The Dog Days of Summer

The temperatures around here in San Angelo have been hovering around the 100 degree mark or a little higher.  That means that it is best to stay in out of the heat.  That is what the birds and wildlife seem to be doing.  Ann and I have not been getting out too much, either.  But a couple of days ago we decided to stop binge-watching the seven seasons of “The Andy Griffith Show” and get out, if only to get some fresh air and stretch our legs.

At San Angelo State Park, this Northern Bobwhite presented a problem when trying to photograph it.  It’s was partially hidden, except when he was calling.  When he called he stretched his head up, and I could focus on his entire head.  So I patiently waited for the right moment, as the head was up for only a few seconds each time.

Northern Bobwhite

Greater Roadrunner

Ash-throated Flycatcher

At the ‘mudhole’ near Twin Buttes Reservoir there was a little more activity.

Northern Mockingbird

Killdeer

Blue Grosbeak – female

That’s it for now, until we decide to get out again.  By the way, another reason for not getting out is that I am in the act of getting a DVD produced.  It contains 100 of my best photographs, not only birds, but landscapes, flowers, etc.  The images are selected from the past few years, plus a great music tract.  It will be available in about two weeks.  I must say, I have seen the preview, and it is awesome.  I am very proud of it.

Well, time to see what that rascal kid, Opie, is up to now.  Season 2, episode 14. 🙂

Greater Roadrunner, Orioles and others

Here are a few images that I have gotten since we got back from our Big Bend adventure.  We have been watching for new summer residents of the avian variety.  While doing such searching I was able to get a few other images for your enjoyment.  We found this Greater Roadrunner at San Angelo State Park.

Greater Roadrunner

The Bullock’s Orioles are starting to arrive.  I had seen a female a few weeks earlier, but now there are many of the bright colored males.  They are still hard to photograph among the trees but nevertheless, I managed a couple.

Bullock’s Oriole

Bullock’s Oriole

I love the Golden-fronted Woodpeckers.  They seem to be everywhere all the time and they are so photogenic.

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Same bird, different pose.  He was trying to show me his better side.

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

A Lincoln’s Sparrow.

Lincoln’s Sparrow

A couple of Lark Sparrows.

Lark Sparrow

Lark Sparrow

The Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are arriving in large numbers and they will be seen soon all over the country-side.  I got a couple of images today.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Last, but not least, a Killdeer playing in the water at a mudhole near Twin Buttes Reservoir.

Killdeer

Enjoy the photos and I will be back soon with a few more.

Killdeer Family – a day at the beach

The beach in question being a mud-hole.  But that doesn’t matter to these young Killdeer, only a few days old.  We had driven up to one of our favorite birding spots, when I noticed some baby Killdeer walking around the water.  I pulled the car up behind a mesquite tree, but in position so I could shoot photos from the driver’s side window.

Killdeer chick

There were four of the little ones, all walking along the side of the mud-hole.

Killdeer chick

The adult mother was a few feet away in hovering mode.

adult Killdeer

Off to our right, was the adult father, doing the broken wing act to draw us away from the children.

Adult Killdeer faking a broken wing, to draw us away from the chicks.

Nearby, a Greater Roadrunner was making plans of his own.  He makes a run at the chicks, trying for a quickie lunch, but the two adult Killdeer give him a merry chase and sent him on his way.

Greater Roadrunner

The mother is still wary and she draws her children close to give them protection.

Adult Killdeer with her children.

Soon all four chicks are completely covered by the adult.

Adult Killdeer protecting her children.

Soon after, the adults sensing that the danger no longer existed, released the children and they went back to play.  I and Ann were thrilled to watch this display of family love and togetherness.

We were reminded of some dear friends in Houston that have a similar family.  There are four children there, too, and the parents are completely devoted to protecting and loving them.  The only difference is, that the father may not fake the broken wing.  But I am sure he would do whatever it takes.

I hope you enjoyed this post and photos. Click on any of them to see some enlargements.

A Kingfisher, a Sandpiper, a Killdeer, and a Coopers Hawk….

All of them walked into a bar.

The bartender said, “What it this, a joke?”

Okay, so I have a hard time getting started on writing these posts.  I admit it.  But the above mentioned birds are the ones that Ann and I saw Friday morning on a drive around Middle Concho and Spring Creek Parks.  The water is still low there, down about 24 inches.  However there is hope that it will rise a bit soon, as water may flow again from Twin Buttes Reservoir.  Behind that dam, water is being pumped from the south pool, which is higher, to the lower south pool.  The south pool is where the gates are that release water downstream to Lake Nasworthy and these parks.

