On the 10 o’clock news I hear the weatherman say “And today in San Angelo it hit 100 degrees” and i see the name San Angelo on the big televised map of Texas. I have seen this name for years, but it meant nothing to me. I had never been there. I didn’t know anyone who lived there. And then one day, on Facebook, I saw a post about the San Angelo State Park. The poster had gotten some nice bird photos there. It was Spring, and I thought: “Road Trip.”
San Angelo is 205 miles to the northwest of Austin. We drove through rolling hills and interesting towns, the elevation gradually rising with each mile. The state park is on the outskirts of San Angelo. It has 7,677 acres and is a fairly new state park, having opened in 1995. There is a north shore area and a south shore area with a large reservoir made from damming up the Concho river. Check out the website for more information:
Here are just a few of the other things we saw during our all day visit:
Texas Longhorn Cattle
American Bison
Blooming Mesquite
Prickly Pear Cactus And Daisies
Female Red Wing Blackbirds and White Wing Doves Up Close At The Bird Blind
Turkeys
Scissortail Flycatcher
And as we neared the park exit…
Road Runners Mating…note the lizard in the male’s beak. When they separated he still had the lizard…maybe to attract another mate?
We also saw deer and ground squirrels and a fox. And we saw other unidentified birds that I didn’t get shots of. This is a wonderful place and I recommend it to all who love spending time in the great outdoors. Now, when I see the name on the map, it will bring back the happy memories of all that I saw.
While we were eating breakfast yesterday a bit of drama played out in our back yard. I like to face the windows to the back yard just so I can watch yard critters while I eat. My husband spotted a Cooper’s hawk sitting on our back fence…in the same spot I had seen it at dusk the day before. I got my camera and took a few photos through the one window without a screen (removed for just this purpose, to be able to focus my camera). A squirrel appeared moving along the back fence towards the hawk. I was about 45 feet away (that is what my husband’s range finder says) and just had my little Nikon Coolpix A900. But, I think I captured the scene.
Eastern Fox Squirrel approaching Cooper’s hawk on the Squirrel Highway
Squirrel Moving Closer to Hawk (see the tail behind the tree?)
Squirrel displaces Hawk
Hawk flies into nearby neighbor’s tree and then:
Hawk is back. It briefly spread both wings and it’s tail out, perhaps to look bigger. I didn’t get the shot before the wings closed back down. I think the squirrel was down in the bush behind fence at that point.
Squirrel is back!
Standoff!
Squirrel nonchalantly grooming it’s tail while hawk watches.
After this, the hawk flew to a side fence and then flew off out of the yard as another squirrel approached on a perpendicular squirrel highway. Blue jays had been squawking in the background but never got very close to the action.
Neither my husband or I had ever seen this kind of squirrel behavior before. Usually, when a hawk is around the squirrels are frozen against a tree trunk/branch or nowhere to be seen. The first batch of baby squirrels start being born in January and so maybe the squirrels are being more protective of the area? The squirrel was a male squirrel and so maybe just defending territory? The hawk is probably hanging around to get at the fat white winged doves that come to our feeder and may not prey on the squirrels. If the hawk attacked the squirrel I think both would give a good fight.
I had been hoping to come up with a fun political metaphor for this little drama we witnessed, but so far I have not.
I find much joy in observing small bits of interaction from the non humans around us. I hope some small joys of your choice come to you today and every day in 2025!
In April and May I shared with you a Great Horned Owl family’s behavior and the development of two chicks. For this month’s blog I want to share some more families.
Some families feed and nurture their young.
Grackle Parents With Fledgling Grackle Begging For Food In Background
Some families lead their young.
Duck Mama With BabiesDon’t Leave Me Behind!
Some parents hide the young to protect them from predators.
This Doe And Fawn Could Not Be Seen From A Nearby Trail. (This shot was through a window up above the area)
Some parents protect their young in other ways.
Killdeer ParentKilldeer Parent Distracting A Possible Predator (Me) By Feigning An Injury
Who are they protecting?
Baby Killdeer Chick In Marsh Below Boardwalk
And let’s not forget the sibling relationships. Some siblings irritate each other.
Sibling Squirrels Jostling For Space
Some siblings get along with each other.
Sibling Squirrels Sharing Space
(Bird photos were taken at Aransas Pass; the Doe and Fawn photo was taken at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center; Squirrel photos were taken in my back yard)
Last month’s blog told of the Great Horned Owl Family that took up residence at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin and my obsession with them. My obsession continued into May. Most mornings I would tune in to the live owl camera (courtesy of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology) to see how the two owlets were doing. And in the evening, while watching t.v., I would set up my iPad nearby so I could check on them periodically. I learned to take screen shots off the iPad.
