Our salt air at the beach is tough on outside equipment

We got the television satellite dish new last January. The chain that drives the dish up and down rusted through and broke while we were in Florida last October so we had it replaced. Now the dish needs a new skew motor and sensor. Until we get that fixed, each time we move the coach, I have to go up on the roof and point the dish by compass and guesswork until I stumble upon a signal, then lock it in place.
Not just anyone can work on these Motosat satellite dishes. We have two choices in South Texas. There is one guy north of Houston and a guy in San Antonio. So far we’ve used the Houston guy. We don’t want to go to Houston again yet, so we decided to try the guy in San Antonio. When we called to arrange a visit, we found out he was actually down south in Harlingen for a few months, so here we are, in a giant RV Park in Harlingen, getting our skew motor fixed.
Here is another Wood Duck picture from Saturday.

Life Bird!

Yellow-Billed Loon at Canyon Lake. He was too far out to get a good picture, but we could see him well enough to make the call.
We went by Landa Park in New Braunfels on the way back and got some good Lesser Scaup and Wood Ducks though.

Annie and Eddie

Annie has a boyfriend: Eddie, a King Charles Spaniel. She likes Eddie. She even lets him wear her Halloween hat.


Last weekend they went boating together.

Choke Canyon State Park

We like it here.

Our campsite.


Our morning view

Last night was busy though. Before midnight we heard Great Horned Owls calling, so we got up and looked at them. More toward morning we heard Javelina snorting and squealing outside our bedroom window. We didn’t get up for them, but Annie did. She dashed across us to bark them away. Twice.

Annie

Annie’s vocabulary evolves. A long time ago, she starting having a bad reaction to the word “bath”. She didn’t necessarily mind the actuality of the bath, but she would shiver at the mention of it, so we started spelling it. She learned that. We switched to referring to it as “going to see Melissa” the groomer. She likes Melissa, but learned to associate her name with the dreaded bath so we had to make up a new reference. Last week Annie had a “balloon ride”.

Tuesday

We’re on the road. Camping. Choke Canyon State Park. White-tailed deer, javelina, green jays, wild turkey, bobcat.

Fashion Show

Judy organized a fashion show for the RV Park. Caroline from Island Woman brought the outfits. Several women from the park modeled the clothes. Julie brought Miche bags. Jewelry by Beaded Essence. Jeff poured the wine. Artichoke dip. Fruit dip. Pinwheels with ham, turkey, and guacamole. Friends helped.

There was even an appearance by a giant leprechaun.

And just for the record, I swear that wasn’t me in a dress. It was my twin sister. We call her the twisted sister.

Matt

Matt and Lindsay (and Lindsay’s sister Kelley) went to a friend’s wedding last week; on a cruise ship; in the Virgin Islands!

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary

Quoth the Mockingbird, “Nevermore”.

Can you find the...

Can you find the Cinnamon Teal in this picture?

Long-billed Thrasher

 

I didn’t get any good pictures of him in the overcast morning light, but I did get him singing.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3g-mawqlLQ

 

 

Wednesday

A black bellied whistling duck day. Small flocks flying back and forth overhead this morning. A flock of four circled and landed across the pond from us.

Warm nights. Furnaces off. Windows open. Good sleeping weather. Don’t need the air conditioning yet.

Bonaparte’s Gulls bobbing around next to the south jetty.

And a quick video of them on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8vndgqKN2Y

They kind of look like phalaropes when they swim. Phalarope gulls.

The northern jacana takes a walk

Cinnamon Teal

…and with a Blue-Winged Teal.

Birding

This birding thing can be a dirty business. To get to a good burrowing owl site, it might involve driving on a road like this (level, but very slippery):


Leaving the Jeep looking like this (not much traction left with these tires):


Just try to imagine how long it took Judy to get that all washed off…

Paradise Pond

Last year, Paradise Pond was a dry grassy field. This year it has water in it again.



And turtles.

Friday

Judy emptied the rain gauge at 5 inches this morning. That’s a lot of rain in one night. Showery today. Exercised indoors. Played racquetball with Russ. That felt good.

Got my 2010 haircut early this year. Got sheared this week.

