Mallard Duckling in Olympic National Park, Washington. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Late spring and early summer can be a frustrating time for birding given the relatively low avian diversity, the bugs, and the traffic headaches/low-quality encounters as the Summer People emerge from their pods. But there are ducklings around! And ducklings are fun!
Several things always strike me about ducklings (besides how cute they are). First, they face some significant challenges . . . such as being on a lot of menus.
Muscovy Ducklings in Hermann Park, Houston, Texas. Canon EOS 7D/100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS. Natural light.
I remember as a child in Minnesota being horrified to learn that muskellunge (a type of large aggressive pike known to Midwesterners as “muskies”) eat ducklings. I remember standing on a dock and staring down into the water and seeing a bunch of these black and green striped killers on a stringer and thinking no more ducklings for you! Down here in Texas it’s alligators, snapping turtles, gar . . . and rat snakes. There’s no question about it, wild ducklings live in a dangerous world.
Another striking thing about wild ducklings is that many species look so much alike. Domestic ducklings, like Call Ducklings, are often all yellow, but sometimes show a variety of black markings. Apparently being yellow with black stripes and blotches makes for a perfect duckling in a wilderness setting.
A dark-colored top (with some disruptive stripes or spots) may camouflage the ducklings from predators from above, while the brightly-colored underside may not be as visible to aquatic predators viewing them from below against the sky. In any case, a counter-shaded black and yellow pattern certainly makes for a perfectly charming wild duckling.
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Family at Elm Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
I think it would be terrific if everybody was alike.—Andy Warhol
What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning.—Werner Heisenberg
Watching the Watcher: Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Nestlings at Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. A parent hunted crawfish about twenty yards from this nest. From time to time the adult would return to regurgitate food into the nest. The second catchlights are the reflection of the sun off the water below the nest. Natural light. All photos Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC).
Photographing nesting birds has many of the challenges of other types of bird photography–and a few of it’s own. On the technical side, nests are typically made of sticks (although not always) so nest shots often have the “stick-in-face” problem–like the image shown above. Many bird species also nest well above eye-level in trees, so, short of going to extraordinary lengths, you’re not going to get any good nest shots of many species. More significant, though, are the ethical concerns that come up in the course of nest photography.
Once you’ve found a nest, you know where to look for the action. There’s no chasing birds around in the brush! At first, this seems like this will make for getting great photographic results easily. A little consideration, however, reveals that this is decidedly not the case.
Normally when photographing birds one tries to get as close as possible. If the bird becomes annoyed it will simply fly (or run) off. Obviously nestlings can not flee, so the photographer or observer must use personal discipline to keep an ethical distance. And the duration of the observation must also be taken into account. Unless I’m somewhere like Smith Oaks where the birds are used to being observed all day long by large numbers of observers, after a few minutes of shooting, I’m on my way. Furthermore, although there is no evidence that the use of flash injures wildlife, it is logical that it should not used on nesting birds lest parents and young birds be unduly stressed.
Great Egret Feeding Young at Smith Oaks Rookery, High Island, Texas. Natural light.
One last philosophical point: We must concede that most of the time we do not really know how birds behave in their natural state. If we are observing them (and their perceptions are much sharper than ours), then they know we are watching and are likely behaving accordingly. Ironically, then, it would seem that places like Smith Oaks where many thousands of birders visit during the nesting season may provide the most “natural” viewing experience as birds simply learn to tune out the human throng completely and go about their business.
Roseate Spoonbill Tending Nest with Nestling at Smith Oaks Rookery, high Island, Texas. Natural light.
As far as I can judge, not much good can be done without disturbing something or somebody.—Edward Blake
Pure Id: Great Egret Nestlings at Smith Oaks Rookery, High Island, Texas. These guys are all about lunch. Natural light. All photos Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC).
Now that spring migration, the most exciting time of the birding year, is almost over, I have to seek adventure where I can find it. This often involves chasing waders around at Brazos Bend State Park (BBSP) as they hunt. Of course, a few of the spring (and summer) spectacles are still playing out–like the frenzy of nesting, breeding, and nurturing young observable at the coastal rookeries. Photographing this profusion of life-energy will be mosquito-bloodied interludes in my late spring and summer studies of wader feeding behaviors at BBSP.
