It is in its breeding plumage. We saw this one at Estero Llano Grande State Park in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
This duck is common in the U.S. southern states. This photo was taken in Southern Texas. They are named after their call which sounds like a whistle.
Blackpoll Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Talk about an athlete, this warbler, which weighs less than half of an ounce, makes an 1800 mile non-stop flight over the Atlantic Ocean to get to its breeding grounds which are in far northern Canada and west to Alaska.
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
A truly beautiful flycatcher. The salmon-colored flanks are characteristic of this species. When it flies, the long tail reminds me of a train on a bridal dress. The area around the “armpit” or “wing pit” as it is sometimes called is a more intense redder salmon color.
This species breeds in the south-central U.S. and winters from South Mexico down into Panama.
Spoonbills and warblers
spoonbill and warbler sketch
Our recent trip to Texas was mostly about migrating warblers, but it was also interesting to see all the wading birds- herons, egrets, ibises and spoonbills. I particularly liked these tall birds perched awkwardly in branches out of the water.
Nashville Warbler
I found my first ever Nashville Warbler in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Yosemite National Park. Floy and I were hiking a steep trail and we saw a little bird flitting around in a nearby tree. I was taken aback by this little beauty with a yellow-olive belly, a gray head and a distinct, complete eye ring. There is a sliver of a breeding population of this species that is found on the Sierra Nevada Mountains and up into Oregon, Washington and Southern British Columbia, but most of the breeding activity occurs in Southeastern Canada and the Northeastern United States.
This photo was taken in the Edinburg Scenic Wetland Park in Texas.