Tuesday dawned as a beautiful day. Winds calm, temperature balmy. A perfect day to get out and do some early birding. A friend of mine wanted to go birding for the first time, to see what this hobby/pastime was all about. I will simply call him John Smith as that is his real name. I picked him up at his house about 8:45AM and away we went. I took him on the usual tour that Ann and always make. Ann, by the way, had to stay home and catch up on wifely chores, laundry, ironing, cleaning and the like.
Osprey in tree.
We headed for Middle Concho Park and before we got there we had already seen about 7 species, including the Osprey pictured above, sitting on a tree branch overlooking a pond near Lake Nasworthy. I think it was the same Osprey that I had photographed a few days ago, as it was on or near the same branch, but positioned slightly different for a better exposure. (Click on any picture to see an enlargement.)
Pied-billed Grebe
Inside the park, we were surprised that the parks department had already had the place cleaned up from the hordes of people that cluttered the place over the Easter weekend. We immediately saw plenty of birds, woodpeckers, grackles and even a Ruby-crowned Kinglet flitting in a small Live Oak. Along the shoreline we saw the above pictured Pied-billed Grebe. I love those little guys. They seem to be smiling and having a good time. A little farther along we saw the first of the season, for me, some Blue-winged Teals.
Blue-winged Teal
“The water sure is cold.”
“And deep, too.”
We then proceed to leave Middle Concho Park and head over to Spring Creek Park. It is actually just across the river, but with no bridge, you have to drive an approximate 7 mile trip around the lake.
Vermilion Flycatcher in mesquite tree.
Will driving in that park, we saw a Vermilion Flycatcher in front of us. I didn’t have room, or the time, to maneuver the car so this photo was taken through the car. I now am driving a brand new Ford Escape, and for some reason or other I had an easier time of getting a good focus through the glass.
Wilson’s Snipe
We proceeded to get a little closer to the shoreline, and as I drove, I told John that it would be nice to see a Wilson’s Snipe, since the habitat in that area was shallow and muddy. Sure enough, I had hardly spoken when we spotted two of them.
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks
As if seeing the snipes was surprising enough, just a few minutes later, we saw thes Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. So we had a really fun day. John said he was hooked on birding and is chomping at the bit to do it again. We ended up seeing a total of 36 species. If you are interested, here are all of them listed.
- Pied-billed Grebe
- Ring-necked Duck
- European Starling
- Great Blue Heron
- Killdeer
- American Coot
- Blue-winged Teal
- Double-crested Cormorant
- House Finch
- Ladder-backed Woodpecker
- White-winged Dove
- Mourning Dove
- Osprey
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Curve-billed Thrasher
- Golden-fronted Woodpecker
- Chipping Sparrow
- Black Vulture
- Neotropic Cormorant
- Black-bellied Whistling Duck
- Wilson’s Snipe
- Wild Turkey
- Mallard
- Northern Shoveler
- Cinnamon Teal
- Gadwall
- Belted Kingfisher
- Northern Mockingbird
- Northern Cardinal
- Vermilion Flycatcher
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Barn Swallow
- Rock Wren
- Swainson’s Hawk
- Great-tailed Grackle
Texas Tweeties by Bob Zeller 
Wow, what an amazing day! Just full of wonderful birds, Bob!
Thanks so much, Lynda. Great to hear from you again, too.
Vermilion Flycatcher caught my eye. The photos are wonderful, Bob, but that one is my favorite.
Thank you very much, Nandini. The Vermilion Flycatcher is one of my favorite birds.
I would be happy to see all those birds in a year, much less one day.
Jason, come on over to San Angelo for a day or two, and I can take to see these and maybe more.
Superb shots, Bob, and thanks for the laugh this morning!
Thanks, Jo. Glad I could give you another laugh. 🙂
Glory!!
Thanks, Rob.
Great photos, Bob. Love the Osprey! Such beautiful birds. The flycatcher is a beauty too!
I’m curious…have you ever used eBird to track your bird counts when you observe so many like this? Would be really helpful, add to the data eBird is tracking, support aggregate bird counts, track migration patterns, etc.
Thank you very much, John. In answer to your question, no I have never done anymore than just report my sightings. I realize that it would be more helpful, but my time restraints are such that I don’t have enough hours in a day. Besides general birding, I, of course, process all of my images, print for sale, do a little framing, not to mention that I am 78 years old and have a few health issues, although not serious in my opinion, they do require regular doctors visits. I hope you will visit my blog again. It is readers like you, that make me want to continue this as long as I can.
I totally understand. I’m in my 30’s and have too many time constraints. In all honesty, I can’t wait until I’m retired, have a few health issues, but the rest of my time is my own! 😛 I’d spend every free moment of it on my photography. Anyway, I’ll be around. Your on my follow list, and I keep an eye on the reader every few days.
I’m laughing at your joke in the duck caption! I caught it. One of my brothers’ favorites. 🙂
The vermillion in the mesquite…what a contrast of colors. That green is GREEN and that red is sure RED!
Thanks, Shannon. I think you are the only one that has caught it. You know me, I always like to toss in some humor when I can. Those Vermilion Flycatchers are one of favorites of the little birds. Gosh, their red color is so vibrant.
What an amazing first adventure for a newbie birder. None better to take him around, that is for sure. I see the mesquites are out there as they are here so I will be emptying my green house in favor of the porches and trees. Thanks for an enjoyable post. BTW, you are treading on thin ice with “wifely chores” but I will let you slid this once! hugs
Thanks, Beth, for the kind words. I think this time of the year is when the mesquites are the prettiest. The foliage has such a delicate lacy look. I am glad you enjoyed the post. About the ‘wifely chores’,….. I will say no more. 🙂
I enjoyed going out on the outing today. Those whistling ducks are attractive as are the others.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Jane. 🙂
How I would love to go on one of your birding expeditions. What great finds.
Emily, you would be welcome to go with us anytime you like. I appreciate your kind words. 🙂
Awesome shots…just like always Mr. Bob
The weather is trying to turn to Spring here, (thank God) alot of the birds are starting to return.
Thanks, Raven, I always appreciate your comments.
I think all of your pictures are amazing, Bob.
Thanks, Dave.
Wow, gorgeous photos, Bob. It just keeps getting better and better! What is it about spring that makes it always seem like the first time? 🙂
I don’t know, Lisa. Maybe something in the water. But it always seems like a fresh start again. 🙂
An excellent day of birding! DO you keep notes as you go as to the species? I can never remember them all unless I take photos.
Oh, yes, we, Ann or I, always have a little notebook and we write down the species, and usually the number we saw also. We then report that to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology on their e-bird website.
Outstanding, Bob! I have been thinking of you a lot lately, what with many of the Birds of Spring make their back to Maine after their long winter vacation. Over the last few days I have seen grackles (by the dozens!), cardinals, chickadees, geese, mallard ducks, robins and others whose names escape at the moment. At the school bus stop this morning I was telling one of my neighbors about you, Texas Tweeties and some Tweeties swag, including your book. 🙂
Hey, Toby. Thanks for the great comment. I am glad that you are continuing enjoying my photos and nonsense. :-). Many thanks for your kind support.