Gone were the dense clouds and drizzling rain that plagued me early Saturday. The wind and the birds remained. There seemed to be even more birds on the island than yesterday. There were also more people. My first stop on the island was a brief visit to the Sheepshead Bird Sanctuary, where I captured respectable … Read more
Well friends, I said I would limit my photo shooting time in the field to half days. The strategy would allow me to process my images and tell my stories in time to meet an every-other-day in the field schedule. I also said if a warbler fallout should happen, all bets were off. Well, it … Read more
I had an exceptional day at the SPI Convention Centre. I met three new bird species: Veery, Dickcissel, and Black-Billed Cuckoo. Not that the rest of the birds I met weren’t amazing, it’s just hard to beat the high I get when a new bird comes into my life. One new bird is enough to … Read more
I left Brownsville in the darkness of pre-dawn, with plans to meet birds on South Padre Island as they began their morning rounds. It seemed a good idea to be present when the birds got busy. The heavy overcast sky was not apparent as I drove the road to Port Isabel and then continued east … Read more
I should have learned my lesson by now. This day reminded me when I’m trying to track a subject bouncing through the canopy, the effort is all-consuming. There’s not always time for identifying your subject. One example was a wet-feathered, immature male or female Indigo Bunting that I thought was a finch at the time … Read more
I’ve made it no secret. My mission is to experience as much of the vernal migration through south Texas as I can. South Padre Island is the best place I know to meet these birds. It lies at the crossroads of their trip from Mexico, Central and South America, before they scatter with the winds … Read more
If the show is good enough, it bears watching repeatedly. A second look may teach us something new. We might see something worthwhile we missed on the first go-round. I feel the same way about birding on South Padre Island. I did not meet a new bird species on this visit. However, the birds that … Read more
The early spring migration season on South Padre Island has been exciting for me. I’m finding one or more new bird species with each visit. The privilege of witnessing so many species passing through isn’t lost on me. Were it not for the work required to process the images, I would happily pay daily visits … Read more
If you are passionate about birds, I believe there is no better place to hang out than South Padre Island during spring migration. As a kid growing up near the Southern California coast, eastern birds seemed out of reach for me. But here in south Texas, most of these unreachable species pass through as they … Read more
In the coming weeks, I intend to spend as much of my time on South Padre Island as I can. Spring migrant birds could begin trickling into Texas at any time. I like my chances to meet these migrating birds at South Padre Island (SPI), and the more often I can visit, the more my … Read more
