More from San Angelo Parks

Since my last post of October 22, I have been complaining about the slowness of the birding.  For the most part that is true.  The high temperatures continue to hang around.  But that never stops Ann and I from getting out and seeing what may surprise us.  As you will see from the following images, there are still great subjects for photography.  For all photos I was using my Canon 7D Mark II with a Tamron 150-600 super zoom telephoto lens. I will accompany each photograph with pertinent exposure information.  Click on any image to see beautiful enlargements.

We have spent most of the week at Spring Creek and Middle Concho Parks.  Both are city owned parks and are both are within the area of Lake Nasworthy.

On the morning of the 23rd we got up early, around 7:00 and headed to Spring Creek Park.  A very rare Rose-throated Becard had been reported and we had hopes of spotting it.  Of course, as our luck usually runs, it was nowhere to be see, and as far as we know it has left the building.  So we will speak of it no more.  However, there are three Great Kiskadees staying around and we always have a look for them.  We didn’t see them this day, but I got lucky and spotted a Cooper’s Hawk.  It flew past the car and settled for a few minutes on a tree branch.  Much similar to the post the Red-tailed Hawk in my previous post.

Cooper’s Hawk – 1/500 sec. @ f6.3, -0.3EV, ISO 5000.

That was about it for that morning, but on the way out we saw this Osprey lurking near some wetlands, hoping to make a catch.  As you can see, it was ‘photo-bombed’ by a Great Blue Heron.

Osprey – 1/11600 sec. @ f8, -0.3EV, ISO 3200.

The following morning of the 24th, we were up and at ’em again.  Again, after stopping for a burrito and coffee to go, we got to Spring Creek Park.  Again, we decided to see if the Kiskadees were still around.  At the area where we had seen them in the past, we could here one singing.  After a good look with our binoculars we spotted him high above on a tree top.  A long distance, but I managed to get a fairly decent image.

Great Kiskadee – 1/1690 sec. @ f8, -0.3EV, ISO 2500.

Continuing on along the water, we spotted a Black-crown Night Heron.

Black-crowned Night Heron – 1/1600 sec @ f8 -0.3EV, ISO 6400.

We then spotted a Cooper’s Hawk again.  Perhaps the same one that we saw the previous day, as it was in the same area.

Cooper’s Hawk – 1/1600 sec, @ f8m -0.3, ISO 4000.

I love the little Cattle Egrets.  This one was with several others, but I managed to isolate him for a nice photo.

Cattle Egret – 1/2000 sec. @ f7.1, -0.3EV, ISO 180.

Back at it again on the 25th, still bolstered by our usual breakfast from Jack and Jill donut shop.  No Kiskadees this time, although we did hear them again.  We settled for another photo of a Black-crowned Nigh Heron.

Black-crowned Night Heron – 1/1000 sec. @ f6.3, +0.3EV, ISO 3200.

A Great Blue Heron was nearby.

Great Blue Heron – 1/1000 sec. @ f6.3, +0.3, ISO 3200.

On the 27th the pickings were pretty skimpy.  (We took the 26th off.  Man does not live by birding alone). Not much going on, but we got lucky with the Vermilion Flycatachers.

Vermilion Flycatcher – 1/640 sec. @ f7.1, +0.3EV, ISO 640.

Vermilion Flycatcher – 1/1250 sec. @ f7.1, -0.3EV, ISO 1250.

On the 28, we were accompanied by Jennifer and Jeff Koch, friends from Austin.  Needing to make a good impression, we were on our best behavior.  First stop was Spring Creek Park.  Again things were pretty slow.  However, a good shot of a Northern Cardinal impressed our guests.

Northern Cardinal – 1/1250 sec. @ f6.3, -0.3EV, ISO 6400.

We had enough there, so we headed to Middle Concho Park, and again on the way, we saw this Great Egret.

Great Egret – 1/1600 sec. @ f6,3, ISO 1250.

