Avocet

This is the American Avocet - in breeding plumage. The non-breeding stage will find the rusty colored head and neck becoming a gray color. They eat aquatic vegetation and invertebrates it finds while using its needle-like bill as a probe, often by walking swiftly and running through fairly deep water, swinging its bill from side-to-side.


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Spotted Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpipers have these frontal spots when in breeding plumage. Non-breeding, there are no spots their fronts are only white. Females are a bit on the polygamist side, having more than one mate during a breeding season. The females let the males tend their nests.

These Sandpipers forage along the shoreline, eating aquatic invertebrates. They also snag flying insects out of the air.


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Blue Heron

Blue Herons are very common. They are a very patient "stand-and-wait" predator, waiting for an unsuspecting fish to swim by. They'll eat fish, snakes, amphibians, and rodents by swallowing them whole. Their graceful flight is characterized by slow, steady wingbeats and their necks folded back over their shoulders with their legs extended behind them.



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White Faced Ibis

The White Faced Ibis is characterized by its long, down-curved bill, as are other Ibises. They probe soil and shallow water for aquatic invertebrates, small vertebrates, and amphibians. Ibises are declining in number. They require high-quality marshland for nesting, but pesticides used in rice fields and diminishing wetland areas don't lend well to propogation of the species.

White Faced Ibises follow migration flyways, and can be seen readily in one area and not be seen at all a few miles away.


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Burrowing Owl

Burrowing Owls are a smallish owl, being about 10" in length. They have no ear tufts, and have bright yellow eyes. Their "who-who" is associated with territorial defense and breeding. When agitated, they will bob their head up and down. Burrowing Owls eat small vertebrates and invertebrates, but mostly small rodents and large insects. They often live near ground squirrels, but rarely prey on them. We found these in close proximity to a prairie dog town.

This first one appears to have been banded.

This photo clearly shows the wing and tail markings of the Burrowing Owl.
There can be some variation due to age and other aspects.

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Scissortail Flycatcher

This flycatcher is closely related to Kingbirds. Its long forked tail is the reason for its name, resembling the blades of scissors. They lay 3 - 6 eggs that both parents care for. Scissortails are very protective of their nest and can be very defensive of it. The Texas panhandle is prime breeding country for them, as they prefer shrubby country and sparse tree cover. Scissortails eat mostly insects that they often wait for from a perch. They will also eat berries.


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Barn Swallow

The Barn Swallow is the most common swallow. Most of the northern hemisphere is its breeding range. Its "V" tail and blue upper parts are the most obvious identifiers. The Barn Swallow makes a nest of mud, often attached to man-made buildings. It is a swift and maneuverable bird that eats insects that it catches in flight.


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Blue Jay

Blue Jays don't normally give me much chance of a shot. They are usually pretty timid - with me anyway. They seem to disappear when I get my camera out. This one gave me an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

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Barn Swallow

The Barn Swallow can be seen just about anywhere in North America, and the Texas Panhandle is no different. They are the only Swallow with a deeply forked tail. They are fast and highly maneuverable, and it is estimated that they can travel 600 miles in one day searching for food for their young.

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Horned Lark

The Horned Lark is the only lark found in North America - and they are found all over the continent. They forage for seeds and invertebrates. They get their name from the black markings on their heads, which suggest "horns".

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Black-Necked Stilt

The Black-Necked Stilt (on the left in the photo) has fallen victim to hunters and loss of habitat in past years. It was an endangered species, but is making a great comeback. There is one subspecies that is still endangered - the Hawaiian Stilt. I was surprised to see this black-necked stilt here in a local marsh. (I don't believe I saw one of them before.) The Stilt eats invertebrates it finds when it probes the bottom with its bill. They lay buff colored eggs in nests on the ground near the water.

(The Black-Necked Stilt is on the left in this photo. That's an American Avocet on the right.)

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Mississippi Kite

Yes, Kites are nesting nearby. This is one of the two or three pairs who have been hanging around the house. This is one of the females, and she is hauling construction materials for their new home. I believe this pair is building a nest in a neighbor's tree across the alley. I will be watching their activity.

This little lady was kind enough to take time out to pose for me while she was preening. Gorgeous, isn't she?

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Mississippi Kite

May brings the return of the Mississippi Kites to the panhandle. These two will be raising young before long. They have mated, and I can only hope that they will nest nearby.


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Mourning Dove

The Mourning Dove is plentiful in the Panhandle. It is related to the Rock Dove (pigeon), White-Winged Dove, Euro-Collared Dove, and ground dove. There are lots of stories out there, but this dove actually gets its name from its mournful coo-ing sound. Some people consider it to be a bad omen if one of these doves flies into a room.


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Great Tailed Grackle

Also known by some as the Boat Tailed Grackle, it resembles the crow - albeit smaller. The most obvious differences between the crow and the Great Tail are the tail and eyes. The male grackle usually flies with its tail vertical, using it like a rudder on a boat. Its eyes are yellow, whereas the crow's are black. The males are overall black, and somewhat irridescent. Females are smaller with dark brown back and wings, and the head and frontal areas are a lighter brown/bronze. Females generally fly "normally" - with their tails horizontal.

This is the male Great Tailed Grackle.

This is the female Great Tailed Grackle.

(Note: Some books list the Great Tailed Grackle and the Boat Tailed Grackle as two different species. Those that do show them to be almost exactly the same, in appearance and behavior/eggs/traits. The Audubon society book I have only lists the Great Tailed Grackle. I have always considered it to be two names for the same grackle.)