Birding Uvalde – Return trip

We first made a trip to Uvalde back in October of 2014.  Since then we have always wanted to return, as we felt that there were many birds that we missed seeing and also missed getting good photographs.

Ann recently had a birthday on January 10, so she decided a trip back to Uvalde would be her birthday present.  Not that we needed an excuse to go back.  I was ready.

We left early Monday morning the 12th.  A usual two and half hour trip, it took us about two hours longer.  Of course, we had a breakfast stop in Sonora, but when you are also birding along the way………need I say more?

American Kestrel

We got into the Live Oaks Bed & Breakfast around 1:00, then called our good friends, Bob and Anna Shackleford, and told them we were in town and on the way over to their place.  Not only does Bob has his own bird blind, he is also well informed about birding in the area.  The afternoon was beautiful so we spent some time in the blind, then sat on the porch of their home, visited, and took photos of birds in the yard.  One of them was this Great Kiskadee.  A new lifer for us as we had never seen one before.

Great Kiskadee

From inside his Chicken Coop Blind, I got these images of a Long-billed Thrasher and a Green Jay.

Long-billed Thrasher

Green Jay

As we were leaving Bob’s home he mentioned that there were two Couch’s Kingbirds hanging around his neighbor’s yard.  We drove down the road about 100 yards, and sure enough there was one of them.  I maneuvered my car so I could shoot a photo.  By then he had turned an had his back to me, and as I got him in the viewfinder he flew.  He was another lifer as again, it was another new bird for us.  I was disappointed in not getting the photo, but there is always a next time.

We made plans to meet again at Bob’s and Anna’s place to spend the day birding on Tuesday.  We woke that morning to a very cold day.  But after breakfast, we headed over, determined to make the best of it.  Since we decided it was too cold to sit in the blind, Bob suggested he take us out on some ranch land that he knew of, saying there was a good chance of seeing some Sandhill Cranes.

We we were warm and comfy in our little Ford Escape.  It has high clearance and we drove all over that ranch.  If Bob hadn’t been with us, I would surely have gotten lost.  Of course, if he hadn’t been with us, we probably wouldn’t have gotten on the ranch to begin with.  Anyway, I did get some images of the Sandhill Cranes, albeit very distant ones.  They were at a distance of nearly 300 yards.  Both of these image are heavily cropped.

Flyover of some Sandhill Cranes

Pair of Sandhill Cranes

After we decided that I couldn’t get any closer to the cranes we continued driving through various pastures and and other areas of the ranch.  As we drove, I was able to get a few more photos of other birds.

Crested Caracara

Vesper Sparrow

Leaving the ranch, Bob took us down some other back roads that look promising.  Along there we saw a couple of raptors.

Harris’s Hawk

Then this magnificent Red-tail Hawk took off from another nearby tree.

Red-tailed Hawk

We had planned on getting together again on Wednesday, but not only was it still cold, it was very drizzly.  Bob called us in our room and told us that Anna was feeling ill and we felt it was not in our best interests to try to get out in the weather.  Ann and I spent the rest of the day in our room, watching the Cardinals, Thrashers, and Cactus Wrens cavort outside our window.  We left the following morning, Thursday, and headed back to San Angelo.  Despite the weather, we felt that we really had a great time anyway.  We saw a total of 47 bird species for the trip, 25 of which were to be added to our 2015 Big Year list.  We also added those two lifers.  My life list total is now at 280.  As for our 2015 Big Year list, since we got back we added a couple more and we have a total of 80 as of this writing.  As I mentioned before, our new goal is 210 for this year.  Piece of cake.  Right?  Yeah, sure. 🙂

Harris’s Hawk

I hope you enjoyed this post and the photos.  By the way, I have my 2015 calendar for sale.  Twelve gorgeous, knock-em dead, photos suitable for framing if you should desire.  If you are interested in buying one contact me, or mail a check for 25.00 that also covers all taxes and shipping to Bob Zeller, 4401 White Ash Ln., San Angelo, TX 76904-4528.  You will not be disappointed.

Happy Birding!

 

Birding fun in Uvalde, Texas

Okay, boys and girls, hang on to your hats.  I have a brazilion photos to show you from our two day trip to Uvalde, Texas.  At only about 195 miles south of San Angelo, it has much to offer in the way of birding.

Green Jay

First, I would like to mention that we arrived Wednesday afternoon at the Live Oaks Bed and Breakfast.  Owned and operated by Pat and Gaye Morris, it is a perfect way to spend a few days.  All the amenities that you would expect, plus a great breakfast.  Four rooms inside the main house, and three individual casitas of which we stayed in one called “Treehouse”.  No, silly people, we weren’t in a tree, but a wonderful little comfy cabin.  Click the above link for more information.

