White Ibis with Crawfish at Pilant Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. Crawfish are on the menu year-round at Braozs Bend. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
Although we delight in getting properly exposed and sharply focused images of birds sitting innocuously on branches, we’re most excited to capture birds in epic battles with their prey! The Gulf Coast is an exceptional place to live if you’re interested in spotting and photographing birds grappling with fish, frogs, snakes, salamanders, and crayfish and dragonflies and a host of other invertebrates. In our photo presentation, Stalking the Hunters: Observing and Photographing Birds and Their Prey,we will focus on our adventures photographing birds hunting, fishing, and otherwise engaged in the struggle for existence (mostly) along the Gulf Coast. For logistical details, please visit the Houston Audubon Nature Photography Association (HANPA) site.
Gottcha! Green Heron with Frog at Elm Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
“To photograph is to hold one’s breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It’s at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy.”—Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Mind’s Eye: Writings on Photography and Photographers
Limpkin on a Snail Hunt at the Celery Fields, near Sarasota, Florida. We had hoped to get a shot of a Limpkin eating a snail, but the four birds we saw would find snails and then high-tail it back into to the vegetation to eat them, only to reappear a few minutes later to continue the hunt. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
On a recent birding to trip to Florida we were excited to see Limpkins, odd rail-like birds that feed primarily (75%) on applesnails. Limpkins are snail specialists with slightly right-curving beak-tips to reach inside snail shells. Historically, Limpkins have fed on the Florida Applesnail, the one indigenous U.S. applesnail species. However, the U.S., especially the Gulf Coast, is currently under invasion by several additional species of Neotropical applesnails (Genus Pomacea, but we’ll leave the contested details of which species are which to the gastropod taxonomists!).
Two species of snail-eating birds appear to be taking advantage of this invasion: Limpkins and Snail Kites. Limpkins are reportedly expanding their range in Florida to harvest the explosion of invasive snails, and the Florida subspecies of Snail Kite appears to be rebounding from the brink of extinction based on the proliferation of prey. White Ibis also dine on applesnails and may be benefitting from increased food supplies.
Although these invasive mollusks seem to be benefiting these birds, many naturalists fear the applesnail invasion. These snails have become major agricultural pests in other parts of the world where introduced, and some species host the rat lungworm parasite (now doesn’t that sound pleasant?). Even in death applesnails pose a threat: shells discarded by Limpkins and Snail Kites serve as water reservoirs for the breeding of invasive Asian tiger mosquitos.
Seems that everywhere we go on our birding adventures we find invasives (or their impacts), or in researching these posts, read about the impacts invasives have on birds or the environment in general. Pristine environments are now non-existent. Even in parks and preserves billed as being “native,” cursory inspection of land or water soon usually reveals invasives, be they Chinese tallow trees, water hyacinth, Hydrilla, or privet—or applesnails. I somehow doubt, though, that Limpkins and Florida Snail Kites will accompany the applesnail invasion of Texas. Pity.
Applesnail (Pomacea sp.) egg mass at El Franco Lee Park, south Houston. Egg masses can be found on emergent vegetation in shallow water. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Time sometimes flies like a bird, sometimes crawls like a snail; but a man is happiest when he does not even notice whether it passes swiftly or slowly.—Ivan Turgenev
Male Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) at Pilant Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. The southern margin of Pilant Lake is a great place to look for winter warblers. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
Although spring migration is the best time to look for warblers along the subtropical U.S. Gulf Coast, many species can be spotted during the winter months. We specify the subtropical part of the U.S. Gulf Coast to distinguish it from the southern tip of Florida, which has a wet-dry tropical climate. (Many species of warblers winter in southern Florida and nowhere else on the U.S. Gulf Coast. These include Magnolia, Cape May, American Redstart, and Black-throated Blue Warblers.)
Male Wilson’s Warbler (Wilsonia pusilla) at Edith L. Moore Sanctuary, west Houston. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Across much of subtropical Gulf Coast Texas one may find Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped (generally Myrtle Race, but sometimes Audubon’s Race or hybrids), Black and White, Pine, Wilson’s, Palm, and Common Yellowthroat Warblers. Prairie Warblers may be found on the coastal tip of Louisiana and in Florida, except the Panhandle. At the extreme southern terminus of the Texas Gulf Coast, one may find Yellow-throated, Black-throated Green, Black-throated Gray, Yellow, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Northern and Tropical Parula, and Nashville Warblers–which makes it just about as good a place to bird in the winter as Florida.
