Feed on the Ground

I volunteered four hours today at the Wild Bird Rescue center. After driving to Lavell Street to check on some ducks -- and they were just fine -- I spent most of my time looking out BirdManBob's office window. Hummer, Lilly, and Sunflower worked the afternoon shift with me. Their company made bird watching out the window much more enjoyable for me.

Large birds visited the area of the feeder. BirdManBob tosses a couple of cups of bird seed out on the grass for them.

English Sparrows have taken up residence in the box outside the front porch.

Mr. and Mrs. Mallard returned to the bird feed area.

Male and female Cardinals.

The more red color he displays, the higher up in the Redwing Blackbird hierarchy he stands in his flock.

I had great difficulty identifying these two visitors: Not Lark Sparrows, not Savannahs, not this, not that. Finally, Alicia helped us identify them as female Red-winged Blackbirds.

Brown-headed Blackbird.

Male Grackles. Grackles are intelligent and inquisitive.

Female Grackles.

Female White-crowned Sparrow.

White-crowned Sparrow, male, looking vulnerable in the strong, increasingly cold winds.

Female English Sparrow.

Four species of doves visited the feeding area at the Wild Bird Rescue Center: White-winged Dove, Ring-necked Turtle Dove, Mourning, and Eurasian Collared Dove (this one courting). 

But there was another visitor to the feeding area, and not of our feathered friends, but of the furry kind.

Alicia and Steve came in to visit with Lilly. 

And such were my four hours volunteering today at Wild Bird Rescue.

Evening Under the Dome

Superb. The Kemp Center for the Arts held a remarkable event this evening: A storyteller, Ed Harvill; a pianist; Ruth Morrow; and a poet, James Hoggard, stood before an appreciative group of listeners and presented their art.

Noted storyteller and poet Ed Harvill.

Pianist Ruth Morrow played with such feeling that I became teary-eyed.

Poet and also storyteller James Hoggard. I particularly enjoy this photograph of him because I show the piano in the background. Hoggard is a devoted supporter of the symphony orchestra. 

Great Horned Owl

I saw this great-looking bird at Lake Kickapoo.

Fifteen hours, One Snow Storm, and Thirty-four Species

Loaded up the dogs and headed to Lake Kickapoo with MyMrMallory. 

A Mockingbird sits on the rain gauge. 

Nearby, a Golden-fronted Woodpecker hopped from limb to limb on an old Mesquite tree.

I'm keeping an eye on the female Red-tailed Hawk roosting in a tree across the inlet. 

The Purple Martins have arrived. I counted three couples yesterday.

White-crowned Sparrows seemed numerous, and usually with a Harris' or two tagging along with them. 

I brought inside some cuttings from the berry tree the Cedar Waxwings visit every spring. 

It started to snow while an immature White-crowned sparrow picked at the flowers. I took this shot through the screen of the window. 

Rufous-sided Towhee, Eastern type; at home I spotted the Western type earlier this year. 

This picture shows the reason why we call this type of Northern Flicker "Red-shafted." 

It snowed all day on Saturday. 

The Cardinals hunkered in the bushes against the strong wind.

Carolina Chickadee in a Pecan Tree.

I photographed a group of Cedar Waxwings in the Cottonwood tree at the end of the day.

MyMrMallory kept the fire going as it snowed. 

On our way home we spotted a prancing turkey through the thick Mesquite. Like most my photos of turkeys, this one shows one walking away from me. 

Lesser Yellow-legs. 

I identified the following species at Lake Kickapoo: Bewick's Wren, White-crowned Sparrow, English Sparrow, Harris' Sparrow, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Pelicans (flying overhead), House Finch, American Coots, Mockingbirds, Cardinals, Red-tailed Hawks (3), Virginia's Warbler, Gray or Bell's Vireo, Rufous-sided Towhee (Eastern type), Cedar Waxwings, Purple Martins, Red-winged Blackbirds, Grackle, Snow Geese, Cormorant, Canada Geese, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Starlings, Ring-necked Turtle Dove, or an Eurasian Collared Dove (but I lean toward the Ring-necked because it looked white instead of light brown), Yellow-rumped Warbler (also known as Butter-butt), American Goldfinch, Male Northern Flicker, Gull (flying overhead), American Robin, Brown Thrasher, ducks (flying overhead), Kingfisher, Great Blue Heron, Carolina Chickadee. Last week I spotted a Red-headed Woodpecker in the Cottonwood tree. On my way home on Highway 367 I spotted Meadowlarks, blackbirds, Kestrel, Lesser Yellowlegs, and American Turkeys. 

Along Armstrong Drive

A Great Blue Heron hunted on a lake on the north side of Armstrong Drive . . . 

A Bufflehead floated seemingly contentedly on a pond on the south side of Armstrong. 

I took both pictures while sitting in the driver's seat, first through one window, 

and then through the other window.

Quacking Around, Mallard-like

Every day, a Mallard couple ambles through the grass toward the feed that BirdManBob tosses outside his window. Having promised myself not to return to the Wild Bird Rescue Center without my camera, I held it ready for whatever species came around, from Great Blue Herons, to Cooper's Hawks, to warblers. In addition, having learned from Ben to rely on a tripod, I had it available, too. The use of a tripod improves sharpness, and so I prove it again today.

I first spotted the couple coming through the weeds. The male, leading, stopped short when he saw me. The female, hungry and bold, decided I looked harmless, and so overtook her mate and lead the way toward the WBR Center.

The volunteer mower, thankfully for this image, has not mowed the grass yet. Color is lovely in photography, but see the image below. . . 

Let us play "spot the female Mallard."

They stopped for a few moments and looked up at the doorway of the center, as if expecting to see BirdManBob or Missi's Mom.

 

Male Mallard.

Female Mallard.

Here he reveals his blue wing bar.

Five Minutes at Wild Bird Rescue

When I visit the Wild Bird Rescue Center, I walk through their door expectant of what species of birds I will see. I've reached the point at which I dare not go there without my camera. Here is today's crop of pictures.

Cedar Waxwings.

Mallards. 

Harris' Sparrow at the bird feeder outside BirdManBob's office window.

An immature White-crowned Sparrow. 

I noticed the male White-crowned Sparrows seemed less territorial than the females.

Junco. 

In late winter, when birds are transitioning from immature to adults, they seem hard to identify. I'll send this picture to Penny and ask her about this bird.