Cooks Slough, Uvalde

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Our Friday visit to Cooks Slough was brief but we were really impressed by the site. We would have been impressed even if we had gotten no further than having lunch in the parking area. Why? Because our lunch companion was a Vermilion Flycatcher, surely one of the most beautiful birds anywhere.

After the excitement of watching the Vermilion, we took a short walk out to one of the ponds. Blue-winged Teal and Gadwall took flight as we approached.

So, too, did Double-crested Cormorants and a Great Egret.

A pair of Golden-fronted Woodpeckers were even quicker to disappear out of camera range, but a group of House Finches stayed around longer.

 

After lunch, I had to lead my workshop for teachers in Uvalde. Work can certainly get in the way of birding!


Then it was off to the B&B where we were spending the night, Utopia on the River. On the way we passed Red-tailed Hawks and Crested Caracaras, before getting a drive-by view of a family of four Harris's Hawks.

The B& B was excellent, if a little pricey. As we drove onto the property, we disturbed a group of deer eating from a feeder right in front of the house and the deer were regular visitors throughout our stay.

By now the light had faded too much for photos but a walk around the grounds turned up Golden-fronted and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, a Verdin and several Eastern Phoebes. So not a bad place to spend the night.
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