Archive for July, 2008

Look at those feet! This Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) is high-stepping down the log. I like to call their bright yellow feet their “dancing shoes” because they look like they are dancing in the water when they scratch the bottom of the shore where they are hunting, hoping to scare up a meal (literally!). While the bright yellow feet are striking, this bird was Read the rest of this entry »

I was going to do two more articles based on my field trip to the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge, but I have decided to condense into one last article. As excited as I was about the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, I have to say, I was most excited about the abundant and accessible Prothonotary Warblers. I have recently posted two other articles about these beautiful birds, so I won’t repeat. You can see those articles by clicking here and here. Read the rest of this entry »

This image is from Camp Fire USA’s Camp El Tesoro in Granbury, Texas. Look for my upcoming series on this great organization!

The bird featured here is a Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis).

I don’t even know how to begin talking about this bird! Even a non-birder would probably notice and remark on the long tail feathers of this fairly common, summertime bird. I spotted this Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) while visiting Camp El Tesoro in Granbury, Texas. Read the rest of this entry »

This is an iconic scene in Texas, and more oil wells are actually pumping these days. I have no objection to firing up any oil wells in Texas or other places in America that are already built. From a conservation standpoint, the habitat destruction has already occurred. From my standpoint, it seems like a waste to build them and not use them.

I do, however, cringe at the idea of building new oil drilling sites. I wrote this letter to my Senator and Congressman today: Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t know much about dragonflies, but I sure like their various, vibrant colors. I will not attempt an in-depth article on dragonflies just yet, but would like to share some photos of dragonflies that I took while on my field trip to the Forth Worth Nature Center & Refuge. This is the fourth in a series from that field trip. Read the rest of this entry »

This is breaking new ground for me, but here’s a look at my first try at piecing together some footage from my outdated video camera.

If this looks dark to you, that is because I recorded this at dusk, when the Hummingbird Moth is active. I plan to include more video in the futre, so hopefully the quality will improve!

Don’t you just want to take a walk? Hope this picture was worth the wait while it loaded

I have just finished reading the book, Life in the Soil – A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners, by James B. Nardi, 2007, The University of Chicago Press. This book provided a fun way to learn about a topic that many people may initially think is boring. Not so! Read the rest of this entry »