Autumn Birding

I went birding on the property this morning. It was nice to be out there again. The mosquitoes were awful, but I just covered myself with Off! and they pretty well stayed off me. I pretty much saw the birds that one would expect at the end of September. Some of the highlights were Gray Catbird, a Swainson's Thrush that posed for me and an Osprey flying overhead. I saw three FOS winter residents: Brown Thrasher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Northern Flicker. Hopefully we'll get some cooler weather in here soon and the mosquitoes will slow down.

The hummingbirds are still pretty slow around here. I counted about 20 around the feeders last night and this morning. Others are having an above-average year. I guess all of mine decided to go to other peoples' feeders this year!

Today was also a good day for reptiles on the property. I came across a Three-toed Box Turtle crawling through the woods. An Eastern Hognose Snake and Prairie Kingsnake were around the pond. A Banded Watersnake was swimming in the pond.

Birds Seen on Property 9/28/09 (26 species): Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Inca Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker (FOS), Pileated Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet (FOS), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Swainson's Thrush, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher (FOS), Northern Cardinal, Common Grackle

Hummingbird Numbers Down & Butterfly Garden

The numbers of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at my feeders is way down this year. We haven't really had a cool front push through to help bring them down, so maybe that's it. Maybe it's the lack of flowers because of the drought, and they're just passing on through without stopping long at the feeders. Yesterday and this morning I have noticed more birds around the feeders, probably ten to twelve. Normally by now, I've got 50+. Here's what I had last year on September 20.




Yesterday, the kids and I worked on making a butterfly garden. I got some blue mist flower and some lantana from the Texas Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg when we were there over the Labor Day weekend. I also planted some lantana that I rooted in it as well. With plants and all, the whole thing cost about $50. I'm really looking forward to seeing what butterflies we get when the plants are fully blooming! Here is a picture of our new garden and a picture of a male Queen butterfly I took on some of the blue mist flowers at the Texas Wildseed Farms.

Window Birdwatching

I was doing a little window birdwatching this morning. The hummingbirds continue to increase around the feeders. This morning, even with the rain, I had 10 to 12 buzzing around. It won't be long before they're really thick. While watching the hummingbirds, several other birds flew into my backyard. A Great-crested Flycatcher perched in one of the trees and showed off his flycatching skills for me. Six Eastern Bluebirds flew in and came to my birdbath to quench their thirst. A male and female Baltimore Oriole flew in and feasted on the hackberries along with a Northern Mockingbird. A little bird was flitting around in the trees. I suspected a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, but that wasn't what it was. I never got a really clear view of it, but what I saw reminded me a lot of a Yellow-rumped Warbler. If that's what it was, he would be a month early. Hopefully as it cools more, I'll start getting out to see what kind of fall migrants are coming through. My first warbler on the property was a Canada Warbler in September 2003 just after we moved here.

We spent the weekend in Fredericksburg with my mom and step-father and extended family. We go every year to their place. I didn't get a chance to do any birding this year, except for what I saw in the backyard. There wasn't much to report. I did see some Black-crested Titmice. The boys and I slept in a tent and early on Saturday morning a Great Horned Owl called from somewhere to our east. I am still amazed at the numbers of White-winged Doves. They are everywhere there. What amazes me more is how they have naturally expanded their range from the Rio Grande Valley to areas far north of their historic range. I commented to my step-father that if we had been there 15 years ago and saw a White-winged Dove, we would have jumped up and grabbed our cameras to document the occasion. Now, they're just everywhere.