§ Drive By "Shooting"...

Would you believe the week after all the living room work was done, the weather got "pissy"!?!! My luck, I guess. We've had nasty cold temps for South Texas, dark gloomy sky, rains, frost, high winds, even the birds are huddled and hidden for the most part. A few days back, areas of Houston were hit by 140MPH winds and a  damaging tornado!! Our son is okay...but heavy rains came with it, and flooded streets. Maybe the coming week, the weather will improve. I hope so. Its no fun driving and taking photos from the car window!!

Top to bottom:
Black Crowned Night Heron [left, juvenile, right, adult]
Great Blue Heron
Common Tern
Eurasian Collared Dove
American Avocet
Juvenile Caracara


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§ Behind the Channel and At the Park...

Well, the state of Texas has gone back to keeping people home and requiring masks if going outside the home. The numbers of Covid cases have sky-rocketed in our county [percentage-wise, more cases in our county than three of the most populated areas -Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston]. Parks and other areas where crowds gather will be closed over the holiday. Needless to say, my walking trips have been/and will be shortened, or non-existent. These photos on this post were taken before the mandated changes took place. Either focusing from the car or at the park before others showed up. When the people began to come into the park, I left!

BROWN PELICAN
photos taken:  Port Aransas Ship Channel
habitat map:  Pelican
Length:  50 inches
Wingspan:  82 inches


LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE
photo taken:  West Guth Park
habitat map:  Shrike
Length:  9 inches
Wingspan:  13 inches


CRESTED CARACARA [juvenile]
photo taken:  Carbon Plant Road
habitat map:  Caracara
Length:  22-24 inches
Wingspan:  50  inches


BLACK NECKED STILT
photo taken:  Tule Lake
habitat map:  Stilt
Length:  14-15 inches
Wingspan:  26 inches


MONK PARAKEET
photos taken:  West Guth Park
habitat map:  Parakeet
Length:  11.5 inches
Wingspan:  19 inches


GOLDEN FRONTED WOODPECKER
photo taken:  West Guth Park
habitat map:  Woodpecker
Length:  9.5 inches
Wingspan:  17 inches


WHITE WINGED DOVE
photo taken:  West Guth Park
habitat map:  Dove
Length:  11-12 inches
Wingspan:  17-18 inches



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PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK:
Jean at NotSoOrganized
Birds Seen in Europe and Africa
Linda,Virginia, USA
Arun
Travels With Birds [no hyperlink]
Lea's Menagerie
Rosyfinch Ramblings
Lavender Dreams
Phil UK
Eileen

§ Migrants....and Locals

It was grand seeing the three migrant birds this week! Along with regular, permanent Texas residents of course. I never tire of seeing the same species over and over again. I just like photographing them and perhaps comparing the plumage from one season to the next. I remember when I began my birding 'fetish' [hobby] and learning all the hundreds of TEXAS birds...thinking I knew it all in just over three months. Lo and behold, the breeding plumages threw me on a kilter, and I had to re-learn. But, what a good challenge it's been. This week, here are some I took pictures of for this post:

AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER [winter plumage]
photo taken:  Corpus Christi Botanical Gardens
habitat map:  Plover


BLACK THROATED GREEN WARBLER
photo taken:  Oso Bay Wetlands
habitat map:  Warbler


NORTHERN CARDINAL
photo taken: Blucher Park
habitat map:  Cardinal


VERMILLION FLYCATCHER [immature or female?]
photo taken:  Packery Channel Park
habitat map:  Flycatcher


CRESTED CARACARA [immature ...notice the pink instead of orange on adult]
photo taken:  Mustang Island Highway
habitat map:  Caracara


VERMILION FLYCATCHER [adult male]
photo taken:  Botanical Gardens
habitat map:  Flycatcher


ANHINGA
photo taken:  Caribbean Drive Ponds
habitat map:  Anhinga


Texas State Bird NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD
photo taken:  Bazemore Park
habitat map:  Mockingbird


PS...in America, each of the 50 states have a state bird....what is your state bird?


These are those that participated this week:

Hootin' Anni
Lea's Menagerie
Phil UK
Lavender Dreams
Rosyfinch Ramblings
Eileen
Travel with Birds
Orchid
Christina, Sweeden
A Quiet Corner




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§ 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

CROSSLEY ID GUIDE -comparing photos
Western Sandpiper description

ID'ing Sandpipers

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

habitat map: Black Crested Titmouse

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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