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.

Painted Bunting

One of the other day trips that Tammy and I took while in Florida last month was to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. If you did not see my previous Corkscrew post showing a hungry Anhinga gulping down what I think is a young catfish, check it out here.

Corkscrew is a very birdy place. One of the treats on this particular trip was seeing Painted Buntings at the bird feeders. A crowd of people were waiting near the feeders in order to "ooh" and "ahh" and take photos whenever one of these vivid birds stopped by for a bite. Tammy and I were no different than anyone else. These two photos were my favorites.

Painted Bunting

This is still from yesterday's visit to Lake Fausse Point State Park. This picture is not very crisp, but since the subject is a male Painted Bunting in breeding plumage, it was worth posting. When I saw this bird, it reminded me of rainbow sherbet. I remember liking rainbow sherbet as a kid, but I can't remember the last time I tried it.