There is a pretty bird that resides out here in west Texas that really gets your attention, both in appearance and the name. I am talking about the Pyrrhuloxia. It is pronounced Pi-ro-lox’-ia. I posted a photo in my previous post, and now I have another that I captured yesterday morning. It is one of my favorite birds to photograph.

Pyrrhuloxia
We were at Spring Creek Park near Lake Nasworthy, when it was spotted. While we were there I also captured this image of another Ruby-crowned Kinglet. If you look close you can see a bit of the red crown peeking through. They are feisty little birds and I love the challenge of photographing them.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Cruising through the park again, we had to check out a large live oak tree. There is a Great Horned Owl that likes to roost in it. He not there all the time, but it pays to check it out on a regular basis. This day, he was there. This time he was barely visible. I circled the tree for the best vantage for an open shot. This image below was the best. Any other position his face was hidden.

Great Horned Owl
It was a bit on the cool side and the wind, though not very strong, was out of the Northwest. I guess it kept most of the birds down in the shelter of the grasses. But, I feel I had a good session, if I could come away with a good photo or two.
On the subject of bird photos, my book is doing quite well. (wasn’t that neat how I shifted into the subject of my book?)
A 52-page soft-covered book of some of my best wildlife photos. Special WordPress reader price of $ 35.00 plus 7.00 shipping. E-mail me at bobzeller@pobox.com for more info is you are interested.
Click this link to see a preview: http://www.blurb.com/b/9237421-my-world-of-nature
You can also order from the publisher there for an increased price.
That first bird is a beauty, Bob – I didn’t even realize there was such a variety of birds in the west part of the state. Not that I catch sight of any great variety here in Austin, lol, just pleasantly surprised 🙂
Thank you very much for your kind words, Felipe. There are also birds in Austin, that we don’t get out here. But, yes, there are some unique birds out here in west Texas. Come see them. 🙂
Been quite awhile since I’ve gone west of San Antonio/Austin area, but our youngest grandchild recently went to Big Bend with his parents and really loved it; beautiful land 🙂
Big Bend is one of my favorites places to visit. A fantastic area. I’ve visited there about 30 times since we discovered it in the mid-eighties.
Beautiful, especially the Pyrrhuloxia. They remind me so much of cardinals, which don’t come as far west as Oregon.
Thank you, Lavinia. They are also know here in west Texas as the desert cardinal.
HI. As usual all your photos are very interesting.I Iove watching them. Happy New Years!
Hi, Nora. Nice to hear from you. Thanks for the nice compliment, and Happy New Year to you, too. 🙂
All the best to you and of course I’m waiting for more your photos.
Thank you, Nora. Check today’s post. You will love the new photos. 🙂
Of course, your photos are really fantastic and I always like them. Greetings.
great shots!
Thank you, Jane.
Love these, especially the Pyrrhuloxia. I used blurb. When I made my book (purchase page at port4u.net) I mixed up the layout. Good luck with yours. I sold a couple.
Thank you, Sherry. I checked out your blog and book. Your book is OUTSTANDING!! Great job!! I subscribed to you blog, too. 🙂