Every four years we are granted and extra calendar day to attempt getting all the crap done we’ve procrastinated on since the previous gift of 24 hours. We’ve come to that charity point and I sit here staring at all the things on my to-do list wondering just how long ago each of those items were added. Each comes with a progression of analysis honed over the many years in the corporate grind – does it really need to be done, does it actually have to be done now, is there something more important that delivers greater benefit, is it still as critical as it was when the item was added, is it really independent or it is preceded by another task on the list (or worse, not even there), is it too daunting and needs to be broken into subtasks and more important than all, what kind of trouble will I get into from Linda if I delay any longer. Scan the list, re-prioritize, rearrange, prune some, add some, stare at it, flip some coins…screw it, let’s have some fun and write a post!
Want to give Brad a little bit more time to process all the tins from his recent adventure, so spent some time going through the recently processed shots from our Texas 2023 snowbird migration- you have probably noticed the heavy emphasis on that January trip as of late. What could we feature in celebration of this Leap Year. Then I jumped over to see Jet’s latest post and she absolutely Caarussshed it (link here)! All of my Bunny shots have been used and the only other good option was a Leopard Frog I took several years back – pretty lame. Maybe I could get “close”
Ladies and gentlemen, would you accept Jeep Year!?! Unfortunately, I should have been working on this years in advance to have a nice collection of shots to use (like it says right there on my to-do list ha). As a substitute we are going with a Free-For-All clear out of the (mostly) Texas one-offs. Put your seatbelts on and hit the jump for a joy ride.
The first shot actually taken on our recent trip to Las Vegas. This is the first time we had our Jeep out there and took the opportunity to go up into Desert National Wildlife Refuge. The entry sign cautioned high clearance vehicles only and they were not joking around. The boys had and absolute blast and were busy spotting all the wildlife we came upon. Good news is the new RV has a higher towing capacity, so we can finally add on the larger off-roading tires.
I did find one series that did have some “leaping” in it. These are actually part of a larger series on the Whooping Cranes at Rockport, TX I’m working on – see, right there, number 11 on the to-do list.
This juvenile Whooper was leaping and dancing like no one was watching – actually, from our experience, they could care less if people or watching or not – they are livin’ la vida loca. Something had piqued its interest and was apparently trying to escape based on the antics of this juvi – ah, to be young and carefree again.
Now we officially come to the Free-For-All portion of the presentation. Normally these shots would be uploaded to the gallery and forgotten from that point forward. It could be that I didn’t get enough shots to build a post around, missing a good story that our readers would be interested in, possibly a less than ideal setting or the subject has been covered so many times in the past that there isn’t much left to say about them. I am actually pretty excited at the rare opportunity to bring these on-offs out into the light.
First off, the Black-Crested Titmouse. A staple on the south Texas birding menu with some overlap (eastern half of Texas) with the Tufted Titmouse more common in our parts. This specimen was found at Guadalupe River State Park outside San Antonio.
The Pied-Billed Grebe is quite prevalent across North America and down into Central/South America. If you are States’ side I am sure you have run across these cute little waterbirds at some point. The abundance and pervasiveness of these Grebes is the reason I do not take a lot of pictures of them. This one happened to have a glimpse at its funny looking feet.
The one below happened to have a longer bill than I am used to seeing and thought it was interesting – also liked the shadow of the Black-Necked Stilt in front of it. I am working on an “abstract” bird series … number 38 on the to-do list.
There are a few birds that get me riled up every time I see them…and not in a good way. Some frankly just piss me off like the Asshats (link here). Others like the duck below are innocent of the reason.
The Ring-Necked Duck has to be one of the worst bird names out there. Named after a feature you can really only discern when you are holding one in your hands versus the very easy to see white ring around the bill. We call it the “Bowling Shoe” Duck.
Here is another very abundant duck, the Northern Shoveler. The males are quite beautifully adorned in the emerald greens and auburn sides complementing the blacks and whites. Not to mention that adorable eye – purely a victim of being everywhere.
Speaking of everywhere – the Butterbutts have definitely gone on an eruption these past two years. I will get a lot more interested in them once they split the Myrtles from the Audubons – for now it is a single check on a huge population of songbirds.
With the exception of the ones that manage to fool me by not revealing their bright yellow butts, the appropriately named Yellow-Rumped Warblers get little more than a quick shudder click to record their presence for the later eBird submission. These next two happened to come out pretty nice from the brief attention.
I noticed you, now will you and the rest of your horde please STOP distracting me from the species my readers really want to see.