Loggerhead Shrike

Weather

 

The weather warmed back up into the sixties.  It has been nice the last few days, but the rain storms hit again tonight.  Still warm, but HEAVY rain.  A DOWNPOUR.  We’ll probably get as much rain as Denver gets all year long.  Again.

 

It’s supposed to stop by Saturday morning.

 

 

Long-billed Curlew

Hooded Mergansers

Bufflehead ducks

Scissortail Flycatcher

The Big Year

 

Here it is.  Our last big bird list of 2009.

 

But first, I digress.  When Jon announced he was doing a 2009 Texas Big Year, I declared an additional contest.  I thought maybe we could match Jon’s birding skills with our geography.  He was going to get all the birds he could entirely within one state; Texas.  Judy and I would count birds from everywhere we went in North America and see who came out with the most.  He only birded in one state.  We birded in 22 states, two provinces, two countries.  How hard could it be to get as many birds as he did?

 

Jon got off to a quick start.  By the end of January he had 225 birds.  We were at 141, pretty far behind already, but we expected that.  We figured he would run out of birds he could get in Texas.  We were going to get birds that don’t go anywhere near Texas.  We were going to catch-up when we started traveling to new habitats.

 

We didn’t leave South Texas until mid-July.  By that time Jon had 426 species; more than we were going to get all year.  We got birds he couldn’t, but still, there was no catching up.

 

Our total for the year ended up at 389.

 

Jon’s total for the year ended up at 443.

http://www.mcintyrebirdingtours.com/2009yearlist.html

 

We got smoked.

 

But it was a great year for us.  389 species.  A record year.  Our previous best was 356 in 2008.

 

