That man’s silence is wonderful to listen to.–Thomas Hardy
At the Interface of Two Realities: Red-eared Turtle, Fiorenza Park, Houston. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Feeling like a downtrodden character in a Thomas Hardy novel, I continue to battle entropy at home and work and have not been able to get back into the field. The late onset of cooler fall weather hasn’t helped matters–but tonight, a cool front! So don’t give up on us! Sooner or later the photo-birding will pick up again, and we will continue to share our adventures. Birding is fun, and fun will be had again!
Feeling Stuck in the Mud? Killdeer on Pacific Mudflat, Oregon Coast. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.–Albert Camus
Running Javelina, Chiricasa, Portal, Arizona. This young straggler from the herd mistook me for a predator and bolted! These New World pigs have poor eyesight and seem prone to panic. They rely primarily on hearing and olfaction. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
During the past week or so we’ve been settling into a steady routine of working on the property and taking hikes and local walks. We even took one long hike with the local hiking group. As we walk, we keep learning new tidbits of information about the local natural history: A new bug, here, a new flower, there . . .
Female Bullock’s Oriole, Cave Creek Canyon, Arizona. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
On the long hike up the North Fork of Cave Creek, for example, we noticed large chunks of obsidian in the stream bed, and this led to a discussion of collecting rocks and minerals among the group. Turns out there are many places to collect minerals in the area. One of the group leaders even owns an abandoned zinc mine where a variety of ore minerals can be found (thanks A.B.!).
Apache Cicada (Diceroprocta apache), Chiricasa, Arizona. Apache cicada are only adults for about two months in the late spring and early summer, during which time they reproduce–and make their characteristic buzzing sound during evenings. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
But every so often, like today, we’re taking a day to let the scrapes and bruises heal–and to contemplate what’s next. As you reach middle age, it’s hard to “waste” a day, but sometimes the body just gives out (and stays in)!
Bendire’s Thrasher on Agave Bloom Stalk, Cave Creek Canyon, Arizona. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
When you’re safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you’re having an adventure you wish you were safe at home.–Thornton Wilder
Young Barn Swallow, Willow Tank, near Rodeo, New Mexico. This youngster was exhibiting begging behavior and appears to have a parasite below the eye. Willow Tank is a man-made watering hole generously provided by the Rivers Family for wildlife viewing. As the summer draws on, I am optimistic that this location will become a prime birding spot. Luckily, Willow Tank is just a few miles from home. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
As much as we love birding around the Houston area, the crush of humanity–mostly traffic and yahoo encounters–has become a bit much of late. This sentiment figured prominently in our choice of retirement location: Birding had to be available right outside our door. And now there are many birding sites within a few miles of our desert home. So presently I can work myself into a near stupor with building and maintenance projects and still get out to bird once in a while . . . .
Eurasian Collared Dove, near Portal, Arizona. This dove is an invasive species, widespread across the U.S. I spotted this bird a few hundred yards from our house. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
And if the birding doesn’t pan out, as was the case this morning, daubs of wildflower color do dot the landscape and are available for macro work. This day I went out to South Fork, Cave Creek seeking an image of the Elegant Trogon, but had to settle for flowers and bugs (and hearing the bird’s call). Maybe next time.
Bee on Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), South Fork, Cave Creek Canyon, Arizona. Sorry folks, no ID on the bee: There are 4000 species of bee in North America! Canon EOS 5DIII/100mm f/2.8L IS Macro. High-speed synchronized macro ring-flash.Red Lichen Moth (Lycomorpha fulgens) on Thistle (Cirsium sp.), South Fork, Cave Creek Canyon, Arizona. Canon EOS 5DIII/100mm f/2.8L IS Macro. High-speed synchronized macro ring-flash.Arizona Skipper (Codatractus arizonensis) on Thistle, South Fork, Cave Creek Canyon, Arizona. Canon EOS 5DIII/100mm f/2.8L IS. High-speed synchronized macro ring-flash.Bee on Prickly Pear Cactus Flower, Portal, Arizona. I’ll add entomology to the list of subjects I’d like to learn more about. Canon EOS 5DIII/100mm f/2.8L IS. High-speed synchronized macro ring-flash.
The more unintelligent a man is, the less mysterious existence seems to him. –Arthur Schopenhauer
Ash-throated Flycatcher with Grasshopper, Cave Creek Canyon, Arizona. This bird was waiting for me to go away so it could deliver the grasshopper to its young in a nest cavity below. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Well, another grueling academic year is in the rear-view mirror, and it’s now time to get my head screwed back on properly. According to the locals, June is the most miserable month to spend in Cave Creek Canyon, Arizona. Too hot they say! Certainly by late morning it’s too hot for a pudgy 55-year-old physics teacher to be doing hard manual labor outside, but the early mornings, evenings, and nights are beautiful. With the windows open, sleeping is comfy under a wool blanket! Try that in the sweltering hell that is Houston!
