Everything Green for St Patrick's Day at Estero

                                         

  Little Red-slider Turtle catching a little of the morning rays, not exactly sunshine.

           Three Green Herons let us a glimpse, but one stayed long enough for Gunnar to take a photo.                                   After they flew I spotted him in range across Alligator Lake.

                                                                                                     
                                                                                                        Green-winged Teal                                 

        

         



             Green backdrops for 

                Great Blue Heron
  
                the Showy Egrit

                             and 
            Black-Whistling Ducks.

This pair of Green Kingfishers photographed by the entrance.  

After(because) this photograph(er) the area was sealed off. 3/17/15

NOT MY PHOTO - taken by a invading photographer. 

Long-billed Thrasher Greetings at Estero

There three Thrashers in SRGV here is one the Long-billed Thrasher that inhabit Estereo Llando Grande State Park. One usually greets the visitors in the parking lot or on the walk way to the Visitor Center.  A long-billed thrasher can usually be seen in the Tropical Trail by the water feature. The song of this Thrasher is strong and melodious and I will miss it, but we have the Brown Thrasher in Southern Minnesota. 

Butterfly Walk at Estero Llando Grande

Every Friday or should I say, every fair weather Friday Estero Llando Grande has a schedule Butterfly Walk lead by Rick Snider, a very knowledgeable naturalist. There has been many Fridays this winter that have not been fit for butterflies, but not this Friday the 13th.  It started bad for me when I mistook a Novice for Dan Jones, a name I have heard dropped many times ID-ing birds and butterflies in the Valley.  I did make a lasting impression on the visitor but not on Dan Jones.  I included their photos at the end of this posting. As the temperature increased so did the butterflies, butterfliers, and the excitement. Thank you, Rick, May, Dave and Sue for creating the enthusiasm for our walks.The day was great fun and ended at the Blue Onion with my own Novice Butterflier. 

Gray Hairstreak

Mating White-checked Skipper

Fiery Skipper

Laviana Skipper

Southern Skipperling

Southern Dogface 

Phaon Crescent

                                         White-stripped Longtail (Skipper)

Mexican Blue-wing

 Gunnar took this photo of the group at its peak looking at the White-stripped Longtail.

Dave caught us scanning for butterflies. 

Nice Guy Novice from Nova Scotia

Then there was the bit about who was really the renown expert bird and butterflier of the South Rio Grande Valley and who was the first time butterflier and first year birder in the Valley.  Thanks Chuck for the confusion which turn out a great laugh on me.  Hope we can meet up with them again.

Dan Jones, Field Expert ID-er

Nicolas sharing photo of the Green Kingfisher with Nice Guy

Rails, Herons, Bitterns and Soras

Rails, Bitterns, Green Herons and Soras are very elusive wading water fowl. Many of these birds are not commonly seen.  Experience birders at South Padre are always asking each others if they have seen them yet or when. It takes time, patience, and luck to see them.  It is a good day to see one and great day to get a recognizable photo of them. But it is a Super Day to get a great photo.  Waiting for my Super Day!

                        
                                       Virginia Rail along the reeds at Dowitcher Pond

The Clapper Rail at South Padre 

The most focused photos were of the posterior.

 
                                         Green Heron hunting at Willow Lakes Santa Ana      

                                 Sora (Rail) at South Padre Island Birding Center

I am patiently waiting for the American Bittern, Least Bittern, and the King Rail and my Super Day!

Bobcats at Estero

 If you are lucky in the evening before sundown near Aves Camino Trail and Alligator Lake .  .  .  you might catch a female bobcat watching her cubs hunt or the male on the prowl.  I was lucky last   Sunday evening.  Sue and I walked out to Alligator Lake looking for the American Bittern after seeing the Virginia Rail.  We thought we were on a roll but not.  So on the way back Sue got a glimpse of the bobcat.  He came out of the thicket and we were lucky. 

Curve-billed Thrasher at Quinta Mazatlan

It was a very warm and humid afternoon but Quinta Mazatlan was lovely.  A half of dozen Clay-colored Thrushes met us in the parking lot which turned out to be the best sighting of the day.  A Wilson Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Ruby Kinglet were flitting through the wooded park but did not slow down for a photo shoot.  Amazing to see was the Thrasher and Rabbit feeding in very close proximity. The Screech Owl kept one eye on us.

 Curve-billed Thrasher

               Screech Owl (Mexican/SRGV)

                                                                    Plain Chachalaca (flattened way out)

Least Sandpipers at Estero

A flock of fifty Least Sandpipers have been hanging around Estero Llando Grande State Park the last week.  Today a dozen were foraging along the muddy shores of many of the ponds including the deck. The photos were taken at Dowitcher Pond. These Sandpipers are the smallest of the peeps (6 inches and 0.8 ounces) but so beautiful. The Least winter in the southern states and Mexico and breed and summer in the far north Canada and Alaska.  So we might see them again as they migrate through the rest of the States.  (3/2)

 

                                                    I did not notice Pinocchio when was I shooting.