1	Black-bellied Whistling-Duck	Texas
2	Fulvous Whistling-Duck	Texas
3	Greater White-fronted Goose	Texas
4	Snow Goose	Texas
5	Ross's Goose	Texas
6	Cackling Goose	Alberta
7	Wood Duck	Alberta
8	Gadwall	Texas
9	American Wigeon	Texas
10	Mallard	Texas
11	Mottled Duck	Texas
12	Blue-winged Teal	Texas
13	Cinnamon Teal	Texas
14	Northern Shoveler	Texas
15	Northern Pintail	Texas
16	Green-winged Teal	Texas
17	Canvasback	Texas
18	Redhead	Texas
19	Ring-necked Duck	Texas
20	Lesser Scaup	Texas
21	Surf Scoter	Texas
22	Bufflehead	Texas
23	Common Goldeneye	Alberta
24	Hooded Merganser	Alberta
25	Common Merganser	Montana
26	Red-breasted Merganser	Texas
27	Ruddy Duck	Texas
28	Plain Chachalaca	Texas
29	Ring-necked Pheasant	North Dakota
30	Sharp-tailed Grouse	North Dakota
31	Wild Turkey	Texas
32	Northern Bobwhite	Texas
33	Common Loon	Texas
34	Least Grebe	Texas
35	Pied-billed Grebe	Texas
36	Eared Grebe	Texas
37	Western Grebe	Colorado
38	Clark's Grebe	Colorado
39	Masked Booby	Florida
40	Brown Booby	Florida
41	Northern Gannet	Texas
42	American White Pelican	Texas
43	Brown Pelican	Texas
44	Neotropic Cormorant	Texas
45	Double-crested Cormorant	Texas
46	Anhinga	Texas
47	Magnificent Frigatebird	Texas
48	Least Bittern	Texas
49	Great Blue Heron	Texas
50	Great Egret	Texas
51	Snowy Egret	Texas
52	Little Blue Heron	Texas
53	Tricolored Heron	Texas
54	Reddish Egret	Texas
55	Cattle Egret	Texas
56	Green Heron	Texas
57	Black-crowned Night-Heron	Texas
58	Yellow-crowned Night-Heron	Texas
59	White Ibis	Texas
60	Glossy Ibis	Florida
61	White-faced Ibis	Texas
62	Roseate Spoonbill	Texas
63	Wood Stork	Georgia
64	Black Vulture	Texas
65	Turkey Vulture	Texas
66	Osprey	Texas
67	White-tailed Kite	Texas
68	Snail Kite	Florida
69	Mississippi Kite	Colorado
70	Bald Eagle	Texas
71	Northern Harrier	Texas
72	Sharp-shinned Hawk	Texas
73	Cooper's Hawk	Texas
74	Harris's Hawk	Texas
75	Red-shouldered Hawk	Texas
76	Broad-winged Hawk	Texas
77	Gray Hawk	Texas
78	Swainson's Hawk	Texas
79	White-tailed Hawk	Texas
80	Red-tailed Hawk	Texas
81	Ferruginous Hawk	Colorado
82	Golden Eagle	Colorado
83	Crested Caracara	Texas
84	American Kestrel	Texas
85	Merlin	Texas
86	Aplomado Falcon	Texas
87	Peregrine Falcon	Texas
88	Prairie Falcon	Montana
89	Clapper Rail	Texas
90	King Rail	Texas
91	Virginia Rail	Texas
92	Sora	Texas
93	Purple Gallinule	Texas
94	Common Moorhen	Texas
95	American Coot	Texas
96	Limpkin	Florida
97	Sandhill Crane	Texas
98	Whooping Crane	Texas
99	Black-bellied Plover	Texas
100	American Golden-Plover	Texas
101	Snowy Plover	Texas
102	Wilson's Plover	Texas
103	Semipalmated Plover	Texas
104	Piping Plover	Texas
105	Killdeer	Texas
106	American Oystercatcher	Texas
107	Black-necked Stilt	Texas
108	American Avocet	Texas
109	Northern Jacana	Texas
110	Spotted Sandpiper	Texas
111	Greater Yellowlegs	Texas
112	Willet	Texas
113	Lesser Yellowlegs	Texas
114	Upland Sandpiper	Texas
115	Whimbrel	Texas
116	Long-billed Curlew	Texas
117	Marbled Godwit	Texas
118	Ruddy Turnstone	Texas
119	Red Knot	Texas
120	Sanderling	Texas
121	Semipalmated Sandpiper	Texas
122	Western Sandpiper	Texas
123	Least Sandpiper	Texas
124	White-rumped Sandpiper	Texas
125	Baird's Sandpiper	Texas
126	Pectoral Sandpiper	Texas
127	Purple Sandpiper	Texas
128	Dunlin	Texas
129	Stilt Sandpiper	Texas
130	Buff-breasted Sandpiper	Texas
131	Short-billed Dowitcher	Texas
132	Long-billed Dowitcher	Texas
133	Wilson's Snipe	Texas
134	Wilson's Phalarope	Texas
135	Laughing Gull	Texas
136	Franklin's Gull	Texas
137	Ring-billed Gull	Texas
138	California Gull	Utah
139	Herring Gull	Texas
140	Lesser Black-backed Gull	Texas
141	Least Tern	Texas
142	Gull-billed Tern	Texas
143	Caspian Tern	Texas