Thus far, the birding has all been about flycatchers. Say’s Phoebes and Ash-throated Flycatchers are everywhere, calling and hawking insects. While out binocular birding early one morning, I saw an Ash-throated Flycatcher with a dragonfly slip into a cavity in the bloom stalk of a large dead agave. The next day I came back with the big glass and staked out the agave. In less than two minutes, a flycatcher returned with a grasshopper to feed babies. The bird just perched on top of the agave and would not enter the cavity, probably not wanting to give away the location of its young. I took that as a cue and slipped away with a few images, probably having spent less than four minutes there. All Myiarchus tyrant flycatchers (Ash-throated, Dusky-capped, and Brown-crested) that breed in southeastern Arizona nest in cavities–definitely something to watch out for.
Nest Cavity in Agave Bloom Stalk, Cave Creek Canyon, Arizona. This cavity contains young Ash-throated Flycatchers! Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
By 9 AM or so, it’s far too bright for super telephoto bird photography. Around this time, I’ve been exploring the landscape for macro opportunities. Splashes of color now dot the Arizona landscape–so off I go looking for bugs and flowers . . . .
Bee on Prickly Poppy Flower, Cave Creek Canyon, Arizona. Canon EOS 5DIII/100mm f/2.8L IS Macro, hand-held, high-speed synchronized macro ring-flash.
Prickly poppy, cholla, desert willow, and a variety of small yellow and white composites are in bloom at my elevation (around 5000 feet). Generally I have been surprised at how few bees and Lepidoptera are around–perhaps a manifestation of the unfolding global crisis in insect populations (Guess who’s to blame? Right!). In any case, the elderberries are also currently in flower, but the fruit is still not ripe. Soon the elderberry trees will be an irresistible draw for many of the birds in the area–and for me and my big glass!
Immature Bugs (Hemiptera) Emerge from Inside a Cholla, Cave Creek Canyon, Arizona. Yuck! Canon EOS 5DIII/100mm f/2.8L IS Macro, hand-held, high-speed synchronized macro ring-flash.
Nobody gets justice. People only get good luck or bad luck. –Orson Welles
House Wren, South Fork, Cave Creek Canyon, Arizona. After chasing this bird around through rocky stream beds and tangled forest with broken light for over an hour, I finally maneuvered closed enough for a shot. But it’s not a Brown-throated Wren–just the usual-old House Wren! Rats! Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Regular readers will no doubt have noticed the precipitous decline in productivity as regards our outdoor adventures. Again, this is the furtherest thing from our desires. Lately life has been eating our lunch. On the latest trip to Arizona, for example, we headed out with high hopes of sunny days in the field, but . . . no! Lousy weather and a broken-down water treatment system guaranteed almost no time out photo-birding. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel, though, as far as one of the nightmare projects that have been monopolizing all our time. Hopefully it’s not a train. We stand at the brink of the best of birding times along the Texas Gulf Coast. We have simply got to get out!
Ring out the false, ring in the true. –Alfred Lord Tennyson
Ruby-crowned Kinglet in Snowy Thicket, Cave Creek Canyon, Arizona. Several recent snow storms turned southeast Arizona into a spectacular landscape of snowy desert, mountain, and forest. We took several opportunities to chase birds around in the white–a real treat for Houstonians! Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
As we put 2018 in the rear-view mirror, we wish all our friends and readers the happiest new year! Here’s to a 2019 that is quite unlike 2018! Cheers!
Sharp-shinned Hawk in the Snow, Cave Creek Canyon, Arizona. Canon EOS 7DII/300mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Hand-held. Natural light.Chihuahuan Desert in Snow, Cave Creek Canyon, Arizona. Canon EOS 5DIII/Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @16mm. Hand-held. Natural light. Although this is a crop-sensor lens, it will not vignette at 16mm on a full-frame sensor.
Let the great world spin for ever down the ringing grooves of change. –Alfred Lord Tennyson
American Coot Surrounded by Waves of Azure and Gold Psionic Energy, Pilant Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. An immensely common bird, the Coot is still fun to observe with its goofy behavior and weird croaking hoots. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Over the past few weeks we’ve been slowly getting back to observing nature. It hasn’t been easy, but when it has occurred, it has been a tonic. We haven’t really had time to seek out the new and unusual, but rather have visited several nearby favorites like Brazos Bend State Park and Fiorenza Park.
