Since my last post I have been trying to catch up on springtime duties around the house. Mowing lawn, weeding, etc. So our birding outings have been limited, but we managed to get a few images to show for it.
We ventured out to the north portion of San Angelo State Park today for awhile. The Lewis’s Woodpecker has finally left, I believe. We haven’t seen him in over a week anyway. However, we did see 24 species of birds.
Black-throated Sparrow
Barn Swallow
Cactus Wren watching over her nest.
Lincoln’s Sparrow
This next photo is unique. The prickly pear is growing from a mesquite tree limb. A bird probably dropped a piece or a seed from a cactus into the bark and it took root. Believe me, prickly pear will take root anywhere you want. Actually, you can just lay a piece on the ground, forget about it, and it will start growing on the spot.
Prickly Pear growing from mesquite branch.
Mexican Ground Squirrel
The ground squirrel was photographed a couple of days ago at Middle Concho Park here in San Angelo, as was this image of a Ladder-backed Woodpecker.
Ladder-backed Woodpecker – female
Ann and I are getting antsy to travel again. So in two weeks we are heading back to the Big Bend country of far west Texas. We will visit Big Bend National Park and the surrounding area for about 3-4 days. We hope to again see this Common Blackhawk that I photographed a couple of years ago.
Common Blackhawk
A rarity in Texas, it has again been seen in it’s favorite area in the Rio Grande Village RV Park. I think this is the fifth or sixth year that they have nested there, but not sure. I hope you enjoy the photo.
Okay, that’s it for now. Click on any image to see an enlargement.
Happy Birding!!
Texas Tweeties by Bob Zeller 
That black-throated sparrow looks to be a very serious fellow! 🙂 Such great images. I love that cactus wren with the nest, and the gopher. Oh, ground squirrel. It looks like the gophers they have in Minnesota. LOL And the ladder-backed woodpecker is probably my favorite, but I have a huge soft spot for woodpeckers!! Have fun in Big Bend Country!!
Thanks for all of those compliments. I appreciate them. 🙂
Lovely pics, Bob, and I am glad to see the weather is improving. That little ground squirrel is so cute! 🙂
Thanks, Jo. Yes, I think summer-time temperatures have arrived ahead of time. Everything is green, trees in bloom, birds are arriving. The ground squirrels are everywhere now. 🙂
Snowing here, and gales!
Oh,no!! When does spring arrive there?
When it’s ready, I think, Bob! We have some snow lying this morning. The lambs in the fields are going to be cold!
What a great post!! That little cactus wren has me wanting to ditch work today and head out to the country to get a look-see at the cactus! Thanks for the inspiration and the reason to get out of town!! hugs
Thanks very much, Beth. I am glad that I am an inspiration. Now get out there and happy birding!! 🙂
Love all the photos Bob but the Cactus Wren is a standout for me. So beautiful and I like the pose you captured. I don’t think I have ever seen one. The Black Hawk is a new one as well. Wonderful shot of it. Have fun in Big Bend. 🙂
Thank you, Alison. The Cactus Wren (and all of those other little birds) was too far to crop for a good close-up, so I decided to include the nest. You definitely would love the Big Bend. It is isolated, beautiful, full of mountains, desert and canyons. It is the largest park in the system, but the least visited. At 700,000+ acres, it is said that one the busiest day, there still is about 200 acres for each visitor. The reason for this I believe is the isolation. In far west Texas where there are more goats than people, it is too far for most Texans to travel. I consider my self a little closer, but I still have to travel over 300 miles to get there. I will say, though, everyone that does make the trip, come away with feelings of awe. They want to come back.
Thanks for the details about Big Bend Bob. It sounds like my kind of place. Maybe I will try to combine it with a visit to New Mexico and Bosque de Apache.
Oooh!! I am jealous. I absolutely love Bosque Del Apache. What a great place to photograph wildlife. 🙂 I need to find time to return there. 🙂
My favorite weird place for a prickly pear to grow is on the side of the 29th street bridge. (the north side) It is growing from one of the bridge drains about halfway across….
Such is nature. I love it. Thanks for commenting, Sharon. 🙂