I'd Rather B Birdin': Canvasback Duck

At the end of November and the first couple of weeks in December this past year [2014], while Bud and I visited the local Botanical Gardens, the surrounding outdoor property, that belongs to the Gardens, has a vast outdoor/nature hiking trail for pedestrian traffic and us avid birders. There is a pond with an elevated watch tower, a palm frond covered gazebo, and a wetlands boardwalk trail. When we checked in and paid our fee to go birding along the trails, the gift shop docent informed us there were two Great Horned Owls in the huge tree along the wetlands. One smaller and one very large owl. Natually, Bud and I made our way to stop at the wetlands first! The two of us only spotted the large Great Horned...

...we have yet to go back and check if the 2nd one is again visible. While there, tho, we also saw many American Shovelers, Coots, Egrets, White Pelicans in the canal flats. Along with coots, pintail, and shovelers in the pond [Gator Lake]. Of course as we walked the trail to the wetlands boardwalk, there were White Winged Doves and Northern Mockingbirds. In our area of Texas you can't go much of anywhere without seeing these two bird species.

GREAT HORNED OWL
photos taken: Botanical Gardens Wetlands
habitat map: Great Horned Owl

And it seems 2015 will be another year for some vagrant birds found mostly on the coastal waters and in Canada; in South Texas! This past Sunday, we actually had some sunshine. But, oh the cold winds coming off the Gulf was seriously bone chilling!! We didn't stay out long when arriving at our favorite spots. Most of the birds were hunkered down in the cold anyway....not very much activity. Then, by the time we got back home, I got an email alert that we had an unusual bird seen inland at Mustang Island State Park. Bud stayed home, I hopped in the car with my camera and drove back to the island in hopes of finding this 'new' species. I did...but the lighting wasn't all that good, and the winds remained cold and strong. I am now paying for being out in the weather...a nasty cold.

...a Surf Scoter ['o' pronounced like coat,...scoater] He was on the pond, with a female Canvasback and an American Coot

SURF SCOTER
photos taken: Mustang Island State Park
habitat map: Surf Scoter

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Some here in our world of birding are going to be participating in Christmas Bird Count. If you are scheduled to take part in the count on certain days allotted, I wish you the best of luck, and hoping your tally is a great number!!! I've taken this time to have a pre-scheduled post to go out on Saturday...since I won't be back online, blogging, until after Christmas.

Now, on with the photo shares of mine this week. On the islands in the Gulf of Mexico nearby, the mudflats of the northern Charlie's Pasture Reserve, Bud and I walked the entire distance. A three/four mile round trip trek above the flats on a winding, twisting, boardwalk. Guess what, it was another wintry day, with a light mist falling on us at times. The walk begins at the hiking pavilion. There, there is a small pond. We scanned the pond and in amongst the dozens of redhead ducks, I think I spotted a Canvasback Duck. They are reported to mingle with redheads. I zoomed in on it and took a very blurred photo. We began walking on the gravel pathway to get around to the locale where the ducks were, but once we got closer, the ducks flew off and left to the far distance to not return for some time. I only have these two photos for records. And to be honest, I'm not entirely positive it WAS a Canvasback. I got no other markings, eye color or anything once they 'flew the coop'! If it is, I'm pleased to have seen one in all the years we've taken up birding as a hobby. If it IS a Canvasback Duck, it's the lightest [almost white] of the redheads in this paddling [group].

CANVASBACK DUCK [?]

photos taken: Charlie's Pature Preserve - Port Aransas, Texas [Mustang Island]

habitat map: Canvasback Duck

For the last several years both the Charlie's Pasture Reserves [North and South] have been dried up because of the long lasting drought we've all experienced in Texas. But, recently, the mudflats are slowly filling up and returning to normal. As is the bird population!!! At the beginning of the expanse of the long boardwalk, in the shallow waters, we saw, plovers, both lesser and greater yellowlegs, sandpipers, willets and a couple of killdeer. A white tailed hawk was perched on a large pole in the far distance across the pasture land.

Egrets and herons flew over and several flocks of ducks blackened the sky at times.

Then, about midway on our morning trek, the water was nearly nil, but the earth was moving!! We got our binoculars up and sighted some horned larks. They were scurrying around all too swiftly to get real good photos, but I attempted to do my best since about the same time I tried to get pictures a jogger ran by the area and off they flew again...

HORNED LARK
photos taken: Charlie's Pasture North - Port Arnasas, Texas
habitat map: Horned Lark

...at the end of the trail there are two observation decks. One raised the other ground level. We climbed the raised deck and viewed the entire circumference of the mudflats. At the time, we saw only white pelicans at a short distance from us. But as we turned to leave and walk back, I took a photo of where we had been...