December 5

Savannah Sparrow

 Finally managed to get a decent photo...
usually they disappear into the grass before I can even turn the camera on...










One lone Primrose blossom amid the December grass..

Primrose

December 4 A Day at the Beach

 Decided to explore Galveston State Park today...
Still very decimated from Hurricane Ike 5 years ago. Office is temp trailer, the beach RV sites have only 2 restrooms for 3 trailer loops.

The day use area is not much more than a parking lot.

No birds on the beach, but the patterns on the sand are works of art.











The observation platform on the bay side was infested with wasps, so no photo ops there. We met a park ranger going to spray. Glad to know the refuge is not the only place the wasps are so bad.

December 1

Today was Black-crowned Night-Heron day, 

my windshield was still dirty, and the light was wrong, but I couldn't resist. Nothing to brag about, but good ID photos.

November 30

 Another beautiful day of sunshine at the Refuge... I started with a drive around Shoveler Pond

Cooper's Hawk

I called this one immature Cooper's Hawk, he likes to patrol the Willows Pond. 

King Rail

 Sometimes we just get lucky... I snagged several shots this time.

Great Egret

 I think his eyes were bigger than his stomach on this one, didn't wait around to see how long before he managed to swallow it.

 I counted 45 Great Egret alone in this short stretch... the line of white birds continued along the canal  as I drove around the pond,

 The berm was filled to capacity, no room for gators today.

 Geese, geese, and more geese

November 24 Another day at the Refuge

Geese were flying all day, the moist soil unit between Shoveler Pond road and East Bay Boat Ramp Road was thoroughly saturated with both Snow Goose and Greater White-fronted Goose.

Must be a Ross's somewhere in this throng, but I couldn't pick one out. 

Anhinga

An early drive around Shoveler Pond provided some goodies...

Fulvous Whistling Duck

Frozen Point was the site for bay birds this afternoon...

Horned Grebe

Common Loon

Red-breasted Merganser

 Sometimes, even poor quality ID pictures make great learning tools, the thin up-turned bill is a major field mark.

Bald Eagle

Jackson Woodlot is a favorite roosting area for him.

November 24 What a Buteo!

 Several weeks ago, a local visitor had photographed and posted about an usual hawk. An out of state visitor several days ago, described a very black and white hawk on FM 1985. Driving to the VIS this morning we located the bird exactly where we had seen it yesterday but were unable to get more than a fleeting shot.

If you squint, you might see the speck just above the horizon. 

This morning he was more cooperative, the picture quality is lousy through a dirty windshield, but he is too beautiful not to share. 

 

He prefers the low fence rather than the utility poles and seems to prefer one certain fence post. He is so dazzlingly white, he's visible several hundred feet away and most days we see him both morning and evening, What a Buteo! Consensus is Krider's - Red-tail.

November 21 Visitor Information Station

Bronzed Cowbird

 Manning the VIS today, sunshine really brought out the birds and other critters. I like to walk the Willows trail early in the morning to have a bird list for visitors.
Would rather not see this guy, we have way to many of his cousins but he seems to be a regular anymore.

American Kestrel

This little fellow was also very cooperative. Looks so delicate.



I never seem to have trouble finding our state bird to pose for a photo. 

Northern Mockingbird

 This one played hide-and-seek but I managed to get a good shot of the head. Most of our White-crowns are juvenile with the still brown-crown. Love their song, I usually hear them before I see them.

White-crowned Sparrow

Not a very good photo, this guy landed on the Vermilion's favorite perch before being chased away by the owner. He landed on the construction fence in the shadows long enough to wag his tail and let me snap a few fuzzy shots.

Say's Phoebe

The warm sunshine had him basking on the porch railing. I found several others that morning near the restrooms.

Green Tree Frog 

This cute fellow had two visitors quite upset, thinking he might be dangerous to their small children. I provoked him to get him to stick out his tongue. 

Garter Snake

Was deeply saddened when I found him run over less than an hour later. I moved the body onto the grass so at least he could be a part of the food chain and not just a greasy spot on the asphalt.