After arriving at Middle Concho Park, again there weren’t many of the avian species hanging around.  Dang this heat.  But nearing the end of that park we spotted a bird, really back-lit in the sun.  We couldn’t make out what it was, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and try for a shot.  Remember, I am trying to impress my guests.  I boosted the Exposure Value by a stop and a half.  When looking through the view-finder I had a hard time focusing because of the sun.  Here is the result, after post-processing.  Not fantastic, but pretty recognizable as a Western Bluebird.

Western Bluebird – 1/1600 sec. @ f6.3, +1.7EV, ISO 2500.

This morning, the 29th, after breakfast at Kenney’s Cafe with our local friends, Gene and Ethel Burger, we decided to go back for a couple of hours.  Again, still not many birds in residence.  But I got two great images that made the day.  First, this image of a Belted Kingfisher is probably the best I have had of this species to date.

Belted Kingfisher, male. – 1/600 sec. @ f6.3, ISO 160.

While taking a final drive through Spring Creek Park, we spotted the image of a hawk type bird, far across the water, about 300 yards away and high in a tree.  With the binoculars we saw that it was an Osprey.  Stopping the car and turning off the engine, I put my bean-bag support on the window sill of our car.  With the camera setting comfortably I was able to get the little focus point on the bird.  The Osprey was within some branches and the wind was blowing.  I had to time my shutter release carefully, as when the wind blew the leaves would cover the bird’s face.  I had to wait for the breeze to subside a bit.  Here is the result.  I hope you like it as much as I.

Osprey – 1/1600 sec. @ f7.1, ISO 400.

So that’s all for this time.  Check back soon for more.

 

‘Till then, Happy Birding!!!

 

An exciting weekend……

Ann and I woke up early this morning.  The weather look great, so we had this great idea, to get out to Spring Creek Park early enough to get a look at a Gray Catbird the has been seen regularly.  We got to that designated spot about 7:15.  Alas!  Just as we drove near we spotted a grayish bird fly across the water.  We don’t know if that was the catbird or not, but after 30 minutes of waiting and watching, we decided to get back home for breakfast.  We missed him, but we will try again tomorrow morning.  So stay tuned.  But all was not lost.  During the time it took to get there and watch, we observed a Song Sparrow, Osprey, Ringed-bill Gull, Northern Cardinal, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Mockingbird, Wild Turkey, and several White-tailed Deer.

Over the weekend, we got out a couple of times and although the birding was not great, I got some nice looking photos if I do say so myself.  Here’s a re-cap.

On Friday we got out for a little while but not much was stirring.  However, I got lucky and came up with this nice photo of a Dark-eyed Junco.  This is a slate-colored variety.  He was back-lit and in the shade, but with a little finagling in my digital darkroom I was able to correct the lighting.

Dark-eyed Junco

On Sunday, things were a little better but not as good as usual.  However we decided to hit Spring Creek Park and Middle Concho Park.

First up was this Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

This Great Blue Heron was standing a log and not doing much of anything, but just staring.

Great Blue Heron

Before leaving the lake area we drove by the little beach area at Mary Lee Park.  I tried my luck at photographing gulls in flight.

Ring-billed Gull

That was it for the Lake Nasworthy area.  We had plenty of time, so off to the San Angelo State Park we went.  We drove around through the area where they had burned off the unwanted Mesquite trees and brush.  Not much stirring, I imagine because of the loss of so much habitat.

We headed in the direction of the Burkett multi-use area.  Along the way it finally got real exciting.  Off to the right of the road was an American Kestrel clinging to the top of stem from a bush.  I was hesitant because these birds are known to not hang around very long.

But since he appeared to be just enjoying himself, I decided to take a chance.  I turned right and drove into this rough area, carefully avoiding driving over any prickly pear.  I swung around enough so I could photograph from my driver’s side window.  One thing I have learned, folks, is to never get out of the car.  The birds will fly for sure.

So, I was in position, about thirty yards away.  Believe it or not, he continued to sit and sway in the wind, at times staring at me.  I managed to get off about forty shots of varying poses.  Here are two of them.

