Soon to be Exciting!

 The thought occurred to me recently that we will soon be delighted with cute entertaining new birds in our yard. Great News!  I am imagining colorful warblers bathing in our water.  Winter is over and the beauty of spring is showing. The Redbud , Pear, Plum and soon the Dogwood Trees will color the landscape.  The Pine and Oak pollen are overwhelming at the moment.  The butterflies are flitting around the flowers in the yard. Mosquitoes are buzzing our ears as we sit on the porch. Oh Yea! The fun has begun!...    I am in Austin this week. I look forward to doing some birding in central Texas. A Vermilion Flycatcher resides on my daughter and son-in-laws property.  I plan to capture his beauty this week. I always look forward to photographing the animals on their property as this changes on a fairly regular basis.  This week there is a Rambouillet Sheep visiting.  These are also called French Merino Sheep.  He is a big ram and looks very mature.  I will share photos of him. The three Zebra are still residents. Zoe, Zip, and Zeb are there names.  I have seen the Ladder-backed Woodpecker and the Golden-fronted Woodpecker. These guys are not woodpeckers we see at home. I am blessed to have family living in this part of Texas and love birding here when I visit.  Blessings!

Sparrows I Have Photographed

White-throated Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Chipping Sparrows

Chipping Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Field Sparrow

Field Sparrows

Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

Lark Sparrow

Lark Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

Sparrows have remained a work in progress for me.  I have begun to enjoy the species more as I have added new ones to memory.  These birds seem so very similar to me in the past. It has taken a few years to train my eye to notice their differences more easily. I am thankful today that I am improved in identifying them.  Here, in Southeast Texas, we see many Chipping Sparrows in the winter.  We see White-throated, Lincoln, White-crowned, Fox, Field and Song also.  When I visit the Austin area and Pedernales State Park, Lark, Rufous-crowned, Vesper, Clay-colored, and Savannah Sparrows have been seen. The Swamp Sparrow was seen at Brazos Bend State Park.  There are always Sparrows as well as other birds seen during migration which are not residents of the area.  I hope you enjoy my photos.  Blessings!