Category: Birds

A Well Placed Sign

I think one of the reasons I am drawn to birding is the ever increasing challenge inherit in the activity.  Like my other favorite pastime, running, the barrier to entry is pretty low.  If you want to get started in running, all you really need to do is grab your favorite pair of sneakers, lace them on and pretty much go.  Over time that gets to be easy so you think to yourself, maybe I will go further or perhaps try to go a bit faster the next time.  Complete that bump in ability and next thing you know you are training for a marathon or some other crazy running related activity – wrapped up in all of this is the ongoing investment in tailored shoes, technical clothing and of course new breakthroughs in hydration and fuel.

Golden-Fronted Woodpecker discovered at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in January 2017

Compare that to birding.  To get started, all you really need is to … well, go outside and look.  There are very few places that are inhabitable, that doesn’t have at least one bird to look at if even a House Sparrow or Crow.  Like Running, the desire to do more starts creeping in so you expand your circle and start acquiring a few reference books.  Eventually you are planning your vacations around a particular bird and invested in some serious photography equipment.  The challenge has escalated to getting a better shot of a bird or properly identifying a never seen before species.  In Running and in Birding, the thrill of the accomplishment is the fuel that keeps the interest revving.

Sounds impressive doesn’t it – the struggle of man vs wild, overcoming incredible obstacles to get the shot and burning the midnight oil pouring through reference books barely able to keep the lids open enough to compare your blurry image to the hand drawn reference.  That may be true for some situations, but don’t be fooled, there are times like this that are embarrassingly easy.

Golden-Fronted Woodpecker discovered at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in January 2017

Hit the jump to find out what this new bird is!

Continue reading A Well Placed Sign

Just Need to Find the Pygmy

Still trying to dig out from the fluffy stuff around here – looks like another 2″ to 3″ on top of the previous  ~7″ fall.  White gold if you happen to live on a well.  That snow will melt slowly into the ground and keep our water supply up for a while – hoping for more because it has been pretty dry around here as of late and worried if we do not get a soggy spring we are going to be in for some hauling.  Funny how perspectives change with age.  I remember leaping out of bed on a school day morning after a night of a good winter snow hoping for the talking head to announce the school closings.  Now I gently roll my aching body out of bed and hope there’s enough snow to saturate the ground…and admittedly to see if I can go make snow angels (some experiences from childhood never get old!).  I’ll save the angels for tomorrow, tonight it’s time to add another new bird to my list.

Brown-Headed Nuthatch found at William Goodrich Jones State Forest in Conroe, Texas

Before I go any further, I must admit these shots are not bound for any walls.  The mere fact you can make out that it is a bird is lucky, the ability to get it focused enough to validate the key features to ID it is a complete miracle.  The creature you see before you (sometimes it helps to squint to artificially make the soft edges a bit sharper), is a Brown-Headed Nuthatch.  You really just needed a coupled of clues to get this specimen categorized – it has a brown head and it is pointed straight down a tree trunk – Alex I’ll take Easy Birds to Identify for $800.  This Brown-Headed was found at William Goodrich Jones State Forest in Conroe, Texas back in December 2016.  If you recall, this is where the Black-Bellied Whistling-Ducks were found (link here).  Unlike the ducks, this Nuthatch was hanging out at the far end of the pond at the extent of my glass – thus the reduced quality of the shots – it also didn’t hang around very long – I spotted it running down the trunk of the tree immediately putting it in the Nuthatch family (dismissed the Creeper family due to the coloring and the fact I could discern it from the tree bark – them Creepers be well camouflaged – link here).  I am very familiar with the White-Breasted variety (link here) and previously posted on the Red-Breasted (link here).  This post completes the 3rd of the 4 seed stashers in North America.  The remaining one for me is the Pygmy but I need to head west for that one.

Brown-Headed Nuthatch found at William Goodrich Jones State Forest in Conroe, Texas

Only have two worthwhile pictures of this specimen – that far away, it could fit in my focus area with plenty of room on the sides.  Some quick facts.  It definitely prefers to hang out in the southeastern region of the US. It is not a migratory species and known for not traveling far from whatever forest they call their home.  As mentioned earlier, they are quite agile traversing tree trunks in all directions thanks to their strong claws.  They are a very social bird – if they are around you, you will hear them.  They often travel together and have strong family bonds with the male and offspring sticking around to help the female raise the latest batch. For you crossword aficionados out there they participate in allopreening where they wrestle in kiddie pools covered with Aloe Vera – sorry, my fact checking department has just informed me that allopreening simply means they will straighten each other’s feathers.  I am skeptical about this correction based on the mere fact that there was an intriguing number of kiddie pools strewn about the trees.

