Hello everyone, it’s been a while. Things are a bit chaotic at the moment as both Brad and I are out in the field. This means the Intrigued HQ is under the supervision of our legal department and, well, “shudder”. I am pretty sure it is going to devolve into a Project X event (link here) purely based on the “Incident that shall never be mentioned” that occurred the last time they were in charge. For a group that prefers to wear suits and gets $300 haircuts, they go balls out without supervision. Brad will be getting back sooner, so he will have to deal with the cleanup, bail money and/or the angry neighbors. Meanwhile we have made it to southern Texas and today was the FIRST day it hasn’t rained the entire day. Of course, that means the humidity spiked and those $#%!@#!% bugs are out in force to make up for lost blood. Now I can get back to some serious birding and press that little ISO button on my camera and turn the dial down from 1600. I should see if there are photo competitions with a category for “Best Use of Grey”.
This being the first time down here during spring break we have noticed a few differences. On the disappointing side, our favorite state park Estero Llano Grande is basically bone dry (the rain over these last few days isn’t going to improve that situation at all. For those familiar with that park, there is no water out from the visitor center or any of the middle ponds before Alligator Lake. Luckily a lot of the waterfowl and shorebirds have moved to the reservoir beyond the back levee. Also on the negative scale, there is more foliage on the trees making it far more difficult to get a clear shot. Hmmm, maybe another competition category – “Most Obscured Bird”. Counterbalancing those, we are getting looks at several new lifers and the other birders and park volunteers we have met continue to be the shining examples of goodness in our society. Refresh your mental state by burning the newspapers, turning off the babbling TV heads, putting your phone away and simply go birding. If that happens to be in south Texas, we do recommend taking gallons of bug spray unless you want a blood transfusion to go along with your mental therapy.
While I try to dry out and recover from early morning ups and late night Paraque hunts (link here), going to go with a short feature today. One that south Texas birders now quite well.
Hit the jump for a couple more quick shots before I lather up in DEET.
These shots were taken while wintering at South Padre Island last year. The Brown Pelican has been featured numerous times here at Intrigued (link here, here and here for example). As we do not get this species in the Midwest, they are a glass magnet whenever we are hanging out along the Gulf Coast. Sure, the all-white ones in our parts are fun to watch soaring overhead or group spinning to take down a school of fish…but the Brown’s splash of color is a pleasant change of pace. A warm feeling washes over us whenever we see their long bills and chunky bodies as memories of the sandy beaches and gently breaking waves come to mind. Before you ask, yes, we bought the large wooden Pelicans at the little mainland gift shop just across the South Padre Island bridge. They are proudly displayed on our fireplace hearth to help us get through the sub-zero Midwestern tundra days.
It is hard to imagine how violent these birds fish compared to their demeanor when not on the hunt. I was unable to find our post on it in my quick search, but just imagine them flying up to a good height, bringing the wings in while slowly arcing down and then accelerating directly into the water with a hearty pop and engulfing splash. Fun to watch, hard to get crisp shots in the tin. When their belly meter goes into the green, they’ll spend they day watching life go by, gawking from a rock, relaxing on a wave or just letting it all hang out with wind beneath their wings.
I get the feeling that very little gets under the skin. A shining example of “Salt Life”. “All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz and I’m fine (link here).”
May your days be as relaxing as a Pelican with a full belly. Time for me to call it a night. Tomorrow we are going after 3 new lifers at Resaca de la Palma State Park and I need all the blood I can give, I mean all the sleep I can get. Take care everyone, we’ll be back to our normal posting levels in the next week or so.
Life Intrigued 