From top to bottom, the warblers are: Blackpoll, Yellow, Northern Parula, and Tennessee.
Showing posts with label 2009 Apr - ABA Corpus Christi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009 Apr - ABA Corpus Christi. Show all posts
Warblers of Paradise Pond
I have mentioned Paradise Pond in a couple of my previous posts. I was there in the spring of 2009, and would love to return in some future spring. Here is a collection of warblers that I photographed at Paradise Pond (not including the Wilson's Warbler that I shared a few posts back).
From top to bottom, the warblers are: Blackpoll, Yellow, Northern Parula, and Tennessee.
From top to bottom, the warblers are: Blackpoll, Yellow, Northern Parula, and Tennessee.
Tricolored Heron
I took advantage of two excellent bird watching destinations in Port Aransas, Texas (April 2009). The first was Paradise Pond (lots of migrant song birds) and the second was Port Aransas Birding Center (lots of waders and shore birds). Both were excellent because of diversity and proximity - there were plenty of species to see, and they tended to be close.
Here are two images of Tricolored Heron taken from Port Aransas Birding Center.
Here are two images of Tricolored Heron taken from Port Aransas Birding Center.
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Still more from my experience in Corpus Christi in 2009 - this time a pair photos of Brown-crested Flycatcher.
Indigo Buntings
Paradise Pond in Port Aransas, Texas continues to be a very memorable place for me. The bird watching and photographic opportunities were both excellent. These three Indigo Buntings were easily framed into a single shot from the boardwalk.
Least Grebe
Over the past couple of weeks I have been slowly working my way through all of the photos that I took in Corpus Christi. I took just over 2000 photos on that trip, but based on past experience, most of those will never see the light of a public Flickr page or blog post. The process I follow, however, is slowly starting to generate public photos. Kind of like making coffee...the happy results are starting to drip through the filter.
Strangely, I have not taken a linear approach when considering all the pictures I took. Instead, it appears that I am taking a path of least resistance. I took pictures of a Reddish Egret on multiple days, so there are a lot more candidate photos to consider, and those will come out later. The Least Grebe, however, was in my sights only for a brief time on just one day. Consequently, there are proportionately fewer photos of the Least Grebe, and public worthy pair of photos are effectively the first drops of goodness to fall through my filter.
Least Grebe was a life bird for me. And they are cute beyond measure. Tiny, energetic, noisy things, they were pairing up in anticipation of nesting and all things spring. There must have been a dozen pairs at the fantastic Pollywog Ponds (CTC77 on the Corpus Christi Bay Loop of the Central Texas Coast Wildlife Trail). The morning light was dim, and they were actively diving for food, but I still managed to get these two shots from a not-very-short distance, shooting through the tall grass that lined the edge of the ponds.
Strangely, I have not taken a linear approach when considering all the pictures I took. Instead, it appears that I am taking a path of least resistance. I took pictures of a Reddish Egret on multiple days, so there are a lot more candidate photos to consider, and those will come out later. The Least Grebe, however, was in my sights only for a brief time on just one day. Consequently, there are proportionately fewer photos of the Least Grebe, and public worthy pair of photos are effectively the first drops of goodness to fall through my filter.
Least Grebe was a life bird for me. And they are cute beyond measure. Tiny, energetic, noisy things, they were pairing up in anticipation of nesting and all things spring. There must have been a dozen pairs at the fantastic Pollywog Ponds (CTC77 on the Corpus Christi Bay Loop of the Central Texas Coast Wildlife Trail). The morning light was dim, and they were actively diving for food, but I still managed to get these two shots from a not-very-short distance, shooting through the tall grass that lined the edge of the ponds.
Vireo
When I attend ABA events, I get to bird with people who far surpass my birding skills. These are opportunities for me to learn even more about one of my favorite hobbies, and I happily take advantage of them. I make plenty of mistakes with bird identification, so hearing others explain identifications is a great way to reduce the number of times where I jump to the wrong conclusion, or am just not sure.