Palm Warbler (Dendroica palmarum) in Winter at Myakka River State Park, Florida. The marshes around Upper Myakka Lake were a-hoppin’ with warblers. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.Palm Warbler in Breeding Colorsduring Spring at Sabine Woods Sanctuary, Texas. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Warblers are among the most difficult birds to photograph given their small size, lightning fast reflexes, and (often) a propensity to inhabit dense, thickly tangled vegetation—so we like to bird for warblers as much as possible to maximize photo-ops, even during less than ideal times of the year.
Birding for warblers in the winter has positives and negatives. The biggest positives are, of course, the cool weather and lack of biting insects. The slight downside is not seeing the Dendroica genus of Wood Warblers in their most flamboyant breeding colors. Dendroica warblers often exhibit different plumage colors in the breeding (spring and summer) and non-breeding (fall and winter) seasons as illustrated in the two photos above. The solution to this minor drawback for winter bird photography is, of course, is to bird for these fellows in both breeding and non-breeding seasons!
Orange-crowned Warbler(Vermivora celata) at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas. Elisa successfully pished this bird from a dense thicket. Canon EOS 7D/300mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
If winter comes, can spring be far behind? —Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind
A Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle Race) scrapes white wax (vegetable tallow) from a Chinese tallow tree seed at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge (Skillern Tract), Texas. Note that many seeds show signs of being scraped. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
The Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) is a foreign invasive native to China and Japan. However, it’s not uncommon to see birds like House Finches and White-winged Doves eating Chinese tallow seeds, or to see Yellow-rumped and Orange-crowned warblers hunting insects and spiders among tallow leaves.
Chinese tallow fruits are three-lobed and contain three oily, wax-covered seeds. Recently Elisa caught Myrtle Warblers scraping wax from tallow seeds. Some birds even appeared to be squabbling over access to the choicest seeds.
Tallow seeds themselves are biochemically distinct from the wax coating, so birds consuming just tallow versus whole seeds will ingest different suites of compounds and receive different nutritional benefits. Chinese tallow seeds are more oil-rich than many seeds cultivated for human consumption such as soybeans, peanuts, and sunflower seeds, and show promise as the basis for a biodiesel industry in the U.S.
Many native plants lovers and land managers, however, consider the Chinese tallow a pestilence because of its hardy and invasive nature. Alarmingly, Chinese tallow trees now constitute 23% of all trees in the Houston area! Unfortunately Chinese tallows are highly invasive and here to stay. But on the up side, at a time of the year when arthropod abundance is at a low point, the Chinese tallow provides a vast nutritional resource for any birds capable of consuming its seeds.
White-winged Dove with Chinese tallow Seed in Houston. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Irony regards every simple truth as a challenge.—Mason Cooley
Immature Male Black-chinned Hummingbird at Franklin Mountains State Park, West Texas. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
In this new collection, we show off some favorites from our 2013 birding adventures. Enjoy!
Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. —Henry David Thoreau
Nashville Warbler at Lafitte’s Cove, Galveston Island, Texas. The gloomier recesses of the vegetation around the dripper can provide some atmospheric lighting. Canon EOS 600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
Last weekend the dreary weather pattern finally broke (we just stepped out of the car at Lafitte’s Cove as the trailing edge of the first real arctic blast passed overhead, blue skies behind), and we made the most of it. On Saturday afternoon we observed American Redstarts, Nashville, Magnolia, Canada, Black and White, and other warblers. White-eyed Vireos and Indigo Buntings were everywhere. Sunday we traveled to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge.
Male American Redstart at Lafitte’s Cove, Galveston Island, Texas. Many older references tout how “common” this bird is. Perhaps these citations harken back to the Age of “Before Humans Destroyed the World”? Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized flash.
Anahuac NWR was a bit more challenging on the biting fly front–at one point Chris was swinging the 600mm lens around to frame a Swainson’s Warbler when five or so biting bugs nailed him on the face thus breaking concentration . . . the bird flew off without a single shutter click. On the upside we walked away with nice Vermilion Flycatcher and Common Yellowthroat shots. We can’t wait to get out again!
