Visit to the Hummer House

The Hummer House is actually a B&B resort near Christoval, Texas, about 20 miles south of San Angelo.  It consists of the original Hummer House, the name of the first cottage constructed there, plus two newer additions, a four bedroom lodge, and a nice cozy one bedroom bungalow.  In addition there is an observation room with a large window measuring by my own estimates about 30 feet long by about 9 feet high.  A perfect setting to view and photographs birds and wildlife in air-conditioned comfort.  However, guests have the option of roaming around the several acres of woodland and a flowing river.

On our visit, because of the heat, Ann and I opted to sit in the observation room.  There were several other people in there doing the same.  The birds were active, especially hundreds of Black-chinned Hummingbirds.  Here is my favorite image of one of them.  I got lucky and happened to get a head-on flight image.

“Gear down, full flaps, I’m coming in”.

By the way, I was using my Canon 7D Mark II and a Tamron 150-600mm lens mounted on a mono-pod.  Feel free to click on any image to see an enlargement.  They look great if you will view them on a computer.

One of the favorite birds that people like to see at the Hummer House is this Painted Bunting.

Painted Bunting

In addition, I was able to photograph this White-eyed Vireo, before the sun got to high.  It was perched on a little wire structure over the water feature.

White-eyed Vireo

This Summer Tanager was doing the same, enjoying the water spray that comes on periodically.

Summer Tanager

The observation room is open to the public on Friday evening from 7:00PM until 9:00PM, and on Saturdays from 9:00AM until 3:00PM.  Dan and Cathy Brown would welcome you.

I hope you enjoyed this post and the images.

Happy Birding!!

Mid-week Bird Images

In between storm alerts, showers, and chores, I have been able to get out among the birds a little bit.  We have been to the ‘mud hole’, the local parks at Lake Nasworthy, and out to the San Angelo State Park.  Some of the birds have been very nice to get in position for some nice photos.

But first, I’d like to mention that my photo of an American Robin, pictured here, is on the front cover of the May issue of “The Messenger”, a local min-news magazine of Woodstock, Nebraska.  I have been published several times, but it never fails to thrill to see my photos in the print media.

American Robin

Now back to my photos for this post.  Click on any image to see some eye-popping enlargements, especially if you are viewing this on a computer.

There had been reports of this Summer Tanager existing in Spring Creek Park.  I had failed on previous attempts to find him.  But, finally, we were able to spot him in the trees.  He was moving around rapidly so I only had a few seconds to capture him.  He disappeared only seconds after I got this shot.  The winds messed his usual smooth hair-do a little bit, but not bad enough to make him un-recognizable.

A wind-blown male Summer Tanager.

A Curve-billed Thrasher is always fun to come across.  I love that fierce look.

Curve-billed Thrasher

This Spotted Sandpiper was strolling along the ‘mud hole’, just bobbing along.

Spotted Sandpiper

A Bronzed Cowbird was all by himself at Spring Creek Park.

Bronzed Cowbird

This is my firsst photo of the year of an Ash-throated Flycatcher.

Ash-throated Flycatcher

The Lark Sparrows seem to be everywhere.  No problem locating one for a photo op.

Lark Sparrow

Doves are another species that I tend to ignore.  I came across this one and immediatly realized that I might have been missing something.  A beautiful bird.

Mourning Dove

Last but certainly not least, is this Great Horned Owl.  Always a crowd pleaser, we came across this one by surprise when driving through Spring Creek Park.  We just happened to glance up in the trees and there he was, just staring at us.  I quickly maneuvered the car into position where I could get a shot from a distance, so as not to disturb him.  If I got a mesquite thorn in my tires, I still think it was worth it.

Great Horned Owl

I hope you enjoyed these photos.  I don’t know if I will get time to publish a post this weekend.  We are leaving early Monday morning to spend a week of birding and photography in and around Big Bend National Park.  We have lodging reservations at the Casitas at Far Flung Outdoor Center in Study Butte.  If any of you birders will be in the area, look us up.  If I don’t post in the next few days, watch for me in about a week and a half.

 

Happy Birding!!!

Big Bend the Beautiful

I have been busy the past three days processing photos from our trip last week to the Big Bend Country.  All I can say is that I have never seen this area look so beautiful in all of the many years that Ann and I have been visiting there.  Right from the git-go, driving down from Marathon and entering Big Bend National Park this is what greeted us; and it lasted for nearly all of the 35 miles or so to the park headquarters at Panther Junction.

Texas Bluebonnets along the highway into Big Bend National Park.

What a way to start our little vacation!  I am not going to go into a great narrative in this post.  Mostly, I will let the photos do the talking.  Here is some more of the beauty.  By the way, if you are reading this on your computer, by all means please click on each photo and you will see beautiful enlargements.

