Birder’s Lounge

I want to take this time, as hurricane Ike makes its way through Texas, to let everyone know about two bird and wildlife rescue/rehabilitation/sanctuaries that I admire and support.

The International Bird Rescue Research Center, based in California, focuses its efforts on birds and other animals injured by the all-too-frequent oil spills in our seas around the world. This non-profit organization, established in 1971, also helps birds and animals injured by the detritus of the fishing industry. I have not found any reports of oil spills along the Texas Gulf Coast due to storm damage, and I hope that the drilling operations an rigs are not badly damaged.

Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation is a non-profit organization located in Texas, west of Austin and north of San Antonio - near the city of Kendalia. It was founded in 1977 by Lynn Cuny, and has grown from a backyard operation to a highly respected sanctuary of 187 acres. Their commitment to wildlife stresses the need to keep the “wild” in wildlife. I whole-heartedly agree! Read the rest of this entry »

I recently trudged through one of my favorite birding and wildlife places, The Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Refuge, in McKinney, Texas. This 289-acre refuge is designated as an Audubon Important Birding Area, and is also where I am learning to band birds. The Heard is the proud host of the oldest and longest-running bird banding station in Texas.

Despite the heat, the weight of my camera gear, and my surprisingly empty can of bug spray - I had a good day. A “good day” for me does not mean that I “got” a bird for my list because I don’t keep a list. A good day for me means that I was able to see a variety of wildlife, marvel at their behavior, and enjoy their beauty. Getting even one or two good pictures to bring home with me so that I can share with friends and family - and here at Birder’s Lounge - makes it an even better day.

This is a path that I walked for the first time. I found it when I came upon a sign near the edge of the wetlands that instructed me to not go beyond that point. I looked to the right and saw the beginning of this lovely, wide path, and headed that way. (turns out it was a service road - who knew?) Read the rest of this entry »

This Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia) boldly flew into a sunflower plant, about fifteen feet away from me. According to The Behavior of Texas Birds (2002, by Kent Rylander, University of Texas Press, Austin, TX):

They are generally unwary and easily approached and observed.

Although I was sitting quite still, 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).

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 »

This Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) is standing watch over his nest, perched on this sprinkler head at a lakeside home in Greenville, Texas. It wouldn’t be so interesting if it were a House Sparrow or a Common Grackle…but you don’t see Prothonotary Warblers just anywhere!! Read the rest of this entry »

Home base for me is in Texas, but I’ve just completed a two-day road trip to Colorado. My route took me north to Kansas, then west to Denver. I brought my camera gear, but hardly expected to encounter a Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) nesting at a rest stop!

One woman came up behind me and asked me what was in the tree. I said excitedly, Read the rest of this entry »

I went on a field trip yesterday with a nice group of people to explore a native Texas prairie. It was great! The Bear Creek Ranch is owned by Dixon Water Foundation and is located in Aledo, Texas. The purpose of the tour was to focus on the native plants and grasses of the prairie. While I soaked up as much information as I could from the three great and knowledgeable guides, I found myself drawn to the birds and even the bugs. While others had their field glasses out Read the rest of this entry »

I recently had the great good fortune to be invited to a private home on property that I can only describe as Wood Duck Wonderland. Wow. Just look at the picture above…a happy pair. (And I love that there is a turtle in the picture too!)

The property is wooded - oaks are what I remember the most though I’m sure there were a variety of trees. There is a lake that is surrounded with dense vegetation and trees, making it prime real estate for cavity-nesters like Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa). The Wood Ducks tend to nest in the many nest boxes that are spread throughout the property. I learned that Wood Ducks return to the place they fledged to lay their own eggs, and so the population in this habitat is growing! Amid so much news of declining bird populations Read the rest of this entry »

I found this baby turtle stuck under my fence yesterday morning. My dog was barking, which is unusual, so I went over to see what the fuss was all about. I was so excited to see the little turtle because I had just been building a “turtle hut” next to my frog pond. In fact, I was so excited Read the rest of this entry »