In a hurry tonight so no time to go back and check the negatives – will have to take their word.  Hope you enjoyed this very brief introduction to my new addition on the bird list!

Mr. 200

Greetings from the white tundra.  If you are currently in the heartland you are likely looking out your window wondering if someone just shook the snow globe you’ve been living in.  The back breaking fluffy stuff is officially blanketing our driveways and travel-ways.  Fortunately, this is nothing new for those of us choosing to live in Illinois where are motto is “Our state might be completely broke, but at least we get all four seasons!”  Everyone knows that the best thing to do in a snow storm is to go birding … well, birding in my den that is.  In a glass half full perspective (probably with ice), a large backlog comes in handy on days like this.

On this snowy day, I bring you Mr.200 from the warm confines of Texas.

Great Kiskadee shot at South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center in January 2017

Now that is a beautiful bird.  I came across it in the nick of time while visiting the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center.  Should be no surprise for my regular readers, but just in case, Linda and I were visiting down there in January of 2017.  A shockingly short time ago based on my usual delay in getting my pictures processed and posted here.  I was heading back to the visitor center after a fruitful day birding at the center.  It was my second time there that day and it was getting late and wanted to get back to Linda who was keeping the dogs company in the RV.  We were reluctantly heading back home the following day.

Great Kiskadee shot at South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center in January 2017

Hit the jump to learn what this new colorful addition to my birding happens to be!

Continue reading Mr. 200

A Tern in Treble

Welcome to the end of an extremely productive month.  Think I cranked out like 15 posts in my big push to get some of the Texas Gulf Coast birding collection out.  Pretty much got through most of the topics I wanted to, but now looking at a similar goal for February – unfortunately, I still need to process those pictures before those will be ready.  In the meantime, thought I would go with a post that was alluded to in my Pelican vs Cormorant post (link here).

For my 16th post of the month going with a bit a dramatic, if not alarming experience also witnessed at Seawolf Park in Galveston, TX back in January 2017.

Tern Caught in Fishing Hook at Seawolf Park, Galveston, Texas in January 2017

If you are not familiar with this bird, it is a member of the Tern family.  These birds are pretty common in the area and spend their days patrolling the waterways for fish and shrimp that unsuspectingly venture to close to the surface.  These Terns are truly a joy to watch as they spot their prey and hit the water with shocking force.  Will say, they are easier to watch than actually get a decent picture of with big glass.  Hand holding the Beast was putting my skills to the test with these aerial acrobats.  Having just witnessed the comical feather-fu minutes earlier, my spirits were up and a giant smile painted my face – was thinking how fun that post was going to be, while getting a few shots in the tin of the Tern’s hunting.

Tern Caught in Fishing Hook at Seawolf Park, Galveston, Texas in January 2017

Sadly, my heart took a turn for the worse.  My smile was turned to pure shock and utter disbelief as a new scenario unfolded before me … one I will never forget.

Hit the jump to learn what changed my happiness so quickly.

Continue reading A Tern in Treble

With Skim Please

Feels like I’ve been away from the blog for weeks!  Alas, it has only been but a day or two.  I’ve been busy with getting some work done around the house and trying to get ahead of the backlog that is starting to pile up at my day job.  On the positive front I was able to get a loop in at my favorite hill training course (Springdale Cemetery).  It has been awhile since the weather cooperated and finally got a chance to run with Ryan to see how our legs fared over the holiday break.  Pretty happy where I’m at, but need to start ramping up the mileage to be ready for the race season that starts in April.  If things keep going as planned, I should have no problem being ready for back to back 5K and half.  What I am little concerned about is finishing my current race against none other than Father Time.  Will be coming down the wire to get all my Texas birding posts outs.

Let’s not waste any more time getting to that task.  Welcome to the blog, the newest bird in my list.

Black Skimmer encountered on Galveston Island, Texas January 2017

That intriguing bird you see is called a Black Skimmer.  I guarantee you will not forget your first encounter with this relative of Gulls and Terns.  One reason for this is you likely will not see just one.  Possibly 2

Black Skimmer encountered on Galveston Island, Texas January 2017

Hit the jump to see and read more about the Skimmers!

