The rest of SandFest

SandFest

Spring Break has come and gone. We didn’t take any pictures. We stayed away from the beach.

SandFest came and went last weekend. We went to the beach on purpose.

Bird Photography

Bird photography is so easy. You just go where the birds are. Point, and click.

Scarlet Tanager


Yellow Warbler


Northern Waterthrush


Orchard Oriole


American Redstart

Hooded Warbler

Cerulean Warbler

Worm-eating Warbler. Got it!

Wow!

It has been a quiet migration. A few birds here and there. Something new every few days. Today it suddenly blew open. Warblers and vireos everywhere! My first look through the binoculars had three species in one field of view: Yellow-throated Warbler, Northern Parula, and Yellow-throated Vireo!

Here is the count:
Blue-winged Teal
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Laughing Gull
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Eastern Wood-Pewee
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Purple Martin
Barn Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Summer Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle

A lot of birds in a short amount of time.

Yesterday, the Least Bittern.

Judy/Jeep

 

One week after surgery, we had the follow-up visit with the doctor.  The knee is restored to full range of motion and almost pain-free.  Judy is walking normally for the first time in 2 ½ months.  Her shoulder surgery is scheduled for next Thursday.  I’m going to have to be nice to her again.

 

Meanwhile, there is a red rental car in our driveway.  The Jeep went dark on a pre-dawn birding trip.  There wasn’t enough light to see, so we weren’t watching birds, we were listening to them.  We were listening for night birds (specifically the Common Poorwill) in the middle of nowhere on a small County Road about 20 miles west of Orange Grove.  When it was time to move to another spot and I turned the key; nothing but a click.  Nothing but a click, no matter how many times I turned the key.  The battery was not dead.  The car needed more than a jump.  Eventually, we got a tow truck to come and take us 25 miles to Alice.  That’s where the Jeep remains; at a Jeep Dealer in the South Texas town of Alice, 75 miles from Port Aransas.

 

We drove on in a rental car.  We got back underway about noon, and still got 130 species by dark.  It was a good day birding.

 

 

Before and after

Not so big a time difference. June 2009.


April 2010. Ten months. Good Ice Plant progress.

Baby Coot

Momma coot was there in the pond next to our property, just outside the reeds, clucking and finding little bits of stuff to bring to her baby.


The baby was hidden in the reeds.


Couldn’t quite see him, but we knew he was there. Then he came out a little for a goodie.


Finally, the cute little guy came out of hiding; right out in the open so we could get a good look, and OHMYGODTHISTHINGISHIDEOUS!