Tag: birding festival
SE Texas: Aplomado Falcons and More (long version)
An abbreviated version of this article was first published on the Audubon Guides blog, but some innocent snaffus have prevented the article from being published in its entirety. Until that gets ironed out after or during the holidays, I am publishing the full version with more photos here – LMK Just a few weeks ago, [...]
RGV: Birding Estero Llano Grande
Okay, now that I’ve cleared introductions 1 and 2 from my brain, let me tell you a bit about Estero Llano Grande State Park. Estero Llano Grande State Park is one of nine designated World Birding Centers in the Texas state park system, and one of the most convenient and productive place to bird during any [...]
Birding is hard. But someone has to do it.
Some thoughts on what it’s like to attend a birding festival One of the best lines from the Rio Grande Valley Birding & Nature Festival was “Birding. If it doesn’t hurt, you’re not doing it right.” This grand statement was uttered by a 20-something birder (Michael Hilchey) from New Mexico. So young, yet already a sage…. [...]
Photo Quiz: Can you name this raptor?
Can you name this raptor? Hint: I was standing down in one of the southernmost areas of Texas near Brownsville during last year’s Rio Grande Valley Birding & Nature Festival. The bird circled above my party’s heads for several minutes. Eventually, it disappeared and a Crested Caracara showed up in the same airspace. I hope [...]
Green Jay: a Caribbean Creamsicle
I never tire of examining the plumage of Green Jays…the blacks and blues, the greens and yellows along with their chartreuse sibling. When I peer at them long enough, I see ocean beaches. I see Caribbean creamsicles, a coral reef with wings. And this makes my eyes melt.
Buff-bellied Hummingbird at RGV
I have exactly ten seconds to post something before festivities continue, so here is an image of Buff-bellied Hummingbird seen at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. More soon!
Revved up for RGV!
In two days I’ll be escaping the chill of upstate New York and plunking myself down in the sun-drenched land of southeastern Texas for the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Birding Festival (held in Harlingen, Texas). It looks like festival attendees are in for some good weather, as long as Hurricane Ida behaves. Already, early reports say [...]
Rio Grande Valley Festival Coming Soon!
Apparently, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher that showed up in central NY last week had a message for me: Get to the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival! And quick! “You REALLY ought to get the Rio Grande Valley Birding festival, Laura,” said a friend a few years back. “It’s one of the biggest festivals of the year, [...]
Approaches to Bird Identification & A Kirtland’s Warbler
I recall an interesting conversation I had at the Midwest Birding Symposium on approaches to bird identification. To set the stage, I also dug up a few more decent shots of the Kirtland’s Warbler at East Harbor State Park, western Lake Erie in Ohio (September 18, 2009). At lunch I had the pleasure of sitting [...]
