Birds of the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary

The Edith L. Moore Sanctuary (ELM) is located in suburban west Houston, and is maintained by the Houston Adubon Society. The sanctuary is covered in thick forest, and in places, dense thickets containing a rich diversity of native and non-native food plants. There are also creeks and shallow ponds. A dripper has also been installed recently near the cabin. Waders (Great Egrets and Green Herons) may occasionally be seen, but ELM is an especially wonderful place for songbirds, woodpeckers, and raptors. We acquired our 300mm f/4 IS and 600EX RT flash for environments like this, and we are honing our skills with these pieces of equipment here. We bird the ELM year-round.

Juvenile Cooper's Hawk at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary, Houston
Juvenile Cooper’s Hawk. Photo taken in early May under natural light
Downy Woodpecker at the Edith L Moore Nature Sanctuary, Houston
Downy Woodpecker. Photo taken in winter under natural light.
Pine Warbler at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary, Houston
Pine Warbler. Photo taken in winter with high-speed synchronized flash.
Singing Tufted Titmouse at the Edith L. Moore Sanctuary, Houston.
Singing Tufted Titmouse. Photo taken in winter with high-speed synchronized flash.
Red-bellied Woodpecker at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary, Houston, Texas
Red-bellied Woodpecker. Photo taken in January with high-speed synchronized flash.
American Robin at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary, Houston
American Robin. Photo taken in winter with high-speed synchronized flash.
Female Northern Cardinal at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary, Houston
Female Northern Cardinal. Photo taken in winter with high-speed synchronized flash.
Myrtle Warbler at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary, Houston
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle Race). Photo taken in winter with high-speed synchronized flash.
Hermit Thrush at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary, Houston
Hermit thrush. These birds are always around ELM in winter–but try getting a clean shot at one! Natural light.
Gray Catbird at the Edith L. Moore Sanctuary, Houston.
Gray Catbird. Catbirds winter around the Gulf of Mexico and and summer across the continental U.S. Photo taken during spring migration under natural light.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary, Houston.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet. These delightful little birds will often scold a hapless photographer struggling in the field. Photo taken in winter with high-speed synchronized flash.
White-winged Dove at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary, Houston
White-winged Dove. White-winged Doves are easy to ignore in the Gulf Coast region because they are so common here. However, they do have a rather limited range in the U.S., making them a sort of specialty where they do occur. Photo taken in February with high-speed synchronized flash.

©2013 Christopher R. Cunningham. All rights reserved. No text or images may be duplicated or distributed without permission.

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