144	Black Tern	Texas
145	Common Tern	Texas
146	Forster's Tern	Texas
147	Royal Tern	Texas
148	Sandwich Tern	Texas
149	Black Skimmer	Texas
150	Rock Pigeon	Texas
151	White-crowned Pigeon	Florida
152	Eurasian Collared-Dove	Texas
153	White-winged Dove	Texas
154	Mourning Dove	Texas
155	Inca Dove	Texas
156	Common Ground-Dove	Texas
157	White-tipped Dove	Texas
158	Monk Parakeet	Texas
159	Green Parakeet	Texas
160	Red-crowned Parrot	Texas
161	Yellow-billed Cuckoo	Texas
162	Greater Roadrunner	Texas
163	Groove-billed Ani	Texas
164	Barn Owl	Texas
165	Eastern Screech-Owl	Texas
166	Great Horned Owl	Texas
167	Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl	Texas
168	Elf Owl	Texas
169	Barred Owl	Texas
170	Short-eared Owl	Texas
171	Common Nighthawk	Texas
172	Common Pauraque	Texas
173	Chuck-will's-widow	Texas
174	Chimney Swift	Texas
175	Vaux's Swift	Montana
176	White-throated Swift	Colorado
177	Buff-bellied Hummingbird	Texas
178	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Texas
179	Black-chinned Hummingbird	Texas
180	Broad-tailed Hummingbird	Colorado
181	Rufous Hummingbird	Colorado
182	Allen's Hummingbird	Texas
183	Ringed Kingfisher	Texas
184	Belted Kingfisher	Texas
185	Green Kingfisher	Texas
186	Golden-fronted Woodpecker	Texas
187	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Texas
188	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Texas
189	Ladder-backed Woodpecker	Texas
190	Downy Woodpecker	Texas
191	Hairy Woodpecker	Florida
192	Red-cockaded Woodpecker	Texas
193	American Three-toed Woodpecker	Montana
194	Northern Flicker	Colorado
195	Pileated Woodpecker	Texas
196	Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet	Texas
197	Olive-sided Flycatcher	Texas
198	Western Wood-Pewee	Colorado
199	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Texas
200	Yellow-bellied Flycatcher	Texas
201	Acadian Flycatcher	Texas
202	Alder Flycatcher	Alberta
203	Willow Flycatcher	Texas
204	Least Flycatcher	Texas
205	Hammond's Flycatcher	Montana
206	Dusky Flycatcher	Idaho
207	Eastern Phoebe	Texas
208	Say's Phoebe	Colorado
209	Vermilion Flycatcher	Texas
210	Ash-throated Flycatcher	Texas
211	Great Crested Flycatcher	Texas
212	Brown-crested Flycatcher	Texas
213	Great Kiskadee	Texas
214	Tropical Kingbird	Texas
215	Couch's Kingbird	Texas
216	Western Kingbird	Texas
217	Eastern Kingbird	Texas
218	Scissor-tailed Flycatcher	Texas
219	Loggerhead Shrike	Texas
220	White-eyed Vireo	Texas
221	Black-capped Vireo	Texas
222	Yellow-throated Vireo	Florida
223	Plumbeous Vireo	Texas
224	Blue-headed Vireo	Texas
225	Warbling Vireo	Texas
226	Philadelphia Vireo	Texas
227	Red-eyed Vireo	Texas
228	Black-whiskered Vireo	Texas
229	Gray Jay	Alberta
230	Steller's Jay	Colorado
231	Blue Jay	Texas
232	Green Jay	Texas
233	Western Scrub-Jay	Texas
234	Pinyon Jay	Colorado
235	Clark's Nutcracker	Idaho
236	Black-billed Magpie	Colorado
237	American Crow	Texas
238	Fish Crow	Georgia
239	Chihuahuan Raven	Texas
240	Common Raven	Texas
241	Horned Lark	Colorado
242	Purple Martin	Texas
243	Tree Swallow	Texas
244	Violet-green Swallow	Colorado
245	Northern Rough-winged Swallow	Texas
246	Bank Swallow	Texas
247	Cliff Swallow	Texas
248	Cave Swallow	Texas
249	Barn Swallow	Texas
250	Carolina Chickadee	Texas
251	Black-capped Chickadee	Colorado
252	Mountain Chickadee	Colorado
253	Boreal Chickadee	Alberta
254	Tufted Titmouse	Texas
255	Black-crested Titmouse	Texas
256	Verdin	Texas
257	Bushtit	Texas
258	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Montana
259	White-breasted Nuthatch	South Dakota
260	Brown-headed Nuthatch	Texas
261	Cactus Wren	Texas
262	Rock Wren	Colorado
263	Canyon Wren	Texas
264	Bewick's Wren	Texas
