Category: Big Country Blog

  • May Happened; Then June

    OK, I’m flying in all directions and vow to slow down. You believe that? Me neither. But I’ve been collecting photos of our birds in the Big Country these last two months and am now ready to share them with you. In May Happenings Gallery, you’ll see who has bred successfully, who has some babies, […]

  • Baby Bluebird Behavior

    Hi everybody! This blog is still alive and doing well. You haven’t heard from me in a while because I’ve been too focused on birding and not paying enough attention to blogging. But hopefully this set of baby bluebird photos will reassure you that we haven’t been slackers. The last time we visited the Eastern […]

  • May Migration, 2008!

    Last week was the time of year every birder looks forward to: spring migration. Whether the birds came to your backyard, stopped at the local park, flew into Dyess, or waded out at the lake, migrants were here in the Big Country and several members sent photos for us to enjoy. Now if the above […]

  • April’s Ending

    April may have just ended but the spring nesting season has just begun! The Swainson’s are nesting again: Eastern Bluebirds are tending to young: and other goodies are passing through the Big Country on their way to their breeding grounds such as Black-headed Grosbeak, Marbled Godwits, Sprague’s Pipit, and Tri-colored Heron. We’ve all been having […]

  • Upland Sandpipers and Great Kiskadee in April

    During the first half of April, Upland Sandpipers fly into the Big Country, like this one seen off S. 27th at Oakwood Trails (Centennial Park). They are a difficult bird to photograph, because they seem to know just how far to land away from the camera. But I caught a couple of them taking a […]

  • Eagles, Bluebirds, and Bobcat

    John English sent me this majestic pose of a young Bald Eagle trying out its wings above its nest while holding onto a half eaten fish March 27, 2008. Young eagles do not become breeding adults until five years of age. This is also when they acquire the white feathers on their head and tail. […]

  • Crested Caracara in Callahan County

    And yet another rare bird (for this area) has shown up in the Big Country: the Crested Caracara. On February 2, 2008, a friend reported seeing a caracara flying overhead on CR 283 on the county line of Callahan and Coleman. These types of sightings are hard to confirm; how does one chase a bird […]

  • Brown Pelican Spotted at Lake Kirby

    Thursday at noon, April 3, 2008, Lorie Black spotted this Brown Pelican at Lake Kirby. A few Audubon members rushed out to the lake and refound the bird and some photos were obtained. This is a very rare sighting for the Big Country. Brown Pelicans are common along the coast and this may be a […]

  • Love is in the Air (and on Cars)!

    March is a great time of year. Many resident birds are staking out territories, singing to attract mates, and starting to build nests. A pair of Eastern Bluebirds were photographed at a natural cavity on Dyess Air Force Base. The couple was pair bonding, evident by the male coming to the cavity and feeding the […]

  • Long-eared Owl Found in Taylor County

    Guest post by Heidi Trudell – This afternoon (3/7/08) while heading back from work I spotted a lump of roadkill just off the shoulder of 351 and out of the kindness of his heart, my coworker obliged and we investigated the lump. Initially the lump looked like a clump of wood or Great-horned Owl, but […]