First up, we spotted a Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle torquatus) on a wire over the river, but before I could get set up for a shot, it flew to the other bank and perched in a tree. With the help of my Noodle on the window sill, I was able to train my Canon EOS 7D and 500mm lens with a 1.4 tele-converter on it.  As the bird was quite tiny anyway, from that distance, and I couldn’t crop it as tight as I would have liked..  This image is the result.

Belted Kingfisher in tree

Driving further on, we came upon a small inlet that was nearly dry, but there was a Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria) grazing in it.

Solitary Sandpiper

Sandpipers are one of my least favorite shorebirds to try and identify.  When we first spotted it, my first immediate thought was Greater Yellowlegs.  But then after getting several images, and consulting my Stokes Guide to birds of North America, I felt comfortable IDing it as the Solitary Sandpiper.

In the same area were a couple of Killdeers (Charadrius vociferus).  One was an adult, the other a juvenile.  The adult was nearer the open water.

Killdeer – juvenile

Killdeer – adult

Just before we decided to call it a day, we glanced toward a grassy picnic area, and there was a hawk in the shadows, walking in the grass.  He was about seventy-five feet away.  I got the camera and 500mm lens up on the Noodle and window sill again and snapped a few images before it flew off.  As I mentioned, the bird was in the shadows, but there was a bright background making exposure difficult.  I really wasn’t able to get a true identification as a Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) until I got it in the computer and was able to brighten the exposure.

Cooper’s Hawk

Click on any image to enjoy enlargements.

Kute Killdeer Kids

We decided to take a drive to the North Shore side of San Angelo State Park.  We had received a cell phone call as we were heading for the South Shore.  It was Kim, one of the hosts at the north portion of the park.  She said that I might want to come over there and photograph a Yellow-headed Blackbird that was chasing around the prairie dog town.  Well, it was ten minutes away, and by the time we got there the blackbird was nowhere to be seen.

So we decided to just take a drive around there.  That area of the park has the North Concho River running through it.  You might say that the area is nicer than the south park area.  But I think it is because of the difference in the habitat there,  because of the huge, by west Texas standards, oak trees.  They, of course, are healthy because of the nearness of the river.  The south part, where I do most of my photography is more wild, with more mesquite, more cacti, etc.  The south portion, in addition, is about ten times larger than it’s northern counterpart.

Killdeer chick

But, to get back to my story, as we drove around we heard lots of birds singing, but they were hard to locate in the leaves of the larger trees.  But as we went through one are we spotted two adult Killdeer,(Charadrius vociferus),along with three chicks.  The chicks, who were only about four inches tall, were walking throught the grass, while the parents were going through their act, pretending to be crippled so as to draw us away from the kids.

Killdeer chick

I pulled into the grass across from the young ones, and stuck my Canon 7D with the 500mm lens and 1.4 tele-converter, out the window of the car.  I was lucky to be so close to get these pictures.  Exposure was 1/1000 sec. @f10, -0.3EV, ISO 250.

I don’t know where the actual nest was.  The Killdeer actually lay their eggs on bare ground, among pebbles or stones usually.  They don’t make nests as we know it.  No grass, twiggs, etc.

I hope you enjoyed this post and photos.  Click on either image to see and enlargement.

The second of my Bird IQ quizzes can be found at this link:  Bird Quiz.  You can vote any time through next Thursday.  Results will be published on Friday, April 27.  Good Luck.

Raising a Killdeer Family

Several months ago Ann and I came upon a Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) nest with three eggs in it.  Actually, it really isn’t a nest as we know it.  They prefer to nest in gravelly locations.  When they are ready to lay eggs, they just scrape aside the pebbles and drop the eggs on the spot.  Then, during their nesting time, they perform their elaborate “broken wing” distraction, when the nest is approached too closely.

Adult Killdeer

Nest of Killdeer eggs.

These ‘nests’ are difficult to see, as they usually blend in with the surrounding area.  It is possible to step on one before you see it.  So you must be alert.

Killdeer sitting on eggs.

We continued to monitor the situation during later visits to San Angelo State Park, where the nest was located.  Finally, we arrived a few days after the chicks hatched.  As you can see, young killdeer have are mostly big eyes and long legs.   Also as you can see in the photo below, they, like most children, enjoy wading in the muddy water.