We decided to come to Uvalde when a Facebook friend, Bob Shackleford mentioned that his place was nearly overrun with Green Jays.  That really got my attention, as that was one bird that have dreamed of seeing and photographing for years.  I contacted him and invited myself to visit him when we came to Uvalde.  He has this delightful little bird blind, and sure enough there were more than enough Green Jays to satisfy any photographer.

Bob Shackleford’s bird blind

We were able to check in early Wednesday afternoon, so I called Bob and we decided to pay him and his wife, Marianne, a visit.  He wanted us to try out the blind immediately, and for a few minutes, I was rewarded with photo opportunities right away.

Green Jay

Northern Cardinal

We didn’t stay in the blind very long since it was very hot, and we wanted to visit with Bob and Anne (pronounced Anna) a bit longer, before we had to go check in to our little casita.  Before we left, we made arrangements to return the following day which was my birthday, and spend the day.  Anne, had already baked a cake for my birthday.  How great is that?

Green Jay

The following morning, after a sumptuous breakfast, cooked by Gaye, we headed back to the Shacklefords.  We headed right for Bob’s “Chicken House Bird Blind”.  Of course, I first photographed another Green Jay, then a few others.  Here are a few highlights.

Green Jay

Northern Cardinal, female

Yellow-rumped Warbler – Audubon variety

Black-crested Titmouse

Later, after going back to our room for a brief nap, we returned to have supper with the Shacklefords.  Wow!  That man knows how to use a barbeque grill.  He grilled some chicken breasts along with a bunch of veggies.  Then to top it off we had some of Anne’s pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting and pecans.  Fantastic!

After that, Bob mentioned that we should drive out along the highway, as we could probably find some various hawks.  So we all piled into our little Ford Escape and headed out.  Here are some of the highlights of that drive.  There are many.  I forgot to mention, click on any of the photos in this post and you will see beautiful enlargements.

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk in flight

Forgive the clipped wings in the above photo, but I thought it was too beautiful to leave out of this post.

Scaled Quail – in late afternoon light.

Harris’s Hawk

Two Crested Caracaras share a utility pole crossbar.

Swainson’s Hawk

A drive along a country drive wouldn’t be complete with seeing one of these vultures.

Black Vulture surveys the landscape.

After saying goodbye to the Shacklefords, and promising to return in a few months we headed to our room, feeling great about our birding and photographic adventures.  We had hoped to see a Great Kiskadee, but that will have to wait until the next time.

The next morning after another great breakfast, I began my first day as an eighty-year old, and we headed back to San Angelo.  We were making good time, so we made a brief stop at the South Llano River State Park.  They have wonderful bird blinds there so we had time to check out one of them.

Nashville Warbler photographed at South Llano River State Park

For the trip, we saw a total of 40 species of birds.  We added two to my life list: Green Jay and Long-billed Thrasher.  That life list now stands at 275.  Maybe I can get to 300 before I turn 90.

For my 2014 Birding Big Year list, I added those two plus the Crested Caracara and the Harris’s Hawk, bring the total to 189.  Only eleven to go to make my goal of at least 200 species seen this year.

I feel great and I think it is going to be fun being an 80 year-old.  That is as long as I stay away from those senior centers and not let those old people influence me. 🙂

Sept 11 Birding Report Photos

When I posted earlier I hadn’t checked out my photos from the trip yet.  I really didn’t think I had any worth posting, but I did come across these two that are worth looking at.  They were both photographed this morning.

The first is the Swainson’t Hawk, probably a late juvenile and the second is the cute little Snowy Plover.

Swainson's Hawk

 

Snowy Plover

I hope you enjoy the photos.  Click on either one for an enlargement.

Summer is here!

Okay, so the calendar says summer arrives on June 21 or somewhere along there, but believe me, it seems like it has arrived.  The temp is supposed to reach the century mark today.

But anyway, we took advantage of the nice warmer temperatures and headed back to Eldorado again to check out the waste water ponds again.  Again there were about seventeen White-faced Ibeses plus two Blacked-necked Stilts for openers.  It was nice to see the Stilts close up.  I’ve seen at least one at O. C. Fisher lake, but the shoreline has receded so far out it is hard to see them.

On the way home we again visited the Hummer House in Christoval.  There were birds of all the species that we are used to seeing at that location.  Lazuli Buntings, Painted Buntings, Tanagers, an Orchard Oriole, a Vermilion Flycatcher, plus many, many others.

I received an e-mail from Joy Steele over on Martin Street to inform me that two Mississippi Kites are again nesting there.  So if you venture over to that neighborhood you very likely can see one of them in the trees.  I have done so in the past.