Neotropic Cormorant Take-off! Fiorenza Park, Houston, Texas. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
After next week, we’ll be in the field again regularly, and we hope to rack up some new experiences and species. Until then, we’ll plan, stay local, and reminisce about birding trips of the past. Never has what a long-time birder told us when we were first beginning seemed more true: “Go birding, you’ll live longer.”
Neotropic Cormorant with Crunchy Snack-treat (South American Armored Catfish), Fiorenza Park, Houston, Texas. I’m a sucker for these birds-with-prey shots. Luckily we’ve got a great spot for them about ten minutes from the house. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit. –Edward Abbey
Portrait: Brown Pelican in Flight, East Beach, Galveston Island, Texas. Note that the cloudiness of the eye is due to the translucent nictitating membrane. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
The weather was right, we had the time off, and there was nothing more to be done about Harvey . . . So we set out for the field. East Beach was glorious. A south wind blew across the island slowing the progress of the big, slow-flying birds as they traced the edge of the land. They were the usual suspects: Herring and Ring-billed Gulls, Forster’s and Royal Terns; Brown Pelicans. But as is often the case when I haven’t been shooting for a while, most of the images turned out to be mush, but it was good just to be out again.
Carolina Wren with Attitude, Pilant Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. The log is at least partly hollow. Likely the beginnings of a nest are inside. Canon EOS 7DII/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
The next day I returned to the field. To Brazos Bend State Park I went. This time I took Elisa’s 500mm f/4 lens, rather than my 600mm–I was giving the old shoulder a break. Again the usual suspects. The only thing unusual was the number of warblers. They were everywhere.
Large flocks of Myrtle Warblers probed leaves and hawked bugs from the air. Sometimes they joined Blue-gray Gnatcatchers in hunting in the grass. Common Yellowthroats hopped among the aquatic vegetation. Orange-crowned Warblers were also up to their normal tricks, fishing spiders and insects from dead, rolled up leaves. I spied a single Male Wilson’s Warbler pretending to be a Common Yellowthroat as he plucked aquatic insects from Pilant Lake. Of this bird’s reflection in the water, Elisa quipped: “Look, he brought his own sunshine!” The only missing warbler was the Pine Warbler–perhaps these birds got wind of the coming inclement weather.
All in all, a lovely few days. Can’t wait for the sun to shine again.
Male Wilson’s Warbler with Larval Insect, Pilant Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. Canon EOS 7DII/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.–Gilbert K. Chesterton
King of the Hill: Male Mountain Bluebird on American Bison Dung, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. What a lovely spot to prospect for seeds and bugs! Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
We know plenty of birders who are perfectly happy birding around the Houston area with never a thought of traveling to bird. Their birding activities often taper off by May with the end of the spring migration. We bird into the summer but by about late June, we are more than ready to say goodbye to the Texas Gulf Coast swelter (and the Summer People and their various noisemakers) and hit the road for somewhere new.
Since we started birding, summer trips are almost invariably well to the north for obvious reasons, ornithological and climatological. After a temporary lapse of reason, we once traveled to the Rio Grande Valley during summer, and we have been known to visit the deserts of West Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona during the hot weather–usually in areas that have altitude, though. Right about this time of year I can’t help but think of General Sheridan . . . “If I owned Texas and Hell . . . .”
Common Raven with Rodent Carcass, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Yellowstone is a great birding destination, but brace yourself for hellacious crowds of yahoos. The only National Park with more outrageous mobs is Great Smokey Mountains National Park, the most visited-by-yahoos park in the country. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
National parks are prime birding destinations and our greatest national treasure, but we will also travel to state parks, national wildlife refuges, or even simply regions (hopefully desolate) of the country with a different avifauna. Sometimes we travel with the intention of seeing particular species or habitats, other times we’re perfectly open to whatever we find. Sometimes, then, we’re travelers and sometimes we’re tourists, in Chesterton’s terminology.
Singing Song Sparrow (Dark Western Race) on Driftwood, Olympic Peninsula, Washington. Canon EOS 7D/300mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
The greatest danger in birding travel is to remain unchanged by it, to become part of the gawking rabble at the foot of the mountain. Think of the Sinclair Lewis’ satire of travel and travelers in The Man Who Knew Coolidge and their inability to become broadened by the experience. He must have had quite a laugh at the rubes . . . .
To avoid being an ugly birding American is to travel with purpose, general or specific, to place one’s observations from new geographies into the context of what you already know about your birds. You won’t hear a Wilson’s Warbler sing in Texas, but you will in Oregon. To complete the picture, the birder must travel because the birds do . . . .
Young Male Rufous Hummingbird, Tom Mays Unit, Franklin Mountains State Park, West Texas. The photo-blind at Franklin Mountains is currently under construction. Perhaps it will be complete by our next visit. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it . . . . —Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986).
