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February 26, 2007 – Dyess AFB
Best bird(s) of the day: Harris Sparrow, 1 in a mixed sparrow flock Turkey Vulture, 1 FOS (first of season) Cliff Swallows, FOS for Dyess Complete List: Gadwall, 8 Northern Shoveler, 15 Green-winged Teal, 3 Bufflehead, 4 Great Blue Heron, 3 Turkey Vulture, 1 (FOS) Northern Harrier, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 2 American Kestrel, 3 perched […]
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From A to Y, February’s Color in Winter
We don’t think of winter as being particularly colorful. Everything’s mostly shades of brown or gray, drab colors to match our cloudy sunless days. But I was just processing several photos of winter bird species and had to share the beautiful colors of our Big Country birds with you. From the orange in American Kestrel… […]
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February 22, 2007 – Lake Kirby – Dyess
Lake Kirby Highlights: Blue-winged Teal, FOS Ruddy Ducks, lots Common Moorhen, 1 Bonaparte’s Gull, 6 Snowy Egret, 1 Saturday’s (2-17-2007) Lake Kirby highlights: Verdin, 1 House Wren, 2 Canyon Towhee, 2 Swamp Sparrow, 3 Tuesday’s (2-21-2007) Oakwood Trail highlights: Red-bellied Woodpecker, 1 in the trees across from the playground Above sightings by Lorie Black Dyess […]
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February 21, 2007 – Dyess AFB
Best bird(s) of the day: Sage Thrashers, two on the same tree! Complete List: Gadwall, 5 Northern Shoveler, 5 Ring-necked Duck, 1 Bufflehead, 3 Northern Harrier, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 American Kestrel, 1 Killdeer, 2 Ring-billed Gull, 2 Mourning Dove, 24 Greater Roadrunner (1 found dead so I guess it doesn’t really count) Golden-fronted Woodpecker, […]
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Buffleheads Fly, Others Shiver
These attractive ducks seemed impervious to our record low of 16 the other morning. John took some excellent photos as you’re about to see while I tried to bury myself in his borrowed thermal blanket. But then the ducks took to the air and I stopped hibernating long enough to capture their flight across the […]
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Splish Splash, Fox Sparrow Takin’ a Bath
While birding Fort Griffin State Park with Heidi (awesome birder, transplanted Houstonian, she too has been stuck in mud), we came upon a small puddle of water where the local residents were taking public bathes. But these residents bathe with their finest attire, and one unusually good lookin’ “Winter Texan” (well he came to Texas […]
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February 12, 2007 – Fort Griffin S.P.
Best bird(s) of the day: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 1 Mountain Bluebirds, 15 Eastern Towhee, 1 Lark Buntings, 30* Fox Sparrow, 3 Harris Sparrows, 12 Complete List: Wild Turkey, 14 Northern Bobwhite, 8* Red-shouldered Hawk, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 6 American Kestrel, 3 Killdeer, 1 White-wing Dove, 1 Mourning Dove, 15* Golden-fronted Woodpecker, 2 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 1 Ladder-backed […]
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February 10, 2007 – Lake O.H. Ivie
Best bird(s) of the day: Ducks! Lake Ivie continues to host thousands of ducks this winter. It’s a spectacular sight! Common Loon Bald Eagle Horned and Eared Grebes Bonaparte’s Gull Purple Martin, FOS Rock and Marsh Wren in the same habitat! The Marsh Wren was in the marshy area created by the dam outflow and […]
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Territorial Dispute Between Hawk and Owl
While John and I were hunkered down in a very wet, cold ditch at Dyess AFB last Monday morning (January 29th to be exact) waiting for a little stealthy Le Conte’s Sparrow to put in an appearance so its Paparazzi could immortalize it, we noticed hardly anything was stirring or flying about. With ice in […]
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Late January Birds
What’s been flying around this week? Birds that like it wet, birds that love mud, and birds that are different. I’m continually amazed at the diversity in our avian world. For each habitat in our world, wet-dry, mountain-valley, desert-forest, lake-sea or swamp-grassland there are beautiful little (or big) feathered creatures that hop, flutter, creep, swim […]