032826 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://stwnewspress-cnhi.newsmemory.com/?publink=05edc7e60_135200c&fbclid=IwY2xjawQ00gVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeVZaMYFh5o9gckC6Ewhw9lPRh6W-imirekorYntLfXIi5WDSp521Yzfzt7Yc_aem__mGgHyehYoH3gFyhbhUWVw 

080925 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://stwnewspress-cnhi.newsmemory.com/?publink=080681f7d_134fadd&fbclid=IwY2xjawMEuh1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHmdQYi8dA0G79wNdCbQHr5t-zeHia-K1S6kk6a5xkW8TSNpF0CTXTAVmUoaY_aem_hh9Xv9-FFOA58wCdNG_tMw 

062120 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/lifestyles/life-at-boomer-lake-weather-brought-in-rare-breeds-of-birds/article_05a45bba-b288-11ea-a56b-2b45ca8e90ad.html

Birding On a Shoestring: SPI Conference Center and Laguna Atascosa, TX

                                                                Long-billed Thrasher

                                                                 Black-necked Stilt

Common Gallinule

                                                         Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

Black Skimmer

02-28-20

White-tailed Kite

02-29-20

These photos, except the last one were taken at the SPI Conference Center on South Padre Island, Texas.  

The final photo was taken at the Laguna Atascosa NWR of Los Fresnos, Texas.  Writer has visited there several times over the past five years, and had never seen all of the property due to area closures, even during this visit.  It comprises 120,000+ acres, and there are several rare birds and animals found there, the most rare of which are the ocelot and the Aplomado Falcon.  A few years ago, a birding friend and I both witnessed an ocelot on the unpaved entryway that is now paved with speed bumps, which is a very rare occurrence.

The White-tailed Kite was photographed during a tram tour that took about 2 1/2 hours, very reasonably priced.  We saw such wonders like the white tailed Kite, Crested Caracara, Gull-billed and Caspian Tern at Atascosa Lake, which was at the end of the tour and the grand finale.  Take the tour and hope that it is led by Wanda.  There were also exotic animals on the property.  The area was closed as ocelots are there, rarely out during the daylight hours.

Birding On a Shoestring: Brevard County Florida Day 1

                                                                      Black Vulture

                                                                 Tri-colored Heron

                                                                        White Ibis

                                                           Male Common Yellowthroat

                                                                          Anhinga

                                                        Eastern Palm Warbler (Yellow)

                                                                        Glossy Ibis

                                                               Juvenile Wood Stork

                                                                 Common Gallinule


111718- 1100-1200 hrs/partly cloudy
Viera Wetlands AKA Rich Grissom Wetlands

No sooner did we arrive in Florida, we were on our way for an adventure.  This escapade was initiated by a birding buddy that grew up in this area.  The best thing about it was that this was an expanded area, so neither one of us knew what to expect.  I believe it went above and beyond our expectations.

My experiences in Florida never included birding, as I had not been interested in it at the time, so this visit was going to mean a great deal to me for Florida birds.  Hoping that I'd get the well-known birds to the area meant that I was prepared to work for them.  There was a little disappointment that not all of them were to be discovered on this trip, but another trip would be in order, especially since I'd gained one good contact.

Viera Wetlands netted us both some great finds, especially the Wood Stork, which I had never seen before, as well as the Eastern Palm Warbler.  Even though this was our first day birding, I tried not to let our good fortune cloud my senses or uplift my spirits needlessly.

There is more to come.

For more of the Florida adventure, see:

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2018/11/florida-birding-adventure-in-brevard_30.html

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2018/12/florida-birding-adventure-in-brevard.html