Photo ABCs

McAllen Nature Center: Northern Mockingbird

A Northern Mockingbird poses at the McAllen Nature Center, a pleasant park in McAllen, Texas.  Photographed in January of this year.

Quinta Mazatlán Birding: Curve-billed Thrasher

I always say that the best birds can be found in the parking lot!

After spending an hour or so at Quinta Mazatlán, a gorgeous estate in McAllen, Texas, now turned into a wildlife sanctuary, without much luck finding birds to photograph, we headed to the car, where a Curve-billed Thrasher posed on this cactus:

Bentsen Rio Grande Birding: Plain Chachalaca

A Plain Chachalaca, photographed at Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park in January of this year:

Did you know that there are four species of chachalaca in Mexico?

The Plain Chachalaca ranges from Central America up to the Yucatan, and up the east coast of Mexico extending just into the United States in the Rio Grande Valley, the only Chachalaca to be found in the United States.

Bentsen Rio Grande Birding: Hooded Oriole

Another female Hooded Oriole, photographed at Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park in January of this year:

Bentsen Rio Grande Birding

Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park has an abundance of bird feeders.

I thought I'd try to photograph some birds flying in to the feeders. My newest and fastest focusing camera, unfortunately, was in the shop for repairs.

So I pre-focused at the same plane as the feeder and fired away when I saw a bird approach.

95% of the shots were out-of-focus, but a few succeeded, including these:

Great Kiskadee:

Northern Cardinal:

Northern Cardinal female:

Green Jay:

Altamira Oriole:

Red-winged Blackbird:

 

 

Bentsen Rio Grande Birding: Wild Turkeys

Wild Turkeys roam Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park:

 

 

Bentsen-Rio Grande Birding: Red-winged Blackbird

A Red-winged Blackbird, with the Rio Grande in the background:

Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley Birding: Black-crested Titmouse

Another Black-crested Titmouse, this time at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park:

Bentsen-Rio Grande Birding: Long-billed Thrasher

The Long-billed Thrasher is, I think, the most handsome of all of the thrashers! (though it does not have the longest bill).

The only place to find one is northeast Mexico or South Texas.

Here is one at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, in January of this year:

Bentsen-Rio Grande Birding: Hooded Oriole

This is a female Hooded Oriole at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park.

During our week in South Texas, I never saw a male Hooded Oriole, and only one or two females.