Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Monday, August 8, 2011

Calling the Common Pauraque

I've been working night security for the past few months and although I haven't been able to enjoy the daytime birding as much as I'd like to ... there are definitely nighttime birding activities one can pursue.
Sunset and dusk are often busy times for daytime birds looking for places to roost overnight and settling in. Then the nocturnal birding begins! If you are lucky you can catch a glimpse of the Nightjar as it carves the night air in it's hunt for flying insects. But night birding is more of an aural adventure. Find a spot to sit and you will often hear the hooting of the owls and the twitter of small field birds.
Tonight's spotting was the Common Pauraque. I used my iPhone to play the nightcall and was soon rewarded with an answering call. Distant at first but then suddenly closer and louder. This bird was curious! I took a chance and shone my flashlight in the direction the calls were coming from and by sheer luck I saw a pair of brilliantly reflective eyes peering back at me. Then even more surprising it launched and flew past me towards the fields. I was startled to say the least!
Nightime birding can definitely have it's rewards and surprises. :)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Del Rio Blvd,Quemado,United States

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Observed a male and female pair of Altamira Orioles this evening. Hopping rafters in a watermelon warehouse.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday, March 25, 2011

Altamira Oriole Sighting - 03/25/11

A male Altamira Oriole, one of my all-time favorite birds, has been taking nectar from our hummingbird feeder since yesterday. The Altamira Oriole often feeds from hummingbird feeders as well as taking grape jelly from small jar feeders. I'll set out jelly feeders soon to see if I can add the Altamira Oriole to our list of regular visitors.

Monday, March 7, 2011

The Amazing Lyrebird of Australia - Revisited!

Are there no limits to what these amazing birds can imitate? A few years ago I lived in Normandy, Texas and I always kept my office doors and window opened to catch the breezes. There were usually a few boat-tailed grackles in the ash tree canopy just outside. One day I heard the distinct sound of my internet modem dialing in to connect. The chirps and buzzing, the line static. I checked my computer and it was powered down. Then I heard it again. It seemed to come from just outside so I walked out and there sat a grackle, happily imitating my modem sounds! Birds are amazing creatures and never cease to amaze me.
The following link was sent to me by a dear friend. Thank you Lynn! =)

Space, the final frontier.

It's amazing what our generation has seen in space exploration. In 1982 or 83, I was the first student to work with NASA out of Houston on a shuttle project. They sent me some pretty cool swag and a set of shuttle blueprints. My project was to work out airflow and design an improved wing surface. I drew up my blueprint and off it went to state competition for our class, CAD/mechanical drafting, I won a blue ribbon and was later voted Best Qualified for Industry. Now, 30 years later.. I see the end of an era of space exploration and adventure. We've seen a lot of firsts. We've seen tragedy. We've seen the beginning of what I'm sure our children and their children will continue. Here's to those future explorers. Onward!

(Source: CNN)
As James T. Kirk, the fictional captain of the Starship Enterprise, Shatner voiced the opening credits of the original "Star Trek" TV series and several movies since 1966.

The 79-year-old actor reprised his role to wake up the crew of the space shuttle Discovery at 3:23 a.m. ET Monday.

"Space, the final frontier. These have been the voyages of the space shuttle Discovery. Her 30-year mission: To seek out new science. To build new outposts. To bring nations together on the final frontier. To boldly go, and do, what no spacecraft has done before," Shatner said over the "Theme from Star Trek."

This is the spacecraft's final scheduled mission. It has made 39 flights and 13 journeys to the international space station.

Discovery undocked from the space station for the final time at 8:37 a.m., according to NASA, in preparation for its flight home.

The nearly three-decade shuttle program is scheduled to end later this year.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

TexasBirdingCo's video

Fire on the Rio Grande

This is the dry season for much of the Texas southwest and brush fires often happen along the lower banks of the Rio Grande. The river cane is dry and once the fire ignites it can travel quickly with the wind.
Today's fire traveled south to north with winds gusting up to 20 mph at times. Flames kept up to 40 to 60 feet high.
Brush fires during this time of the year probably affects nesting species but the environment recovers quickly with new growth.
Several species were observed getting the heck out of Dodge including a Scissor tail Flycatcher and a Vermillion Flycatcher.
Fellow birding enthusiast Lupe Martin was also on hand and he spotted a large hawk on the distant ridge to the northeast. Good eyes!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday, February 25, 2011

The birth of iPishing?

I've been curious how good the sound quality is on my iPhone so ... I installed a birdsong app and tested it in the field today. I was able to call in a male Northern Cardinal and a male Golden-fronted Woodpecker by playing Their respective bird songs. I admit I was completely surprised when the card landed 3 feet from the phone! He listened intently cocking his head as he looked for the source.
The woodpecker wasn't as close but just as curious as he looked about. He finally retreated to the orange half feeder for a bit then took his leave.
I have to say this experiment was a success! It's amazing what we can do today with new mobile technology from the field. This blog post is also being sent from the field from a blog app.
Now ... If I can just capture hi-res photos or video!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Del Rio Blvd,Quemado,United States

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Yellow-rumped Warbler

A male and female pair of Yellow-rumped Warblers have settled into the East mesquite feeder area to winter. I'm curious if they will decide to stay year round. A group of warblers is sometimes called a "confusion".

Sparrows are busy today!

Sparrows are collecting old feathers and materials to line their nests today. This is a good sign that Spring is on the way!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Amazing! Bird sounds from the lyre bird - David Attenborough - BBC wild...

Welcome to the Blog Roll Doggie Diaries 4 U!

I'd like to take a moment to welcome "Doggie Diaries 4 U"
to our blog roll! Welcome aboard guys! Doggie Diaries 4 U
is based in Philadelphia and has been publishing dog and
pet care articles since September 2010. Be sure to check
them out!

Testing new iPhone blog app

Testing the new iPhone blogging app. Now we can bird and blog directly from the field!