Portrait: Young Cooper’s Hawk at Lafitte’s Cove, Galveston Island, Texas. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
A note to our subscribers: We are aware that the images in the e-mail notifications for new posts are being cropped on one side. The problem appeared suddenly out of the blue several weeks ago. Last week, we thought (erroneously) that we had the problem fixed. This week we have tried another approach–perhaps it will work.
Least Flycatcher at Lafitte’s Cove, Galveston Island, Texas during spring migration 2013. Canon EOS 7D/600 f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
Surely flycatchers must be counted among the most interesting birds to watch as they “hawk” insects from mid-air above land or water, or swoop down to the grass to snatch prey and then return to their perches to consume it. In this new collection, we include images primarily from the Texas Gulf Coast and Rio Grande Valley. Enjoy!
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Texas. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.–E. O. Wilson
Male Yellow Warbler on September 1st, 2013 at Lafitte’s Cove, Galveston Island, Texas. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized flash.
September begins the fifth straight month of “the baking” of the Texas Gulf Coast. On the upside, the trickle of fall migrants that started in July finally gets into full swing. On September 1st we visited Lafitte’s Cove for the first time this fall migration (technically still summer, of course) and saw five warbler species: Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow, Canada, Black and White, and Hooded Warblers.
Canada Warbler at Lafitte’s Cove, Galveston Island, Texas. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized flash.
Warblers are are a Lafitte’s Cove speciality: In the past year we’ve seen twenty-four of the fifty-two species of warblers that regularly visit the United States. This is especially impressive given that the preserve covers only twenty acres. Surely Lafitte’s Cove must be counted among the best migrant traps in the United States.
Hunting Louisiana Waterthrush surveying a dripper-flooded patch of oak motte at Lafitte’s Cove, Galveston Island, Texas. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+ 1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized flash. 9.1.2013.
Now, birds are fattening up on insects in preparation for their epic flight back to their wintering grounds to the south. Mosquitos can be a problem for birders at Lafitte’s Cove, but they have been less of a problem for us here than at other migrant traps along the Texas Gulf Coast like Sabine Woods and High Island.
We eagerly await the first blue norther when we’ll be able to bird in the cool fresh air! The first frost will mean an end to many of the nastiest biting bugs, and our wintering friends will be paddling peacefully across Gulf Coast waters (or otherwise doing their thing).
Resting Ruby-throated Hummingbird. I spotted this juvenile male perched just above a patch of blooming Turk’s Cap at Lafitte’s Cove on Galveston Island, Texas. Note the liberal dusting of pollen on his head. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized flash. 9.1.2013.
Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.–George Eliot
Male Calliope Hummingbird at Franklin Mountains State Park, West Texas. Canon EOS 7D 500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
We just returned from a fantastic road trip across West Texas, New Mexico, and southeastern Arizona. Along the way we stopped at four places, and each of these stops will serve as the basis for a dedicated post or two in the future. In the meantime, here are some highlights.
The first stop was the observation blind at the Tom Mays Unit of Franklin Mountains State Park, just north of El Paso, Texas. We have visited this locale before during other seasons. Sparrows and finches dominate during the cooler months (take a look here at our sparrow collection), but during the summer, hummingbirds rule! The air was thick with Black-chinned, Rufous, and Calliope Hummingbirds. Oodles of Calliope Hummingbirds in the middle of summer in Texas? Yes–and that will be a future post!
Cactus Wren at Cave Creek Ranch, Arizona. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
After the Franklin Mountains came Cave Creek Canyon in the Chiricahua Mountains of extreme southeastern Arizona. This is the first time we visited Portal and environs in summer, and it was amazing. Just coming to grips with the botany and entomology in this arid Garden of Eden would take a lifetime. The birding was also phenomenal, and we added several species that can only be seen in southeast Arizona (or perhaps the southern extremities of New Mexico and/or Texas) within the U.S. including Blue-throated and Broad-billed Hummingbirds, Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, Brown-backed (a.k.a. Strickland’s or Arizona) Woodpeckers, and Yellow-eyed Juncos, among others. We look forward to writing much more about Cave Creek in the future!
On the way back, we took a “minor” detour through Roswell, New Mexico to scope out Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge. On the way, we read about a colony of Burrowing Owls that live in a Black-tailed Prairie Dog town located in Roswell’s Spring River Park and Zoo. We couldn’t resist–even though we were bleary-eyed from seven hours in the car.
