went birding today at the botanical gardens. It's peak migration time so the warblers are out en masse. Here's my checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S230319894 highlight of the day was a male Golden-winged Warbler, a new bird to me. Pic not mine
I mostly get downys and hairys daily, the occasional Flicker in spring and last year had a Pileated visit for two days. That thing was massive!
Pileated Woodpeckers are huge!! They're very rare here and I've only ever seen one at a state park. Jealous that they are year-round in other places
I'm part of the local birding group on WhatsApp. We use it to report sightings and let me tell you there is nothing worse than sitting here at work while the chat pops off because someone saw a black-billed cuckoo at a place five minutes away from your house
I thinknid rather not be a part of it than to to k ow what's going on around me and having to miss out on seeing them.
case in point, I went down there on my lunch break. A few birders (all retirees, my people) had seen the cuckoo but lost it. It crossed to the other side of the river, so I drove over there with another lady and then it crossed back to the other side. My break was over so I came home while the group chat was now reporting that there were two of them! And then the lady called me via WhatsApp (never been called on there before) just to ask if I was still there because she was looking at both birds. I told her I had to go back to work but I might come back after. The other cool part about this hobby are the people. I've met nothing but nice people willing to help newer folks out. It rules.
Over the weekend we went out of town into the hill country and on the way home we saw a roadrunner and it was cool as hell No coyotes nearby
I got this shot in the Badlands in 2018…every picture I have they look so mad. Our local tiny zoo has two and they always look perpetually pissed off lol
I used to occasionally get Pileated Woodpeckers In tree by my apartment. Nothing prepares you for how huge they are and that loud *Floop Floop Floop" sounds their wings make when they take off.
Pileated Woodpeckers are fkin huge. They're rare in Texas but I've managed to see one at a state park. In other news, I'm in Arizona for a few days so you know that means new birds. Gambel's Quail!
Went for a walk in a wildlife refuge yesterday and was able to get 3 new birds added to my life list. An Eastern Kingbird which dive bombed me as soon as I entered, around 20 Tree Swallows and an American Bittern taking off in flight. I also heard a pair of Barred Owls calling back and forth but wasn't able to spot them in the trees.
Love this. I hear Barred Owls all the time but yeah they're hard to find. Would love to see a Bittern someday! This is my last full day in Arizona and my buddy and I are going on a guided tour down by a river to see some birds and hopefully some wild horses.
Tour was good. Ended up being around a 3 mile hike alongside a river. We saw about 40-50 wild horses and I added six new birds to my life list, including my first bald eagle! (not my pic, this is a pic our guide took) All in all, I added 15 new birds to my list during this Arizona trip. It could have been more, but I didn't have the luxury of birding alone so I couldn't spend as much time birding since I tend to go slow.