Texas Birdie Round-up

View of Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Hidalgo Co., Texas

Ah, Spring! When thoughts of straying north of the 'only-really-there-because-humans-insist-it-is' International Border, enters the noggins of our tiny feathered friends. It was for the pleasure of seeing flying treasures, that with zero planning, I purchased tickets to sally down to the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

I was barely off the jet when I headed to the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. There I swore, cursed and grumbled nastily as I hiked into the refuge with hopes of seeing one or two juvenile Northern Jacanas. We hates the hiking... soon I was deep in the refuge, staring at reeds and sedges in a hopeful manner. Then a nice pair of Canadians, one lugging a spotting scope, arrived. On their faces, a look of complete boredom. We chatted, when one of the gentlemen, raised his arm and pointed and calmly stated: "There's one."

Sure enough, far off in shallow reeds I could see a long legged rail-ish sort of  bird darting about.

Youngster Northern Jacana

LIFER! The juvie Northern Jacana with it's over-sized toes, pecked among the shallow water and put on a show. I was kindly invited to get a better look at the bird through the spotting scope. I might have tried for an iPhone shot through the scope but the eyepiece of the scope was so high I could barely see through it in the first place. Hurrah! My trip was off to a successful start, and thanks again dear Canooks.

The Northern Jacana is one of the species I assumed I wouldn't see in my lifetime, they are that rare north of the border. On the left is a photo (again, not mine) of an adult Northern Jacana. Note the wicked yellow spurs on the wing joints. The birds use the spurs in combat with each other, and give the species a Jurassic look.

There used to be about 40 of these birds in a refuge in Texas, but that population died out. Now it is a treat for a bird or two to wander over the border and grace the wetlands of Texas. Well worth coming down to the Big Star State for a peek.

Now, I did not come down to Texas specifically to see the next species I went after. The Red-crowned Parrots are always around the Valley, but as I never managed to see them before, so might as well make a go at them now. So with a little internet research, toward's day's end, I drove to an ordinary enough little suburban street in McAllen, Texas. I roamed up and down Dallas Street with eyes and ears focused. The Red-crowns are increasingly rare in its native Mexico, but happily, they thriving in South Texas. I think of the Texas population as a savings account species, meaning if their numbers go missing in Mexico from illegal pet trade snaring, there is a population in Texas so the species has a buffer against extinction.

As twilight approached, After 45 minutes I was convinced I wasn't going to find the parrots. After all, normally the noisy birds are found by spreading 'spotters' with communication devises around so when one finds the parrots, everyone can race to the spot. Here I was, all by my lonesome, trying to do the work of twenty birders on foot.

Suspicious squawks rang out.

I headed towards the sound, and faced a couple of suburban homes with tall trees canopied over their roofs - and there they were - LIFERS!

Red-crowned Parrots Photo by Brian Plath

I could not believe my luck. I've attended two birding festivals in the Valley, and both times failed at finding the species. So I was happy to be able to enjoy them as they leapt and fluttered from branch to branch, settling in for their long evening roost.

BAM! 

Suddenly like a cannon shot, parrots SCREAMED, shooting out of the trees, hysterical flocks, frantically flying off . Nearly as startled as the birds, I watched as they disappeared, wondering, 'what the...? Most likely a predator scared them, but what?Owl? Raccoon? Cat? I'll never know. I waited around but the birds never returned, so I headed back to my motel. The score for this impromptu trip was two lifer species, and that's not too shabby a start.

Succulent Valentines

'Hens and Chickens' decorate these wooden hearts

Um... probably not what you're thinking, the succulent Valentines that is. Am in Monterey visiting with friend Barbara. She wanted to take a run to one of her many favorite plant nurseries, Succulent Gardens. The nursery has been around five years but it was my first visit. The nursery is famous for its classes teaching how to plant succulents on wall hangings. This is an impressive wall hanging that actually is a wall.

Pink Floyd got nothin' on this wall
of hundreds of mini-succulents

 First thing I zoned in on were the many Valentine themed goods for sale.

One can purchase these letters and fill them in with nursery seedlings.

Yes - fairly pricey!

You feeling the love yet? The Succulent Nursery is a HUGE greenhouse. I like to try and get in a certain amount of daily walking, and this was the perfect place to achieve my day's goal.




Walked up one aisle on its left, then down the same aisle on the right

Then it was over to the next aisle and repeat.

I got quite the walking work out. The entire time I thought of my mother, who adored succulents and would have had a ball at this giant warehouse of plantlets. 

Barbara had long since bought the few things she had come for, and she texted me 'Come on, let's go!' Happily, I had my phone turned off, and wasn't going to leave unless unless the whole place went up in flames - was having that much fun toodle-ing around.  

