Cillana
Well-known member
Now that finals are over I'm visiting my parents in Baytown, Texas. There's a park within walking distance from their house with a nature trail through the woods. My mom and I went Monday morning with binocs and field guide in hand. Before even getting to the park (well we did take the long way) we saw a Swallow-tailed Kite near the horizon, a Turkey Vulture fly overhead, a female Pine Warbler feeding her very large baby in a low branch of a pine tree, and the usual Cardinals, Starlings, Blue Jays, Carolina Wrens, Common Grackles, Mockingbirds, White-winged Doves, Mourning Doves, Red-bellied Woodpeckers (who are nesting in my parents' yard), Downy Woodpeckers, and Purple Martins. I also saw a small brown striped bird that I didn't see long enough to ID. Probably some kind of sparrow.
In the woods we saw more Cardinals, Doves, Blue Jays, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and Downy Woodpeckers. We also saw lots of Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice. I was hoping to see some migrating warblers and I wasn't disapointed. Not too far into the woods we saw at least three Blackburnian Warblers and one Black-throated Green Warbler hoping around the branches just over our head. They were so close! I really wish I had brought my camera. They were lifers for both my mom and me. We also saw a flycatcher sallying and after much deliberation decided it was an Eastern Wood-Pewee. A lifer for my mom and a second time sighting for me. After we were through the woods we went on the bridge over the bayou and saw two Great Egrets. We also saw a couple Mockingbirds and a Loggerhead Shrike at the edge of the woods. On the way back we saw an unIDed hawk and wren. Those flying brown blurs are hard to ID.
We went again this morning. I'll write about it later.
In the woods we saw more Cardinals, Doves, Blue Jays, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and Downy Woodpeckers. We also saw lots of Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice. I was hoping to see some migrating warblers and I wasn't disapointed. Not too far into the woods we saw at least three Blackburnian Warblers and one Black-throated Green Warbler hoping around the branches just over our head. They were so close! I really wish I had brought my camera. They were lifers for both my mom and me. We also saw a flycatcher sallying and after much deliberation decided it was an Eastern Wood-Pewee. A lifer for my mom and a second time sighting for me. After we were through the woods we went on the bridge over the bayou and saw two Great Egrets. We also saw a couple Mockingbirds and a Loggerhead Shrike at the edge of the woods. On the way back we saw an unIDed hawk and wren. Those flying brown blurs are hard to ID.
We went again this morning. I'll write about it later.