Young Killdeer

I hope that you enjoyed these photos and my little description of the nesting Killdeer.   Click on any image to see an enlargement.

Eldorado Water Treatment Ponds – Snowy Egret

Ann and I went down to Eldorado to bird and photograph at their water treatment ponds.  It is one of our favorite places to go, even though it is about a 40 mile drive.  The place consists of four large ponds, each approximately 100 yards wide and about 200 yards long.  These are just guesses on the dimensions but I opine they are pretty close.  There is a little driving lane around each pond, so you can use your car as a bird blind.

The one thing I like about going there, is that you never know what you might see.  Yesterday we saw three Snowy Egrets, one Great Egret, one Great Blue Heron, one Willet, three Killdeer, several Black Terns, several Spotted Sandpipers, plus various swallows, sparrows and vultures.  Today, I will feature a couple of images that I obtained of a Snowy Egret (Egretta thula).  Quite a bit smaller than the Great Egret, it has black legs, yellow feet, and a black beak with yellow lores.  Exception is the juvenile has yellow legs with a black edge.

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egret

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

Sometimes I find it hard to decide which bird to write about, when I haven’t been in the field for a few days.  Such was the case today, since I haven’t been outside because of my eye surgery.  Which, by the way, is finished and my eyesight is beyond excellent.  Can’t wait to get back out tomorrow.

So, anyway, to pick a subject I threw my Stokes bird guide on the floor and it opened up to the Killdeer page.  Just kidding.  I respect my bird guides too much to toss them around carelessly.  But I did just go through my bird photo collections and randomly picked this bird out.

Killdeer

• Canon 7D
• Canon 100-400mm zoom lens
• 1/640 sec. @ f9
• ISO 640
• Lens focal distance 400mm
• Metering: partial
• Aperture priority

Killdeer on nest

• Canon EOS 40D
• Canon 100-400mm zoom lens
• 1/2500 sec. @ f6.3
• ISO 400
• Lens focal distance  375mm
• Metering:  partial
• Aperture priority

The Killdeer is a tricky little bird, as it can try to lure you away from it’s nest, by pretending to be have a crippled wing.  It will do a controlled flopping in a direction away from the eggs.  Those eggs are usually in plain sight, among some pebbles in open ground, roof top, or driveway, but carefully camoflaged to make them hard to spot.

Killdeer eggs

•  Canon EOS 40D
• Canon 100-400mm zoom lens
• 1/500 sec. @ f9
• ISo 400
• Lens focal distance  360mm
• Metering:  center weighted average
• Aperture priority

As you can see, the new-born chicks are fuzzy, long-legged, big-eyed and tiny.

Killdeer chick

• Canon EOS 40D
• Canon 500mm IS lens with 1.4 tele-converter – hand-held
• 1/1000 sec. @ f7.1
• ISO 400
• Lens focal distance  700mm
• Metering:  center weighted average
• Aperture priority

The Killdeer is a resident of Texas year round.    I hope you enjoy the photos and the narrative.  Click on any image to see an enlargement.

Reminder:  You can still vote until August 14 for my photos in the National Wildlife Magazine photo contest.  Just click here: People’s Choice

Lake Colorado City State Park

Ann, Jodie, and I made a trip to Lake Colorado City State Park yesterday to check out the birding.  It is located about five miles west of Colorado City.  A neat little park, with a lot of nice campsite sites, and picnic areas.  Most are located near the lake.  It was a little windy but the temperature was near 85, so it was a pleasant experience.

I didn’t think we were seeing a lot of birds, but totaling it up we came up with twenty-two species.  The fact that I didn’t get many photographs made we think that there weren’t that many.  I did get a few photos that I will picture here below.  Not aesthecally beautiful, but good enough to show you what I got.  The Osprey was atop a light pole.  Jodie got a great photo of it as it was flying off.  I missed that one.  I think I am teaching her too well.  LOL

As for shore birds we spotted numerous Cormorants, Coots, Blue Herons, and one Great Egret.  Only the one Greater Yellowlegs.  On the way up there we saw numerous Meadowlarks and Hawk species.  I think this place will be a nice place to bird in the summer/spring.  Just find a nice little area, and sit and watch.

Happy Birding!

Killdeer

 

 

 

 

 

 

Osprey

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greater Yellowlegs