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As well as some early morning trips in search of Sandhill Cranes, I also managed a very quick lunchtime trip on the Katy Prairie last week.
Midday is hardly the best time for birds but there were a few around. This Eastern Meadowlark was nice enough to pose for a couple of photos.
So, too, was this Eurasian Collared Dove, although I wished it had chosen a more photogenic perch.
A Loggerhead Shrike struck a watchful pose for me.
This Crested Caracara stayed just long enough for me to grab a quick shot.
A large flock of Cedar Waxwings was in trees on Sharp Road.
Most of the birds were just hanging out.
However, a few were busy eating breakfast.
So while my brief trip didn't turn up anything special, I did get to see some beautiful birds.
A Weekend Away
So far this year what little birding I have done has been restricted to Harris County but now it's time to go (a little) further afield. On Saturday we're heading out for a weekend trip to Anahuac, High Island, Bolivar and Galveston. With any luck, I'll get in several hours of birding and will see a good range of species. I may even get to see the now-famous Burrowing Owl at Anahuac NWR!
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Friday morning I left for work before 6:00 a.m. because I wanted to drive in via the Katy Prairie. I'd heard that large numbers of Sandhill Cranes roost there and I was hoping to see some of them as they left their roosting site to go out foraging.
I got to Hebert Road before dawn.
Although I could hear many Cranes in the distance, I didn't see any birds until the sun appeared.
First up were some flights of Snow Geese.
Then a Crested Caracara cruised by, with just one wingtip illuminated.
As the sun cleared the horizon, the Cranes started fly.
I came close to sensory overload as I stood and watched wave after wave of these magnificent birds pass noisily overhead in the dawn light.
Here are a few more of the pictures that I took.
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I'm afraid I'm still finding it difficult to make time for birding, which is why I haven't been posting as often as usual. However, Dee and I did make it to Paul Rushing Park for an hour on Suday morning.
I had promised Dee that she would see Common Nighthawks in the park and, sure enough, a couple were sitting on fences when we arrived.
As usual, Eurasian Collared-Doves were perched on the higher fences.
The ponds were quiet for birds except for a pair of Pied-billed Grebes on the water and a few large waders (Great and Snowy Egrets and a Great Blue Heron). The observation deck railings were attracting lots of birds, though, including Cave Swallows, Red-winged Blackbirds, a Green Heron (below) and a Little Blue Heron (below).
I didn't bother taking photos of the Killdeer that were everywhere but a Loggerhead Shrike caught my eye because it looked like a juvenile. (If so, it's the first juvenile Shrike that I've seen in years.)
On our way home, we did a quick drive along Longenbaugh and Porter Road End, in hopes of getting good looks at some Scissor-tailed Flycatchers. As always in summer, there were plenty! Most were on utility wires.
However, a few were handing out (with Eastern Kingbirds) in the hedges.
Longenbaugh had more Northern Mockingbirds than you could shake a stick at, and it also had numerous Loggerhead Shrikes. As at Paul Rushing Paul, one of the Shrikes appeared to be a juvenile.
The utility wires over the Bear Creek bridge on Longenbaugh were crowded with dozens of swallows. These looked to me to be Cliff Swallows and mainly juveniles but don't hesitate to correct me if I'm wrong!
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I still haven't had any time for significant birding outings, I'm afraid. However, at lunchtime today I managed to spend 20 minutes on Longenbaugh Road.
There was a sprinkling of common birds: Mourning and White-winged Doves, European Starlings, Brown-headed Cowbirds and Eastern Meadowlarks. There were also lots of Northern Mockingbirds. Surprisingly, I spotted only a couple of Loggerhead Shrikes.
As always at this time of year, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers were well represented. I stopped counting at 14.
I'm used to Scissortails now but I remember how bowled over I was when I saw my very first one, on a brief business trip to Houston almost fifteen years ago.
Longenbaugh can usually be relied upon to produce a Crested Caracara or two. Today two were perched on a utility pole. I can never decide whether their crests and stout beaks make them lok imposing or just rather silly.
As soon as I had photographed the Caracaras, it started to rain and so I headed back to work. This weekend we'll be heading out of town for a vacation and so it'll be a while before I get a chance to check out the Katy Prairie again.
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Sunday morning I was up and out of the house well before dawn, heading for the Katy Prairie. I had four specific objectives:
1. Look for Short-eared Owls off Porter Road
2. See if Harris's Sparrows were back on Longenbaugh
3. Try to find an Inca Dove on Longenbaugh
4. Check out Meadowlarks at Warren Ranch Lake to see if any were the Western species.
As it happened, I had picked a bad morning for birding because the weather was cold and drizzly. I scanned the fields on both sides of Porter Road for 30 minutes but saw no sign of any owls.
I was luckier on Longenbaugh. As soon as I arrived at the Bear Creek bridge, I spotted four Harris's Sparrows hanging out with some White-crowned Sparrows around the north side of the bridge. (In my experience, this is the most reliable place to find Harris's in our area.)
I scanned the backs of the creek for Inca Doves for a while but had no luck. So I decided to move on. However, I'd only driven a few yards when I noticed a bird on the road ahead. My first Inca Dove in Harris County in 2014!
By the time I got to Warren Ranch Lake the weather was slightly better and I had good views of a variety of ducks and 100+ American White Pelicans.
There were 7-8 Meadowlarks also. I examined and photographed all of them very carefully. Unfortunately, all of them turned out to be Eastern Meadowlarks.
On my way home I drove back along Longenbaugh and found that half-a-dozen Harris's Sparrows were busy feeding in a small tree several hundred yards east of the creek. Although the weather was still poor, it had improved enough for slightly better photos than the ones I had taken earlier.
So I had struck out on the owls and Western Meadowlarks but I had achieved my other two goals.
BTW, for the past three years my Harris County list has topped 200 species each year. Sunday's Inca Dove took my 2014 county list to 196 species, which is not bad considering how little birding I've done this year. However, I'll certainly be trying to add at least another four species in the next three weeks.
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