Ocotillo shrubs – a sea of red.

Ocotillo and the Chisos Mountains. You can see Mt. Casa Grande in the distance.

On a couple of mornings we went to the ghost town in Terlingua for breakfast.  A small place that we liked, served good hot coffee and a vast assortment of burritos.  It got us off to a good start for the day.  I took this photo from there one morning, before we left.

Sunrise from the ghost town at Terlingua, Texas.

Now, speaking of eating, and before I get into the rest of this post, if any of you make this trip and you like pizza, don’t pass up this little place.  Don’t judge it by the appearance, like we did for so many years.  Inside is the best pizza around, made from scratch and the beer is cold.  I few miles south of the ghost town of Terlingua.  Opens at 5:00PM Wednesday through Sunday.  And no, Nancy, the owner is not paying me for this.

Long Draw Pizza

So, we did get into some birding.  After all, that was the main reason for coming.

Bell’s Vireo at Cottonwood Campground

Summer Tanager at Rio Grande Village.

Ocotillo and canyon in ackground.

Ocotillo and Mule Ears Peak.

If you think I like ocotillo plants, you are right.  We have two that reach a height of about 20 feet, in our yard back home in San Angelo.  Okay, back to some birds.

Cattle Egret in early morning sun at the ghost town of Terlingua.

Cattle egrets are named for the fact that they are usually found among milling cattle.  We have often found them in the desert of Big Bend National Park before, but I don’t think they stay long and are just on the way to nearby ranches.

Cactus Wren with an insect lunch.

Pyrrhuloxia trying to hide in the bushes.

Scaaled Quail – also locally know as a blue quail.

Gambel’s Quail. Found along Highway 170 in Big Bend Ranch State Park near Redford, Texas.

Sunrise over the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park.

I hope you enjoyed this brief trip through the Big Bend Country of far West Texas.  For us, we had a blast.  A gorgeous part of the state that Ann and I visit again and again.  For those who are following our birding exploits, we added sixteen new species for the year.  Our list is currently now at 140.  As you know, our goal is 210.  We are gaining on it.

Birding South Llano River State Park

On Wednesday, Ann and I, along with our neighbor friend, Carl Williams, set out for the South Llano River State Park near Junction, Texas.  A distance of about 100 miles, we covered it nicely in about an hour and a half.  Before I get into the photos from the park, I want to mention the Red-tailed Hawk that I photographed on the way.  We were cruising along about 75mph when we saw the hawk sitting on a wire fence.  I whipped the car into the left lane, drove to the next turn-around and came back around.  As we pulled up to the hawk that was still sitting on the fence, it noticed that Ole Bob was coming with his camera.  He figured he would look better on that stub of a tree branch, even though he was going to get windblown.  The gusts were about 35mph at that time.  I remembered to thank him before I drove off, after I got a few nice photos.

Red-tailed Hawk.

South Llano River State Park is relatively small, only about 200 acres, consisting of many, many oak trees.  It is a popular camping area, but also has four bird blinds and is considered one of the better birding areas.  We decided that we wanted to visit each blind.  I think we spent a total of three hours there and saw thirty-two species in all.  We missed some nice ones, like the Lazuli Bunting, Painted Bunting, and Indigo Bunting.  Some other birders said that those three were around just before we got there.  But it is early yet so we will probably go back in another two or three weeks.

Here are a few images of some that we did see.  They can be viewed best if you will go to the blog, then you can click the images and see some beautiful enlargements.

Summer Tanager – male

Summer Tanager – female

The next photo is one of my personal favorites.  The Yellow-rumped Warblers consists of two sub-species, the ‘Myrtle’ and the ‘Audubon’s’.  This image is an Audubon.

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s)

What would a birding trip be with out a bunch of sparrows.  Here are three that we encountered in the park.

Black-throated Sparrow

Field Sparrow

Lark Sparrow

Then last, but not least is the ever-popular Spotted Towhee.

Spotted Towhee

That does it for photos on this post.  I got a few others that I may post later, and I got a lot of throwaways that will never see the light of a computer monitor.

Update on Texas Big Year list:

#141  Neotropic Cormorant

#142 Little Blue Heron

#143  Wilson’s Phalarope

#144  Western Kingbird

#145  Summer Tanager

See complete list on my blog.

 

The Pretty Summer Tanagers

A very pretty bird that can be found around this Concho Valley of west Texas is the Summer Tanager.  They are not in great numbers, but when you see one you will not forget it.  The photos below were taken near Christoval, Texas about 20 miles south of San Angelo.

I love the differences between the sexes.  The male is the bright red and the female is a bright yellow.  The juvenile is what you expect, a mixture of both. I hope you enjoy these images. Click on either one to see an enlargement.

Summer Tanager – male

Summer Tanager – juvenile

Summer Tanager – female