Then I spotted what I've been looking for for about two years now - cute and adorable planting pots! Used to be lots of stores had cutesy pots and planters, but there seems to be a dearth of them the past couple of years. I even searched nurseries in the Bay Area which back in 'the day' used to have loads of adorable pots. 

Chicken Pots, no pie

Was sooo tempted by this colorful sea turtle pot

Settled on a cute terra cotta baby quail pot and a colorful rooster pot

There were also large terra cotta pots in the shape of terriers, bunnies, chickens and such, but decided to leave those for another time. Now I finally have nice pots for my 'string of hearts' plant.

Got in my 2K plus steps at the nursery and a bit of shopping and I was finally very-nearly-almost ready to leave. Barbara had to sit in the car and wait while I got my fill of succulents at this awesome plant nursery.

lots of blossoms

Brother Sun, Sister Moon

Birding the Boondocks

Yesterday morning, after running an errand or two it seemed time for some birding; you know, to keep one's sanity. Brewer Road was picked, a boondock-ish area with lots of farmland, and after the recent rains, muddy enough to put the 4-wheel drive to some use.

Below is a picture taken late in the day. It's first up because it had a cute group of 8 Tundra Swans; a family group that just flew into the Central Valley here from the Tundra of Alaska or Northern Canada. The pair on the left are the Swan parents, and to the right are the grey-ish juveniles, the 'babies' of the year. These six overgrown tykes flew with their parents, making mental notes, to learn the route. Or do millennial swans jot notes down on their iPhones like our youngsters do?

A family of Tundra Swans

Here below is a close-up with the parents on the left, and 2 of the juvies on the right. You can better see here  how gray the juveniles are - they'll gradually get snowier plumage as they molt.  These kids will stay with Mom & Dad, and even follow them back up to the tundra come Spring. Then they will be in for a shock; Mom & Dad start work on a new nest and family, getting get grouchy and chasing their over-grown babies away. The poor things will then have to fend entirely for themselves, the poor widdle things. 

The little family will stay together though this winter

There were loads of other birds in massive flocks I saw today: White-faced Ibis, Greater White-fronted Geese, and umpteen Snow Geese. This humongous flock of Snow Geese below, were on Nicolaus Road, maybe a mile west from Brewer Road. The photo was taken through my windshield, and I was also surrounded by Snows to the left and Snows to the right. Noisy birds they are too!

Snowies straight ahead, to the right...

and Snowies to the left...

I was pleased to see a few Blue Phase Snow Geese. The Blueies used to be treated as a separate species but they are actually just a color phase of the Snow Geese. This is the first time I've been able to photograph a Blue Goose. A car makes a handy 'blind'.

Nice little Blue Goose

There are partially blue plumaged Snow Geese, next to the blue goose. Siblings maybe?

All the geese, the blue and the white, are stained yellow around their bills from digging in the iron rich, muddy soils. I am certain that somewhere in the massive flock there had to be a second species, a true species, the smaller 'Ross Goose'. The Rosses are smaller, with warty sort of lumps on their shorter bills. Looked all over the flocks and couldn't spot a single Ross. Still I'd bet a whole bag of birdie grain, those Ross were out there somewhere in that massive flock of Snows.

So let's see... today I saw huge flocks of Swans, Snow and Greater White-fronted Geese, hundreds of pintails and not a few Northern Shovelers (a duck species). Saw more American Coots than I've seen in a long time; at least a thousand of them spread up and down Brewer Road. The big treat for the day however, was spotted, some distance away, on a farm berm. Looking at the photo below, there is an arrow pointing to a brown and white blob.

Note the arrow pointing to the brown & white blob

Only a few seconds later, the brown and white blob took off into the air.

Bald Eagle! 

It is surprising to see a Baldie so close to home. They've been spotted along the American River and that is where I expected to see one - didn't expect one while rummaging around along Placer County's Brewer Road.

This very silly Gull chased after the eagle, trying to convince it to drop its lunch

Shortly after the gull began harassing the eagle, a massive flight of waterfowl entered the sky, coming from the opposite direction. I kept my camera shooting away. It wasn't until I got home I could further pick out the eagle amid the Northern Pintails and Greater White-fronted Geese. I don't know if the waterfowl saw the Bald Eagle had already accounted for its lunch or being in such greater numbers didn't really have anything to worry about from a fish-eating eagle.

Nothing like flying against traffic

I quickly lost track of where the eagle headed off to. Hope it managed to hold on to its lunch with all the hoopla of geese and gulls.

When I left Brewer Road and traversed Nicolaus Road with its Snowy geese, I kept going, ending up in Woodland and Davis. Didn't hit the Fazio Wildlife area because it was getting close to afternoon gridlock-time. Oh well, that'll be another day.

Here is a short clip of the Snow Geese, whose noisy calls give you the impression that the Bedlam is busy.