The Saga of a Special Sighting...

WARNING: This is gonna be a long tale, and the photos are large and framed 'special'...I want to share my day with you, so hope you're prepared to sit a spell---

If you follow my personal blog, Hootin' Anni's, you know just how anxious I was to post this post!! It took a lot of will power and hands off to keep from axing last week's Marsh Wren post that I had pre-scheduled for the 22nd and post this set of images instead. But I hung tough and waited. Okay, so today is the day!! The long-awaited show n tell!!

Bud and I drove to Brooks County Texas to an area that a certain bird - lost bird from Old Mexico and the Sonoran Desert - was spotted in our Lone Star State. By lost I mean, they're only seen occasionally in the U.S.... arid parts of Arizona, which is bordering with Old Mexico, and just partial areas of New Mexico. Mainly they are a bird from Old Mexico below the borders our country. You'll see on the habitat map link I provide.  The bird was reported seen here at a website I frequent [nearly daily].   I thought it would be crazy for us to drive nearly 100 miles in one direction and then have to turn around and make the return trip - with our luck the elusive bird would not be there. We went anyway. Nothing else to do; a beautiful morning drive through the Wild Horse Desert, not all would be lost but time if we couldn't spot the bird.

After arriving at our destination, the first bird I spotted getting out the car was a Green Jay which I photographed right away and I'll post it another time since this is all about the 'special bird'.  The area is an oasis of sorts; a great bird path for migrating birds and permanent residents of this desert area of Texas. There is a vast land, wooded heavily, with Live Oak trees, palm trees, a pond. And Brooks County added quite a few walking paths for us birders. A nice area. We then saw two black vultures perched up high. Actually, I think they were mating!! Photographed that private time too! ;-) White Winged Doves were there along with hundreds of sparrows flitting from ground level up to the tree tops. I wasn't disappointed....yet!! We walked more...we walked around a small pond to the north of the parking lot...'our' little sought-after bird was reported near the pond a couple days prior to our trip there. Nothing. More jays, a golden fronted woodpecker.

While walking in the opposite direction, in the shade of the wooded area near the divided highway---I saw something peeking over the stone wall fencing!! At first I thought it was one of those birds you see in gardens...those huge plastic birds...an owl. But it moved!! I knew then it was the real deal!! A very large Great Horned Owl! I didn't even try to focus the camera. Since it moved, I was sure it would be flying away all too quickly!!! I managed to get two photos before it flew off over to the other side of the road into the woods there!  And since the female is much larger than the male of this species, I dubbed her "Olivia".  And had the photos blown up to 8x10s and framed them.

Still, no special vagrant.

We ventured over more pathways, spotted a huge picnic area under the trees' canopies and Bud sat there while I traipsed the longer, winding, path in hopes of seeing 'that special bird'. When I returned to where Bud was he said to me "What colors does this bird have that we [meaning ME] want to see?" I described it to him. "Black, red and white...very small." He said then: "It landed right by me on the table where I was resting!" I thought "Dang!!" By that time, it was coming on to be midday. I wanted a snack and something to drink. Went and got a couple of bottles of Sprite and some chips. We sat at the table and enjoyed the Springtime breeze.

While munching away I heard a strange bird song! Different from any other I had heard. [Let me tell you now there were a LOT of other bird seekers there] I looked up beyond where we were seated, and I spotted RED!! And it moved. I tried my best to follow the flight pattern and see where it landed next. Oh my goodness...but it didn't stay at its chosen perch for long!! It flitted off again. I grabbed my camera and binoculars off the table, Bud was now out in the open trying to be my spotter. We left our snacks and soda on the table and headed back to where I had just been! Looking up, looking up...turning, following the red and black cloak. We saw what we had driven so many miles to see. At first, my chances of getting a good picture was a challenge, and the little one remained quite elusive and well hidden in the tree branches...



Minutes passed. Our necks ached. As we walked more and just started enjoying the fact we saw it.  The photo ops were nearly nil. As we turned around to head back, returning to our drinks and chips at the table, I searched the woods across the area at a distance, on the other side of the highway where the owl had flown, I spotted the owl again, way off, flying and landing on another oak tree branch!!!  I utilized my zoom lens this time 'round......



At the table again, as we sat and finished our quiet, restful time... the little bugger, after chasing it throughout the oak mottes, it decided to pay US a visit!! Our bird is an insect eater, so it wasn't after our food...but, of all places, it landed right there at the picnic tables!! Up close and personal!!! Choking on a potato chip, I grabbed the camera again.....




The special bird that so many [even one couple flew in from FRANCE via NYC, Dallas and Harlingen, Texas] of us wanted to find and photograph? A Painted Redstart!!! [In Spanish and French they are called Blanca/Blanche so I'm thinking Whitestart...and sure 'nough, Wikipedia says they're also called Whitestarts!!!]


PAINTED REDSTART [aka Whitestart]
Photos taken: Brooks County, Texas
Habitat map: Painted Redstart

GREAT HORNED OWL
Photos taken: Brooks County, Texas
Habitat Map: Great Horned Owl


TRIVIA:

When clenched, a Great Horned Owl’s strong talons require a force of 28 pounds to open. The female of the species is larger than the male.

The language differential to the Painted Redstart in English, is Paruline à ailes blanches (French) and Pavito aliblanco, Chipe ala blanca (Spanish). They are distantly related to the American Redstart. A Warbler.

Now it's your turn to share your birding experiences: