I'd Rather B Birdin': House SPARROW

Showing posts with label House SPARROW. Show all posts

§ Down By the Riverside...

Just to get away from the house for a while, I decided to take a short 30 minute drive before sunrise to Calallen, Texas, to a park, in hopes of seeing some white tailed deer. I was at the right place at the right time of morning...a beautiful buck posed for me with his harem!!
The park is maintained by the county, but volunteers strategically place seed feeders and hummingbird feeders here and there.
Afterward, I parked the car and walked some to see what birds I could find. Here they are [more were seen but few photos that day]. I enjoyed the cool breeze and the solitude with just a drifting melody of birdsong...

Sunrise on the lake [one of two]

CATTLE EGRETS ON THE RIVER
Habitat map: Egret

GREEN JAY
Habitat map: Jay

NORTHERN CARDINAL [female]
Habitat map: Cardinal

HOUSE SPARROWS
Habitat map: Sparrow

RUBY THROATED HUMMINGBIRD
Habitat map: Hummingbird

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§ Officer Garcia spoiled my plans...

It's been another quiet week of going birding. I visited only a couple of parks and the nearby Navy Base Road with the usual waterfowl. I must admit this past week has been mainly doing odd jobs here and there. Lawn mowing, edging, safety inspection for auto license renewal. And then, the jinx was on my shoulder one day at the grocery store. A cop followed me into the parking lot with his Christmas Tree lights flashing...when I parked, he parked right behind me! I knew I did nothing wrong, but couldn't figure out what the problem was...I got out. As nonchalantly as I could muster. He said "Ma'am...[I don't like being called ma'am], your brake light on the passenger side is burnt out!" We talked a bit while he was filling out the warning for me to sign. Next day, I had to return to the mechanic to get the bulb replaced. Don't laugh, but Bud and I tried off and on the day before to loosen the socket from the chassis...it wouldn't budge! It took the technician less than 5 minutes....but it spoiled my morning chance of birding...again!! After that, I was in no mood to do much but go back home and chill-out.

GREAT KISKADEE
[partial yellow crest showing! Some day I'm gonna witness the FULL crest]
Habitat map: Kiskadee

GREAT TAILED GRACKLE
Habitat map: Grackle

BALTIMORE ORIOLE
Habitat map: Oriole

BLACK CRESTED TITMOUSE
Habitat map: Titmouse

RUDDY TURNSTONE
Habitat map: Turnstone

HOUSE SPARROWS
Habitat map: Sparrow

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§ Garden Birds...

It's been a quiet week for birding. The temperatures have soared, a tropical storm in the Gulf as I type this up on Thursday, but we will feel a lot more humidity because of the storm front-if possible! lol], and I have to really stick close to home and do some yard work with Bud before each day gets too hot to be outdoors. We got way behind in the yard cleanup with Erik being here for a week and the flooding rains; waiting for things to dry out so we we're not sinking in the mud...and now, I don't want us to suffer heat stroke [108°-112°F 44.4°C] So, I share the few birds I spotted as I walked the trails through the Botanical Gardens early one morning over a week ago. As you can see, the birds sighted are quite common throughout North America, except for the "Texas Kiskadee"...

EGRETS Herons and ducks on the far side of the larger lake

HOUSE SPARROWS
Habitat map: Sparrow

KILLDEER
Habitat map: Killdeer

NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD
Habitat map: Mockingbird

GREAT KISKADEE
Habitat map: Kiskadee

MOURNING DOVE
Habitat map: Dove

I hope the Linking Tool works this week. Seems last week their server was down for a few hours! I couldn't do anything to assist except wait for the return. Apologies.

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§ Lakeview Fowl...