I also volunteer at the Wildflower Center. When I was out there I made it a point to go look at them in person, roosting in their nest in a nook up above the archway that leads into the central courtyard.
Back in March the question was whether or not Athena, the mother owl, would return to nest at the Wildflower Center as she had since 2012. Fast forward to May and everyone is anticipating the eventual fledging (leaving the nest) of the owlets. The big question was “when would they leave?” “Would it be tonight”?
It was a waiting game, but not boring. The chicks continued to grow and behave in new ways. I was amused by their cuteness and concerned about their well being.
May 1st- Wet Chicks
May 4th-Waiting For A Meal
Sometimes the nights would be peaceful and the sounds of frogs and chuck will’s widows (night bird) could be heard along with the burble of the nearby water feature and the gentle cheeping of the younger chick.
But, at other times, event noise would keep the little ones alert. Sometimes the owlets appeared alarmed at the sudden shouts of wedding guests cheering on the newly weds after the reception.
I am old enough to remember when rice was thrown at the bride and groom as they left the guests. Later, rice became birdseed. And now, the guests blow bubbles at the lucky couple.
May 4th- One Chick Seen Behind Plant As Bubbles Float Upward Past The Nest Area (the bubbles are the little x shapes)
The parents were most excellent owl parents and continued to feed the chicks and watch over them.
May 7th- Parent Bird Has Just Fed The Chicks
The owlets would move around in the nest between parent visits. They would groom themselves.
They would jump, and flap their now mostly feathered wings. They would chew on old carcasses.
They would wait.
May 12-Mama Can You Hear Me? (the younger bird was often cheeping)
May 13- Where Is Our Food?
They flapped more and more and got closer to the edge of the nest area…usually staying on the plant side of the stone ledge. But, sometimes sitting just on the lip of the ledge. And then it happened.
May 14th- Older Chick Loses Balance. Tries To Grip Ledge And Disappears Downward. Junior Is Looking Elsewhere.
The Senior Chick has accidently fledged. Some of us were watching live as this happened. I saw the bird practicing flapping and I think I even said out loud “Watch out! You are going to fall!”
May 14-Junior Dozes By Himself After Other Chick “Fledged”
May 15- All Alone The Next Morning
The Senior Chick was spotted in a nearby tree the next morning and was being fed and attended to by adult birds. That was a relief to hear.
There was a lot of activity on May 15th. The remaining chick was peeping and moving around in the nest and flapping. In the evening the parent birds were returning to the nest every few minutes with small bits of food (maybe crickets?). It is thought that they were encouraging the younger owlet to go ahead and fledge. It would be easier to continue to feed the youngsters if they were in the same location. At one point I saw the owlet flapping on the edge and then he backed up as if he realized how close he was to the ledge. But, then went to the ledge again! It was like he was trying to get up his courage.
May 15- Camera Goes Wide Angle In Anticipation Of Fledging- Athena and youngster
May 16- I visit the Wildflower Center for a volunteer shift and see the owlet up in the nest on the left side of the plant, on the ledge and cheeping.
May 17-Junior Flapping On The Edge
I start to wonder if anyone is taking bets on when the remaining owlet will fledge. He looks ready, but apparently he is not. There is an event that night. It is the evening “Members Only” opening of the animatronic dinosaur exhibit (Dinosaurs Around The World, May 17-July 17). The roar of a nearby dinosaur can be heard periodically, as well as a toad croaking in the pond.
May 18-In the evening there is a party event (probably a wedding) and the little owl was panting some and moving around nest area. Music and toads could be heard. At 10:54 p.m. the owl was sitting on the left side of the nest area, waiting. All of a sudden a loud human yelling began and photo flashes illuminated the area, including the nest area. The startled owl moved behind the plant as the wedding party finished their business. He was back out a half an hour later and I captured this photo.
May 18- My Last Shot Of Junior (taken 11:28 p.m.)
May 19- 7:20 a.m. He fledged! The camera was again at wide angle. He flew to a wall by the nearby pond and then went into some plants behind the pond. Then a parent bird showed up on the edge of the pond and flew off with a carcass in it’s talons, as if it was saying “Follow me!”
I missed them immediately! I am grateful that I got to witness this part of a life cycle. One of the wedding songs I heard played in the background one time was Louis Armstrong singing “What A Wonderful World” and that pretty much says it all.