American Kestrel

I love this one………

American Kestrel

After those forty shots, I was getting brave and decided to do what I tell people not to do.  I got out of the car. Hey, I wanted creep closer.  Instantly, the kestrel took flight.  Of course, I knew it would.  Will I ever learn??

But that ended our day on an exciting note.  It was definitely the highlight of the day.

I hope you enjoyed the story and the photos.  Click on any of them to see nice enlargements.

Happy Birding!!

Footnote:  I always try to live by the rule that you should never disturb the wildlife.  I violated that principal by trying to get out of the car.  I didn’t need to get closer.  I had all of the shots I wanted.  My long lens gets me as close I need to be.  I should have stayed in the car and drove away.  So, in recflection, I am sorry for my actions.

 

Red-tailed Hawk – off and flying

A couple of days ago while doing a bit of birding at Middle Concho Park, I happened to look across the river, about 200 yards away, and saw this Red-tailed Hawk perched on a tree branch.  I thought to myself, here is a good chance to see what my new Tamron 150-600mm lens could do.  I pulled my vehicle around to my side of the river bank, so I could photograph from the driver’s side window.  I came up with this series of images of this stunning raptor.  All photos hand-held.

Red-tailed Hawk on tree branch.

He suddenly stands up, opend his wings and decides it is time to fly…….

…and away he goes…..

….and goes……..

…..and goes…..

…….and goes……

…and eventually heads for another tree out of sight.

Except for the first image, all others have been cropped to present close-ups of the hawk.  Click on any of them to see some beautiful enlargements.  Of course, all images are for sale.  Just contact me.

My Big Year update:

#112.  Common Yellow Throat

#113.  Marsh Wren

Vermilion Flycatcher and Great Blue Heron

My birding the past few weeks has almost been non-existent, as the birds seem to be taking an extended summer vacation elsewhere.  This morning Ann and I decided to to some get off our butts and see if there was anything new arriving since fall migration is drawing near, plus my best friend Shannon, texted me and told me, “Take Ann birding today”.  I took that as a good sign.  Heck, it doesn’t take much of a push to get me to go birding.

The weather was fantastic, temps in the mid-seventies when we started.  We went to Spring Creek Park, Middle Concho Park, and ended up by going out by Twin Buttes Reservoir.  By leaving early, around 8:00AM we were able to catch a few birds enjoying the cooler temps.  We birded a total of three hours and saw 22 species.  Really not much, inasmuch as we are used to seeing as many as 45 species in that time frame.

Vermilion Flycatcher – male 1st year
Spring Creek Park
San Angelo, Texas

We visited Spring Creek Park first and saw a few birds, but the highlight was seeing some of my favorite Vermilion Flycatchers.  I captured the one above with my Canon 7D and 500mm lens with a 1.4 teleconverter attached.  I was about 30 yards away in my car.

Leaving that area we headed to Middle Concho Park.  We drove along the river and spotted a couple of Great Blue Herons on the other side, about 150 yards away.  We observed this one, below, for several minutes and needless to say, I took many images of it.  I have this habit of wanting to keep pressing that shutter, always hoping to catch that perfect moment or special pose.  I like this one.  I used the same setup as I did for the flycatcher, although this image is cropped a bit more because of the distance involved.

Great Blue Heron
Middle Concho Park,
San Angelo, Texas

From there we headed to Twin Butte Reservoir.  We didn’t observe many species there, not enough to get some great photos anyway.  We were disappointed however to see how much this once huge lake had shrunk because of the drought. A once very busy boat ramp is at least a half mile from any water.  We pray for rain here daily.

I hope you enjoyed the photos.  Prints are available by contacting me at bob.zeller@aol.com.

