Birder’s Lounge

I traveled to Mo-Ranch near Hunt, TX to attend the annual meeting of the Texas Master Naturalists. The Texas Master Naturalist program is a volunteer organization jointly coordinated by Texas A&M’s AgriLife Extension and Texas Parks & Wildlife. In exchange for training and the opportunity to share the love of nature with others, Texas Master Naturalists give back to their communities through a variety of volunteer services. Read the rest of this entry »

I did not post a notice that I would be away for several days before I took off for my trip to Hunt, Texas. Well, I’m back now.

I am looking forward to sharing a few images and experiences from my trip. Look for a new post tomorrow!

In this last installment of my series on Camp Fire USA’s Camp El Tesoro, I want to focus on the authentic, vital habitat that exists in this part of Texas. Read the rest of this entry »

This is the second in a series I am writing about Camp Fire USA’s Camp El Tesoro, in Granbury, Texas. As I was looking through the photos from my visit there, I noticed that many of the photos showed evidence of wildlife in residence. I usually focus most of my attention on wildlife itself, but it was very interesting to photograph and really take notice of the habitat.

First of all, I would like to know WHAT kind of animal lives in there! Read the rest of this entry »

I visited Camp El Tesoro in Granbury, Texas - what a wonderful place! This camp is part of Camp Fire USA, and has been operating for 75 years!

Click here to see a map of the campgrounds at El Tesoro.

When you arrive at the camp, one of the first things you see is 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 »

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 »

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

This is a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea). As you can see and despite the name, these birds WILL come out during the day! Read the rest of this entry »

This is the second in a series of articles based on my trip to the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge. We had a fairly constant companion while enjoying the shaded pavilion at the marsh boardwalk. It was this Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens): UPDATED 7.22.08: Thanks to Laura for her comment suggesting that this might be an Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe). I’ve checked around and the consensus is that Laura is right. Thanks!

I have to admit that I had to work pretty hard with my various field guides to identify this bird. That’s embarrassing - I should probably know this one. What would be more embarrassing is Read the rest of this entry »