265	House Wren	Texas
266	Sedge Wren	Texas
267	Marsh Wren	Texas
268	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Texas
269	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Texas
270	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	Texas
271	Eastern Bluebird	Texas
272	Western Bluebird	Colorado
273	Mountain Bluebird	Colorado
274	Townsend's Solitaire	Montana
275	Veery	Texas
276	Gray-cheeked Thrush	Texas
277	Swainson's Thrush	Texas
278	Hermit Thrush	Texas
279	Wood Thrush	Texas
280	Clay-colored Thrush	Texas
281	American Robin	Texas
282	Gray Catbird	Texas
283	Northern Mockingbird	Texas
284	Sage Thrasher	Idaho
285	Brown Thrasher	Texas
286	Long-billed Thrasher	Texas
287	Curve-billed Thrasher	Texas
288	European Starling	Texas
289	Common Myna	Florida
290	American Pipit	Texas
291	Sprague's Pipit	Texas
292	Cedar Waxwing	Texas
293	Blue-winged Warbler	Texas
294	Orange-crowned Warbler	Texas
294	Tropical Parula	Texas
295	Nashville Warbler	Texas
296	Northern Parula	Texas
298	Yellow Warbler	Texas
299	Chestnut-sided Warbler	Texas
300	Magnolia Warbler	Texas
301	Cape May Warbler	Texas
302	Black-throated Blue Warbler	Texas
303	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Texas
304	Black-throated Gray Warbler	Colorado
305	Golden-cheeked Warbler	Texas
306	Black-throated Green Warbler	Texas
307	Townsend's Warbler	Montana
308	Blackburnian Warbler	Texas
309	Yellow-throated Warbler	Texas
310	Pine Warbler	Texas
311	Prairie Warbler	Texas
312	Palm Warbler	Texas
313	Bay-breasted Warbler	Texas
314	Blackpoll Warbler	Texas
315	Cerulean Warbler	Texas
316	Black-and-white Warbler	Texas
317	American Redstart	Texas
318	Worm-eating Warbler	Texas
319	Swainson's Warbler	Texas
320	Ovenbird	Texas
321	Northern Waterthrush	Texas
322	Louisiana Waterthrush	Texas
323	Kentucky Warbler	Texas
324	Mourning Warbler	Texas
325	Common Yellowthroat	Texas
326	Hooded Warbler	Texas
327	Wilson's Warbler	Texas
328	Canada Warbler	Texas
329	Yellow-breasted Chat	Texas
330	Summer Tanager	Texas
331	Scarlet Tanager	Texas
332	Western Tanager	Texas
333	Olive Sparrow	Texas
334	Green-tailed Towhee	Colorado
335	Spotted Towhee	Colorado
336	Eastern Towhee	Texas
337	Canyon Towhee	Texas
338	Bachman's Sparrow	Texas
339	Chipping Sparrow	Texas
340	Clay-colored Sparrow	Texas
341	Brewer's Sparrow	Idaho
342	Field Sparrow	Texas
343	Vesper Sparrow	Texas
344	Lark Sparrow	Texas
345	Black-throated Sparrow	Texas
346	Lark Bunting	Colorado
347	Savannah Sparrow	Texas
348	Grasshopper Sparrow	Texas
349	Le Conte's Sparrow	Texas
350	Song Sparrow	Texas
351	Lincoln's Sparrow	Texas
352	Swamp Sparrow	Texas
353	White-crowned Sparrow	Texas
354	Dark-eyed Junco	Montana
355	McCown's Longspur	Colorado
356	Northern Cardinal	Texas
357	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Texas
358	Blue Bunting	Texas
359	Blue Grosbeak	Texas
360	Lazuli Bunting	Texas
361	Indigo Bunting	Texas
362	Painted Bunting	Texas
363	Dickcissel	Texas
364	Red-winged Blackbird	Texas
365	Eastern Meadowlark	Texas
366	Western Meadowlark	Texas
367	Yellow-headed Blackbird	Colorado
368	Rusty Blackbird	Texas
369	Brewer's Blackbird	Texas
370	Common Grackle	Texas
371	Boat-tailed Grackle	Texas
372	Great-tailed Grackle	Texas
373	Bronzed Cowbird	Texas
374	Brown-headed Cowbird	Texas
375	Orchard Oriole	Texas
376	Hooded Oriole	Texas
377	Bullock's Oriole	Texas
378	Altamira Oriole	Texas
379	Baltimore Oriole	Texas
380	Scott's Oriole	Texas
381	Pine Grosbeak	Colorado
382	Cassin's Finch	Idaho
383	House Finch	Texas
384	Pine Siskin	Texas
385	Lesser Goldfinch	Texas
386	American Goldfinch	Texas
387	Evening Grosbeak	Montana
388	House Sparrow	Texas
389	Eurasian Tree Sparrow	Missouri