Little Blue Heron with Little Crawfish at Pilant Lake, BBSP, Texas. High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
Although I’ve only been out to BBSP a few times recently, one thing already seems evident: 2014 is shaping up as the Year of the Crawfish. Despite hearing lots of frog song and even seeing lots of frogs jump when alligators move around, I haven’t been seeing waders eating frogs. But crawfish are being gobbled down left and right! Why are frogs not on the menu? Have I just missed them being eaten? Will wader tastes change with the summer?
White Ibis in Breeding Color with Big Juicy Crawfish at Pilant Lake, BBSP, Texas. Natural light.
This is one of the eternal joys of birding: new observations that lead to questions and more questions. Sorting out (or at least attempting to) why some types of prey proliferate some years while others are scarce is an ongoing research problem. Some years there are spiders (terrestrial or aquatic) everywhere and are eaten by hungry birds, and some years there are frogs and tadpoles everywhere and are grabbed, but sometimes rejected. But if you travel this path beware: you may find yourself reading articles about fungal infections of spiderlings or how winter water temperatures affect crawfish populations or . . . you get the idea.
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron with Little Crawfish at Pilant Lake, BBSP, Texas. Natural light.
Familiar things happen, and mankind does not bother about them. It requires a very unusual mind to undertake the analysis of the obvious.—Alfred North Whitehead
Singing Male Prothonotary Warbler at Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. These warblers generally sing in shaded areas within fifty yards of the nest. Photo taken near Pilant Lake. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
Over the past week, as migration began to wind down, we birded from High Island, down the Bolivar Peninsula, to Pelican Island, and south to Lafitte’s Cove, Galveston Island, taking pains to see a variety of habitats. I also took a solo trip to Brazos Bend State Park (BBSP), hoping to capture wader hunting scenes, as well as nesting and singing birds along the trail between Elm and 40-Acre Lakes (sometimes called Observation Tower Trail), a place I call “Warbler Alley.”
Many of the songbirds that migrate through Texas do not breed along the Gulf Coast, so we are not treated to their songs. Some birds do breed here, however, and at this time of year the forests, fields, and wetlands are filled with singing males of these species.
Perhaps the most noticeable of these singers are the Northern Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, Northern Parulas, and Prothonotary Warblers. The calls and songs of flycatchers can also be heard here and there if you listen carefully. I’ve seen the songs of the Prothonotary Warbler slighted by authors as repetitive, but I am grateful for any help I can get in locating any warbler species, especially such a beautiful one that, in the great majority of cases, sings in the shaded canopy.
Calling Male Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at Pelican Island, Texas. These flycatchers prefer semi-open terrain with scattered trees—like on Pelican Island! Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
One of the things I especially like to keep an eye out for at this time of year is cavity nesting. Two of the loud singers common at BBSP, Prothonotary Warblers and Carolina Wrens, nest in cavities, such as abandoned woodpecker holes. Northern Parulas breed in the eastern one-third of Texas among Spanish moss and other epiphytes in forested areas near water. This makes BBSP an excellent place to search for singing and nesting Parulas.
Although Scissor-tailed Flycatchers breed throughout Texas (except for the western extremities of the state) I’ve never noticed any nesting scissor-tails at BBSP, even though there are significant grassy areas bordering forest. Perhaps I’ve just missed them. In total, I’ve seen just two Scissor-tailed Flycatchers at Brazos Bend. Both were flying along Pilant Slough. All the more reason to keep looking!
Singing Male Northern Parula at Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. In Texas, Northern Parulas are closely associated with Spanish moss. Near Pilant Lake. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
The only thing better than singing is more singing.—Ella Fitzgerald
Female Red-winged Blackbird in winter at Myakka River State Park, Florida. Many references state that Red-winged Blackbirds are one of the most abundant birds in North America. But is this still really true? Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
A sighting of two female Red-winged Blackbirds eating cautiously from the seed feeders at the Edith L. Moore Sanctuary in west Houston on the afternoon of February 27 reminded me of what I saw recently in the north woods of Wisconsin and Minnesota. These suspicious birds were likely hungry migrants on their way north, to perhaps the very same Great Lakes region habitats I visited last summer.
After that trip, I wrote about ecological changes I observed birding the woods of northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. One of those changes was an apparent drastic reduction in the number of Red-winged Blackbirds in a variety of habitats relative to what I remembered from childhood. Rather than large flocks in cattail marshes and around the margins of lakes and rivers, I saw only scattered small groups of fewer than ten birds.