More Fun at Middle Concho Park

I hope you guys aren’t getting bored and tired of hearing about Middle Concho Park, because here is another post about it and Spring Creek Park.  I actually got a SPAM comment from a guy that said my posts were starting to get boring.  Well, I say to him, “live with it”.  I am writing what I think my own readers like, and “I ain’t gonna change”.  Anyway, I don’t think anyone will find this post boring.

So, today started out the same as usual.  We ate breakfast at the ‘Golden Arches’.  After that we went and voted.  I asked Ann what she wanted to do and she said let’s go birding.  I needn’t have asked, really.

When we got to Middle Concho there was a lot of bird activity all at once, in just one small area.  Bluebirds, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Woodpeckers, etc.  I was searching with my binoculars for what I thought was a wren, when I suddenly saw a Common Nighthawk in my lenses.  As you can see from the picture below, he was pretty well blending in with the surrounding tree branches.

Common Nighthawk

I was thrilled to see this bird, as I thought they had all left, as they are usually gone by mid-October.  I maneuvered my car so I could use my big lens and get this closeup.

Common Nighthawk

I then was able to get this shot of a Ladder-backed Woodpecker in a tree.  He was working very hard.

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

We had seen a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker a few minutes earlier.  We searched but could no locate it again.  I really would have liked to get a shot of it.  We’ll keep watching.  After spending about an hour and a half at Middle Concho Park and listing about twenty species, we decided to get to the other side of the river into Spring Creek Park.  So we bade goodbye to the squirrels and birds and headed out the gate.

Squirrel

Now, to get to Spring Creek Park involves about a four mile drive, this is just to get to the other side of the river.  You have to drive back down Red Bluff Road to Knickerbocker Road.  Then you head south over the Lake Nasworthy Bridge then take a right on Fisherman’s Road.  Following that for a couple of miles takes you right into Spring Creek Park.

Anyway, about a mile after we left Middle Concho Park, we came upon two dogs wandering in the middle of Red Bluff Road.  They were acting like they were lost and this was an area about a mile from any residential area.  One was a Welsh Corgi who looked very exhausted and moved to a shade tree as we stopped.  The other was a young Beagle who was very happy to see us.  Only the Beagle had a tag, but since they were acting like BFFs, we assumed they belonged to the same owner.

The tag on the Beagle showed the name of the veterinarian that cared for him.  We didn’t want to leave the dogs, as it was very warm by then, and they needed water.  We decided to load the dogs in the car and head for that vet’s office back in town.  The staff there knew the owners so they took the dogs off of our hands and said they would make sure they got back home.

I was about ready to head back to the house by then, but Ann says, ‘what the heck, the day is still young’.  So, you guessed it, we headed back out to Spring Creek Park.  I am glad we decided to do that, because a few minutes after we got to the park, an older gentleman who is familiar with our car, hailed us and told us he knew where we could get a good picture.

He led us to a huge pecan tree and about twenty feet off the ground was a young Great Horned Owl.  I don’t know if I would have seen it if the guy hadn’t pointed it out, even though Ann and I are always watching the trees.  Anyway, I was able to get some very nice photos.  This first photo is my initial image that I immediately got.

Great Horned Owl

After I got the above image, we left it and continued a drive through the park.  About fifteen minutes later, we came back by the tree and the owl had moved to another branch, and up higher.  I found that if I set up my tripod farther away and used my large 500mm lens I could get another good photo.  Here is the result of that.

Great Horned Owl

So that ended our day in the parks.  But we had fun, got some nice images, and rescued two great dogs.  It couldn’t have been any better. Click on any image to see an enlargement.

Birding Middle Concho Park and Spring Creek Park

You have heard me tell you several times how much Ann and I enjoy going to Middle Concho Park, and it’s sister park, Spring Creek Park across the river.  It seems that there is always a chance to see something different.  Of course, that is because of the changing seasons, different birds are there at different times of the year.  There are over 380 species of birds that can be seen in the Concho valley,  and I dare say that most of them can be seen at these parks, at one time or another, depending when you happen to visit.   You may get lucky and spot one of the Horned Owls like the one pictured below.

