Southmost Texas (almost)

This past week I was down in the Brownsville, Texas area visiting some of my wife's family and doing a little birding on the side. Basically the routine is as follows: wake up real early, dress in the dark, shuffle down to the lobby for a waffle in the shape of Texas and an over-ripe banana with the long-haul truckers, then head out the door to get to the birding spot by sun-up. I try to be home within a couple of hours--about when the family is becoming restless. It's rushed but better than nothing.

The great thing about far south Texas is that you can bird while doing just about anything. A trip down to the local taco shop might net 20 species. Also good are trips to the beach, because then family activities and serious birding are no longer separated. I photographed the following Ruddy Turnstone with my portrait lens while while I watched my kids build sandcastles at the same time.

I spent most of my mornings, however, at a nearby state park near Olmito, Texas, Resaca de la Palma. This park has a few species that reside there that are rare or hard to see: the Olive Sparrow and the Long-billed Trasher. Both of these birds love to hang out on the ground in dense brush. Even so, had I not sold my ultra zoom lens, I could have had some great shots as they were not nearly as shy as I would have expected them to be. Nevertheless, these birds are extremely entertaining and were a ton of fun to watch.