photograpy | Texas Tweeties by Bob Zeller

What a great day of birding Ann and I had today! In the end we saw a total of 47 species. For us here in San Angelo, that is a fine total. We birded for only five hours, from 7:00AM until noon. But what was great for me, I came away with some fine photos that I am about to show you. Of course, I didn’t photograph all forty-seven species. Dream on, Bob, dream on.

We began the day at the far southern edge of Spring Creek Park, where we saw that rare Gray Catbird that has been hanging around there. I almost spilled my coffee grabbing for my camera, as we had just arrived at that spot. I missed the shot, save for a blurred one for identification. It looks like we were in for an exciting day.

I started munching on my burrito that I had picked up at Jack and Jill Donut Shop. Things quieted for a bit so I had time to finish that. Then an Orange-crowned Warbler showed up. I had my Canon 7D Mark II and Tamron 150-600mm lens ready and I rested it on my bean bag window rest and came away with an acceptable photo.

Orange-crowned Warbler

Then a Black-crested Titmouse showed itself in a nearby tree. I looked like it had a hard time surviving the wind we had lately.

Black-crested Titmouse

We stayed in that area for about 45 minutes, giving me time to scarf down that burrito and finish my coffee. Things started to dwindle off. We had seen several species by that time, mainly Northern Mockingbirds and Yellow-rumped Warblers. We cruised along the bank of the water and spotted this juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron across on the other side. I managed to get this photograph. I am rather proud of it, if I do say so myself. 🙂

Black-crowned Night Heron – juvenile

By then the light was getting better. There was a high thin cloud cover. Excellent for photography. We decided to check on the Great Horned Owl’s nest that we had spotted a couple of days ago. As usual the male was about 100 yards away guarding the area……..

Great Horned Owl

………when it wasn’t falling asleep…….

Great Horned Owl

Here is a look at the female peeking out of the nest in another nearby tree. I think she is looking at her spouse, hoping he would be awake if called upon. By the way, for these photos, I left the car, setting my camera on a tripod.

Great Horned Owl – female on nest.

We decided to take our leave. We had enough photos and I didn’t want to draw a crowd, so we quietly left and headed for Middle Concho Park.

On the way, as we drove out Red Bluff Road, we spotted this Osprey in a tree over looking a large pond. It was having it’s breakfast, too. A fish of some kind. I managed to get off of the road, into a spot where I could get a photo from my car window.

Osprey

We drove on into the park and immediately saw some White-crowned Sparrows, Curve-billed Thrashers and several Western Meadowlarks.

Western Meadowlark

Continuing on through the park, a hawk flew over the car, into a Live Oak tree. That got my attention and I was determined to get a photo. Of course, immediately it took off, but we were able to track it down to another tree and I got a photograph of from it’s back side. It turned out to be a Cooper’s Hawk. I was hoping it would be a Sharp-shinned Hawk, but the flattish head and the eye that was set forward told me otherwise.

Cooper’s Hawk

Farther on this, Vermilion Flycatcher lit in a nearby tree branch.

Vermilion Flycatcher

By this time were about finished for the day and decided to head for the house. On the way out, we checked on the Osprey and it must have been satisfied with it’s meal, as it was now just resting a bit. Just what Ann and I needed after a successful birding day.

Osprey

I hope you enjoyed the photos and my narrative. Click on any image to see enlargements.

Happy Birding!!

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.