I'd Rather B Birdin': PYRRHULOXIA

Showing posts with label PYRRHULOXIA. Show all posts

§ South Texas Portraits...

SCISSORTAIL FLYCATCHER
Habitat map: Flycatcher

CRESTED CARACARA
Habitat map: Caracara

AMERICAN WIGEON
Habitat map: Wigeon

AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN
Habitat map: Pelican

PYRRHULOXIA
Habitat map: Pyrrhuloxia

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§ April Sightings Posted in May...

It's been a busy week for Bud and me...very little time to go birding with more yard work and clean-up and readying the house for a weekend guest next week. At our age, we take a lot of time working in the yard, but, only one day a week weather permitting and rest for 6 [lol]. Actually, we're in no hurry, we aren't going anywhere. I don't think I see the light at the end of the tunnel yet, but things are looking more like someone lives here. We still have 7 more bushes and trees to cut and dig out to replace them all from the freeze in February. Most of these images were seen in the latter parts of April of this year. I've been walking very early in the morning, but going to areas with little bird sightings. So, without further ado, I share these migratory birds and one yearly resident:

INDIGO BUNTING
Habitat map: Bunting

WHITE EYED VIREO
Habitat map: Vireo

PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
Habitat map: Warbler

YELLOW THROATED WARBLER
Habitat map: Warbler

AMERICAN AVOCET
Habitat map: Avocet

ROYAL TERN
Habitat map: Tern

PYRRHULOXIA
Habitat map: Pyrrhuloxia

REDDISH EGRET [breeding plumage -white morph]
Habitat map: Egret

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§ Last Week of March...

Only photos shared this week. The last image, the photo of the Pyrrhuloxia was taken in our back yard thru the patio door windows...the rest shared today was all within 30 miles of home in different surroundings along beaches and at area parks. If you observe, Happy Easter to All!!!

GREAT TAILED GRACKLE
Habitat map: Grackle

MOURNING DOVE
Habitat map: Dove

AMERICAN WIGEON
Habitat map: Wigeon

WHITE WINGED DOVE
Habitat map: Dove

FORSTER'S TERN
Habitat map: Tern

PYRRHULOXIA
Female...difference of this species compared to Cardinal is: beak color [yellow & curved instead of pink/red on female] and crest coloring [gray instead of reddish]
Habitat map: Pyrrhuloxia

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§ November...

Before I share my bird photos today, I want to bring up, again....this:

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Since this photo above of this particular bird shows no prominent wing bars, I am thinking it's a common winter inhabitant of South Texas; the orange crowned warbler [compare to the photo on this website]. For most of the half hour I watched it it remained low to the ground and flitting from bush to bush; never going much higher. Another avid birder suggested a Tennessee Warbler, but I think they have more yellow coloration of the eye ring and wing bars. Maybe, just maybe, it's not either species. Am I wrong in ID? Please inform me of your opinion!!

Now, this one ID I KNOW is correct. LOL Even tho they closely resemble the Northern Cardinal, their higher and beautiful scarlet colored crest makes this bird distinguishable if sighted. I believe this one to be female since the males have a red 'mask' and red wide stripe on the breast, throat, tail and crest, while the female is silver-gray as is the male, but has the color marks of scarlet on the crest and wings and tail only...

PYRRHULOXIA [pir-uh-LOK-see-uh].
photos taken: The Willows - Mustang Island
habitat map: Pyrrhuloxia

[the computer's spell check is so confused right now with a bird name like this!!]

As I stood, looking out from the covered platform toward the larger of two ponds at the Park I happened to see a small bird fly by me to my left into the grove of palm trees. When I turned to see where it had landed, it was in the sunlight, preening. I noticed right away it was a favorite small bird [I have a LOT of favorites]. The sunlight was good to help capture the buttery yellow breast and the rufous colored back and striped tail. And, luckily it didn't fly away all too soon like they normally do for me....

CAROLINA WREN
photo taken: Bazemore Park
habitat map: Wren

Another morning at Port Aransas, another wren was chirping [I think I was distracting its cover] loudly. I waited for it to come into view if it ever would...it did, chirped loudly in protest at me a minute, and disappeared in silence...

HOUSE WREN
photo taken: Port Aransas
habitat map: Wren

To the North Bay across the Harbor Bridge, I drove to Indian Point Park with hopes of seeing the migrant ducks...the Merganser and/or the Bufflehead. None seen while I was there! I walked to the end of the parking lot to view out to sea, with the outcropping of boulders that jut out farther [at times of low tide, you can walk out on those boulders]. This particular day there were white pelicans, a pair of brown pelicans, and a couple of cormorants perched there through the misty air. I saw to my left eye's peripheral vision something dark in the water, I looked out and noticed the water's surface was rippled. Something had just dived under! I missed it. Was it? Could it be? Possible!!!! I climbed the ramp to the fishing pier and while keeping my eye to the vicinity, I anticipated...it surfaced with a catch of the day!! Then, consumed all too quickly and dived again!! After minutes it resurfaced....

COMMON LOON
photo taken: Indian Point Park
habitat map: Loon

My last bird share in this week's series was seen the same morning while I walked around the pond at the Willows on Mustang Island.

GRAY CATBIRD
photo taken: The Willows
habitat map: Catbird

Take a moment; think about it....
Why couldn’t anyone see the bird?
Because it was in da skies!

- - -

On Tuesday of this past week, Corpus Christi was hit with an Arctic Winter Blast!! Wind chill for a couple of nights of 20s in temp [-6 C], I didn't get to go out birding much. So, I stayed home, read books and played on the computer a lot!! Hence, the joke above, and then, I went into a search for Latin Species names. Well, I found this instead: TAXONOMY HUMOR [with the likes of "Vini vidivici"...the scientific name of an extinct parrot. If you break the last up into two words, the Latin translates as "I came, I saw, I conquered"] Or another one: La cerveza Latin name for a beetle...It's also Spanish for "beer."

There are some really good ones, and all quite humorous...READ MORE HERE Guaranteed you'll laugh out loud. So, have fun this weekend, and show off your brainy ways of Latin with others near you.

This week's Participants:
Phil UK
Lea's Menagerie
Lavender Dreams
Travels with Birds
Christina, Sweeden
Rosyfinch Ramblings
Nature Footsteps PhotoArt
Linda Crafty Gardener
Cranium Bolts

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§ A Month Late...and a Drop Short aka NO RAIN.

It seems that May was so wet that Mother Nature has decided we need to dry out and go back to the drought. And the heat is relentless. Too hot most days to enjoy any long outings. One of my favorite 'hot spots' is no longer showing much bird activity at all. The salt flats at Charlie's Pasture in Port Aransas, on any 'normal' day throughout the months except for July and August, there is usually water. I drove there on the 6th, and was sadly shocked. Only one small watering hole with several white ibis, egrets, stilts and a few gulls were seen. Every place else...Cracked and Dry, and absolutely NO birds...

So, April photos it is:

These were taken one morning while walking the jetty in Port Aransas. We have both White Pelicans and Brown Pelicans....for some reason I always favor the brown ones.

...on the way back to Corpus, from Port Aransas, I stopped at a small park, Packery Channel, and spotted the male pyrrhuloxia posing atop a fence post. He was mighty handsome!

The highlight of the morning was seeing TWO Scissortailed Flycatchers at one time, way off in the open field...

Now share your birding experiences:

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