Monday, May 7, 2012

Houston Birding

We finally got the big year bus rolling again with a day and a half in Houston and High Island Texas.  We met up with our new super duper birding friends Blake and Holly Wright who are doing a charitable "Photographic" Big year.  We added 36 birds and got a few that really made the trip worth while such as both whistling-ducks!

 Laughing Gull
 Tropical Mockingbird
Some say that the heavily worn tail adds weight to the arguement that this bird is an escapee.  I got good looks at the tail and not just the ends were worn.  The tail was a wreck and looked to have "chunks" torn out.  Could it not be that the other highly teritorial Northern Mockingbirds have been picking on him excessively?  I hope that determining a bird an escapee is akin to "Innocent until proven guilty".   I believe it should be "Wild until proven escapee"
 Black-bellied Plover
 Red Knot
 Black-necked Stilt
 Black-bellied Whistling-duck
 Texas flower - "Indian Blanket"?
A "good sign"! 

3 comments:

  1. I'm not an expert on flowers, but I think the one shown above is Indian Paintbrush.

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  2. Thanks Andy! Very cool whatever its name!

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  3. Nope it's an indian blanket. A paint brush is similar to a bluebonnet but just red.

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