Welcome to July everyone, or as we say here “Grind Month”. With the turning of the calendar page, I am roughly 1.5 weeks out from the first ultra race of the year (link here). This is one of the few times I’ll complain about all the cool temps we’ve been experiencing lately as it is definitely impacting the heat acclamation period essential for these long Midwestern summer races. It’s already a sweat filled grind with the benefit of the conditioning and I am definitely not lucky enough to carry these low 60’s temps much further into this month. Need to get through that ultra and then close the month out with my 20th consecutive and last running of the Bix7 up in the Quad Cities (link here). Although usually hotter, the Bix is 25 miles shorter than CMAR so at least the torture doesn’t last as long ha. I am going to take a break from Intrigued as I finish up the ultra race prep – Linda accuses me of turning into a basket case as I fret the details up until the starter pistol goes off and she doesn’t want me passing that on to our readers. Sooooo, I’ll bring you this pseudo 4th inspired post and then let Brad keep everyone entertained until I’m out of the hospital..I mean done with the race!
With that, let’s get started with a little red, a bit more white and a lot more blue.
Hit the jump for today’s Independence Day themed double feature.
Let’s start with a quick apology for failing to complete the official annual Intrigued Photoshoot checklist. Each year I bring out the list of tins I need to be properly prepared for the coming year of blogging. Shoot a Bunny for the Easter post, something pink/red for Valentine’s day (usually Spoons or Vermilions), White Pelicans in tribute to my father, Cardinals for my mother and something red, something white (not a hard task in the birding world) and something blue to honor our country’s freedom. Fell a little short on the red…somewhat due to forgetting and releasing the Cardinal series too early (link here). Fortunately, I was able to find a (weak) substitute – the Black Skimmer. Their legs can fluctuate between red and orange, but their bill’s tend to be more consistently reddish.
…and they have plenty of white to get that element satisfied as well. The Skimmer is one of those birds you can grab a picnic basket and spend the day just enjoying. A perfect place to do just that is on the South Padre Island Convention Center flats. Pop the top on the Jeep, drive out onto the sand, put the shades on enjoy the hundreds of Skimmers hunting the shallow waters of the Laguna Madre. These are typically social flock birds that will rest and hunt together. Whether simply startled or some secret predetermined signal, the flock will rise up in mass, swirl in a strobe of black and white before either resettling back down convinced the danger has passed or initiate their feeding strafing runs. I covered the Skimmer in more detail in a previous post (link here), but to recap, they have a uniquely hinged bill that allows them to drop to water level, lower their bottom bill into the water and “skim” for fish/shrimp/crab. Once the bill comes in contact, it snaps shut trapping the victim as they use their powerful wings to raise back into the air.
The element I find most fascinating is just how thin their bill is. From the side (see the first shot), one would assume a beefy Toucan-like bill, but nature knows physics and solved the drag effect by making them sleek to cut through the water. You can see that aspect in the second shot where the bill is barely distinguishable.
Best of all, when you have had your fill of the Skims, you can enjoy a refreshing beverage with your favorite person/partner/spouse and watch the amazing sunsets as the sun retreats from on the Gulf. Not sure life gets any better than that.
Red, check, white, check, time for some blue!
There are many blue-themed birds in North America, but I have to say, the brilliant hues sported by the Green Jay is in a class of its own. Definitely not dominant in this Jay, however, the gorgeous yellows and green flavors in the rest of the body with the solid black borders really sets these blues at a higher level.
These shots were taken at Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco, TX. Normally I try to avoid high sun conditions, but with the Green Jays I don’t mind a bit of blow-out in exchange for the nearly neon coloring as the light permeates through the various color layers. As a general rule, I am not a huge fan of the Jay family – especially our resident Blue Jays which are basically one step up from those asshat Cow Birds (link here). Being that I do not get to experience them as often, I am fonder of the Greens and even the Steller’s are pretty amazing (link here and here).
What would probably take some time to get comfortable with is the racket these Green Jays make. Pretty sure they have a fondness for hanging out with the Great-Tailed Grackles as that is probably one of the few birds that could effectively drown out their calls. “Don’t blame me for the ear pain {points to nearby Grackle}, blame that obnoxious chatterbox over there!!!”
Went ahead and added in a couple more shots of the Green Jay – more to give a perspective on the lighting comment mentioned above. This next shot was taken on South Padre Island. They definitely like to partake in free seed. More classic lighting for sure, but it just seems a lot more subdued and less impressive on the color front.
Similar to this last shot, I snapped the next one while waiting for the Audubon’s Oriole to make an appearance at the National Butterfly Center in Mission, TX. No blowouts, slightly more vibrancy than the SPI shot above but meh..the greens pretty much dominate. This matches the shots typically used for reference on sites such as Cornell.
Light preferences aside, hopefully we can all agree the Green Jay is still one impressive looking bird.
Time to head out for one of the last hard runs before starting the taper. Hope you enjoyed this small taste in tribute to America’s Independence celebration. Catch you again after the race and looking forward to what Brad will bring you in the meantime.
Take care!
Life Intrigued 