In 2009 APHIS, part of USDA, says it poisoned 489,444 red-winged blackbirds in Texas, and 461,669 in Louisiana.—Martha Rosenberg, huffingtonpost.com
Further reading after these observations substantiated impressions of massive population losses. Ever since that time, I have kept an eye out for these birds wherever possible. I am aware, however, that reports based on anecdotal evidence will likely convince no-one, especially those with a vested interest in denial.
Singing Male Red-winged Blackbird in winter at Pilant Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
The “famous” taxpayer-supported USDA program of mass poisoning of icterids (blackbirds, grackles, cowbirds) and other agricultural pest species like magpies and European Starlings called “Bye bye blackbird” is probably just the tip of the iceberg of officially sanctioned avian extermination. I say famous because this is a well-known program widely reported on in the blogosphere—but never (to my knowledge) in the really “big time” popular media outlets, the ABC Evening News or the PBS Newshour, for example. (Sidebar: Why is this? Why must we look only to elite publications like Audubon’s “Common Birds in Decline” or National Geographic ‘s “Last Song for Migrating Birds” for reports of the destruction of the environment and the slaughter of its innocents? I guess it would take time away from reports of Justin Bieber’s latest brush with the law and interviews with random passersby about the weather.)
Furthermore, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (part of the Department of the Interior) has issued a directive, a so-called depredation order, that anyone can kill any number of pest birds they suspect of causing economic damage or posing health risks (sometimes with avicides like Starlicide and administered by professional contractors in the form of poisoned brown rice baits). These private activities are perhaps more disturbing than the USDA programs because of the much larger potential scale of the killing–and the USDA kills birds by the millions! In the eyes of the federal government (and many farmers) icterids are apparently vermin of no worth whatsoever—despite detailed agricultural studies showing that as a result of insectivorous blackbirds, farmers can use 50% less pesticide.
For me, the bold, difficult to describe call of the Male Red-winged Black-bird is the sound of a marsh. Males perched atop cattails with females poking around in the brush below is what a marsh is supposed to look and sound like. Should the Red-winged Blackbird go the way of the Passenger Pigeon, marshes across North America will lose some of their most defining characteristics and aesthetic qualities—the experience of visiting a marsh will be immeasurably degraded.
Perhaps the plight of the Rusty Blackbird will focus some more attention on systematic, deliberate avian extermination. Rusty Blackbirds have suffered an estimated 85-98% reduction in population over the past 40 years likely due, in part, to agricultural poisoning by the government and private individuals. The Rusty Blackbird (along with the Mexican Crow) has been removed from the depredation order—at least taxpayers are not paying for the extermination and protection of the same species. Perhaps that’s all we can hope for in the current Age of Dysfunction—although I fail to understand how Rusty Blackbirds and Mexican Crows will be kept from eating the poisoned rice.
A Male Great-tailed Grackle Intimidates Rivals Over a Seagull Carcass at East Beach, Galveston Island, Texas. According to the federal government such birds are vermin and can be killed with impunity. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries, and very frankly give them fruit for their songs.—Joseph Addison, The Spectator
White-faced Ibis With Bulb or Tuber Being Shadowed by Common Moorhen at Pilant Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. These tubers or bulbs are apparently worth fighting over. This sneaky little Common Moorhen stole the poor Ibis’s snack! Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Despite often gloomy and dismal weather and optical conditions, the marshy south flank of Pilant Lake near the observation tower at Brazos Bend State Park, Texas has been an exciting place for birders this winter. In addition to the usual suspects present during winter, American Pipits, Wilson’s Snipes, American Bitterns, Song Sparrows, Least Sandpipers, and a Solitary Sandpiper have been spotted in the vicinity. What’s more, interesting bird behavior and interactions have been common lately, and I’ve made inter- and intra-species conflicts and confrontations the theme of my photos for this post. There are, for example, so many Wilson’s Snipes around that they’re getting into each other’s business: violations of personal space result in displays as shown below.
Shall We Dance? Wilson’s Snipe Confrontation at Pilant Lake, Brazos Bend State Park. Canon 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
The south side of Pilant Lake is also one of the best spots to photograph wader hunting behavior that I know. This winter has been no exception. Two weeks ago a Great Blue Heron is reported to have taken a large siren (Siren intermedia), a very large salamander, from immediately north of the observation tower. As a result, I spent a few hours stalking a Great Blue in that area the day after the report, but I only saw the bird catch frogs. Maybe next time.
