Foggy morning seemed like a bad omen

Yeah right, we saw a bunch of birds anyway

And arachnids

But nobody’s home here

We also saw a horse

Though we received an apology for not seeing more

Apparently Texas should have more free range Horses

Our best look at an Olive Sparrow.

we heard them singing during the whole trip

But Texas birds are tricky

and there are lots of places to hide.

This is South Padre Island

If you like Herons, Egrets, Shorebirds, and Ducks

There may be no better place

incredible beauty in diversity

and the boardwalks make this barrier island very accessible.

This Tricolored Heron thought I needed a closer look

It flew right up to the boardwalk so I could get a better view

“Check my wings bro!”

It is difficult describing this shorebird

If vanilla frozen yogurt is your dessert of choice

You will love a Willet.

The Black Skimmer

Looks like it was made from too many bird parts

But it has a niche,

and the niche is skimming.

Surprisingly overlooked

Maybe because they are literally everywhere

Great Tailed Grackle

Succeeds in getting my attention.

They are easier to focus on if they are solitary.

We saw our Texas alligators too!

They came in two sizes

Adorable Baby sized

And Big Chompy Mom sized

CHOMP CHOMP

Green heron reminds me of a tiger

Maybe it is the yellow eyes

or the ready-to-pounce posture

Absolutely prepared to eat some tiny fish

I loved Jurassic Park

I love dinosaurs

And I think that is why I love bird watching

That and I get to keep obsessive lists

Look at this Common gallinule’s feet though!

So Stabby!

Probably makes putting socks on difficult.

Little Blue Heron

One of my favorite birds of the trip

The largest legitimately blue bird I have seen

But wait, it also gets a purple head?

Wait? It also stabs fish?

So good.

Scanning the surroundings

Is fairly difficult

If your perch is only a foot off the ground

Silly Osprey

More Willet

I just can’t get enough

And I can’t explain why

Vanilla elegance?

Is that a thing?

Little girl doesn’t care about how great these birds are

Or maybe sand is more important

These flocks would pop up periodically

Mostly due to tourists taking Skimmer selfies

Or people parking on the Skimmer part of the beach

Weird coexistence with cool birds at South Padre

The most proactive fisherbird I have seen

Chases and flaps wings maniacally

And it works?

These guys are hilarious to watch, and I love them.

White Morph Reddish Egret

After South Padre

We trekked into the wastes

Post apocalyptic bird watching



Little waste scavenger

A little water here

A little snack there

The future is bleak

But we make due

And find hope in the little things

Macropods

Friendship

Being able to fly

Spotted Sandpiper

Found respite among a bit of grass

Normally a bird you’d find next to water

If there was water

Ahhh I’m just playin’

I love a post apocalyptic hypothetical

This place was really just a weird boat ramp

That led out to a cracked-earth mudflat.

Here’s another Willet.

And in this photo you get to witness their true beauty>

Vanilla exterior

But the wings,

Oh the wings:

Chocolate swirl.

Semipalmated Plover

Probably stuffed with marshmallow

Eyes on the skies

Gotta make sure his delicious candy interior

Stays on the interior

For as long as possible.

After the apocalyptic memorial boat dock

We went to Mexico

At least our phones thought we did

Kept changing to international roaming

This is a photo of Mexico

From our side of the Rio Grande

You can’t hear Mexican Folk music blasting

But know it is there.

Laughing Gulls were everywhere

At Boca Chica

But also everywhere else

Though I tend to appreciate a gull a bit more

When it is at the beach

Maybe I just like the ocean.

Mid laugh-laughing gull

Their eye crescents

Dark coloration & red bill

Make these very attractive birds

Underappreciated due to frequency seen

Oregonians would go nuts if one showed up here.

(only three ever have).

Just a lil crab

There were several

Living terrestrial lives

In tiny hobbit holes

This one’s body was about the size of a quarter

Constantly running in the surf

Stopping while the water recedes

Grabbing a tiny snack

And running again

Busy life of a Sanderling

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

A bird I had seen before in the Dominican Republic

And a bird I really wanted to see again

This was our best look

As it landed behind our car on our way home

I leaned out for a photo

Such a great body shape

Head/bill are so menacing looking

Yellow eyes help too.

I want to see more soon.

The last good bird of the day

Ruddy Turnstone

Their face kind of reminds me of Rorschach

Rorschach Turnstone

Too bad if I rename birds nobody knows what I am talking about

Day two was a great day

A long day with 26 new bird species I have never seen before (lifers)

I ended up taking about 1,500 photos, and we went bird watching for about 12 hours

Here are the my three eBird checklists if anyone is curious.

And here is where I put a link to Day 3

In a couple of days… man this blogging stuff is a lot of work.