§ Look Up...It's a Plane...It's Superman...No, It's a Bird!!!

Have you ever heard of Warbler Neck? No, not possessive as in Warbler's...it's not the neck of the warbler...but, it's from using your binoculars, or just looking up in the trees for a long period of time during your outing...looking for birds. It happens to all of us at one time or another. Especially during the migration season, and the birds are flocking into the woods, and you're almost forced to .... LOOK UP! During the course of the year, all seasons, it's hard NOT to look up in search for birds flitting from branch to branch, tree to tree.  To me, Warbler Neck is a badge of honor!!!

I'm reminded of an article I read online several years ago. It goes like this:

“There it is in that green tree. It’s at 5 o’clock. Now it’s at 9 o’clock. Now it’s about 9 minutes to 5.”

And, if you take this sport [or hobby; obsession] seriously, you can understand that statement above.  With all too clear of truth to it!!  Especially with WARBLERS.  Oh how they love to flit around; always on the move.  This week I thought I'd do a theme of birds captured, where else? In the trees of course!!!

NORTHERN CARDINAL
photo taken:  Calallen Texas Hawkwatch Platform
habitat map:  Cardinal


CRESTED CARACARA
photo taken:  Bazemore Park
habitat map:  Caracara


BALTIMORE ORIOLE
photo taken:  Packery Channel Park
habitat map:  Oriole


ANHINGA
photo taken:  Carribean Drive Ponds
habitat map:  Anhinga


COOPERS HAWK
photo taken:  Rose Hill Cemetery
habitat map:  Hawk


LEAST FLYCATCHER
photo taken:  Oso Bay Wetlands
habitat map:  Flycatcher


EASTERN PHOEBE
photo taken:  Pollywog Ponds
habitat map:  Phoebe


GREEN KINGFISHER
photo taken:  Bazemore Park
habitat map:  Kingfisher


SCISSORTAILED FLYCATCHER
photo taken:  County Road 70
habitat map:  Flycatcher



GOLDEN FRONTED WOODPECKER
photo taken:  Blucher Park
habitat map:  Woodpecker


_ _ _ _

And last but not least....of course, a Warbler! I'm not sure my ID is correct, but with the yellow breast, white belly, dark wing and wing bars...the clear sight of its yellow eye ring, Id guess it's a:

PINE WARBLER
photo taken: Leonabelle Refuge
habitat map: Warbler

correct me if I'm wrong with identification with the warbler above.






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§ A Lifetime Experience...

Once again, a long write-up. It's mainly to note my experience as a diary entry. So, bear with me. Partially, the photos are small in pixel size to prevent slow speed connections/loading time. They all can be enlarged for closer viewing. Since it's Halloween, I wanted to share the ultimate Halloween Bird...the Wicked Looking Vulture.


Black Vultures - photo shared in 2012 - taken in Texas Hill Country
BLACK VULTURE habitat range: here

I was the only one at Pollywog Ponds on this particular Tuesday. For the most part, that didn't surprise me in the least. The area isn't a 'popular place' for birders because it's not well kept. The half mile walk is most always high grasses, water moccasins, oftentimes broken tree limbs in the path, and the year 'round mosquito population...if you're not drenched in repellent, they'll carry you off and feast on you!! But...it was a beautiful day, mild temperatures, no wind, sunny. On ground, the bird population was almost nil. Yet, the quietness, I was soaking in with relish!! Just me, the dew laden grass path, and nature. Into the heavily wooded area about 25 feet, a large owl startled me from my reverie. I tried to follow its flight path visionally but lost it in the dense canopy ahead. When I arrived at the ponds, I found very little bird activity. One Common Egret, an Eastern Phoebe singing the "Phoebe Chorus", a Northern Cardinal, a Lincoln's sparrow, two American Coots, a pair of cormorants, a Swainson's hawk flying high above the river at the end of the trail. 

Lincoln's Sparrow [2] and Swainson's Hawk


Eastern Phoebe

So, I started heading back to drive to Bazemore Park about 10 miles from Pollywog Ponds.  While heading back to the car,  I sighted in on a Black Tern, an uncooperative [Least?] flycatcher that refused to give me a face on stance showing just its back feather pattern, a Tennessee Warbler, and a Spotted Sandpiper, in its winter garb, flew in and did its dance for me while I took photos.