Great Blue Heron With Frog at Pilant Lake, Brazos Bend State park, Texas. After repeatedly pecking this unfortunate frog, the heron ultimately rejected it and walked off. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
The passions are the same in every conflict, large or small.—Mason Cooley
Too big? Tricolored Heron with Warmouth at Alligator Point, Myakka River State Park, Florida. Alligator Point is on an oxbow lake. After trying to swallow the fish a few times, this bird eventually gave up and walked away. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light on a dark, gloomy day.
Over the past week we were able to spend a few days at Myakka River State Park (MRSP) in western Florida near Sarasota. We were struck immediately by similarities to Brazos Bend State Park, Texas (BBSP). Both are subtropical low-relief state parks centered around rivers and lakes. The winter water bird avifaunas are also similar–with a few exceptions, Wood Storks and Double-crested Cormorants having the most conspicuously different abundances at the two parks.
Over the years I have only seen one Wood Stork at BBSP. On the other hand, Wood Storks proved to be common at MRSP during our stay, and we were able to observe them in flight overhead, underwing hunting/fishing and “wing flashing” (herding aquatic prey by waving a wing) at Alligator Point. The oxbow lake at Alligator Point provides the birder or photographer an excellent vantage point to observe bird behavior deep off the beaten track—but watch out for poison ivy! Pied-billed Grebes are present in small numbers (relative to BBSP) at MRSP, but Double-crested Cormorants are abundant and making a living the way the grebes do at BBSP, namely diving after prey in shallow freshwater lakes.
Double-crested Cormorant at Alligator Point, Myakka State Park, Florida. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
The prey are conspicuously different at these two parks, however. At this time of year at BBSP the birds seem to be consuming a mix of fish, amphibians (frogs and salamanders), and arthropods. At MRSP we only saw fish being taken–several species of gar, Tilapia, bass, and small catfish . . . although one Great Blue Heron was convinced he had a snake or Amphiuma salamander and pecked a poor stick to bits! The absence of crawfish prey struck me as remarkable, and I asked a ranger about it. He said that during the dry season, the crawfish remain in their burrows. Perhaps when the rains return and some the low-lying areas flood again, crawfish will be on the water bird menu.
In general, our time in western Florida has brought up a number of fascinating topics for thought, research, and future travel plans that will no doubt be discussed in this blog at some point in time. How are Tilapia (an invasive), for example, impacting the environment generally and wader diets in particular. Also, where are the amphibians? Could we be seeing another example of the global amphibian crisis? These questions make me want to bird this amazing park during other times of the year.
Double Wing Fishing(?) Wood Stork at Alligator Point, Myakka River State Park, Florida. By creating a shadow, the under-wing-fisher can better see through the glare and spot prey beneath the surface. Reddish Egrets are best known for this technique, but this Wood Stork appeared to be using the same approach. The Wood Stork is considered an Endangered Species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
My parents didn’t want to move to Florida, but they turned sixty and that’s the law.–Jerry Seinfeld
An aquatic leaf beetle, Donacia sp., tries (and ultimately fails) to escape the Purple Gallinule jaws of death.
I’ve been looking forward to putting this post together since I took these photos on the first day of fall this year. I just love it when all the tumblers fall in place and I capture an interaction that tells a story. I was camped out along the banks of Elm Lake at Brazos Bend State Park watching Purple Gallinules methodically turning over what seemed like each and every lotus leaf in their paths. Grab; step; fold; hold. Grab; step; fold; hold. Again and again, they applied the technique as they criss-crossed back and forth across the carpet of lotus leaves. I assumed they were hunting but, for what? Strangely enough they ignored the aquatic snails conspicuously stuck to the undersides of the overturned lily pads. The snails looked pretty good to me, and snails are on the typical Purple Gallinule menu – along with seeds, insects, crustaceans, fish, eggs, and marsh bird nestlings (!) – but they passed on the snails. Not even a “no thank you” helping. It wasn’t until I was able to look at my photos closely that I was able to identify the special of the day – aquatic leaf beetles.
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Over a period of about an hour and a half, I captured 17 unique predator-prey interactions and nine of those involved Donacia, the aquatic leaf beetle. Two involved fish and the remaining four menu items – unidentified. This juvenile Purple Gallinule found its beetles either sandwiched between overlapping lotus leaves or nestled within enrolled emergent lotus leaves. I also saw the gallinule peek inside the rolled up leaves presumably checking for beetles before ripping a small hole in the side to extract the snack. (I’ll post that series later.)
