texas

Gadwall (Mareca strepera) female.

Gadwall (Mareca strepera) male.

Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus pinus) Male.

Another lark sparrow. Their patterning is interesting, and makes an impression.

I'd never seen these before the date this was taken. They look like they're wearing face paint. They were hard to photograph, this was on a ranch without much human interaction and these little ones were shy. I had to stand at a considerable distance to have any hope of them staying in one place.

A black-throated sparrow. Another new bird for me. I was standing still to look around, and this little one flew up and landed on the fence about 10 feet from me. It stared at me for a moment, then apparently decided I was harmless, and led a few others out into the field to forage around some...

This was taken in a patch of land where the ranch owners had uprooted a number of small trees. Quite a few birds were searching for tidbits in the soft dirt. This Northern mockingbird had some luck.

Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) male.

Red-tailed Hawk (Krider’s) (Buteo jamaicensis kriderii)

Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens pubescens) male.

White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus majusculus)

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus littoralis) male.

Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway audubonii)

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

Downy Woodpeckers (Dryobates pubescens pubescens) Two males trying to show each other how impressive they are. The red on its nape is barely visible on the lower bird from this angle.

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata coronata) A ballerina practicing her pirouette. It is so much easier with wings (lol).

Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) male. He appears to be eating a tuber from Yellow Lotus (Nelumbo lutea: Nelumbonaceae). Though not visible during the winter months, Yellow Lotus carpets Shoveler pond in mid-summer.

European Starling sitting on top of the world.

Aka 'Mexican Eagle', 'Texan Eagle'. This one is blind in its right eye.

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) female.

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) male.

How many different birds can you fit into one picture? My identifying skills are not great yet, but I'm hoping these are correct. Double crested Cormorant, American white pelican, Ring-Billed gull, and in the background out of focus (didn't notice him until I was reviewing the images) great...