Hi All
Another great day of birding in three days of birding, 20 lifers for Colleen and 9 for me. Today it was a Neotropic Cormorant and a Dickcissel!! for me and for Colleen it was the Neotropic Cormorant. Colleen was one of the first to see the Dickcissel in Point Pelee across the road from Pelee Wings Store. It is a stunning big bird.
Here is the Neotropic Cormorant
We also saw a 14 foot alligator today at Leona Turnbull Birding Center on Padre Island today. We visited several birding sites today including a run-down trailer park in Bayside (for Hummers) and then took the ferry from Aransas Pass to Aransas Island and visited the Turnbull site and Paradise Pond which lived up to its name. Flocks of Orioles and Painted Buntings and warblers and Sparrows. No luck with the Ladder-backed Woodpecker or the Rails, but then we are at the Fulton Inn tonight and there is more birding in this area tomorrow again.
Here are photos of the Blue Grosbeak, Common Yellow Throat and the very lovely Painted Buntings
Texas is different from Florida, as Texas has more diverse habitats from ocean, to shore to scrub shore to Oaks and forest. There was rain here earlier in the season but now there is a drought and so birds are drawn to sources of fresh water and if there is water nearby there are birds.
We are in our usual 12 hours of birding days (sun comes up around 6:45 am and sets around 8:00 pm, so we are finding it hard to get to settled for bed, as there are blogs and birding lists and then whatever else that has to be done which can only happen after we have had supper (usually fresh seafood, like fresh shrimp) which only happens when it gets too dark to bird. Such a hard life!
The weather has been hot but not unbearable and Colleen is tolerating the heat as we have been close to the ocean and there always a breeze or a stiff wind.
Tomorrow we will continue with our tour of the surrounding area, such as Goose Island and Aransas areas. We are thrilled with the trip so far.
Barb & Colleen
Another great day of birding in three days of birding, 20 lifers for Colleen and 9 for me. Today it was a Neotropic Cormorant and a Dickcissel!! for me and for Colleen it was the Neotropic Cormorant. Colleen was one of the first to see the Dickcissel in Point Pelee across the road from Pelee Wings Store. It is a stunning big bird.
Here is the Neotropic Cormorant
We also saw a 14 foot alligator today at Leona Turnbull Birding Center on Padre Island today. We visited several birding sites today including a run-down trailer park in Bayside (for Hummers) and then took the ferry from Aransas Pass to Aransas Island and visited the Turnbull site and Paradise Pond which lived up to its name. Flocks of Orioles and Painted Buntings and warblers and Sparrows. No luck with the Ladder-backed Woodpecker or the Rails, but then we are at the Fulton Inn tonight and there is more birding in this area tomorrow again.
Here are photos of the Blue Grosbeak, Common Yellow Throat and the very lovely Painted Buntings
Texas is different from Florida, as Texas has more diverse habitats from ocean, to shore to scrub shore to Oaks and forest. There was rain here earlier in the season but now there is a drought and so birds are drawn to sources of fresh water and if there is water nearby there are birds.
We are in our usual 12 hours of birding days (sun comes up around 6:45 am and sets around 8:00 pm, so we are finding it hard to get to settled for bed, as there are blogs and birding lists and then whatever else that has to be done which can only happen after we have had supper (usually fresh seafood, like fresh shrimp) which only happens when it gets too dark to bird. Such a hard life!
The weather has been hot but not unbearable and Colleen is tolerating the heat as we have been close to the ocean and there always a breeze or a stiff wind.
Tomorrow we will continue with our tour of the surrounding area, such as Goose Island and Aransas areas. We are thrilled with the trip so far.
Barb & Colleen
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