Addendum: I learned recently, with the help of more experienced birders, that the bird I identified as a Philadelphia Vireo was, in fact, a Warbling Vireo, and the guide I used for the original ID was misleading. Tuesday began with hardly a cloud in the sky, and barely a whisper of breeze. The crowds at … 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 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
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 any time. I like my chances of meeting these migrating birds at South Padre Island (SPI), and the more often I can visit, the more my chances … Read more
As I send out this week-old report, I’m staying with my good friend Jerry in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Many of the birding venues we’d hoped to explore during my visit remain closed, but we all hope that things open soon. 2020-05-08 Friday I pulled away from my Breeze Lake haven in Brownsville, Texas at about … Read more