Continue reading With Skim Please

Whistle While You Waddle

How’s it going out there in the blogosphere?  I am starting to feel really good about the Texas production – been some work to get to this point, but clearly on a path to put a serious dent in my birding backlog.  Not to mention, definitely picking up some ground on my brother, although I am taking advantage of his distaste for the cold weather (I keep reminding him how odd that is being that he chooses to live in the Windy City).  Maybe have a large queue of unprocessed trip pictures is a godsend and not a yoke.

How about we do some more den birding.  Back in December 2016 (trust me, my backlog goes several years beyond this), Linda and I stopped off at Conroe, Texas on our way down to South Padre Island.  Guessing this was a good stopping point for a day’s travel as opposed to a specific destination at the time.  For those interested, we found an incredible Mexican restaurant there – major yum.   Since we had some time to spare I looked up some local birding locations.

Whistling Duck found at William Goodrich Jones State Forest, Conroe in Texas December 2016

The William Goodrich Jones State Forest had good reviews and was relatively close.  It also boasted having the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker.  I’ve been to several preserves and refuges claiming they host this Pecker, but every time I’ve come up empty tinned.  This happens to be an oddly situated park.  There’s an apartment complex on the side of it (at the main pull off entrance) and a sizeable (and busy) road cutting right through it.  To be honest, I really didn’t have too high of hopes for finding anything decent.  My optimism for the Pecker has since devolved into pure pessimism.  I’m always up for a good hike, so grabbed the Beast and headed out to explore.

Whistling Duck found at William Goodrich Jones State Forest, Conroe in Texas December 2016

There was a small pond as you first come into the forest.  I saw some activity on it from the RV, but again, didn’t really think much about it – probably some Mallards splashing around or Coots practicing their walk on water bar trick.  Every experience that moment when something catches your peripheral vision, but doesn’t really process until you’ve taken a few more steps.  Slowly the mind sorts through the grey matter until it finds some piece of stored data it can relate this new input – maybe I am just getting old and my processor is getting long in the tooth.  As it came into focus I even stopped walking to re-run the quick sort algorithm – Bird->Water->Duck->No Green->Not Mallard->Partial Black->Not a Coot->Orange Bill->Merganser->Black Eye->Not Merganser WHAT?

Whistling Duck found at William Goodrich Jones State Forest, Conroe in Texas December 2016

Hit the jump to read more about this musical duck!

Continue reading Whistle While You Waddle

Coming to Your Emotional Rescue

Welcome back to check mark January!  As a recap, this month has brought with us 9 new birds and an additional sub-species.  Haven’t been this productive at the beginning of the year since I ran Project Chekov back in January 2014.  26 consecutive bird posts featuring at least one bird named with that day’s consecutive letter (link here).  Now that was a chore, figuring out at least one bird for each letter and then hunting pictures down.  The letter Q was quite the challenge and had to bend the rules just a bit to cover the letter U (thank god for zoos on that one).  Not going to make it to 26 this month, but I can get us to 10!

White-Tailed Kite Shot at Galveston Texas State Park in December 2016

Having just recently featured another bird of prey, thought it was fitting to bring you an additional cool feathered killer.  This sinister looking bird is a White-Tailed Kite.  Some birds shots are obtained by canvasing particular areas in hopes of spotting something interesting from the vehicle (some like my brother Ron would consider this the absolutely best method for winter birding).  Other finds come from getting your shoes dirty, braving briar and defending against the mosquito horde just to get a glimpse of a rare lost bird.  Both methods produce the same check in the book, but clearly one has a better experience than the other aka – blogger gold hehehe.  Interesting enough, this sighting didn’t bring with it that much effort.

White-Tailed Kite Shot at Galveston Texas State Park in December 2016

Hit the jump to learn more about this Kite!

Continue reading Coming to Your Emotional Rescue

Friends in Low Places

Greetings everyone!  Back from my trip up north and therefore now have access to my personal bird reference library.   What to do, what to do… oh, how about a post featuring another new check on my North American birding list.  My count has received a serious steroid injection this month thanks to some very productive trips to the Lone Star state.

Crested Caracara shot in Rockport, Texas December 2016

This particular find was encountered while visiting Rockport, Texas back in December 2016.  Specifically, this was located in a small coastal neighborhood near Goose Island State Park.  We became acquainted with this area thanks to a very friendly and helpful hotel clerk we befriended on a previous trip to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.  We were bummed we had not spotted a particular bird while checking out the refuge earlier in the day.  Noting our disappointment she bestowed an extremely useful piece of information. We’ve been every visit since then.

