Two in the Bush

Today I was heading south to the Laredo Birding Festival. To break up the five hour plus drive I made a few stops.

Stop one was the Lake Texana- Navidad River Boat Ramp on US 59. I had a Fox Sparrow here back the first of November 2014 so I was hoping maybe it had stuck around. A few minutes after I got there I could hear it doing the classic "smack" call from the bushes. I pished as much as I could but it would not show itself for a picture. Still Fox Sparrow became year bird 262.

A very boldly marked Savannah Sparrow

Another good find here was a pair of Couch's Kingbirds. They were acting very paired up, It was pretty birdy there today. I had 30 species in just 25 minutes. This location never disappointments me. eBird.org lists 166 species for this location. I rarely spend more than 30 minutes there but often get something good.

Great Horned Owl

The next stop was the Calliham unit of Choke Canyon State Park. This is usually a good location for Wild Turkey. I started out on the Emperor Road. It was good, but nothing new for the year. On my way back I heard some Great Horned Owls dueting. I think there were at least three, and perhaps four calling. Eventually I found one perched where I could get a photo.

I circled the park but no turkeys to be found. I had to get to Laredo so I headed out, hoping to catch some Turkeys along the road. I spotted something down a pipeline and did a U-turn to check it out. Fiddlesticks, just a couple of javelinas. But then two small birds flew up from the roadside and Common Ground-Dove became year bird 263.

The rest of the drive uneventful, Lots of Harris Hawks and Crested Caracaras. Looking forward to tomorrow an the festival.

Red-tailed Hawk