shrike vs. snake

It was just a perfect weather day, so I went out to check out the birds at the marsh. I saw this Loggerhead Shrike fly down from his perch to some ruts that someone left after attempting to drive on the mud (not me!).At once there was a battle, as it was Shrike vs. snake.
The Shrike quickly bit the head of the snake, which tried to retreat back into a hole.
This determined bird kept pulling!
Seems he would get a bit tired, stop, then try again.
Success at last! This was so amazing to watch, as the snake was much longer than the bird. It flew far away to a nice spot to eat its meal.
I saw several Field Sparrows out and about.
They are so beautiful!

Lots of birds out in the marsh, including these Northern Shovelers...
And there was a handsome Little Blue Heron working hard.
Lots of Yellow-rumped warblers were flitting about too.
I have muddy boots, but sure had fun out there today.

Great horned owl!

How exciting to see this Great Horned Owl, having a conversation with another one, at Chicago's Morton Arboretum! And how refreshing the fall color and weather is to a drought weary soul!

Back home, I had this beauty in the front yard! A Red shouldered Hawk.

San Jacinto Monument

Today was just a beautiful day to get out and enjoy the cooler weather. I headed out to the San Jacinto Battleground to check out the birds. A Little Gull had been reported there, and sure enough it was out there with a Ruddy Duck, dwarfed by the massive White Pelican.
It had beautiful wing markings.
Hope it can find food as it is obviously very lost!
I loved the way the White Pelicans swim and feed like a synchronized swim team.
How can something so big (may be over 9' wingspan!) fly so effortlessly?
This Little Gull is just the tiniest thing. It was a delight to see!
Along the edge of the road, one can find Yellow-rumped Warblers.
This is a first winter Yellow-rumped Warbler. Very lovely!
On to the ponds, and the Eared Grebes! This one was very busy feeding, it would come up just for a moment then disappear!

There were several Orange Crowned Warblers flitting around in the thickets.
I think this is a Lesser Scaup, with a squarish head.
The Ruddy Ducks were the most abundant bird in the water today.
Seems that there is always a Kestrel near the marsh area!
I was excited to get fairly close to the American Avocets. What an amazing bird!
It uses the bill to sweep back and forth through vegetation to find food.
The only trouble with fall birding is that it gets dark too early... but with the sun low on the horizon you can have the Great Egret spotlighted. Today was such fun!

Enjoying sparrows and other birds

Yesterday I was dodging rain, hail and tornados in a state with an extreme drought....go figure! I started at El Franco Lee, enjoyed watching both the blue and green winged teal scatter when a Harrier got too close! (I would too). It is beautiful to watch the whole group take off.There were several loggerhead shrike around the marsh.
The yellow-rumped warblers have returned in force!
Here is the Texas state bird enjoying a feeding frenzy.
There were a few Vesper Sparrows foraging on the ground. They have great camouflage.

The colors in the Savannah sparrows seemed extra brilliant.
Watch out for the Cooper's Hawk!
No these are not lovebirds, they are a pair of Crested Caracaras. (UGH)
Off to the San Jacinto Monument to find a Ruddy duck!
See how much bigger the White Pelicans are than the Brown!