Crested Caracara shot in Rockport, Texas December 2016

Hit the jump to read more about “The King”

Continue reading Friends in Low Places

My Crested Style Fu is Superior to Your Pelikido

It appears I finally broke my consecutive post streak.  Was on a roll thanks to outside forces driving me to get through as much of the Texas related birding encounters as possible.  Deadline is still there, I just had the opportunity to enjoy a guilty pleasure this weekend – I happen to be part of a top ranking fake group on Rock Band and we were able to get the band together Friday.  It has been awhile and we were all a bit rusty.  We had a great time even though my arms are now sore from the night of drumming – I may have to start warming up before we play now eesh.  Before you laugh at me too much, we have put our computer engineering skills to good use – our singer has modified a real mic and I have a full electronic Roland drum set that feeds through an Ion head to a midi converter to now an Xbox-360 to Xbox-One pigtail converter and then to the console.  Thinking that still isn’t helping my case any ha!   Reality of it all is I am now trying to get back in the posting saddle.  Thanks to having to do this while traveling on the road, thought I would go with a post that doesn’t need a lot of research – had to leave my reference books at home.

Today’s featured post comes to you courtesy of Seawolf Park near Galveston Texas.  We were visiting that location for the first time back in January 2017 which produced a number of intriguing experiences.  While hunting for dolphins from their wharf, I spotted a Double-Crested Cormorant looking tauntingly at a nearby Brown Pelican.  Screw the dolphins, this might turn out quite interesting.

Double-Crested Cormorant and Brown Pelican tangle at Seawolf Park in Galveston Texas January 2017

Slowly their paths converged.  An entire gulf of water to explore, yet each one refusing to yield their path to the other.   Hubris had once again taken root in its victims giving false confidence to its host.  So there it stood, the formidable Crested-Fu style of the Cormorant paired off against the more physically dominating Pelikido of the larger bodied Brown Pelican.  Surely cooler heads wood prevail – maybe a respectful bow and mutual diversion of their conflicting trajectories.

NOPE!

Double-Crested Cormorant and Brown Pelican tangle at Seawolf Park in Galveston Texas January 2017

Hit the jump to see how this angry bird encounter turns out!

Continue reading My Crested Style Fu is Superior to Your Pelikido

Gaining My Marbles

I almost went with “A Wasted Endeavor” for the title of this post, however, my not so clever play on losing my marbles won out in the end.  A little insight into the inner workings around here at Intrigued – there’s one key ingredient that brings it all together.  Sure, the foundation of it all relies on being able to make it out in the field and discover content to feature.  Then there’s the digital darkroom where I try to make everything as pretty as I can for you.  There’s close to three years of outings in the queue that I am desperately trying to get through (thus the more than usual production as of late).  Have to get everything uploaded to the galleries in order to reference into the posts and then the actual finger pounding the keyboard to give it all context.  The fact is, all of those elements require a bit of effort on my part.  Not exactly the effort you might be thinking of …

Marbled Godwit shot on Bolivar Peninsula Texas January 2017

I’m talking about the effort involved in trying to maintain your sanity being a distance runner.  Trust me, people like me who feel guilty when not meeting the mileage quota for the week probably need some therapy – “Hello, my name is Brian and I am a Runner.  [all] Hello Brian.”  To keep myself from thinking about every step during the run, I set my mind to planning out the next post.  What is worth my reader’s time, what interesting photographs do have that will give life to that topic and the most important element – what is the title going to be.  It is downright embarrassing how many miles I cover thinking about that component.  Hardest part is being able to remember what I came up with by the time I hit the stopwatch.  To be honest, it really is a giant life circle.  I exercise so I can go into the field, hike all day with heavy equipment, take photos to bring back and then use my exercise time to put it all together.  Wash, Rinse, Repeat.  Honestly, there isn’t anything I’d rather be doing to pass my free time than out in the wild staring down the barrel of large glass at a new bird for my North American Birding List.  In retrospect, that seems like a long intro to simply introduce the first Marble in my collection.

Marbled Godwit shot on Bolivar Peninsula Texas January 2017

Hit the jump to learn more about this tall wader.

Continue reading Gaining My Marbles