I'd Rather B Birdin': Red Tailed Hawk

Showing posts with label Red Tailed Hawk. Show all posts

§ Spring Has Arrived....Or a Promise of a Good Season....

Okay...it's March again. You know what that means here on our beaches, right? Stay away!! And I always get a hankering to go and do some March birding there. Figures! Traffic Jams, College Students, crowds, Drunken drivers...and added this year, some road and bridge construction. Nope, nope, not gonna go there!! But, I did make sure I headed to the islands this past Sunday...before the month of March made its entrance! LOL Big mistake tho for my timing. The areas I stopped at were packed with more humans than birds it seemed. I walked the newly opened South Trail [damaged heavily during the Hurricane]. Nice! Then I opted to see if I could find the Whooping Cranes before they left for the North climes and breeding. This year, the two that were here last year returned....but with TWO juveniles instead of one. When I finally spotted them, they were at such a long distance, even my zoom lens wasn't powerful enough to get close-ups. Oh well, I can make record of their sighting. And I did take some photos that I will share in a post or two in the future.

Before Sunday, I drove to Calallen, Texas and stopped by one of my favorite parks for birding...along the river. And from the Hawk Platform I saw many different species. As I drove through the 'gate' to enter the park, a hawk was atop a power pole. I pulled off, got out, and got some photos all the while listening to one lone bird singing across the road. Not too many on the ponds other than a few ducks and some stilts. As I said, the platform was "the" place to be...

Top to Bottom [with habitat map links]

Red Tailed Hawk

Black Crested Titmouse

Green Jay

Golden Fronted Woodpecker

Long Billed Thrasher

Brown Headed Cowbird

I sighted on others also, vultures [both black and turkey]

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§ Chapman Ranch...

Bud and I went for a short drive through the ranch land of Chapman's Ranch the other day in hopes of seeing a few hawks. We only saw one. But other birds as well. And the hawk, I'm taking an uneducated guess as to the species. Not sure, so all you expert birders out there, can help ID?
The first one I show off is a Caracara. NOTICE the flesh colored nodule on its breast. This is: ...a distended crop showing that it has recently eaten.

CRESTED CARACARA
Habitat map: Caracara

A perfect showing of why these egrets are named. They DO follow cattle! Oftentimes I see them where cattle graze.

CATTLE EGRETS
Habitat map: Egret

The next image is poorly discolored. I am usually forced to stop the car and focus through the tinted windshield for these birds! For, they fly away as soon as the car is stopped, and I end up playing tag...losing of course. So, I slowed the car down and aimed through the window beFORE it flew off!

AMERICAN KESTREL
Habitat map: Kestrel

Also, bird watching for over a decade in Arizona, the following bird, the white winged dove, also reside year 'round there and in Texas...but my observation that I've never mentioned before is: The doves in Arizona have a completely different 'call' than those in Texas. In Texas they actually 'coo' as a dove would, but in Arizona they 'chortle'. And, we had dozens in our backyard. I can swear the calling is totally different than those in our backyard in Texas.

WHITE WINGED DOVE
Habitat map: Dove

Then the hawk...My guess is a juvenile Red Tailed Hawk?

RED TAILED HAWK [juvenile or dark morph?]
Habitat map: Hawk

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§ Ranch Birding...

Recently I took a drive through the ranch land southwest of Corpus Christi. Chapman Ranch to be exact...between my home and Kingsville, Texas. Here there are cotton fields, oil fields, cattle ranches, sorghum farms and wind farms. From season to season, the landscape continually changes and so do the different species of birds at times. It's always a fair chance of seeing something different. Early in the morning hours, the area is abundant most times with raptors and birds that frequent crops and open pastures. Occasionally a Burrowing Owl may be spotted, but even tho other birders have reported seeing them, I haven't this Spring. Maybe if I keep going to the area, I might get lucky. It's all about timing. I did happen to see a Crested Caracara couple courting [the male was carrying nesting material while taking a "come hither" stance and chortling to his mate]. Then, while all this was going on, and the female wasn't all that impressed, a juvenile Caracara flew in to break up the romance! If there was any. :-) Off another county road several Whimbrels were in the ditches flying off in front of the car. ...the Whimbrel has a dark eye line. Whimbrels usually flock and migrate in groups during the early Spring/late winter months. With my experiences, the curlews, which are similar, are not much seen in large flocks; loners or VERY few in one area. Now, when it comes to getting an ID for the field sparrows, that's a whole 'nother story for me [see below]. Oh, and juvenile hawks. They both continue to be a challenge and more times than none, I'm wrong. Thanks to Ken, last week, when he helped me with the hawk ID.