Great Horned Owl

We spotted this owl high in a tree in Spring Creek Park.  There was a lady nearby, walking a small dog, unaware of what was perched above her head.  She laughed when we told her why I was pointing my camera up there.

Belted Kingfisher

This Belted Kingfisher was cavorting along the river and finally lit on a power line that crosses the water.  Nervously, I hurriedly set my Canon 7D with 500mm lens with a 1.4 tele-converter on my drivers side window sill and got the shot before it flew off looking for another place to fish.

Great Egret

On another day we saw several Great Egrets.  This one was across the river and I was able to get the shot.  Another wading bird that you can see almost every day of the year, is the Great Blue Heron like the one pictured below.

Great Blue Heron

The Osprey is another bird that thrives on fish, and the catfish in these waters are one of his favorites.  Here one sits on a tree branch enjoying his dinner.

Osprey enjoying catfish dinner.

Another raptor that frequents these parks is the Red-tailed Hawk.  One morning Ann and I witnessed three of them.  Two were flying through the trees close together in Middle Concho Park, while the third was across the river perched high in a tree.  Watch out for low flying birds.

Red-tailed Hawk

Of course we can’t ignore the smaller birds, can we.  These parks teem with species like, Eastern Bluebirds, Robins, Warblers, etc.  Below is a Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

The best way to appreciate the birding here is to just drive very, very slow through the area.  Watch the treetops, watch for un-natural movement in the branches of the live oaks, use your binoculars, and listen.  Sometimes we come to a complete stop, and discover there are tiny birds all around us.  At least we can hear them or see the branches move.  We then put our binoculars to work to locate the source.

Eastern Bluebird

These two parks are maintained very well.  The grass is mowed on a regular basis and early in the week the park employees are always on the job picking up trash left over from the careless individuals that use the place on weekends.  They seem to not see the trash cans that are placed about forty feet apart all through the park.

Northern Cardinal

We find that the best time to do any birding is on the weekdays.  On any given day you literally may have the park all to yourself.  Have fun.  Click on any of these photos to see some nice enlargements.

Pied-Billed Grebes – Cuties of the lakes

Pied-billed Grebes are the real cuties of the waters around here.  Ron Dudley wrote a post on his blog about the behavior of them and it is very enlightening.  He was writing about the Western Grebes, but they all have the same habits.  You will rarely see one in flight, and they migrate at night.  Because of the way their legs are attached to their bodies, they are very awkward on land, so you rarely see one walking.

During their first week of life, they spend their time on the back of their mother.  Then after that they are always on the water, diving in the presence of danger.  These three images were taken at our nearby Middle Concho Park.

Pied-billed Grebe

Pied-billed Grebe

Pied-billed Grebe

It is always so entertaining to watch them.  They have an innocent presence about them.  They will disappear while diving for aquatic insects, tiny fish and crayfish.  They may resurface several yards away.  So watch for these little creatures when you are around lakes and rivers.

Click on any image to see an enlargement.

Miscellaneous Monday Moments

I and Ann got out to Middle Concho Park this morning for awhile.  A little quiet at first, but we ended up seeing over twenty birds.  The weather was a little cool but gradually warmed.  Skies were partly cloudy.  We saw this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk zipping around.  At first, we saw him in the fork of a tree.  I managed to get this shot before he flew off to perch atop the utility pole that you see in the second image.

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in tree.

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk atop utility pole.

I was able to get a shot of a Red-winged Blackbird amongst some old sunflowers.  Several more shots were throw-aways, because the red of the wing was covered up with the vegetation.

Red-winged Blackbird in the sunflowers.

The following shot of a Great Blue Heron was made several days ago.  I opted to not clone out the bit of spider webbing that you see hanging from the branches.  I much rather keep things looking natural as much as I can.

Great Blue Heron

I hope you enjoyed these photographs.  Click on any of them to see some enlargements.

