Pelicans are common.

How fun!!!

There are some pelicans on the west coast of this island. None here to be seen.

Here's a Peregrine falcon in a snag on a foggy day in the estuary.




The edge of the estuary and where the forest begins. The red is wild rose.




One day while pushing a carriage with 3.5 yr old grand daughter she said she saw a bird. I know that there's a fake metal bird up there and said so. Glancing over, hey! There's another bird there, too!

In the 1960s, there were 12 nesting pairs of brown pelicans found by Texas Parks and Wildlife on the whole Texas coast. Now, it seems there are countless numbers of them. We are 20 kilometers from the coast or saltwater and several brown pelicans feed on the freshwater lake behind the house during the winter, they mostly are gone from the lake come summer. I like to watch the pelicans fly as they are so graceful and can skim the surface of the water without ever seeming to flap their wings. Photo is a feeding frenzy of mostly brown Pelicans, there could be some terns and gulls in there too. This along an uninhabited stretch of the Gulf of Mexico shoreline near my home. Menhaden get blitzed from below by fishy predators like redfish and sharks and above from the birds.

I like the Water Skimmers.

[mention]worth1[/mention] did you ever work at plant A? Do you remember the black skimmers? Dow later had tours to see them. I used to go by the nesting area all the time. The skimmers would get very noisy.

Terns are the worst about getting noisy and going on the offensive if anyone gets too close. I’ve learned this first hand by unknowingly paddling too close to a nest. Nothing worse than a Royal tern with its big razor sharp beak raining down blows on your head. Good thing I wear a hat.

I’ve had so many bird encounters while in my kayak. Brown Pelicans, belted kingfishers and even Mississippi kites will attack surface fishing lures. I’ve learned not to cast certain lures when Brown Pelicans are actively feeding nearby. But, a big part of the appeal of kayaking is seeing the wild birds on and over the water doing their thing. The birds often even point me to the fish.

[mention]karstopography[/mention]
Yes I worked at plant A and B for 10 years.
From 1990 to 2000.
Did all the fire protection and detection.
Also other plants in the area and in Pasadena.
I remember the skimner nesting area next to the cafeteria.
All those birds lined up in their nests.

Black skimmers.

We’ve had Robins in abundance this winter. They stake out a bit of the yard and that’s their area, flipping over leaves and pouncing on crane flies or worms. One has the garden, another one owns the spot behind the garage, one is out in front of the garage, the photo is of the one in front. The evening skies are absolutely teeming with big flocks of Robins. I haven’t ever seen so many as this winter. It’s very interesting really, some winters they are almost completely absent. Last winter, I don’t remember seeing any.

But the bird life this winter seems way, way up. I’m paying more attention to them, but we are also covered up in Audubon, yellow rumped, warblers like never before. Eastern phoebes, tons of Carolina chickadees, tufted titmouse.

I’ve had a dreaded mockingbird move into the yard, first time in three plus years of living here. This bird attempts run off all the other birds from a 50 meter radius circle. Any cardinal or robin within the zone gets immediately set upon and forced to leave the zone. The mockingbird is very busy all the time running off the other birds, I hope it moves on from exhaustion. Unfortunately, my garden is withing the circle so that means bad things for my tomatoes come May-July.

karstopography wrote: ↑Tue Feb 02, 2021 8:41 am Unfortunately, my garden is withing the circle so that means bad things for my tomatoes come May-July.

?
At my house, the birds pick the caterpillars off the plants and leave the maters alone... Of course, the blue berries, elderberries, and mulberries disappear as fast as they ripen...
I'm seeing plenty of birds, but... photographing them? not so easy... here's 4 cardinals... the towhees don't show up at all...

Robins have been here a couple of weeks.

I wondered where they went....

Bower wrote: ↑Fri Feb 05, 2021 9:43 am I wondered where they went....

Snowbirds

I must have a hundred robins in my yard right now.
I took them some sweet grapes I didn't want.
Scared them off but they are coming back.

I have a robin who flies north really early. I put out chopped raisins for him

There was a flicker digging down under the snow in my garden today. I put those ants there for him.

Nan6b wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 10:57 pm I have a robin who flies north really early. I put out chopped raisins for him

I give them apple halves.

Muscovy duck.....

Scarlett Johansson now has a cartoon character named after her.
She is Starlett Johansson and Daffy Duck is in love with her.
Yeah it's a cartoon duck.

I always liked Daffy.