View allAll Photos Tagged brazosbend
This is from back in March, at the Brazos Bend owl nest. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 3/2022
I had the pleasure of spending the morning today at Brazos Bend State Park and enjoyed watching this American Bittern for over an hour as it hunted. It was fairly windy so the bittern never got far from cover but it did catch several crawfish as I watched.
Botaurus lentiginosus
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During last summer's drought this pond (Pilant Lake for those familiar) dried out and filled with plants. When rain restored the wetland, clumps of dried foliage became perches for ibis, egrets, and coots. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 12/2022.
In early August, I took a day off work to spend with the stilts and their chicks. The sun was a no show, but the birds were great. I came back a few days later and had great light, but the stilts were a no show. I haven't seen them since. I'm glad I had this dark August morning with them.
This bird caught a bug of some sort, and appears to have it by one leg. I think the brown (rather than jet black) identifies this bird as a female.
In the spillway at Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 8/2021.
This is an adult male stilt with three chicks. I assume he is the father. One chick is in the open out in front of the male, and the other two are underneath him. You can see four legs coming out from under the male. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 5/2023.
This is one of two great-horned owlets we have been observing this spring. The image was made almost three weeks ago, so they are now a lot bigger, and close to fledging. I think the second owlet was out of site on the back of the branch when I took this picture.
Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas. 3/2020
While walking around Elm Lake at Brazos Bend State Park yesterday morning I suddenly heard and then saw small birds in the trees all around me. Most of them were the common winter residents like Orange-crowned Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers but to my delight I spotted this Golden-crowned Kinglet in with the flock. They were darting around everywhere but I focused my attention on this little beauty and was able to get a couple of photos before they disappeared. I loved how this one was hanging from a dead branch, birds are so amazing!
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Regulus satrapa
I was looking for stilts, but this guy landed right in front of me and went to work. I watched this busy bird for about 30 min. It didn't seem to mind me. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 3/2023
American Bitterns winter in SE Texas, and about this time of year prepare to head north to the breeding ground. Before they travel, they focus on finding calories for the trip. This bird paid me little attention, as it prowled the swamp for prey.
Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 4/2022
Late spring/early summer we had several least bitterns at Brazos Bend. The birds fed in the shallow water, and made themselves available to birders and photographers. Most of my previous experiences with this species were from a distance. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 6/2022.
Well I’m finally getting around to editing some photos that have been sitting on my hard drive for a while. I don’t know about any of you but I get the most enjoyment out of taking the photos and often don’t have the discipline to actually look at all the photos I take, much less edit them. This Vermilion Flycatcher was one of many shots that have been in limbo since October. Every time I tell myself I will stay home and work on photos I end up working for an hour or two then I’m out the door to take more.
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Pyrocephalus obscurus
This Yellow-throated Vireo was a nice encounter during a visit to Brazos Bend State Park over the weekend. They are a breeding bird at the park and usually start showing up in the first half of March so its presence wasn’t a surprise but it was really special that the bird was moving through the understory so close.
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Vireo flavifrons
We saw our first spoonbills about a year after we moved to Texas (1994). During a walk at Brazos Bend, we were amazed to come across a tree full of pink birds.
The spoonbill and the purple gallinule made us feel like we had moved to the tropics.
From Cornell University's All About Birds: " Roseate Spoonbills get their pink coloration from the foods they eat. Crustaceans and other aquatic invertebrates contain pigments called carotenoids that help turn their feathers pink."
Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 4/2022.
Like most of my bittern images, this one has a very messy background, but I like the view of the feathers on the bird's back. I would have preferred if the bird had turned his head a bit, and if i had rotated my lens for a vertical. Neither happened before the bird slid off into the weeds. I'm glad I got what I did. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas. 12/2019
This summer we were fortunate to have several stilts at Brazos Bend. This adult was in the spillway just after sunrise on 8/1. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 8/2021.
We briefly saw this Golden-crowned Kinglet this afternoon at Brazos Bend State Park. They are expected winter residents in the area but they never seem to be around in large numbers so it is always a bit special when one turns up.
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Regulus satrapa
One afternoon last week I took off work to enjoy what I knew would be beautiful evening light. Sure enough I had plenty of pretty light, but didn't find a single bird photography situation. When this little guy popped out of the brush, I was thrilled to make a few images. He saved the day! Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas. 5/2020.
ƒ/8.0, 840.0 mm, 1/400, ISO 800
Pied-billed grebes, wildflowers, and a little fog. The second bird looks like a juvenile. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 11/2021
This was shortly after sunrise on a cool November morning at Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas. I initially made some wide shots of the trees, and then decided to get some closer images of the egret. 11/2019.
American Bitterns winter in SE Texas, and about this time of year prepare to head north to the breeding ground. Before they travel, they focus on finding calories for the trip. This image was made shortly after a catch. I think the prey is a bullfrog tadpole, but am open to other suggestion.
Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 4/2022
Here’s one last windmill shot for this holiday season. The moon was small, but I couldn’t resist. After a few shots, the clouds covered the moon. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 12/2022.
I thought this LeConte’s Sparrow looked like a person walking on stilts. I think they are probably our cutest sparrow and it certainly is a treat any time I get to see one.
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Ammodramus leconteii
American Bitterns winter in SE Texas. Some years we see several, other years not so much.
This was my first decent look this season. I thought I was done for the day, but came across this bird on my way back to the car. I can't resist a bittern. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas 11/2022.
This is a rather odd composition, but I like it (not sure if anyone else will). I was waiting for this bird to walk into the open space. It had a different idea, and backed out of site into the foliage. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas. 5/2020
This is from winter 2018. In October/November, the bitterns should be arriving for their winter stay. I look forward to cooler temps, and fall/winter days in the field. The temp will push 100F this week! If you live up north, winter gets old. If you live down here, summer gets old (at least to me).
Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas. 2/2018.
This is one of the parent (mother I think) stilts at Brazos Bend State Park.
She certainly brings to mind a certain ZZ Top song familiar to those around my age:)
SE Texas - 5/2023.
The light was so beautiful this afternoon that I couldn’t resist making a quick run out to Brazos Bend SP. There were so many people around Elm Lake that I wasn’t able to get anything done there but late in the day I tried 40 Acre Lake and spent some time laying on the bank with these two little cuties. The Pied-billed Grebes always seem to come through when I need a subject to experiment with.
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Podilymbus podiceps