I used to think there were a lot of Vermilion Flycatchers in Texas until our latest trip to Arizona. The males are one of the few birds Linda is willing to take a picture of – she refuses to take shots of any bird that isn’t “pretty”. I saw this female hanging out in the golden light of the day – Linda said nope, but I thought it was worthy of a click.
White Ibis are another of the Texas staples. I didn’t realize just how common they were to the Gulf Coastline until our Florida trip back in April of 2023. I happen to like the White juvis slightly better with their added browns and definitely enjoy their Glossy and White-Faced cousins due to our more infrequent encounters.
I happen to really like the sunlight coming through the wings that still left some texture in the feathers on this flying specimen.
If you live in or visit the southwest, then you are very familiar with this next bird. Do you happen to remember the Two-Faced Seinfeld episode (link here)? I think the Great-Tailed Grackle is the Gwen of that episode, in good light, they look pretty cool in their shimmering blues/purple coat…catch them in different light and …
EEEECCKKK!!!
This next species is making its debut here at Intrigued. I really don’t have an excuse for not doing a full feature on this rather stunning Dove. They are rather tough to tin as they are incredibly light and easy to blow out.
You really don’t realize just how big these Doves are until you see them up against the others in their family – especially the Incas. In addition to their size, The Eurasian Collard-Doves are easily identified by their namesake mark on the back of their neck.
I’ll turn this specimen just a bit to give you a better look at it.
I happen to have a shot of the Inca in this set as well. Hard to tell without a good reference in the shot, but they are much smaller than the Eurasian above. Their feather “scaling” is also very unique to the rest of the Dove family.
The best part of the Inca is usually kept as a secret until they fly away and reveal their vibrant chestnut underwing feathers. A feature that is rather hard to capture in the field. I got lucky with this following specimen as the burnt orange was very visible – either it had not folded its outer feathers down yet or there was some molting going on.
Mallards are truly ubiquitous, even our friends across the pond get to enjoy their colorful presence. Ask Ron or I about the Mallard and we will both quickly inform you that they are the only Duck that “quacks” – what can we say, we love our trivia. Unless they are with their ducklings, I usually pass on spending time with them beyond the eBird submission reference shot. Contrast that with the extra time given to the Mottled and Mexican varieties which are significantly rarer. Still cute though!
…and on the mention of the Mottled, here is a cute couple from Estero Llano Grande State Park. I could see how smitten they were with each other just in their eyes.
Drake: “On this here log I do proclaim my unfaltering love for you”
Hen: “You know you look like a female Mallard right?”
Drake: “Ummm, I think I’ll go check out that philly over there”
Although not as ubiquitous as the Mallard, the American Wigeon has North America covered – even a titch down into South America. Those across the pond have another family member we refer to as the Eurasian variety that every once in a while has a few too many pints at the local pub, stumbles out and surprisingly finds itself wandering around the States
They do have a cute mixture of green and white on their heads…
..but it is their squeak toy calls that will put a smile on your face. I like to use their soundbites on Cornell to play tricks on our pups.
Another species of bird you will need to travel to Texas for to get the best look at is the Golden-Fronted Woodpecker.
On closer look, it appears you may be able to locate them in Oklahoma as well – can’t say as I have ever seen them there. What I can say is you simply need to visit Laguna Atascosa, walk the paths behind the visitor center until you come to a sign that says “Golden-Fronted Woodpecker” and then look up and 9.9 out of 10 times one will be banging on a tree.
Then again, you could just got to Bentson-Rio Grande State Park, Estero Llano Grande SP, UTRGV Landbridge, Santa Ana NWR…you get the picture ha.
Will close out this series of misfits with the state bird of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. For the record, Texas chose it first back in 1927. They supposedly selected it due to being “a fighter for the protection of his home, falling, if need be, in its defense like any true Texan” per the Texas State Historical Association (reference here). Honestly, I think it is an inside joke as this species annoys me to no end.
The number of times I’ve hunted high and low for a bird only to find out the call was coming from one of these mimics is staggering. At this point, as soon as I see a Mockingbird show up on the Merlin App, I shut it down as nothing can be trusted after that point. I am also not afraid of their little wing flashes so you can just sit there and think about why I am ignoring you! (Linda has already recommended therapy hehehe).
Well, not the best link to Leap Day, but hope you enjoyed this little bird ensemble. A rare look into images that would likely never make it to the pages of Intrigued on their own. Now I need to get back to this to-do list…on second thought, maybe a run or a perhaps a trip in the Jeep with the boys would be better…wait, forgot about the “Linda trouble” part.
Take care everyone and good luck on your extra 24!
Life Intrigued 