This Saturday is the monthly birding tour at San Angelo State Park.  Meet at the main South Gatehouse at 9:00AM.  We’ll check out the birds in the park, and I think I can show you a perched Common Nighthawk.  Come one, come all, beginners and vets.  We’ll have a blast!!

Here are a few new photos from the past few days.  Click on any image to see an enlargement.  Happy Birding!

Lazuli Bunting

Lark Bunting

Red-shouldered Hawk

Bewick’s and Rock Wrens

Rock Wren

We got out today and I saw my very first Rock Wren.  If you drive out to San Angelo State Park, head around past the prairie dog village then down where you are along the dam, you can see one or more darting around in the riprap.  The problem is finding one.  They are tiny and blend in, so just watch for movement and you can pick out one.  We saw two.  I got a couple of good photographs.  I was able to ID them from my Sibley’s book.

Speaking of identification of the avian kind, I may have erred on my ID of the

Rock Wren

 Lesser Goldfinch in my previous post.  The black bill tells me it is a Lesser Goldfinch.  The whitish feathers under the tail says American Goldfinch.  Of course, it could be a trick of the light.  At any rate, I do not mind admitting when I am wrong.  After all, my forte is photography and I still am a novice at birding.  But I’m getting there, and enjoying the ride. 🙂

Bewick"s Wren

We saw twenty-seven species today, including two un-identified hawks.  But did see a Bewick’s Wren.  That is pronounced like Buicks for anybody else that is new at this.  I got a half-way decent photo of it and will include it here.  The temperature was about 34 degrees, but with no wind it was actually cozy in the bird blind. 

The pesky Brown-headed Cowbirds appeared again in great numbers, along with a bunch of Red-winged Blackbirds.  There were also two Spotted Towhees plus the Brown Thrasher is still hanging around.  There were hundreds of Ring-billed Gulls on the lake, plus about at half dozen American White Pelicans.

See more photos at www.zellertexasphotos.com.

Happy Birding!!

Week after Christmas

Well, here we are.  Beginning the last week of the year.  We had a beautiful Christmas holiday, though.  Can’t complain about the weather anyway.  But……..tonight snow is on the way.  The question is, will I finally get some snow scene photographs??  Stay tuned on that.

Northern Mockingbird

Ann and I got out for a few hours on Sunday afternoon.  Sue Oliver had asked on Saturday if we wanted to go with her on Sunday, but we begged off because Ann had a severe back problem and had said she didn’t want to go anywhere on Sunday.  But Sunday dawned and later in the day she was feeling better, and we had a little cabin fever so away we went.  Saw several birds, also spotted Harry the Hunting Harrier again.  I got a few photographs of a female Ladderbacked Woodpecker, also a cute on of a Northern Mockingbird. 

I got an interesting e-mail from Mr. Don Jeane.  He and his wife spent a few days at the San Angelo State Park in early November.  While there he visited the bird blind.  While he was watching the birds, an American Badger wandered onto the scene.  He got a photograph of it and there is a link to it in his comment at the San Angelo State Park page.  I had heard there was a presence of badgers at the park, but I have never seen one.  Now I will be on the watch for it.

Suzanne Johnson in Eldorado has a new camera that she is really enjoying.  She sent me a photograph of a Bonaparte’s Gull that she saw at the water treatment ponds there.   I wish I had seen it as it would have been a lifer for me.

I will be busy for a few days.  I have been asked to show my work in the lobby of the Crockett National Bank during January and February.  So if you are in town and want to see the display, the bank is located on the northbound Bryant Thruway (Huighway 277), on the river across the street from the San Angelo Visitors Center.  Stop in and see it beginning on January 4, 2010.

On Thursday we will do some birding with Sue Oliver.  She is one of the best birders in the Concho Valley, so I am sure that we will learn a lot from her.

Happy Birding!!

Good Morning, Christmas Eve

Well, this is Christmas Eve morning.  It will probably be another day or two before I post again, so I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  Ann is in

Western Meadowlark

the kitchen doing some cooking for us for the holiday, and I am trying to decide whether to be naughty or nice. 🙂   I gave up on today’s crossword, something rare for me.  I can usually handle them with a bit of ease, although sometimes I spend nearly all day on some of them, but this one this morning is a real kicker.  Anyone know a 5-letter word for “matter components”?  The third and fourth letter an “o” and an “m”.

Yesterday, Suzanne and Sid from Eldorado stopped by.  They were in town doing shopping, but had a few hours to kill, so they wanted to go birding.  We started out to Lake Nasworthy because they wanted to see the Black-bellied

Northern Mockingbird

 Whistling Ducks that have been hanging around out there.

