Pedernales Falls

I love this Park. I have visited the bird blind many times in past years. My husband and I look forward to viewing birds that we do not see in our area. When we arrived workers were cutting boards with an electric saw and doing other repairs to the blind. We were not sure we would see many birds. We sat down with binoculars and soon we were delighted to see the Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Lesser Goldfinch,Dark-eyed Junco,and other winter birds of this area. We also saw Carolina Wren, Northern Cardinal,White-winged Dove,Chipping Sparrow,Carolina Chickadee,Black-crested Titmouse. We love to camp here or just come for a short day visit. This park is always fun and birding is good. We also visited Blanco State Park for the first time. The bird viewing area is very nice there. This is a small park with beautiful river setting. Texas State Parks are beautiful and we certainly enjoy them.

This week's Arrivals

This week brought new visitors to the yard. I have been anticipating the
arrival of more fall birds. My binoculars revealed the presence of Chipping Sparrows and White-throated Sparrows yesterday. They were busy searching through the leaves and twigs for food. It is fun to watch how intently they search and never seem to get in each others way. The Orange-crowned Warbler found the suet . It was as if he had been here before and knew exactly where it would be . I like to believe the birds come back each year remembering the food and water as well as different trees and bushes they enjoy. We have several curious Chickadee families that live here. They are always flitting through the yard calling out their presence. They know every feeder in the yard and will grab a seed from each along the way. The Crows have moved out. They have spent many weeks in the Pecan trees devouring the nuts. They and the squirrels have cleaned the trees and moved to new places. We are enjoying the Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers which are visiting quite frequently. I have not photographed them this year. I hope you are enjoying your fall visitors and delighting in their
antics in your yard.

Butterflies and Sparrow

The fall yard is so interesting. summer is winding down and winter is right around the corner. There are several varieties of butterflies gracefully flying from flower to flower. I was blessed to photograph the Monarch and the small Buckeye. The Cloudless Sulphur was also flitting across the red Turk's Cap and the Monarch seems to love the Lantana and wild onion in the yard.
My husband and I noticed small birds foraging on the ground near our feeders. The binoculars revealed Song Sparrows. These small sparrows must have arrived with the cold front last evening. We have been seeing only House Sparrows which we really would rather not have. There are so many of them coming to the feeders. Needless to say we were happy to see the beautiful marked male Song Sparrow. I watched several of these sparrows stay in the same area all evening. At dusk they were still scraping the ground looking for food. I will certainly put some seed out for them today. I expect to see the Chipping Sparrow soon. We usually have many in the winter as well as the Lincoln Sparrow.

Return of Bird Friends

We were pleased to see the Lark Sparrow this week. It has been several months since our last sighting of this adorable little bird. His beautiful markings on his face are easily identified. He is a resident in East Texas. He was sitting on a barb-wire fence. We usually see him on the ground or moving through the grass.
As I was sitting on the back porch this evening, high in the sweet gum tree, sat two birds. I was trying to identify when the yellow rump flashed . Wow! I believe this is early to have the cuties in the yard. They love the Wax Myrtle berries in the winter. We have many of these bushes or did until this drought killed some of them. My heart welcomed them back and I look forward to sharing the cold mornings with them. Their sounds can be heard and they are seen regularly bathing and drinking at the water drips all winter. I have been watching for the White-throated and White-crowned sparrows to arrive for the winter. I also look forward to the Lincoln Sparrow and the Orange-crowned Warbler. Winter is my favorite time in Texas.

Brown Thrashers

This week has been fun watching the Brown Thrashers in the yard.In past years we have had one or two of these birds visiting and turning up leaves in the yard. This year we have many in the front yard as well as the back yard. We have counted as many as six in the front yard under our oak trees. You can see in one picture they are finding worms of some sort to eat.They are seen at the bird baths on a regular basis. We have enjoyed their visibility . Each day is a surprise in the world of birds!

Beautiful Bird Day!

Our birds in the yard are spending much time at the bird baths. The Gray Catbird,Summer Tanagers,Brown Thrashers,Baltimore Orioles,Ruby-Throat Hummingbirds as well as the other yard residents are hot and looking for a fresh drink and cool bath.All of the birds love the water drips on the baths. The Baltimore Orioles have decided to drink from the Hummingbird feeders as well as fight over the oranges. It is funny to watch an Oriole hop on the nectar feeder and look around before they start to drink. Today was the first day I actually witnessed male and female Hummingbirds setting side by side drinking together. I made a mental note to remember this scene. I found myself feeling pure pleasure watching and photographing the beauty and antics of the birds today. I love days when there is so much bird activity to enjoy. I pray your day was as blessed as mine!

Fall Migration In My Yard

I have enjoyed the last couple of weeks in my backyard. Our winter birds are starting to arrive and some birds are just stopping by for a few days to drink,rest and then move to their winter home. The Baltimore Orioles are always a favorite visitor spring and fall. The females always stay a few days longer than the males. They have been stopping here for several years. The hummingbirds are also a delight. We in Texas are so ready for fall and our winter. We pray for rain for our plants streams and trees. The Blue- gray Gnat catcher is such an amazing little guy. He is always moving and catching his bugs. We love watching him go tree to tree. It is difficult to catch him in the camera lens. I have seen a couple sparrows which are not here in summer. I have not photographed them as of today. The Mockingbirds and Northern Cardinals are trying to hold on to their "authority" in the yard. They along with the Blue Jays are dominate as they patrol the area. They will quickly run another bird from the water bath. The Woodpeckers are not intimidated and the hummingbirds could care less what everyone else is doing. All and all everyone gets what they require, food shelter and water. What joy to watch!