Brand new here, and new to birding too (and becoming obsessed!) I had to share the photo I caught this morning in TX of my Black-crested Titmouse . He hopped right onto the porch post 5 feet from where I sat and practically posed for me. The peanuts in the bowl beside me likely helped.
MMMM, peanuts!
Welcome and congrats.
Great shot of the titmouse! Enjoyed the seabird and kestrel, too.
A pic that shows some of the Smith Oaks rookery, High Island, TX. The rookery wasn't there when Houston Audubon acquired the property. The birds showed up later. Now they are destroying the trees and they have erected some artificial roosting structures, but it's obvious the bird don't like them as well as the trees. I suspect they will move on in a few years. A great place to visit. Got word the Great Egrets are hatching this week.
Love those titmouse, and Blackcreasted? Another besides the Tufted, and Oak Titmice? Whoa! Cute! Welcome MPinTx. Red, that's a nice pic. What kind of birds that destroying the trees?
Oh shoot Red! I was at Boy Scout woods yesterday and I asked a guy who had been to Smith Oaks earlier in the day if anything was hatching and he said no, so I didn't go to the rookery darn it!
Went to the drip at Smith Oaks though and was shown a big, old mulberry that was drawing amazing birds -- painted and indigo buntings, red-headed woodpeckers, scissortailed flycatchers, tanagers, orioles, sapsuckers. It was amazing. My photos weren't that great though.
Did get 2 lifers yesterday! Woohoo! A Blackpoll Warbler and a Blue-winged Warbler. Here's a pic of the Blue-winged.
BTW, y'alls pics are amazing!
Margaret, stunning start. Just beautiful and if your pics don't do the 28s justice, I can't even imagine how stunning they must be.
Resin, congrats on finally getting the shot! Nice grouse too.
Duc, beautiful -- really love the oriole shot with the male and female.
Tiger, nice common yellow-throat! I've seen them 3 times this spring and have yet to get a picture!
Burn, nice ones all. Would love to see a Bohemian. Nice shot.
Nanny, I've gone twice to where they are seeing towhees here and have yet to see one. Glad I get to see your pics. Cool hermit thrush too!
Here is a Scarlet Tanager. It's kind of glowing but that was the best shot I could get.
Scissortail flycatcher showing off its tail.
Grackles are busy killing baby birds in the yard again this spring. So far, only baby house sparrows, so not too fussed. If they get the cardinal babies, I'm after them!
Had a black-throated green warbler in the yard this morning too, so that was exciting. Didn't get a decent pic.
This is a weird pic of a White-eyed Vireo looking up. He posed perfectly for me on a bare branch right in front of me, but camera would not focus on him. I moved camera to leaves below and focused but when I brought it back up, he flew off.
Glowing? that's what scarlet tanangers do
Fox Sparrow from a couple of days ago.
I always see house finch at the sedum. I always thought they were drinking from the leaf indents. But this guy was eating one.
And… first Brown Thrasher of the season.
Wonderful pictures everyone. Congrats Red on your BBs babies. I wished I could get closer to this pretty Egret.
Holy Cow.....gee what happened today??? I go out and bamm there ya all go!
MPin...Hi, you found a great place to be if you are into birds! You photo is very cool!
Elphaba...Congrats on the new lifers!! Very Jealous of you Tanager...GORGEOUS!!!
Mrs. Ed Nice pics!! I did not see one Fox Sparrow this winter!
I went over to DePauw today....and found several Blue-gray Gnatcatchers!
Amazing pics everyone. I was astounded today when a Swallow-tailed Kite flew right over my head...it was being chased by some kind of black bird. Figured I missed my chance, but luckily it doubled back, not as close...but I was able to get a few pics.
This message was edited Apr 13, 2011 9:41 PM
2nd pic.
3rd pic.
Wow...very cool GP!
Red-tailed Hawk....
Boss Byron found his fav. food at the feeder. My Redheaded woodpecker;
I love him!
Chipping Sparrows are every where now and busy being very fussy! lol
Perfect catch on that gnatcatcher Nanny and love that sparrow and GREAT hawk shot.
Mrs. Ed, love the Brown Thrasher.
Lily_love, glad that red-headed woodpecker is back! He's a beauty.
GP, BEAUTIFUL kite photos!!!
Iris, LOL! In most of the pics, he was glowing so much that it looked like I took a neon red marker and drew that tanager into the photo!
Elfy, thanks. I'm longing to see those Tanagers and the Buntings. Looks as if I need to go further into the Deep South to find them. Oh yes, love those kites too, and the scissors-hand ones. lol
Nice shootin everyone!
GP, Love the Kite!
Lily, The Red-headed Woodpecker is so handsome!
Elphaba, Love the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher!
Great job guys!
My ever-present and always photogenic (despite my lack of camera skills) great-tailed grackle. I really don't mind him much - he mostly comes alone, and he's pretty good at keeping the Starlings from getting too numerous and bossy. He loves the pool waterfall, which I keep turned down to a trickle mornings and evenings just for the birds.
Beautiful setting MP!
The Lesser Goldfinches are flocking the niger feeders like crazy.
Thanks, pelletory! We are rather new to both TX and this birdwatching thing, and just got the pool and major landscaping in last summer. Any future plantings will be done with an eye for the birds. I am planting tons of vines and climbing roses all over the ugly fences, and the lady at the antique rose emporium here thought I was odd to keep insisting that I wanted ones that had hips in the fall. We put our first feeder out this past winter, and now have..... 9, I think? LOL! It's quite addictive.
GP the kite is gorgeous.
LilyLove, I envy you your woodpecker. He's beautiful! We had a golden-fronted pair here for about a week, but it seems they were just passing through.
Great photos everyone! I got way behind once again.
I had a thrill a couple days ago. I was walking along our lakeshore and taking photos of all the swallows gathering mud for their nests. When I downloaded the photos, I found I'd photographed a Violet-green Swallow and three other species of swallows. Here's the "lifer", a Violet-green Swallow.
This is a Cliff Swallow.
A Barn Swallow.
And, I liked this photo from my deck of a Tree Swallow more than the one I found at the lakeshore.
Also found my first for the year Yellow-headed Blackbird.
And, a Graylag Goose.
Wow duc that is fantastic!!! Congratulations!
The Violet-green Swallow is gorgeous, I love all the swallows. The Tree Swallow on your deck is beautiful and it's such great shot!
Echo-ing what Pelle just said. Duc. Lovely series. Thank MP, I've been relatively new to birding these pass few years. I was lucky to have both Redheaded, and Redbellied Woodpeckers bringing their babies to the feeder in the backyard. I sort of learn as I go, for I didn't realize what birds I saw-- adults or juveniles, 'til sometime there later.
Duc, I'm so glad you've such good quality pic. of the Cliff Swallow. All the pics. you've are a great quality. What I meant to say is I've yet captured a decent pics. of those elussive ones. And that also reminds me to take a boat ride down the river and watch those Cliff Swallows building their cummunial nests.
Duc, congrats on the new lifer!! I saw both a Barn Swallow and a Tree Swallow yesterday so they are back in Indiana for the summer!
Cute pair of Turkey Vultures yesterday over at DePauw!
awww...really honey
Sweet TV shot nanny!
Great pictures of great birds, everyone. thanks for sending them along. Used to have lots of Tree Swallows here. Only saw a couple last year and none at all so far this spring.
Donna