One thing, however, that I learned early on was that I was absolutely not going to be able to identify every bird I saw or heard. In fact, resisting the urge to identify and move on, keeps me learning and keeps me out of "trouble". Picking up a camera and learning how to use it while birding reinforces that discipline. Now, when I am not sure about a bird, I try to take photographs of it so that I can attempt to identify it from the comfort of my home (where I have access to so many more resources than my little brain could ever hold). Even then, I may not be entirely sure.
Such was the case today. I was birding alone at Corpus Christi Wildlife Sanctuary (which, oddly, is not in Corpus Christi), when I encountered this vireo. I have a couple of ideas for which vireo it might be, but one of those two would be a life bird for me. I am not quite confident enough to just claim it is a species that I have never seen before (but I am really close to being that confident). Since I had my camera, here are a couple of pictures. Neither show the complete bird, but I think they show enough for an identification (says me...as I sit on the fence avoiding a decision). If you have an opinion, share it. Maybe I will get a life bird out of this.
Update: It is a Philadelphia Vireo - a life bird for me.
One thing, however, that I learned early on was that I was absolutely not going to be able to identify every bird I saw or heard. In fact, resisting the urge to identify and move on, keeps me learning and keeps me out of "trouble". Picking up a camera and learning how to use it while birding reinforces that discipline. Now, when I am not sure about a bird, I try to take photographs of it so that I can attempt to identify it from the comfort of my home (where I have access to so many more resources than my little brain could ever hold). Even then, I may not be entirely sure.
Such was the case today. I was birding alone at Corpus Christi Wildlife Sanctuary (which, oddly, is not in Corpus Christi), when I encountered this vireo. I have a couple of ideas for which vireo it might be, but one of those two would be a life bird for me. I am not quite confident enough to just claim it is a species that I have never seen before (but I am really close to being that confident). Since I had my camera, here are a couple of pictures. Neither show the complete bird, but I think they show enough for an identification (says me...as I sit on the fence avoiding a decision). If you have an opinion, share it. Maybe I will get a life bird out of this.
Update: It is a Philadelphia Vireo - a life bird for me.
A Few Odds and Ends
The 2009 ABA Convention started in earnest this evening, but I have birded on my own most of the past two days, with Port Aransas as my target. I have seen lots of good birds, and have managed to take some good photographs as well. While I will take a "serious" look at my growing collection of photos once I return, here are a few that I thought would share "as is" - only resized for posting to the blog.
First up, from a visit to Port Aransas Birding Center, is a Reddish Egret caught in "mid-dance". This species of bird is very active in its pursuit of food, holding its wings out for balance, leaping, lunging and generally taking a no-holds-barred approach. Quite different from the stealthy stalking of a Great Blue Heron.
This shot of a Painted Bunting was the best I could manage. I saw him at a tiny little gem called Paradise Pond. I went there two days in a row. The Painted Bunting dropped into this patch of foliage, and all I could see was his pretty face through that window in the leaves.
While trying to get a better shot of the Painted Bunting, I managed to discover some type of amphibian in the same foliage. Only this critter was on the opposite side of a leaf from me. I spied his body, silhouetted against the leaf, and took this photo.
First up, from a visit to Port Aransas Birding Center, is a Reddish Egret caught in "mid-dance". This species of bird is very active in its pursuit of food, holding its wings out for balance, leaping, lunging and generally taking a no-holds-barred approach. Quite different from the stealthy stalking of a Great Blue Heron.
This shot of a Painted Bunting was the best I could manage. I saw him at a tiny little gem called Paradise Pond. I went there two days in a row. The Painted Bunting dropped into this patch of foliage, and all I could see was his pretty face through that window in the leaves.
While trying to get a better shot of the Painted Bunting, I managed to discover some type of amphibian in the same foliage. Only this critter was on the opposite side of a leaf from me. I spied his body, silhouetted against the leaf, and took this photo.
ABA 209 - Corpus Christi
I am off to Corpus Christi tomorrow for a week of fun, including the 2009 ABA Convention. I hope to see a ton of birds, hopefully some new life birds, and take lots of photos.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)