Come out, come out, wherever you are! An immature Purple Gallinule looks for aquatic leaf beetles under American Lotus leaves on Elm Lake at Brazos Bend State Park, Texas.
Gaping Snowy Egret at Elm Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. This bird spent the morning on the shore shadowing Pied-billed Grebes as they hunted. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Snowy Egrets are known for shuffling their bright yellow feet in the shallow water to scare up dinner. This summer I also caught one employing a bubble-blowing hunting technique to attract invertebrates and small fish.
On Saturday (11/2) at Elm Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Texas I noticed another Snowy Egret fishing/hunting strategy that was new to me–and one that also involves scaring up prey. The egret shown above tracked Pied-billed Grebes back and forth as they chased fish and crawfish in the shallows, perhaps 3-4 feet from the shore. Likely fish and invertebrates scatter as grebes go swimming past–and likely this egret was making use of this to pick off prey responding to the grebes. During this shadowing behavior, the egret was quite good at predicting just where the grebe would surface. Perhaps the grebes were visible, at least sometimes, from the egret’s vantage point? Or was this wader ESP? In any case, the egret would often dash to a position on the shore closest to where the Grebe would suddenly emerge from the water.
Commensalism, a symbiosis in which one organism benefits and another is largely unaffected, is likely the label an ecologist would place on the above relationship. But could it be mutalism? Did the grebes benefit from the presence of the egret? Perhaps the egret could have revealed the presence of predators lurking in the shallows or the weeds? Did the grebes have one eye out on a friend on the shore who might signal (through behavior) the presence of an alligator lurking on the shore otherwise undetected? Or a nasty old alligator gar floating, log-like in the shallows? Perhaps the egret chased prey items (like plump juicy frogs) from the shoreline into the water? Food for thought.
Pied-billed Grebe with Red Swamp Crawfish at Elm Lake, Brazos Bend State Park. Note the large blob of water frozen in mid-air by high shutter speed as this grebe engaged in an epic struggle with a crawfish one-third its size. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/L IS (+1.4x TC). Natural light.
Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off.–FDR
Green Heron Crouching Low on American Lotus Leaf. Perhaps to remain invisible to fish swimming near the surface, this Green Heron rested on its toes and feet close to water level. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). Elm Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, natural light.
Even after several years of frequent wader-watching at Brazos Bend, these birds continue to reveal new tricks in their extensive repertoire of hunting strategies. Recently I observed a Green Heron resting on an American Lotus leaf. Green Herons are common at Brazos Bend, and they can often be seen hunting and fishing from aquatic vegetation and partly submerged logs. Birds usually stand on their toes. What was interesting in this case was that the bird was crouching low, resting on its toes and feet (digits and tarsometatarsi, respectively) near the edge of the plant. The bird peeked over the edge of the leaf, studied the surface of the water, and every so often shot out its long neck and snatched a small fish from near the surface of the water. Was the bird hiding from the fish below or studying the fish-produced ripples on the surface of the water, or both? In any case, it was fun to watch.
Nitpicking Green Heron at Elm Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC).
Waders are great preeners, constantly cleaning and fussing with their feathers. Usually preening means that the action is over for a while–so the photographer interested in capturing hunting and fishing scenes may just as well move on to another bird. However, this summer I caught a Green Heron using the brilliant sunlight to find snacks on its wings. The bird, shown above, held its wings up to the sun. The light streaming through the feathers presumably allowed the bird to spot parasites, pick them off, and eat them. Pretty neat: dining at home!
Snowy Egret Bubbling and Crouching at Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. This bird is blowing bubbles and making ripples that seem to attract prey, including fish. In this case, the egret is crouching with one foot on a submerged log, the other on the bottom. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
This summer at least one Snowy Egret spent a lot of time blowing bubbles (and making ripples). This bubbling clearly activity attracted a variety of prey, mostly small fish, that were quickly snapped up. Once, the bubbling attracted something that was too big to handle. I saw a disturbance in the water, and the bird ran away squawking–perhaps a big gar or bowfin came slithering up? I also caught a bubbling Snowy Egret resting on its toes and feet on a log (shown below).
