Guess whooo returned!

The great horned owl returned this morning to roost outside the Visitor’s Center giving me and some other lucky people the chance to enjoy an up close look at this denizen of the dark.  As you can see, he swiveled his head 180* to show off his feathery horns.  :)  What a hoot!!

Another day working the VC.  Not very exciting, but I did step out several times to check out the bird life. 
The California quail are pretty skittish, but…
I was able to sneak in a few close ups before they all took off in a noisy flurry of wings and squawks.  The male, on the left, was blasting out his warning calls the whole time I was skulking around trying to get a good shot.  :)  Don’t you just love those little top knots?
A new visitor to the bird feeders this week is the American goldfinch.  They’ve already molted into their winter plumage, so they’re not  the brilliant yellow of springtime that earns them the common name of a wild canary. 
Here are my latest attempts at a decent picture of a Lewis’s woodpecker.  Obviously, my quest is not over.  :)
Lest you think birds are the only concern at this refuge, I include this picture of the refuge manager out in the pond in front of the VC.  He is pulling a fish net behind him.  The invasion of carp have really had a detrimental effect on the refuge marsh vegetation, and the natural red band trout population.  He is out there trying to net some of the unwanted carp.

The thought of working the not very busy VC four days this week was a little depressing to me, so this afternoon I worked on a plan to get out and about for at least one of those days.  If the weather cooperates tomorrow, I may have something new to report.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed.  :)

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Could you lead a bird tour this Saturday????

I was down at headquarters this morning checking over the box with supplies in it for the bird banding education station which is a part of the Bridges to Birding school program that we offer in the spring.  I will be teaching the teachers about this station later this month, so I wanted to be sure everything was in order.  As I was finishing up, a fellow volunteer came in to inform me that Rob, the volunteer coordinator, wanted me to take a phone call.  Who could possibly be calling me here, and not on my cell phone?  It turned out to be a member of the Balcones Canyonlands NWR Friends Group. 

It seems that the Hill Country Bird and Wildflower Society, and the Friends of Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery, are sponsoring a Winter Bird Fest in Burnet, TX, this Saturday.  It also seems that the person that was to lead their bird bird tour had suddenly cancelled, and Rob suggested that they ask me to step in.  I'm sure you can guess my answer to their request.  :)  So, I'll be leading a bird tour all day Saturday, and will even receive a small stipend.  You can't beat that....getting paid to do something I enjoy.

Since I've never been to Burnet, TX, I felt it was necessary to scope out the places where I'll be leading the tour. I knew that Peggy has been cooped up inside doing office work for the last month,  so, I asked if she'd like to come with me tomorrow as I go take a look.  She, at least, has been to Burnet.  I also told her that we would probably have to eat lunch out during our journey.  ;)  So, off we'll go on a little adventure tomorrow.  I hope the roads aren't icy.  The weather forecast is for a wintry mix of precipitation all day tomorrow.

This afternoon, after I got back to the rig, I was able to get a few more shots of some of my avian neighbors.

Northern mockingbirds are common throughout much of the US.  While they don't frequent bird feeders, they do often run along the ground searching out tasty insects.  The males do tend to sing many different songs and will mimic other species.

I finally got a pic of a tufted titmouse that wasn't just a complete blur.  They are so active that it is hard to get them to sit still long enough for a photo.  This is the black-crested variety that is found in this part of Texas, and southward.  They really like the oil seeds at the feeder, and, like the chickadee, only take one seed at a time and then find a perch to crack the seed open on.

It only took overnight for the American goldfinches to figure out I had put a Niger seed feeder up!  I haven't had such busy feeders in some time.  Looks like I'll have to go to town for more bird seed on Friday.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later,  Judy

Backyard Birds

Things are kind of slow around here, so I thought I'd take a few pics of the birds at my feeder. Those of you that know me, know that I really enjoy birdwatching and I haven't posted many bird pictures at this location. :) Some of the pics are not of the best quality, but you'll get the idea...

The most populous birds at my feeders are American goldfinches.

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Both males and females frequent the feeders.

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On the ground are plenty of common grackles. Many folks don't like grackles, but I do like their iridescent colors.

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This is a female brown-headed cowbird, another bird that many people don't like because of their habit of laying eggs in smaller bird's nests.

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A female cardinal stopped by the feeder this evening. She is obviously going through her summer molt of feathers, otherwise, she'd have a crest on her head. The young of the year look similar to the female, but wouldn't have a red beak at this point in the season.

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Another frequent visitor is the chipping sparrow. There is no way to tell if this bird is a male or female unless you can examine the bird in your hand to look for a female brood patch or a cloacal protuberance (balls) on the male.

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Dang, it's hard to get a good picture of a tufted titmouse. They don't just sit on the feeder and eat. They fly in, grab one seed, and then fly to a tree branch where they can peck open the seed with their beak while they hold it with their feet. Goldfinches, on the other hand, just sit at the feeder and eat because they are able to shuck the seeds while holding it in their beaks.

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Last, but not least, is the ubiquitous house sparrow. These sparrows are not native to the United States, and were brought over from England many, many years ago. Their population over the years has ballooned to such numbers that they have a very detrimental effect on some native species such as bluebirds and tree swallows. They are a common bird at feeders.

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Well, it's back to work tomorrow. Someone is supposed to come to fix the air conditioning in the museum area so maybe the folks that come for the movie on Sunday won't be uncomfortable. Temps in there have reached the upper eighties during the movie, and that's not conducive to happy visitors!

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Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy