Monthly Archives: December 2018

Birding the Lower Rio Grande Valley

Before I began birding . . . my visits to Texas were on business: Houston, Dallas and as an occasional layover at an airport. When I thought about Texas it was Roger Staubach; Tim Duncan and Nolan Ryan or in the political vein Bush ’41, Bush ’43 and Ted Cruz. Then my wife got me into […]

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Coyote kills White Pelican

As we watch birds . . . I often forget that I am watching wild animals that regularly kill and are killed for food.  Yesterday on a birding boat trip near South Padres Island, Texas . . . we watched a coyote consume at White Pelican that it had killed.  Horrific in many ways but […]

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Birding the Lower Rio Grande Valley (Quinta Mazatlan)

With nearby National Wildlife Refuge closed due to the Government Shutdown over “the Wall”, we changed plans and headed an hour west to Quinta Mazatlan, A 1930’s country estate in the heart of McAllen, Texas. Quinta Mazatlan is an historic Spanish Revival adobe hacienda surrounded by lush tropical landscaping & native woodland. A unique conference & […]

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Brants

There is nothing like a storm to introduce unexpectant birds to an area. With heavy rains and high winds sweeping up the east coast . . . I managed to get to Kettle Cove in Cape Elizabeth, Maine about a half hour before sunset. The rain was pelting and the fog was heavy so it […]

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Christmas Time White Pelican in New Hampshire

American White Pelicans winter in Mexico and southern parts of California, Texas and Florida.  During the summer they can be found in the Dakotas, Montana, Oregon, Northern California, Alberta and Saskatchewan.  Last week one appeared in Maine for a few days . . . and today it showed up on the coast of New Hampshire. […]

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Ring-necked Ducks

Cold weather, work and Christmas demands have limited our birding . . . but managed to get out at sunrise this morning.  I briefly saw what I think was a Northern Shrike . . . but my view wasn’t good/long enough to call it as a first of the year sighting. The rest of the […]

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Looking for a Barrows Goldeneye

With 19 days left in the year . . . I’ve been trying to chase the few birds regularly seen in Maine that Ingrid and I haven’t been able to check off.  Today I was looking for the Barrows Goldeneye but stuck out again. Still I managed to see some nice birds and take a […]

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Juvenile Bald Eagle

A Black-backed Woodpecker is being reported in a nearby town . . . a bird that lives in the Northern Maine and Canadian Boreal forests.  I’ve only seen once back in 2015.   At lunch I drove over to look for him. Saw lots of Woodpeckers (including a rare for Maine Red-bellied) but no luck […]

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Common Goldeneyes

I’ve seen a number of Common Goldeneyes in the last month but always at an extreme distance.  Today I saw a half dozen not too far from a busy part of Route 1 in Woolwich and decided to stop and try to get some photos.  Not long after I pulled over and started snapping away, […]

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Brown Creeper

Most Decembers are a quiet time for birding in Maine . . . but this year Maine is the Big Year Destination of the country as the Great Black Hawk continues to hang out in Deering Oaks Park in Portland.  Ingrid and drove through Portland yesterday and at least a dozen birders were watching the […]

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