At this park, you could make the case that the prairie dogs are captive animals, although they routinely burrow under the park wall and could walk away if they wanted. The owls, however, are wild animals that stay in this prarie-dog town in close proximity to humans of their own volition–although their choices are limited. About 99% of prairie dogs have been exterminated in the U.S., and the owls rely on the burrows of these rodents. Another future post!
Burrowing Owl at Twilight, Roswell, New Mexico. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light: the huge eyes and tapetum lucidum (and resulting eyeshine) of these birds make flash photography problematic.
Finally, we stopped at Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, a major wintering ground for waterfowl along the western extremity of the Central Flyway, and reportedly one of the best areas to see dragonflies in the U.S. during the hot months: just what we need to fuel our nascent interest in dragonfly photography. This sun-baked desert oasis, no doubt, will warrant future mention on Twoshutterbirds. We are already planning future visits to the desert Southwest while we eagerly await the fall cool down along the Texas Gulf Coast and the beginning of the fall migration.
Female Eight-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly at Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
“I was born on the prairies where the wind blew free and there was nothing to break the light of the sun. I was born where there were no enclosures.”–Geronimo
Pied-billed Grebe in Nonbreeding Plumage at South Padre Island Birding Center, Texas. Photo taken in late December under natural light. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC).
Pied-billed Grebes are fascinating foot-propelled diving birds–submarine hunters that are uncomfortable on land due to their anatomy. These birds are fun to watch as they dive, and then emerge seconds later, sometimes with a struggling fish, frog, or crawfish clamped in their bills. Texas birders are lucky to be able to observe the complete life cycle of the Pied-billed Grebe.
Pied-billed Grebe in Breeding Plumage at Elm Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. Photo taken in early March. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
One of the challenging aspects of birding, one that provides a real sense of depth and richness to the hobby, is sorting through the variation in plumage exhibited by many birds as they mature and move through their life cycles. Juvenile Pied-billed Grebes, like many young water birds, are striped. As you can see above, the nonbreeding plumage of the Pied-billed Grebe has a distinctly rufous cast, whereas the breeding plumage is more gray. During the breeding season, Pied-billed Grebes develop black throats and a black stripe on their beaks. There is no sexual dimorphism in coloration.
Mated pair of Pied-billed Grebes at Elm Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. Photo taken in late February. Note the conspicuous black throats. Canon 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Although Pied-billed Grebes are common at Brazos Bend State Park, we have yet to definitely identify nests or nestlings there. Pied-billed Grebes typically build nests on floating vegetation and may produce two broods of highly precocial young from April through October. Grebe chicks can leave the nest in as little as a day, sleep on their parents’ backs, and spend the first few weeks of life outside the nest hiding in vegetation until they learn to swim. The youngster shown below is likely from the first brood of this summer, which means that we may have another chance to observe and photograph Grebe family life this season. At Brazos Bend, we’ll be scanning the water and scrutinizing the vegetation with extra diligence though the early fall until we find Grebe nests and chicks!
Juvenile Pied-billed Grebe at Brazos Bend State Park. Photo taken at Elm Lake in early July. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS. High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
“It can be a trap of the photographer to think that his or her best pictures were the ones that were hardest to get.” – Timothy Allen
Seaside Sparrow in a Characteristic Pose at McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, Texas Gulf Coast. This sparrow has an extremely limited range in the U.S., the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts. Photo taken in August under natural light.
American sparrows (Family Emberizidae including longspurs, seedeaters, towhees, juncos, and sparrows) may be among the least appreciated of all birds, but they can be charming–although treacherous to photograph with their quick movements and often suspicious natures. They can also be tricky to identify. Based on their huge numbers they are among the most ecologically significant of all birds. Please take a look at our new sparrow collection.
Young House Sparrow at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary, Houston. Although this species is probably most peoples’ concept of a sparrow, House Sparrows are not American sparrows at all. House Sparrows are members of a Eurasian group called weaver-finches and were introduced into North America in the 1850’s.
Carolina Wren in the Fog at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary. Photo taken in early May under natural light.
We are honored to have been invited to present Behind the Blogwith the Two Shutterbirds at the HANPA meeting at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary at 7:00 pm on April 17th. Find a description of the talk here. Hope to see you there!