Most of my initial conversation today will be on the book I just finished reading: "THE GENIUS OF BIRDS" by Jennifer Ackerman. My opinion of the book is just that...MY opinion. All in all, if you're in the least interested in birds and what they 'think', why they 'act as they do', their 'learning skills', tool making and even bird art; the scientific approach of their brain/genius, then, this is the book for you!! Throughout the pages, there is wit, wisdom, and wonderment! You will read about decades of scientific research on the brain functions/size of brain through trials and tribulations of many species. There are success stories, and things that go 'flat'...literally [page 92 of the soft paperback edition] in reference to a Kea letting air out an automobile tire [intentional maybe? Who knows!] Another few pages that had me laughing out loud was a family parrot...learning the language of humans and imitating sounds that it heard throughout the day...for instance the human couple's voices where their tone was spot on and confused the two - it was the bird! And more antics, the sound of the cellphone ringing...again perfect pitch...and again, the bird! -The bird would even mimic the man, answering the phone "hello"...Uhuh, uhuh, uhuh"...then the sound of a flat ringtone; hanging up [page 146-47]. Perusing the book if you choose, you'll also learn theories about bird navigation, the use of stars and at times how they can become disorientated. At one point near the end, I found myself in just a tad bit of puzzlement. Throughout many pages Ms. Ackerman covered how birds can smell...the nerve is in their beaks that submit neurons to their brains...experimenting with crows and how to award them with a correct decision from identical shapes [the award was a morsel of food] --- it continued to pick the correct two pairs of matching images...well, perhaps, but she never mentioned that it was all possible the bird could SMELL the food?!! Why wasn't that brought to our attention? A worthy book to read, 4 stars out of 5 being the best kind of book...it is on the New York Times Bestseller List!

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Oh, I failed to mention...Ms. Ackerman also pointed out that the House Sparrow [see below] can be found on EVERY continent but Antarctica. Okay, on with my birding:

Tho the thermometer reads in the high 80's low 90s, the heat index has been enough for the weather app on my phone to issue heat advisories of 110-114 degrees! So, these photos I share today are some from a couple of weeks ago while on an early morning stroll around the lake at a city park that is home to many, many pigeons and gulls, along with several domesticated ducks and geese. Every once in a while cormorants, egrets, herons, teals, a few sandpipers may be seen. Oh and two resident roosters!! It's a popular place for parents to bring their small children to feed the waterfowl and turtles!!

photos taken: Lakeview Park - Corpus Christi, Texas

MUSCOVY DUCKS and ducklings
habitat map: Muscovy

CORMORANTS
habitat map: Cormorants

HOUSE SPARROW [female]
habitat map: Sparrow

MOTTLED DUCKS
habitat map: Duck

Now share your birding experiences:

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§ Stopping to Rest...

please note: I may not be online to view your valued posts this week until later...I've explained it all on THIS POST.

The following images are not the best I've taken [but they're not the worst either...lol]. Bud and I stopped at a 'hot spot' in Brooks County Texas about a week ago...for a pit stop. Yes, a rest area on one of the busiest highways in south central Texas. And by busy, I can vouch for all the truck traffic zipping by at high speeds. Yet, this rest stop is a favorite for some migrating birds. And, yes, last Spring, the very vagrant bird, the Painted Redstart that I photographed and shared a few months back, returned this Fall! Same area...same rest stop. Altho, it was very elusive and very active, photos of the redstart were nigh on to impossible to get any good ones that day. And we were in a bit of a hurry to get back on the road, so not much time taken on this day. There were many, many sparrows, green jays, and woodpeckers. And just before we were getting ready to leave and drive on, a few bluebirds showed themselves. All I saw were three males; no females. With that little bit of background of our road trip, I share what few photos I took before heading down the road once again----

PAINTED REDSTART
EASTERN BLUEBIRD
GOLDEN FRONTED WOODPECKER
COMMON HOUSE SPARROW
photos taken: Brooks County Rest Area - outside of Falfurrias, Texas
habitat maps: Painted Redstart, Eastern Bluebird, Golden Fronted Woodpecker, House Sparrow

TRIVIA: The oldest recorded Eastern Bluebird was 10 years 5 months old

Now share your birding experiences:

§ Down By the Riverside...

§ Officer Garcia spoiled my plans...

§ Garden Birds...

§ Lakeview Fowl...

§ Stopping to Rest...

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