Tag: Texas 2025

Thrashing and Splashing

Been quite the busy bee (err Bri) since returning home from Texas. Having to deal with the ankle injury, all the work related with the Haunted Trail and well, life in general, I fell behind on my tasks (starting last year). I don’t know about you, but that nags at me to no end and if I get too far behind it basically feels like I’m “thrashing” around in a sea of commitments. One of those failed endeavors was documenting all my bird sightings. I don’t mention it much, but I try to document all the sightings made during the annual Average Year efforts (link here). I only made it a few months into last year so I was way behind starting this year – now resolved. All of 2025 is done (link here) and 2026 (link here) is now current (with exception of the graphs which I only update monthly). Happy to say I am bettering my pace from last year’s record setting tally (400+3 provisional) with a current count of 254+3. In my best Chico Escuela voice, Texas was berry, berry good to me.

Keeping with the “thrashing” theme, thought I would feature a bird that knows a lot about that!

Curve-Billed Thrasher found at Laguna Vista Nature Trail, Laguna Vista, TX in January 2025

Hit the jump to learn more about this angry looking bird… and if you behave, we just might give you a bonus species!

Continue reading Thrashing and Splashing

A South American Visitor

Our winter migration has come to an end and we are officially back at the Intrigued Headquarters. I am still awaiting monetary gifts of appreciation from our IL based friends for dragging back some warm weather on our way back from Texas (those can be dropped off anytime at our offices!). We were definitely not expecting temps in the mid-50s only a few days after our return. Doubtful that will hold being mid-February and all, but will enjoy it while it lasts. Before we get into today’s international themed post, wanted to mention a few accolades. We here at Intrigued have entered our 19th year of operation from when we started our “mothership” blog as a place to document our experiences and the social encounters that…well…intrigued us.

18 years of WordPress

Over time we started focusing more and more on featuring the “wild” side of life and then I was asked to present at the local Audubon chapter on “Birding and Blogging” to introduce their members to a new-ish media form to get more exposure to their birding passion. This was a great opportunity to curate our love for wildlife and photography and so our sister site Wildlife Intrigued was born – the rest is history as they say…

10,000 posts on Wildlife Intrigued

…and we recently hit the 1,000 post threshold on this sister site!! A big thanks to all our contributors/editors (Linda, Brad, Jan, Allyson, Elfie and the rest of the behind the scenes staff that make the Intrigued complex run smoothly (and mainly keep us out of legal issues ha).

Thanks for indulging us in our accolades, it is time to get you to the reason you are here…BIRDS!

Yellow-Headed Caracara found on Galveston Island, TX in January 2025

Bringing you a special rarity today as thanks for making it through our intro brags. Hit the jump to learn more about this surprise encounter.

Continue reading A South American Visitor

Stuck the Landing

By the time you read this we will have officially left the great state of Texas and if not all the way back to the Midwest Tundra, certainly withing striking distance. With some definite sadness, our winter migration has come to an end and now time to get back to the Intrigued HQ to get caught up on all the paperwork piling up since our departure – that and finally take down all the Christmas decorations ha! As a whole, it felt like a down year for birding in south Texas as there was relatively little to chase and some of our planned checks never materialized. There were a couple of new lifers (future posts) and a start that took us further west along the border than we have ever been. It was really that portion of our “migration” that elevated the entire birding experience and resulted in a rather stunning surprise.

On our last day in Texas I was able to tin a number of missing birds at Caddo Lake State Park (in our top 5 State Parks we have had the chance to visit). That haul stuck me firmly into third place in the top 100 eBirders in Texas this year with 244+3 checks. Extremely pleased with that accomplishment and I do owe Linda a lot of credit for getting me anywhere close to that level – she denies she is a birder, but she knows her “stuff” and Ron will confirm. As you have likely already assumed, third will be my high water mark with our departure. Best of luck to our many birding friends (old and new) that live in or staying longer in the region – this year we even managed to meet up with birders we know from back home (it really is a small world). The birding community down here is incredibly gracious and always willing to get you directly on a bird or relay the latest information – thank you!

