South Llano River State Park, Junction, TX, March and April, 2017
Time for me to get back to sharing the birds I observed, this past winter, while traveling in Texas.
If you have been visiting this blog you know that one of our favorite places to stay is South Llano River State Park in Junction, TX. South Llano River State Park draws birding enthusiasts from all over the country, offering four bird blinds for observation. If interested please visit their web-site here, South Llano River State Park.
Ladder-backed Woodpecker (female), 03/06/2117
This Ladder-backed Woodpecker would shyly makes its way into the bird blind staying along the perimeter and in the surrounding trees. It would eat for a few minutes, always in the same location. She habitually stayed alert for any signs of danger.
Same location on 03/07/2017
I believe these photos are my first of this woodpecker.
Our Keeshond has lots of fur, so I try to brush her often. While camped at South Llano State Park a few days ago, I got our her brushes.
After I was finished brushing Skye, I placed several clumps of her fur in the surrounding trees near our RV site. It is almost spring and I noticed the birds were starting to gather materials for nest building. What better nest material than thick, soft doggie fur?
It didn’t take long for the birds to find Skye’s present. With amusement, I sat back and watched this Carolina Chickadee pull apart a ball of fur and fly off with it toward a distant tree. Perfect!
We have never seen so many Cedar Waxwings in one location. It was fun watching them come in for a drink. In all the photos I captured of them drinking, there was always one Cedar preforming the task of “lookout”. Photos taken in April 2014 in South Llano State Park, Junction, Texas. I was using my Canon 70D with Canon EF 75-300mm 1:4-5.6 lens.
`Large yellowish bill (more yellow during breeding season)
`Darker red wings and tail
Female:
`Yellowish below, slightly darker above
`Yellowish bill
`Olive-green upper parts
`Orange-yellow under parts
Facts:
`Tanager is from language of Tupi Indians of Amazon region, who called these brightly colored tree-drelling birds tangaras
`Most common North American tanager in its range – eastern and southern United States
`Song is Robin like and is a repeated Pick-a-Tuck
`Eats mostly bees and wasps and known to catch them right out of the air
`Habitat: Pine Oak woods, willows and cottonwoods, along streams
`Likes peanut butter and cornmeal from your feeder
~Neotropical migrant
~Vulnerable to habitat loss and forest fragmentation
`Host to Cowbirds, uncommon {yeah}
`Usually monogamous and many appear to remain in pairs all year
`Information taken from several sources including: Stokes Field Guide to Birds and Smithsonian Handbook Birds of North America, NGS Birds of North America
Going to get a cool drink of water
A beautiful male Summer Tanager
Large Yellowish Bill
While camping at South Llano State Park in April of 2014, I captured these photos while sitting in a bird blind. It was a thrill to see this beautiful Summer Tanager up close. I also saw the female, but didn’t manage to capture her with my camera. She was pretty shy!
“The Field Sparrow told me about this water slide”
