View allAll Photos Tagged brazosbendstatepark
Green Heron are small but prolific hunters. Caught this one while he was just able to hang onto his lunch.
Marsh birds foraging in the algae covered water of Creekfield Lake in Brazos Bend State Park. Water levels are very low right now due to the drought we are having.
This image goes back to 3/2021. I think the red on the left side bird's forehead is blood from prey.
These two owlets have long since fledged, and hopefully are doing well. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 3/2021.
Æ’/11.0, 1/25, 6400 ISO
Nesting adult GHO (mother I think) watching the nest from a nearby tree. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 2/2023.
Scurrying across the swamp using lily pads to hunt from. Brazos Bend State Park near Needville, Texas
He saw our first Purple Gallinule shortly after moving to Texas. We had no idea what it was. These birds are summer regulars down here, and adults and chicks can easily be seen at Brazos Bend State Park. A Brazos Bend birding guide once told me that, not counting unusual visitors, the purple gallinule and prothonotary warbler are the most popular summer birds at the park. I usually see them marching around in the muck. I was fortunate to catch this bird out of the muck, albeit in a complicated background. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 5/2021.
We were fortunate to have several stilts in the park this past summer. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 8/2021
Yellow-crowned Night Herons (YCNH) are common summer birds in SE Texas, and they love to eat crawfish (whole minus the pinchers). The birds are currently getting ready to migrate further south, and are eating as much as they can catch. Unlike black-crowned night herons, which are for the most part nocturnal, the YCNH's are active all day. I caught this one early last Friday morning. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 9/2021.
Æ’/5.6, 1/30, ISO 1600
One more image of this big fellow - Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 2/2023
f/5.6, 1/20 sec, ISO 12,800
Weave Me the Sunshine out of the Falling Rain -- Peter Yarrow
Female Trichonephila clavipes (Golden Silk Orb-weaver, AKA banana spider). Among the largest non-tarantula-like spiders in North America; females can be 50 mm (not including the legs) in length. Nephila's dragline is stronger than steel, and the golden threads have been used to weave clothing, including this cape on display at the V&A Museum in London made from the silk of more than a million Madagascar golden orb spiders: www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/jan/24/spider-silk-...
Brazos Bend State Park. Texas
About the size of my hand in total length, it was one step away from becoming an Alien-like face hugger ( I almost walked into its sticky, golden web). I understand that eaten raw, they have a nutty flavor : )
This was a week after I took the images in my previous stilt chick posts. The chick was probably about 2 weeks old when I took this image.
Sitting in the mud (and loving it) at Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 6/2023.
I watched this bird for about 30 minutes, and he seemed quite at ease with my presence. Another green heron, who apparently wanted this fishing hole, eventually chased him off. Seniority, I guess. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas. 8/2018
Nesting GHO's have become an annual event at Brazo Bend, but this year the birds were much lower than in the past few years. It was nice not having the lens pointed straight up. I made it to this nest only a few times, but was happy to get a few keepers and had a great time. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 3/2021.
f8.0, 1/160, ISO 1600
This is a rather abundant summer species in SE Texas, but I always enjoy a chance to observe and photograph one. Over the past few months, this particular bird has provided me with a few nice opportunities. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas. 6/2018.
This was made a few days before the image in my previous post. The bird in an area where owls are nesting. I believe this is the male, who is usually watching the nest tree from a distance.
This is another early morning low light shot (12,800 ISO, f5.6, 1/4 seconds). I continue to be amazed at the lighting conditions our current cameras allow us to work in.
Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 2/2023.
It's been nice to get back into the Park, and great to see the yellow-crowned night herons back for the summer. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas. 4/2020.
For the past several years, a GHO pair has successfully nested in a very public part of Brazos Bend State Park. My guess is these birds have learned to use people as protection from predators. Goofs with cameras and binocs may be annoying, but they won’t eat eggs or owlets. These birds allow a lot of people the opportunity to view and learn about owls. This was a cold dark January morning. (12,800 ISO, f5.6, 1/4 sec) - 1/2023.
Great-horned Owlet at Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas. I've watched the nesting area since sometime in January when the mother was on eggs. It's been a great opportunity to observe and photograph these amazing birds. 3/2022.
This Tricolored Heron has succeeded in a hunt, snagging a small fish. It was stalking shallow wetlands in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA.
Water lily-covered 40 Acre Lake at Brazos Bend State Park.
"Serenity Now" -- remembering the late, great Jerry Stiller as Frank Costanza on Seinfeld
For the past several years, we have been fortunate to observe nesting great horned owls at Brazos Bend State Park. Each spring they nest in the same general area of the park, but which tree is the question. Once they are found, the scene gets a little crazy with onlookers and photographers.
This year we had two owlets, both of whom successfully fledged. This image was made early morning, looking towards the soon to rise sun. High ISO cameras sure have opened a lot of opportunities. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 3/2021.
Æ’/5.6, 400.0 mm, 1/30, ISO 6400
Brazos Bend State Park, in the rookery area in the back I was able to capture this cattle egret off to the side of its babies.
Saw several of these on a few days ago at Brazos Bend State Park, they are Winter visitors that never fail to entertain. Regulus calendula, Needville, Texas, USA
This afternoon I'm going through some of the summer's images, as we wait for tropical storm (hopefully not hurricane) Nicholas to pick it's path. If nothing else, we will probably get a bunch of rain from this storm. Life on the Gulf Coast........
Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 8/2021
This is one of two owlets hatched mid-Feb. The feathers in the front of the nest are most likely from a recent coot meal. My last several park visits have primarily been dedicated to the owl nest. It's pretty captivating. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 3/2023
We are fortunate to have stilts nesting in the park this summer. This is at least the third summer in a row that they have nested at Brazos Bend. SE Texas - 5/2023.
This bird was standing on one foot, as herons tend to do. I like the view of the resting foot. This bird has some serious claws. Brazos Bend StatePark in SE Texas. 8/2018
Taking a break from owls. Here is a very cooperative American Bittern photographed on Easter Sunday. These birds start showing up in our area in October/November, but their numbers seem to peak late winter/early spring. Last weekend I saw one bittern, but I think most have already gone north to their breeding ground. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 4/2021.