Portrait: Reddish Egret, East Beach, Galveston Island, Texas. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
This is the time of year for sporadic frustrations. The unpredictable weather, sometimes nice, sometimes oppressive and freakishly warm, can easily become an excuse for doing nothing. Witnessing the saddening, nit-witted babbling of the media during the current silly season of politics doesn’t inspire great energy, either.
The birds and other organisms, however, are still out there and waiting to be observed and photographed! Biologically, there is quite a bit going on along the Texas Gulf Coast these days: Lately we haven’t been disappointed by East Beach or Fiorenza Park.
Asian Exotic: Nutmeg Mannikin, aka Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata), with Seeds, Fiorenza Park, Houston, Texas. Currently there are lots of interesting things to see at Fiorenza Park, including an active cormorant rookery and ravenous hordes of invasives scouring the thickets for seeds! These avian happenings will provide tasty fodder for future posts. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.Orchard Spider (Leucauge venusta), Houston, Texas. The wind made this a tough shot: I waited as the spider was pulled in and out of the frame! The Genus Leucauge was erected by Charles Darwin himself. Canon EOS 7DII/100mm f/2.8L IS Macro. High-speed synchronized macro ring-flash.
Our field work is undoubtedly the healthiest thing we do. It is a tragedy when nature lovers sit out a day in the field because of the malaise or exhaustion brought on by our absurdist era or the fear (or revulsion) of traffic jams and hordes of yahoos. This realization is why we drag ourselves out of bed early, even on our days off. We almost never regret getting out there, even if we had to talk ourselves into it in the first place!
Hunkered Down: Dunlin Flock, East Beach, Galveston Island, Texas. These birds found shelter behind a small tuft of vegetation at the strand line. On that morning, wind gusts reached 35 mph—just shy of howling. It was glorious. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
When I go to a party, nobody says hello. But when I leave, everybody says goodbye. –George Gobel
Last Shot of the Swelter: Hunting Least Sandpiper, lagoon behind Bryan Beach, Texas. It was a real trick keeping trash out of images this day. As far as I can tell, Texas beaches have never been filthier than this summer. Canon EOS 7DII/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Last weekend we were on our knees on a hot, humid mudflat getting chewed up by sandflies photographing Least Sandpipers as they plucked insect larvae from the sand–when it started to pour warm rain. I looked up to see blue skies overhead. Noting the trajectory of the rain drops, I noticed that they were being blown at about a 45 degree angle from a small gray cloud coming up behind us from the Gulf. Geez. One good thing: We’re likely not far enough south to contract leishmaniasis from the fly bites!
Summer Songster: Singing Dickcissel, Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas. Birdsong is one of the true joys of summer. Canon EOS 50D/100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS. Hand-held. Natural light.
Elisa beat me back to the truck. Once I got there, we mopped off the equipment with my handkerchief. We sat there, in silence, grimy and soggy with rain and sweat. And then, suddenly, I announced that I was finally done for the summer . . . . I will return to the field only after the the first blue norther, maybe in a week or two (or three).
Summer has many wonders: singing, nesting, and baby birds, flowers, and zillions of cool insects. But enough is enough. Texas, you finally beat me.
Canada Gosling, Jackson, Wyoming. Wyoming is paradise in summer. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (1.4x TC). Natural light.
A friend who has long since retired and moved from Houston to the hills of Tennessee explained why September is the most trying month in Texas. He found it tough looking at the news and seeing the cooling temperatures and changing colors of the leaves up north—when it is still 95 degrees in the shade here. Houston summers, though, give a great excuse for travel!
Female Yellow-headed Blackbird, Jackson, Wyoming. In summer, the marshes of cool temperate North America come to life. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
In about a month, there will be a few nice days per week. In two months, it will be nice almost all the time. In three months . . . I will be in love with Texas again.
Jack Frost Says Your Days Are Numbered: Blue Green Citrus Root Weevil (Pachaeus litus), Lake Livingston State Park, East Texas. Elisa captured the above image of this weird little character. Charming, but . . . these guys are pests. Canon EOS 7D/100mm f/2.8 L IS Macro. Natural light.
Sorry folks, park’s closed. Moose out front shoulda told ya.—Lasky, Walleyworld guard (from National Lampoon’s Vacation)
Over the Shoulder: Ring-necked Hen, Pilant Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
The dog days of summer have us down! Chris’s return to work, illness (minor), and endless bad weather have cut the wind out of our sails. We’re takin’ a break! And we’re counting the days until the first blue norther arrives and brings with it the cold weather species that winter here—like ducks! See you soon!
Slaty Skimmer Dragonfly (Libellula incesta) on American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea) Seed Pod, Elm Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