After the dense fog lifted [I posted the fiery sunrise, ranchland and fog photos HERE], as the sun appeared to the east, I spotted some birds busying with finding their catch of the day; their breakfast. I'll share a few:

YELLOW RUMPED WARBLER [Myrtle]
Habitat map: Warbler

MEADOWLARK [eastern with lack of yellow farther on the cheek]
Habitat map: Meadowlark

RED-TAILED HAWK [when it flew the red tail was visible]
Habitat map: Hawk

WHIMBREL?
Habitat map: Whimbrel

SAVANNAH SPARROW? BAIRD'S SPARROW?
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§ Pearl Harbor Day Outing...

It seems everywhere I want to go these days, to check for any bird life, there is road construction. I sat during my breakfast one morning to figure out where I could go with the least amount of detouring or, delays in traffic flow. Sunset Lakes? No! Bridge work. But, hopefully I can venture there on a Sunday when no work is being done on the 'day of rest'. The islands? No. More bridge work on the causeway here! Downtown to parks? Nope, road construction. Drive 50+ miles to Refugio Texas to the awesome park there? Ummmm, the Nueces River section of interstate is torn apart and getting a facelift! Oso Bay Wetlands? Ya, it's possible. There are two ways of getting there from home...both "under construction". In fact, in our own neighborhood, there is repaving residential streets! I guess I could go to Bazemore Park in Calallen Texas. Yes, a new highway is being built, but that has been going on for 3 years now, I know where to detour and get around it for the most part. Calallen Texas it is!!

Once I arrived around 6:45 or so in the morning, I drove the parkway around the circle drive, looking for early deer that normally feed on the grasses. I saw four. Two does and two yearlings. No bucks that day. It was fun to sit and watch the young ones at play. At the ponds, the larger pond was filled with widgeons, blue winged teals, and a few egrets on the banks. The smaller pond, several mergansers. One belted kingfisher.

Here are my photo shares for the day...

HOODED MERGANSER
Habitat map: Merganser

AMERICAN WIGEON
Habitat map: Wigeon

SNOWY EGRETS
Habitat map: Egret

As I climbed down the embankment, among the willow trees, I reached the nearly dilapidated deck to wait for the kingfisher. She stopped and perched on the tree "knees" that jut out of the water's surface. I snapped some photos and left. Returning on the roadway, walking, she flew out of one willow tree and landed on the deck I had just left!!

BELTED KINGFISHER
Habitat map: Kingfisher

SAVANNAH SPARROW[?]
Habitat map: Sparrow

I then climbed up the Hawkwatch Tower. No bird activity there, but birdsong...grackles, mockingbirds, and in the distance, a cardinal. I scanned the horizon to see if I could relocate the deer. Way off I found two in my viewfinder. Then, I saw something as I moved my camera side to side using the zoom as my scope....could this be just a fence post? Or a bird? I kept watching for more deer. Then, going back the direction I saw the post, it was gone. Nope, couldn't be a fence post afterall. But, even with the zoom lens it was way too far away...I snapped my shutter button anyway, before it left for a better environment...

I never saw it in flight, but I will guess it's a red tailed hawk!

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§ Birds With The Cold Front Moving In...

With three cold fronts moving into our area, it's been very chilly [downright cold for us Texans], windy, and not too pleasant to be outdoors doing much of anything. In fact a couple of days we woke up to frost on the ground!! I've been staying indoors mostly, wishing for no wind and the sun warming up the countryside. But, not to be had. While shopping, tho, I took back roads home, stopped here and there to step out in the cold and walk through some naked trees and at other stops, trees that are evergreen. Some areas protected with the warmth of the tree canopy, the grass remained green, while in open areas, the golden blades were dry and crunched under my steps. I walked a piece to find some birds and I got lucky. I did see some activity...near the car, and the car's heater within close proximity:

RED TAILED HAWK

Habitat map: Hawk

WHITE EYED VIREO

Habitat map: Vireo

CHIPPING SPARROW

Habitat map: Sparrow

AMERICAN KESTREL

Habitat map: Kestrel

COUCH'S KINGBIRD

Habitat map: Kingbird

BLACK CRESTED TITMOUSE

Habitat map: Titmouse

All too soon I will be complaining of the extreme heat. I know I should be enjoying this break of what lies ahead in just a few months, but I can't get myself motivated to be in the cold. Maybe by January 2021 it'll be better.

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§ Pollywog and Bazemore Area...

All these birds were seen, among others [doves, pigeons, mockingbirds, sparrows, egrets, grebes, turkey vultures, silts, kingfisher, ibis, cardinals, green jays, and ducks], at the same areas while walking the trail around the two lakes and through the heavy growth of trees...Pollywog Ponds and Bazemore Park.

GREAT KISKADEE
Habitat map: Kiskadee

RED TAILED HAWK {?} perhaps a juvenile...dark head, spotted belly band
Habitat map: Hawk

CRESTED CARACARA
Habitat map: Caracara

OSPREY
Habitat map: Osprey

SOLITARY SANDPIPER
Habitat map: Sandpiper

GOLDEN FRONTED WOODPECKER
Habitat map: Woodpecker

RED SHOULDERED HAWK
Habitat map: Hawk

BLACK VUTLTURES
Habitat map: Vulture

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