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Texas

Common Nighthawk - Buffalo Springs, TX Very unusual to see Common nighthawks during the day but even more unusual to see one sitting on the road. This bird must have been flushed from the nearby grass field and stayed relatively still while we approached with the truck. Nighthawks can be seen circling the sky mostly around dusk with their very distinctive pointed wings and white wing stripes. They are most easily found by listening for their call and have a very nasal Prent. In the mating season, they also have a diving whirring sound made by the air rushing through their wings. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Common Nighthawk - Buffalo Springs, TX
Swainson's Hawk - Cibola National Forest, TX One of the things we did see on our road trip through the western prairie states was a great deal of hawks sitting on phone poles along the way. Hawk ID can be tricky with dark and light morphs of the same species. Also being from Western Canada, our go to hawk is a Red-tail, In this part of the world, it was Swainson's. The firest think i look for is the white contained throat patch and the yellow cere (nostril patch.) This was at the very northern border of Texas where it meets the panhandle of Oklahoma. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Swainson's Hawk - Cibola National Forest, TX
Burrowing Owls - Rita Blanca Lake, TX On the way through the north end of Texas we stopped by Rita Blanca Lake in Dalhart. At the south end of the lake we were lucky to find this family of Burrowing Owls using this old concrete structure as a concrete burrow and bunker. These were the first burrowing owls we got eyes on in the trip but were certainly not the last. Burrowing owls are day time lovers taking mostly insects in the prairies. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Burrowing Owls - Rita Blanca Lake, TX
Willet - Goose Island, TX Among the shorebirds along the coast line that morning were several Willets cruising the shallows for something to eat. They were all in some variation of breeding plumage getting ready to head north for the summer. I think this bird thought he was there already as he chased several other birds of the same species away from his place on the point. Michael Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Willet - Goose Island, TX
Inca Dove - Goose Island, TX The eyes seems to have it as far as goose island was concerned. I had no idea how red these little guys eyes were. There were a pair feeding in the campground at Goose Island State park picking through the grass for a meal. Michael Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Inca Dove - Goose Island, TX
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - Katy Prairie, TX I have always been fascinated with birds that have these long streaming tail feathers. Do they serve a purpose besides looking cool for the ladies? This bird was flycatching from the side of the road very close to a large group of cattle in the grasslands to the west of Houston. Michael Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - Katy Prairie, TX
Laughing Gull - Goose Island, TX The breeding plumage of the black-headed gulls is so much more interesting when you throw in the red bill and the broken white eye-ring. This birds were hanging around pier at goose island. Michael Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Laughing Gull - Goose Island, TX
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Laughing gull in Flight - Goose Island, TX
White-eyed Vireo, Goose, Island, Texas
White-eyed Vireo - Goose Island, TX
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Great Kiskadee - Edinburgh, TX
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Long-billed Thrasher - Salineno, TX
Green Jay - Salineno, TX Jays are one of my favorite bird families. Even though they can be noisy and disruptive they have personality and moxie. To add to that character, this particular Jay comes with a gorgeous green to aquamarine coloring that makes it stand out. This bird was at a feeding station along the Rio Grande River where USA and Mexico share a border. They are only found in the most southern tip of Texas in the United States but range all the way to South America along the Andean Mountain Range. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Green Jay - Salineno, TX
Sandwich Tern - San Padre Island, TX When I was in along the shoreline on San Padre Island there were several species of tern here. This particular tern is smaller than most and the yellow tipped bill was a give away. Wintering along the coast and spending summer along the barrier islands in Texas. They are also found on the south east side of South America. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Sandwich Tern - San Padre Island, TX
Vermillion Flycatcher - Falcon Lake, TX A flycatcher with a flare. The male vermillion flycatcher catches more than just they eye. This was on a perch overlooking Falcon Lake where the water was flooding the campground. The bird would make short flights to collect the nearest flying insect and make its why back to the same perch. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Vermillion Flycatcher - Falcon Lake, TX
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