P.S.  My book, “Birds, Beasts and Buttes”, is now on sale at 20% off thru October 23.  Click HERE  and use the code FANS at checkout.  It is available in either softcover or hardcover.

Great Blue Heron plus Two

I thought you’d enjoy a nice brief post with a few photographs to enjoy your weekend.  They were taken between my birthday on October 2 and October 4.  Hey, did I tell you that I turned 78 on that day on the 2nd?  Darn, I must have forgot.  They say that you lose two thing when you get old.  One is your memory.  I can’t remember what the second one is.

Great Blue Heron with fish

Anyway, we were driving around Middle Concho Park, checking out the rising level of the water.  We got over 7 inches of rain finally. and things are looking good.  This Great Blue Heron was enjoying himself, too, partaking of the goodies in the water.

Great Egret

This Great Egret was watching for the same thing, but I didn’t hang around long enough to see if he was as successful.  I love this reflection.

Belted Kingfisher

In another area we saw three Belted Kingfisher flying around and arguing over territorial rights.  This one finally perched across the river to catch it’s breath.

Click on any image to see an enlargement.

P.S. My Blurb publisher has offered a 20% discount on my book, “Birds, Beasts and Buttes”.  Click this link, Bob”s Book.  Use the code  FANS  at checkout.

More Pre-Easter Photos

I might as well continue where I left off, writing the previous post about Ann’s and my little trip to Middle Concho Park.  Let’s see where was I?  Oh, yes, I wrote about seeing our first Black-crowned Night Heron of the season.  That was pretty neat.  However, after that we continued on the little drive along the river and through the park.  We saw the following species.  I more or less will let the images themselves do most of the talking.  All photographs were taken with my two Canon EOS 7Ds.  Click on the photos to see enlargements.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

We were surprised to see two Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, strolling through the park, paying no attention to us.  They really do whistle, by the way.  The light wasn’t very good but  I shot from the car using my Canon 100-400mm lens.  1/1250 sec. @f5.6, -0.3EV, ISO 160.

Great Blue Heron

Then, we spotted a Great Blue Heron, and of course, it was on the opposite side of the river.  I unloaded the tripod and got the shot with my Canon 500mm lens and 1.4 tele-converter.  1/1250 sec. @ f6.3 -0.3EV, ISO 100.

Black-crested Titmouse

We spotted this Black-crested Titmouse in a tree, preening his feathers.  He was a little cutie.  It looks like he could use a little grooming job done on him.  Again, I got this shot from the car window using my Canon 100-400mm zoom lens.  1/640 sec. @f6.3, ISO 200.

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

We came upon a Ladder-backed Woodpecker scurrying around in a tree.  It was moving pretty fast, so I stopped the car and got out and moved around a bit, trying not to attract the bird’s attention.  I finally found a spot to shoot it through some branches.  I used my trusty Canon 100-400mm zoom lens again.  1/500 sec. @ f8, -0.3EV, ISO 500.

Great Egret

Along the way, we again spotted a Great Egret doing some stalking for prey.  Where else, but across the river again.  What is it about the other side of the river?  Seriously, in all honesty, the best shot was when they are on the other side of the river, even though the distance is about 150 yards.  If they were on this (my) side of the river, it would have been difficult to find a good shooting position.  So I needed to get my tripod out again for the long shot.  Canon 500mm lens with a 1.4 tele-converter.  I love this shot, the way the egret stands out from the background.  1/1250 sec. @f5.6, -0.3EV, ISO 100.

Here was an easy one.  I passed a tree and the Northern Mockingbird was only about 10 feet away on a tree branch.  Easy shot.  Handled easily with my Canon 100-400mm zoom lens.  1/400 sec. @ f22, -0.3EV, ISO 3200.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

On the way out of the park, I spotted another Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and I couldn’t resist getting that final shot.  So we then headed for the house so I could get busy planning for this post.  Canon 100-400mm zoom lens.  1/500 sec. @ f8, -0.3EV, ISO 160.

I hope you enjoyed these photos.  Happy Easter everyone. 🙂