More Action at CyFair

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Overall, this has been an incredibly quiet fall for birds on the CyFair campus. Migrants have been few and far between. Meanwhile, few winter birds have arrived and residents have been keeping their heads down, perhaps because a Cooper's Hawk has moved into the nature trail area.

So I wasn't expecting to see much yesterday and so was pleasantly surprised to get to watch an Osprey hovering and fishing along the ditch on the north side of the campus. (I'll post photos of that tomorrow.)

Further along the ditch, I came across a Pied-billed Grebe and a Snowy Egret that was hanging out with four White Ibis, birds I rarely see at the college.

I missed out on photographing three Great Blue Herons that were standing nearby but got a quick shot of one of two Great Egrets that also flew off as I approached. (I have lots of photos of Great Egrets in flight but they are such graceful birds that I can never resist taking more pictures of them!)

The parking lot had a Ring-billed Gull, while the trees behind the CASA building had a beautiful Loggerhead Shrike.

Northern Mockingbirds were busy in the same area and almost distracted me from spotting two White-throated Sparrows, the first I've seen at the college this fall.

My final sighting was of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, again my first one this fall.

So perhaps things are looking up and, with more cold weather forecast, the rest of the week may produce even more new arrivals.
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