Crouching Snowy Egret. This Snowy Egret rests on its feet and toes to hunt via bubble-blowing at Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. A few bubbles can still be seen on the surface of the water. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC).
Although wary and uncooperative photographic subjects, Cattle Egrets are common in the grassy areas–and occasionally at the waters’ edge–at Brazos Bend. One day I saw a group of half a dozen Cattle Egrets stalking through the brush like a gang of young toughs grabbing dragonflies and spiders and whatever else moved. They strolled along together, a few feet apart, though the understory vegetation. If one bird flushed or disturbed a prey item an adjacent bird got a crack at it. Grasshoppers, spiders, dragonflies, maybe the occasional frog–down the hatch! Co-operation: it works!
Cattle Egret Hunting Dragonflies and Spiders at Brazos Bend State Park. Photo taken at Pilant Slough. Canon EOS 7D/600mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
There’s a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.—Steven Wright
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
Sapphire: Male Eastern Bluebird. This bird utilized a nest cavity near Pilant Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, during spring of 2013. Eastern Bluebirds are common sights around Elm Lake throughout the summer. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC). High-speed synchronized fill-flash.
Although the vast majority of brightly-colored songbirds in Texas during the spring migration continue their journeys north, a few species remain to add flashes of color to the post-migration greenery. These include Prothonotary Warblers, Northern Parulas, Eastern Bluebirds, Painted Buntings, and Summer Tanagers.
Of course, one of the things to watch for in the spring and summer is nesting behavior. Early this spring in an area of Brazos Bend State Park much frequented by warblers and other songbirds, I identified a nest cavity being used by a mated pair of Eastern Bluebirds (male shown above). Much later in the spring, the same nest cavity was adopted by Prothonotary Warblers.
Sadly, about two weeks ago I noticed that the top of the dead tree containing the nest cavity snapped off, taking the cavity with it. Last week, too, I noticed that another nest cavity in this area was gone. The whole dead tree collapsed. This is unfortunate as this little patch of forest and slough has been a reliable spot for nest cavities and songbirds for the past several years. I spotted the male Prothonotary Warbler shown below, for example, in this same area last summer. What a reminder that things humans place no value on, like dead trees, can be vital to the health of an ecosystem.
Citrine: Male Prothonotary Warbler. Golden Swamp Warbler is the original (and so much better) name for this bird. Photo taken near Pilant Lake under natural light in late spring. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC).
Painted buntings, especially the adult males, are among the most brilliantly-colored songbirds in North America. It’s not uncommon for people to come up to me breathlessly in the field with something like: “We saw this bird, it was . . . .” “Male Painted Bunting,” I interrupt gently.
The best place to find Painted Buntings in summer at Brazos Bend is where there are tall grasses with mature seed-heads adjacent to wooded areas (just in case a quick getaway is required). Painted buntings are so spectacular they, no doubt, will warrant a whole post of their own at some point in the future.
Emerald: Young Male Painted Bunting Showing Brilliant Green Specular Reflection at Lafitte’s Cove, Galveston Island, Texas. Like some minerals, the iridescence and colors of some bird feathers are structural (the result of reflection, diffraction, and interference of light) rather than absorption and reflection due to pigmentation. This fellow it just starting to molt into his multicolored adult plumage. Photo taken during spring migration. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC) with high-speed synchronized flash.
Tanagers are such prized summer sightings along the Texas Gulf Coast that I find myself double-checking every male Northern Cardinal I see. A rule of thumb is helpful when looking for Tanagers: find the fruit (especially mulberries), find the birds. Otherwise, Summer Tanagers are specialist feeders on bees and wasps. A few times I have chased Tanagers through the sweltering underbrush in hopes of getting a shot–usually to no avail. Photographing birds in the fully leafed-out summer forest is tough, and songbirds, coy creatures that they are, are not about to cooperate.
Ruby: Male Summer Tanager in a Mulberry Tree at Sabine Woods, Texas. Elisa captured this image on a hot, muggy, and buggy morning in early April. Natural light. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC).Peek-a-boo: Female Summer Tanager among the Grape Vines at Lafitte’s Cove, Galveston Island, Texas. No fruit yet: bugs will have to do. Photo taken during spring migration. Perhaps this Summer Tanager stayed in East Texas–some do. Canon EOS 7D/500mm f/4L IS (+1.4x TC) with high-speed synchronized fill-flash.
“What makes photography a strange invention is that its primary raw materials are light and time.”–John Berger
