The barred owls are starting to really tune up during the night and late afternoon as well. Of course that means that the male bird is starting to whap my window at 2am again. He uses his knuckles on his image which really wakes one up. Appears to have been eating frog based on the slime outline of his feet on the glass. He does come by the feeder during the day and has exterminated by fox squirrels who travel a long way to my balcony before sunrise. Many gray squirrels gone too. http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158912842 http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158912841 The red-tailed hawks are starting to visit the nest tree every few days for a bit but are not around most of the time. Cooper's hawks keep the large robin and waxwing flock on the move. They move into the laurel cherries and feast until the hawks arrive and they move on http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158912844 Its coming up on traditional purple finch time in the yard until the latest hiatus in the visit which has lasted 30 years this month. A male house finch catches my attention http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158912845 Stopped by the Hermann Park lagoon on Monday which was a little crowded but the birds were still there. Lots of coots, ring-necked ducks, a pair of redheads, female canvasback etc joining the herd of black-bellied whistling ducks http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158914543 The small nesting group of black-crowned night herons still hangs on http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158914544 Both cormorant species were present http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158914549 http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158914545 The redhead pair appears not to have the pochard genes that some birds in the park have had in the past http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158914714 http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158914717 Lots of ring-necked ducks around http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158914728 With a little patience you can get a good look at the ring on the neck http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158914733 http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158914737 But the best field mark is the ring around the bill http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158914735 This bird was very camera shy http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158914730 A little bread goes a long way in getting close to the ducks http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158914725 http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158914726 The newly arrived Egyptian geese wasted no time in setting up housekeeping http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158914546 http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158914547 Lots of the black-bellied whistling ducks in the area also come from late broods and they are doing well. There was a large flock of land birds that included a high pitched chip note that I did not recognize but could not spot the bird before they moved on so I have to go back for that one. -- Joseph C. Kennedy on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx Edit your Freelists account settings for TEXBIRDS at //www.freelists.org/list/texbirds Reposting of traffic from TEXBIRDS is prohibited without seeking permission from the List Owner