I have plenty more to update everyone on, but there is plenty of time for that in future posts. Let’s get you to the real reason you find yourselves here – BIRDS. In honor of landing in the Texas top 5, going with a more literal interpretation of sticking the landing

American White Pelican found at Leonabelle Turnbell Birding Center, Port Aransas, TX in January 2025

Hit the jump to read more about this member of a squadron making their way back to base.

Continue reading Stuck the Landing

Politics of the Log

Ummm, somebody has some explaining to do and I think that person is Mother Nature. Every winter since retirement, Linda and I pack up the RV, toss (gently) the boys in and drive all the way down to south Texas. What is the primary factor in that decision, pretty easy…WARMTH. We have lived our whole lives in the Midwest tundra and we’ve lost our interest in the bone jarring windchills and fluffy white stuff. We still get a taste of it when we return, but we can enjoy the relief while we can. Which brings me back to needing an explanation – it was 39 degrees today here in South Padre Island…let me say it louder for the cheap seats THIRTY-NINE. Granted it is 4 degrees currently at home, but I’m not there…I’m HERE. I am definitely not insinuating that our friends from home had anything to do with bringing these temperatures down with them when they came to visit us yesterday…that would just be cruel hehehehe. Anyway, the real concern down here isn’t us, that’s for sure, but our thoughts are on the Sea Turtles that are on the brink of a cold stun. We visited the Sea Turtle Rescue facility today and they were busy preparing for the worst. Best of luck to the 6 Green Sea Turtles we saw off the SPI jetty 2 days ago (link here).

I was looking through the photo queue to decide what to feature today when I came across this series of shots from last year’s trip down here.

Neotropic Cormorant and Great Egret found at South Padre Island Bird Viewing and Nature Center on South Padre Island, TX in January 2025

Long time readers of the blog might recognize that log as I featured it many times in the past. It happens to be one of my favorite photography setting. Each visit I look forward to seeing what birds I’ll find perched there.

I have an update on this cherished spot after the jump.

Continue reading Politics of the Log

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron

The old adage is time flies for a busy person – and I’ll simply refine that a bit and state that it’s even faster when you are doing something you enjoy. Brad and I always joke that we are busier now than we were before we were retired…noting that the real difference is we aren’t tearing our hair out trying to find those evil spirits in the machine. That isn’t to say it is all stress free down here in south Texas. Some of the local birds prefer not to be seen, much less stare down the end of a large black barrel that goes clicky clicky (at least for us that haven’t made the leap to mirrorless). I am happy to report that after my rather slow start, things have really picked up as we make our way eastward from Big Bend National Park. The count sits at 200+2 which is better at this point than our previous “Average Year” attempts (link here). Ron was even able to make it down here last weekend to get his numbers jump started – he had to go back to zero degree (F) temperatures and that white fluffy stuff, ugh. We are currently at our 4th base camp which is on South Padre Island with the Mangrove Yellow Warbler on the menu. On two unsuccessful attempts so far, but plenty of days left to remedy that. Time to get to the real reason you are here, today’s featured feathered friend.

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron found on 8 Mile Rd, Galveston, Island,TX in January 2025

Based on the shot above, you might think that this is one of those birds mentioned earlier that prefers not to be seen – hit the jump and we’ll see if that is accurate.

Continue reading Yellow-Crowned Night Heron

Reeds in a Half Nelson

Hope everyone’s year is going smoothly so far. As for me, I am having my worst start to birding since we started the Average Year competition some 4 years ago (link here). The count sits at 86+2 provisionals which is not that impressive when you think of south Texas, but truth is, I have been able to pick up some key checks that would normally be reserved for our Arizona trip. Especially important for this year as we are replacing that annual spring trip with a run up to the Northwest for this year’s CPE Agility Nationals competition. As a bit of compensation, we went further west into Texas this year (Big Bend National Park). Now we are heading back to our more traditional Rio Grande Valley stomping grounds. While on my first run of the year today, I was thinking about what to feature for my first post of 2026…what do I follow a Koala Bear with…hmmm.. clearly nothing..were talking about a Koala folks ha! I can’t get to that level of cuteness, but we can go with another first for Intrigue.

Nelson's Sparrow found on Bolivar Flats, Bolivar, TX in January 2025

Yes, there are Sparrows out there we haven’t covered yet – hit the jump to learn more about this oddly colored member of the Passerellidae family .

Continue reading Reeds in a Half Nelson