Then we ended up out at San Angelo State Park, just driving around to see what there was to see.  Hundreds of Ring-billed Gulls, a Says Phoebe that eluded my camera, several Northern Mockingbirds and Western Meadowlarks.  Also watched a Northern Harrier do a little hunting.  The weather was beautiful at about 75 degrees.  This morning, by the way, right now it’s 34 degrees with a real light snow.  Now you know why I have a little cabin fever.

I’ll put a couple of photographs here.  Neither of them were taken yesterday, however the Western (or maybe Eastern) Meadowlark was photographed at the park on a previous trip.  The Northern Mockingbird was photographed in our front yard earlier this year.

As I now look out the window, the snow is coming down a little heavier and actually starting to stick.  The roofs and lawns are starting to look whiter.  Maybe we’ll have a white Christmas, something of a rarity around here.  I guess I’ll stay in for a bit and look for another way of getting in trouble. 🙂

Oh, I just remembered, the 5-letter word for “matter components” is “atoms”.   Of course…… how could I miss that one?  I knew I would get it sooner or later. 🙂

Happy Birding

Today’s birding photos

Wow, what a nice day this turned out to be.  The temperature as I write this is 75 degrees and sunny.  Ann and I went out for a couple of hours, mostly to San Angelo State Park.  After that we went down to that little lake off of Sunset Drive.  Lots of little duck types in there.

While at the park, we spotted two Red-tailed Hawks, one Sharp-shinned Hawk and one Harris’s Hawk.  And you guessed it.  I missed the shot of the Harris’s Hawk.  Such a beautiful bird, but also so quick.  I didn’t even have time to pick up the camera.  However, I did get a nice shot of an American Kestrel.

These are some shots that I got today.  Enjoy.

American Kestrel

Bufflehead

American Wigeon

Northern Pintail

Loggerhead Shrike

San Angelo State Park Again

Last night Ann and I attended a Christmas Party for the Park Staff, Park Hosts, and board members of Friends of the State Park. and special guests.  We were special guests, as we don’t fit into the above categories.  The food was great and it was fun.  However, I was very disappointed about one thing.  The invitations specified that attendees each bring one bag of sunflower seeds to use at the bird blind.  Bird feed is an expensive proposition so any help the park can get in that area is really appreciated.

There were at least 50 people in attendance, yet there were only 6 bags of seed donated.  I think that is appalling, since most of the people were board members of the Friends of SA State Park.  So if you are reading this and donated in another way, that is nice.  If you didn’t leave anything, shame on you.  And you know who you are.

I visited with Kurt Kemp, the park manager, while sitting at his table.  He reported that the White-tailed Deer harvest was quite low compared to previous years.  He attributed the lack of hunters’ success to the very rainy year that we had.  He feels that the deer just were’nt hungry enough to come in to the deer blinds that were set aside for the event.

American White Pelican

Yesterday afternoon while the sun was shining, Ann and I took a drive through the park.  The lake level is further down, and the shore line is getting further away.  However, what water is left is still attracting lots of water birds.   We saw several hundred of Ring-billed Gulls, Cormorants, Coots, and one lone American White Pelican.  There are still alot of Meadowlarks hanging around, but I think the Harris’s Hawk has left the building.

Happy Birding!!

I’m baaaaaaaack!

Actually, we never went anywhere.  It’s just that I’m back to my blog again.  We received disappointing news from some friends, then literally minutes later we received news that an acqaintance had died in a car crash, along with her mother.  That made us think that, hey, life is too short to worry about little things.  So we made the best of the Thanksgiving weekend.  Ann cooked up a great meal for us.

We bought a Wii game thingee so we could get more excercise.  I almost got more than I bargained for, as we decided to try the bowling game.  That is Ann’s favorite.  Anyway, I thought I pulled a ham-string.  I know, that sounds hilarious, but the game feels so realistic, it’s amazing.  But after I got my groove back, I waxed Ann pretty good.  Ha! Ha!

We got out to San Angelo State Park for a little birding on Saturday.  The weather was really nice.  We spotted that elusive Harris’s Hawk again.  We watched him soar up and down this little valley area, always swooping near the ground.  At one point, a Northern Harrier entered the picture, trying to invade the hawk’s territory.  The Harris’s Hawk wouldn’t have any of that, and soon the Harrier left the area.

The hawk then left for another area, and I tried to follow him, around but I was always too far away to keep him in sight.  So I had to give up again, from trying to get a photograph.

On another subject, Suzanne Johnson sent me these two photos of a bird that she spotted near the water treatment ponds at Eldorado.  She has no idea what they are, and neither do I.  Does anyone have any ideas??  The wings seem to have a bluish tint to them.

Un-identified

Un-identified