Birding On a Shoestring: Texas' Edwards Plateau and Area

                                                                    Red Squirrel

                                                           Egyptian Geese Juveniles

                                                                  Ditto, View 2

                                                                  Muscovy Duck



100619

Johnson Park in Marble Falls, TX

Marble Falls has always been a good stopover point for an assortment of wildlife.  Having first shot an award winning Great Horned owlet photo more than five years ago, this area has always had a soft spot in writer's heart.  Suffering extensive flooding damage last year, this locale has seen great revitalization, and is unquestionably a birding hotspot in Burnet County.  Egyptian Geese moved into this area this year and we experienced the young ones this spring when we came through the area enroute to Del Rio.  You'll observe assorted raptors like the Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks, ducks and waterbirds, both Turkey and Black Vultures, and many birds breed here, too.

This is a small sample of the wildlife available this fall, but there is much more.  Experience the hospitality and friendliness of the area.  You'll be glad that you shared the Marble Falls Experience.

                                                              Domestic Sheep



100719

Fredericksburg, Texas

This beautiful domestic sheep was in the vicinity of Enchanted Rock, and we came upon him as well as a few exotics while traveling to the park shortly after sunup.  Many migrants were observed there including wrens, warblers, Blue Grosbeak, both Vultures, rock squirrel, and more.  The greatest number of birds are near the creek as one gets ready to climb Enchanted Rock.  The best birding trail is just to the right of the Rock Trail.

                                                            Bewick's Wren in Song

                                                          Bewick's Wren, View 2

                                                                 Hutton's Vireo

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Hutton's Vireo was a target species on this trip, as were a few other birds that we were unable to
locate on this Audubon Certified Golf Course and residential location.  Much of the habitat found here is natural and pesticide use was only on an as-needed basis.

                                                                          Queen

                                                                  Canyon Wren

                                                                Underwing Moth



100919

Private Exotic Species Ranch

Writer photographed many of the East Indian and African species, but managed to miss a few.  One Plains Zebra was actually just a few feet from the car.  My camera had a long range lens on it, rendering that photo impossible to make.  However, my hunt was with the above photo of the oryx. about a mile or a little better on foot.  By the time that they stopped, they were just as curious about me as I was of them.

                                                             Watusi (Exotic Cattle)

                                                                   Aoudad (Exotics)

                                                                          Oryx (Exotics)
                     

                                                                Plains Zebra (Exotics)

                                                               Ostrich (Exotic)

                                                                       Sitka (Exotic)

                                                              Red Deer (Exotic Elk)

                                                                Texas White-tailed Deer

                                                                   Ribbon Snake



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These photos were taken in the heart of the Edwards Plateau or Texas Hill Country.  Many private ranches were toured, which explains the exotic animals.  At one ranch, we even sampled smoked meat from the axis deer.  Some of the other ranches were also working ranches for white-tailed deer and Northern Bobwhite (quail), both native species.

There are many schools of thought on the exotic animals, some of which have managed to become escapees in the area.  Most of the exotic ranchers are continuously going through their ranches to check fencing to ascertain the safety of the native species of the Edwards Plateau, a respected Texas ecosystem.

These are regions that also provide important habitat to the well being of the recently delisted Black-capped Vireo, as well as the Golden-cheeked Warbler, a Federally protected species.

                                                              Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

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Pedernales River State Park in Johnson City, Texas (Blanco County)

This was one of the most exciting birds of the trip and is the first scrub-jay that I have ever photographed.


For additional information on Johnson Park:

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2019/04/birding-on-shoestring-texas-hill.html

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2014/04/johnson-park-in-marble-falls-texas.html

101319 Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/local_news/birding-today-protecting-insects-is-for-birds/article_7b79f1a9-7b00-5046-b2c3-8a27b69cabd1.html

101319 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/life-at-boomer-lake-birds-arriving-in-abundance-this-month/article_b81244b8-ec8d-11e9-a585-0b0cf3b55c33.html

100619 Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/lifestyles/birding-today-tips-to-save-birds-lives/article_90368ab5-225c-534f-9a57-18f1d884d230.html

100619 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/life-at-boomer-lake-migratory-movement-keeps-increasing/article_5352a366-e6f1-11e9-b4a7-bb3a195b5e55.html

Migration Resurfaces In Higher Gear

                                                             Cattle, Egrets, View 1

                                                              Cattle Egrets, View 2

                                                              Yellow Warbler, View 1

                                                             Yellow Warbler, View 2

                                                               Yellow Warbler, View 3



092819

0726-0840/77-78 F/mostly cloudy/S-8/79% RH/29.77-29.80 Hg and rising

This was a higher migratory movement day.  There were six Blue-winged Teal on the southeast corner lowlands, along with several Mallards, who were coming in the entire time there like a busy airport.

On the water, there were several Pied-billed Grebe and sixteen American Coot.

Observations were also made on a whopping forty-five Cattle Egrets, a few Snowy Egrets, the normal
six Great Egrets, and three Great Blue Herons.

Two non-breeding Forster's Terns were surveying the west side of the lake, and five Spotted Sandpipers were partaking of delectables on the shore of the southwest jetty, along with a Double-crested Cormorant on a snag not far from the jetty on the north side.

Overhead were a couple of southbound Barn Swallows over the water.

To make things interesting, the conservative number of ten Yellow Warblers are now classified as late arrivals by eBird.  They were voraciously feeding between the Lakeview Road Bridge and the main path of Shorebird Jetty.  There were no doubt more beyond that, as it is now a last minute dash for late birds to return south when they are in a state of Zugunruhe.

A Belted Kingfisher and a Cooper's Hawk also had words, and the size and speed of the kingfisher managed to speak volumes.  The hawk had to carry on for breakfast, which was no doubt a young bird wasting time with a healthy kingfisher.

Ten Scissor-tailed Flycatchers were being sociable with each other, along with one that felt it was his duty to chase a Great Egret flying through the area several times.  The flycatchers will be with us for another month or so, and if the males still have that much testosterone at this time of year, it could have something to do with all the singing males in flux like they seem to be now.  The urge strikes, even though they are not quite ready to move south.  It is an interesting concept.

Along with the normal birds for the season, there is no doubt that we are underway on our seasonal changes.  There are still a few stragglers, like many warblers, and some likely have an added distance to deal with along with a first time journey.  May they experience the best.

092919 Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/lifestyles/birding-today-great-birding-skills-take-time-to-hone/article_ba3db11d-a806-5241-a959-9b9a823f7a4c.html