Spotted Sandpiper [winter plumage]


Least Flycatcher and Tennessee Warbler


Black Tern


Nearing the open area where I had parked the car, I heard a bird call and stopped to inspect the trees behind me for any movement in and around the branches. I didn't see anything and the song wasn't heard again. For some reason, I looked up. I felt in awe and quite humbled!! Something I have always wanted to see, but until this day...never have I witnessed such a phenomenon of nature. Of course my photos do NOT show the sight well, trust me when I tell you the sky was like someone opened up dozens of black pepper shakers and tossed the entire contents to the wind!! The cobalt blue sky was literally freckled with black! Swirling, soaring, silent...masses of black. I was stupefied; observing!!! Miles upon miles of migrating vultures!!! While I watched in a near trance, I soon was trying to estimate the numbers. From where I stood, probably 2500 to 5000 [turkey vultures] strewn across the sky!! I was sure that was too high a count, but maybe not so far off after all...........

Top two photos are of no zoom lens...just straight from the camera.  LOOK CLOSER IN THE SKY...see the black pepper specks?  Those are hundreds of Turkey Vultures on the move.  I'm not sure you'd call this 'migration' since these birds are considered 'permanent' residents.  But surely, not in these masses...



Zooming in....then, really zooming in! 

The next morning, I opened the frequented site online and read this:

From Texas Birds of the American Birding Association reads from this post dated October 27th, 2015:

At about 9:45 am, we were on CR 77 heading toward the Nueces River plain when the first vultures started taking flight. Within minutes there were lots of little "fountains" or "geysers" of vultures popping up as far as I could see along the course of the riverbed. It was pretty cool. After another 15 minutes or so, they started to group together and search for bigger thermals, and the groups started moving west and south. I had to drop Norm at the airport, so from that time onward I would occasionally glance at the skies - pure blue with no clouds - I did not envy the hawk counters at Hazel Bazemore that day. Erik just walked in the door and announced "Today we blew away yesterday's Turkey Vulture count - over 80,000!!!" Just one stream was over 27,000 birds and took over an hour to pass by -

Now share your birding experiences:








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§ Island Birding...

Where do I begin? Early last Saturday morning, I went to the islands by myself. Bud stayed home... I think he missed out on a good bird trip!! But, that's my opinion.

The first stop was Leonabelle Turnbull Nature Center. The large pond was active with so many different birds, I was thrilled. And still I didn't know where to point the camera first. Excuse my terminology, but there were oodles of different birds. Baby Chicks, Gallinules, Coots, herons, sandpipers, willets, bitterns, egrets, gulls, grackles, terns, stilts, warblers along the walkway before entering the pond area, flycatchers, cormorants and more... too numerous to mention.

The first that caught my eye were the Common Gallinule Chicks [moorhens]. So ugly; can't help but think they're adorable sweeties...and oh so vulnerable.

GALLINULE CHICKS [moorhen]
photos taken: Leonabelle Turnbull Nature Center - Port Aransas, Texas
habitat range: Gallinule


Along the boardwalk just feet from the babies, I spotted other birds, swimming in the water...



DOUBLE CRESTED CORMORANT [young] & PIED BILLED GREBE
photos taken: Leonabelle Turnbull Nature Center - Port Aransas, Texas
habitat range: Cormorant, Pied Billed Grebe


Scanning the reed grasses [cattail] I spotted a Least Bittern, grooming.



LEAST BITTERN
photos taken: Leonabelle Turnbull Nature Center - Port Aransas, Texas
habitat range: Bittern

I was hoping the Bittern would take flight while I stood and watched it through the camera lens, but no go. I did get some 'action' shots off to my left as a Snowy Egret came flying in...

SNOWY EGRET
photos taken:  Leonabelle Turnbull Nature Center - Port Aransas, Texas
habitat range:  Egret

As I got to the end of the boardwalk, and the last platform I turned around to leave for another "hot spot". Nearing the parking lot, I stopped to watch a Least Flycatcher [If it is an incorrect ID, please inform me] catch its breakfast...

LEAST FLYCATCHER
photos taken: Leonabelle Turnbull Nature Center - Port Aransas, Texas
habitat range: Flycatcher

I will conclude my short solo excursion next week, with Paradise Pond birds!!

Now, share your birding experiences:








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