For birders, one of the great things about living in Texas is that you can see a lot of birds without going birdwatching. I particularly appreciate this at present because I've been too busy to do any birding trips lately.
Yesterday was a good example of what I mean.
My drive to work was quiet, as I saw only European Starlings and Common Grackles. Things picked up when I arrived at the college where I work, though. A Great Egret and a Snowy Egret were near the retention ponds as I drove between them. Then there were half-a-dozen Great-tailed Grackles in the parking lot. Getting out of the car, I quickly scanned the adjacent soccer fields and trees: a Mourning Dove, 10 American Pipits, a Killdeer, 4 Northern Mockingbirds and our resident female Red-tailed Hawk. My 50-yard walk to the library where I have my office was interrupted by a scuffle between three other Mockingbirds, disturbing our resident Loggerhead Shrike, who settled onto a branch only 6 feet above my head.
At 11:00, I had time to drove home for lunch. Seeing some action on one of the college's ponds, I pulled over for a moment: 3 Pied-billed Grebes and 11 Lesser Scaup.
Halfway home, I noticed a Turkey Vulture and then two Black Vultures, plus another Red-tailed Hawk. Waiting at a red light, I spotted a flock of 20+ large white birds and a couple of darker ones. White Ibis? Damn! The light went green before I could get my binoculars from the back seat.
At home, I sit out in the front yard to have a cigarette. It looks quiet but it's deceptive. Almost immediately our Red-breasted Nuthatch swoops down to a feeder. A moment later there are two Nuthatches on the feeder. We hadn't realized we had more than one in our yard.
A White-winged Dove tries to settle on the lawn, only to be chased away by a White-winged that had been hiding in our mulberry tree. The doves are usually very mellow and gregarious, but this one has been aggressively defending "his" front yard for several days now.
Here come some more birds: 5 Northern Cardinals, 7 House Finches, 2 Carolina Chickadees and a solitary Chipping Sparrow. The latter usually come in families but this lone bird has been visiting regularly for a couple of weeks. Oh, wrong again. There are two Chipping Sparrows at the feeders now.
Oops, I hadn't noticed an American Goldfinch had been eating on our thistle feeder all the while since I arrived. I only spot it now because 5 other Goldfinch have turned up, mainly to drink at the birdbath, and it is flying over to join them.
Do I have time for another smoke? Why not? Oh dear, I've spooked the birds and they've all gone. But wait: I've cleared the way for a Ruby-crowned Kinglet to fly into the elm - and now a Pine Warbler has come to eat peanut butter from one of the pine cones I hang in the mulberry.
Hello! What's this? A sparrow on the tube feeder. And not just any old sparrow but our first ever White-throated. I wonder if he'll stay long enough to let me get a photo. I dash - slowly and quietly, of course - into the house, get my camera and go back outside. He's still there and he stays just long enough for me to grab one photo before he moves on. It'll be a lousy photo because I'm too far away, but at least it'll prove I didn't imagine the sparrow.
So 24 species, including a First-of-Season bird. Not a bad morning at all.
P.S. Driving home in the afternoon, I get a good view of a Broad-winged Hawk but don't get enough time to ID another flock of large white birds. I really wish those red lights would stay a few more seconds.
Jeff
Yesterday was a good example of what I mean.
My drive to work was quiet, as I saw only European Starlings and Common Grackles. Things picked up when I arrived at the college where I work, though. A Great Egret and a Snowy Egret were near the retention ponds as I drove between them. Then there were half-a-dozen Great-tailed Grackles in the parking lot. Getting out of the car, I quickly scanned the adjacent soccer fields and trees: a Mourning Dove, 10 American Pipits, a Killdeer, 4 Northern Mockingbirds and our resident female Red-tailed Hawk. My 50-yard walk to the library where I have my office was interrupted by a scuffle between three other Mockingbirds, disturbing our resident Loggerhead Shrike, who settled onto a branch only 6 feet above my head.
At 11:00, I had time to drove home for lunch. Seeing some action on one of the college's ponds, I pulled over for a moment: 3 Pied-billed Grebes and 11 Lesser Scaup.
Halfway home, I noticed a Turkey Vulture and then two Black Vultures, plus another Red-tailed Hawk. Waiting at a red light, I spotted a flock of 20+ large white birds and a couple of darker ones. White Ibis? Damn! The light went green before I could get my binoculars from the back seat.
At home, I sit out in the front yard to have a cigarette. It looks quiet but it's deceptive. Almost immediately our Red-breasted Nuthatch swoops down to a feeder. A moment later there are two Nuthatches on the feeder. We hadn't realized we had more than one in our yard.
A White-winged Dove tries to settle on the lawn, only to be chased away by a White-winged that had been hiding in our mulberry tree. The doves are usually very mellow and gregarious, but this one has been aggressively defending "his" front yard for several days now.
Here come some more birds: 5 Northern Cardinals, 7 House Finches, 2 Carolina Chickadees and a solitary Chipping Sparrow. The latter usually come in families but this lone bird has been visiting regularly for a couple of weeks. Oh, wrong again. There are two Chipping Sparrows at the feeders now.
Oops, I hadn't noticed an American Goldfinch had been eating on our thistle feeder all the while since I arrived. I only spot it now because 5 other Goldfinch have turned up, mainly to drink at the birdbath, and it is flying over to join them.
Do I have time for another smoke? Why not? Oh dear, I've spooked the birds and they've all gone. But wait: I've cleared the way for a Ruby-crowned Kinglet to fly into the elm - and now a Pine Warbler has come to eat peanut butter from one of the pine cones I hang in the mulberry.
Hello! What's this? A sparrow on the tube feeder. And not just any old sparrow but our first ever White-throated. I wonder if he'll stay long enough to let me get a photo. I dash - slowly and quietly, of course - into the house, get my camera and go back outside. He's still there and he stays just long enough for me to grab one photo before he moves on. It'll be a lousy photo because I'm too far away, but at least it'll prove I didn't imagine the sparrow.
So 24 species, including a First-of-Season bird. Not a bad morning at all.
P.S. Driving home in the afternoon, I get a good view of a Broad-winged Hawk but don't get enough time to ID another flock of large white birds. I really wish those red lights would stay a few more seconds.
Jeff
