not much, and the two adults quickly returned. I left in order to not disturb them. But, I kept them in mind for a couple of more days and hoped to return to see any progress...

- - -

A couple days later, Bud and I decided to go back and see if there were any visible chicks. When we parked there was nothing. No activity at all. We walked the area and arrived at the observation tower on the bay shore. The sea breeze was blowing in on us, the only birds on ground were two Black Necked Stilts. They too have a nest, and the previous visit the female was sitting on it. But on this 2nd trip back, the nest seemed abandoned and we figured hawks or coyotes [some predator] got the eggs?!!

We returned to the flycatcher nest and watched from a distance with our binoculars. I saw one over-sized head pop up from the nest's edge when one adult [the female] came in with an insect in her beak. I took more pictures! After several minutes watching and photographing the rituals, we left. As I was taking the photos off the camera card at home, I see there were THREE chicks!! [one photo I used arrows to point them out]

SCISSORTAIL FLYCATCHER
photos taken Oso Bay Wetlands - Corpus Christi, Texas
habitat map: Flycatcher

- - -

As for the Black Necked Stilt's nesting, on the 2nd time visiting, it looked empty. Two, the male and female were in the area close by the second day there, but they both left shortly after we arrived to not return...

BLACK NECKED STILT
photos taken: Oso Bay Wetlands - Corpus Christi, Texas
habitat map: Stilt

Lost and Found:

Black Necked Stilt Egg [from a different area]:

Now, share your birding experiences:

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§ Holly Trail by Oso Bay...

§ Migrants...

§ Cowbird, Whimbrel, Curlew and Godwit

§ Courting...Nesting and Youngsters...

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