Showing posts with label black vulture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label black vulture. Show all posts
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Soaring on an Updraft
A large vortex of vultures with ten to fifteen birds soared high above the river Thursday. This Black Vulture was circling low enough to get a beautiful series of photos. Its bright white primaries flashed in the sunlight:
This set of photographs was taken downstream form Mission Park along the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River on Thursday, December 19, 2013.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Soaking In Some Sights Along Mud Creek
Friday, January 25, 2013
Mud Creek Park
Today's photos:
The next park upstream along Mud Creek from McAllister Park is Mud Creek Park. Mud Creek Park is a 67 acre flood control retention basin and Edwards Aquifer recharge site with at least 1.4 miles of nature trails (pdf). This was the first time I have been to this park and I only walked a portion of the trail along the eastern most part of the loop trail.
The flora and fauna in this series of photos are too numerous to list all of them, but here are a few of the highlights: Whitethorn Acacia, Huisache, Live Oak, Ashe Juniper (a.k.a. Mountain Cedar), an Orange Sulphur butterfly, Spanish Dagger Yucca, Sotol, Twisted-leaf Yucca, a Black Vulture, Bluewood Condalia and Wafer Ash seeds.
There is one additional set of photos from this walk that will be featured in the upcoming Sunday Special Edition
Mud Creek Park
Today's photos:
The flora and fauna in this series of photos are too numerous to list all of them, but here are a few of the highlights: Whitethorn Acacia, Huisache, Live Oak, Ashe Juniper (a.k.a. Mountain Cedar), an Orange Sulphur butterfly, Spanish Dagger Yucca, Sotol, Twisted-leaf Yucca, a Black Vulture, Bluewood Condalia and Wafer Ash seeds.
There is one additional set of photos from this walk that will be featured in the upcoming Sunday Special Edition
Monday, January 21, 2013
Amid Winter Trees
Monday, January 21, 2013
Salado Creek Greenway, Oakwell Trailhead upstream
Today's photos:
Amid winter trees…
The temperature rose to a high of 72ยบ (F) today, while a week ago the highs were in the upper 40s. The high temperatures for the next few days are forecast to be in the mid to upper 70s. This is South Texas, after all.
Milkweed pods ripen and go to seed propagating more milkweed vine. Milkweed is the host plant for monarch butterfly caterpillars and the preferred source of nectar for adult monarchs. Put very simply: if there's no milkweed vine, there will be no monarchs. Period.
A black vulture soars high above.
A rock squirrel scampers through the underbrush along the bank of the creek.
A small amount of water flows through the creek. There is enough water from the rain a couple weeks ago remaining in the water table to continue the flow a few more days. Even when we get too much rain too fast, we always need more rain in South Texas.
White-winged doves were very active flying from tree to tree.
Live oak trees remain evergreen.
Salado Creek Greenway, Oakwell Trailhead upstream
Today's photos:
The temperature rose to a high of 72ยบ (F) today, while a week ago the highs were in the upper 40s. The high temperatures for the next few days are forecast to be in the mid to upper 70s. This is South Texas, after all.
Milkweed pods ripen and go to seed propagating more milkweed vine. Milkweed is the host plant for monarch butterfly caterpillars and the preferred source of nectar for adult monarchs. Put very simply: if there's no milkweed vine, there will be no monarchs. Period.
A black vulture soars high above.
A rock squirrel scampers through the underbrush along the bank of the creek.
A small amount of water flows through the creek. There is enough water from the rain a couple weeks ago remaining in the water table to continue the flow a few more days. Even when we get too much rain too fast, we always need more rain in South Texas.
White-winged doves were very active flying from tree to tree.
Live oak trees remain evergreen.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Birds of Crescent Bend, Part 1
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
While I was walking at Crescent Bend Nature Park yesterday, birds of numerous species were very active. There were so many, it will require two or three posts to present all the photos.
This series begins with a black vulture. I have yet to positively identify the second bird in the series (photos four and five)*. I have a feeling it should be fairly easy to come up with a positive id, but I'm not comfortable saying what I think it is at this point. The third bird in the series is a northern flicker. After the flicker are two northern mockingbirds (the state bird of Texas):
While I was walking at Crescent Bend Nature Park yesterday, birds of numerous species were very active. There were so many, it will require two or three posts to present all the photos.
This series begins with a black vulture. I have yet to positively identify the second bird in the series (photos four and five)*. I have a feeling it should be fairly easy to come up with a positive id, but I'm not comfortable saying what I think it is at this point. The third bird in the series is a northern flicker. After the flicker are two northern mockingbirds (the state bird of Texas):
* Update: Wednesday, December 19, 2012
With a little help from a friend and some more research, I am now confident enough to say that the bird in the fourth and fifth photo is a female yellow-rumped warbler. The illustrations in the two bird field guides I use left me doubting the id, but after comparing it to numerous photos online, I have little doubt that's what this bird is.
Field guides have there limitations because there is always more variation in nature than they can illustrate.
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