Others have spotted the birds in trees on the property and they are well cared for by the parent birds as they learn to fend for themselves. Only time will tell if we get to witness this miracle of life next year.
Check out the Cornell Website at :
Allaboutbirds.org
And the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at:
Wildflower.org
And for some excellent photos of Athena and her chicks and other life at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower center check out photographer Bill Boyd’s photos at:
The anticipation was almost painful. Would she or wouldn’t she? Beginning in the Spring of 2012, a pair of Great Horned Owls (Bubo Virginianus) have been visiting The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center to nest and raise their chicks. For the first time ever, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology set up a camera near the place that the female nested so they could record the behavior of the owls. And the best part would be that it would stream all day and night. She and her mate and chicks have been well photographed over the years. This live camera would capture even more of the behavior at the nest and would be available for people around the world to observe something few have seen. But, would she even come back this year? She did!
On March 1, 2024 Athena laid an egg in her nest above a stone archway near a sotol plant. On March 5th she laid egg number 2. I tuned in to see her multiple times, but unless she was eating or standing up and moving the eggs, I didn’t find it very interesting. So, I missed seeing her mate bring her meals.
On April 4th, the first egg hatched and I began to tune in quite often.
Athena On Nest April 4th (I did not see hatchling)
On April 6th the second egg hatched-
Day Old Chick Next To Egg With Chip Out (Mom off nest hunting?)
As soon as I saw that first chick, I was hooked on watching and began to tune in several times a day.
Athena In Rain Protecting Chicks (April 9)Athena and Chick (only one visible-April 13)Sibling Chicks
I began to worry about the chicks when she was off the nest. What if something got them? I knew she could handle any predators that might come while she was there.
Athena’s Talons
I enjoyed watching what Athena might bring back to feed the babies. I saw many types of food: snakes, maybe a frog, a large bird (grackle?), small birds, big rodents, small rodents, a rabbit, an opossum. And for the first time I really grasped the concept of owl pellets (regurgitated compressed pellets that contain undigestible bits such as bones, feathers, fur) when I saw big furry chunks being swallowed down by the hungry chicks.
I enjoyed watching the 2 chicks interact when mom was gone. How lonely it would be to be a lone chick.
The camera also has sound and at times I would hear one of the chicks (usually seemed to be the littler one) make a peep. I heard what sounded like an adult owl vocalization (sort of a low pitched peep). During the day I heard other birds, including crows and a hawk that would harass mom or dad when they were in nearby trees. At night I would hear frogs and toads from the nearby pond. I also heard chuck wills widows (night calling birds) several times. People talking and sometimes the screech of children could be heard during the day.
And then there were the night time events with loud music and partygoers whooping it up in the background. You could tell what kind of event or crowd it was by the type of music. I remember hearing “Dancing Queen” and “Baby I’m Yours” and once a young man singing the words “What a beautiful wedding!” The birds didn’t seem to be too bothered unless someone shouted loudly nearby.
April 14
Athena With Snake (tough skin)
Chicks Early Evening Before Camera Goes Into Night Mode (April 22)
Mom Taking Off -Note Tail Hanging Out From Chick’s Mouth (April 23)
Watching the development of feathers was fascinating, as was their changing behavior. The chicks would peck at debris in the nest or the dried sotol leaves. Saw the littler one lunge at something that I could not see. They became more active and alert as the weeks went by. The smaller one seemed to have a sort of little sibling personality…I may be projecting here!
On April 24th I checked in at 8:13 a.m. (yes, I kept lots of notes as time went on) and there were just the chicks in the nest. Usually I would see mom up there in the morning. The chicks were grooming themselves. At 9 a.m. they were resting.
9:22 a.m. – Still no momma
10:22 a.m. No momma
3:45 p.m. No mom!
7:05 p.m. No mom!
Yes, I was worried! Checked in at 8:50 p.m., (bigger chick standing tall and alert); 9:46 p.m. (little chick pecking at stuff), 10:29 p.m., and finally at 10:39 p.m. I turned it off and went to bed worrying about all the things that might have happened to mom.
April 25th at 8:08 a.m. -Yay! Athena is back with her babes and I relaxed. I was identifying too much with these little critters. The day before, I started to experience some emotional flashbacks of fear of desertion and being left behind! As if I was a young child and not an old lady.
You may have noticed that I have not talked about dad. I know male owls bring meals to mom when she is on the nest and other observers have seen dad in nearby trees. One night I saw an owl fly in on the left side of the sotol and drop off a rodent and leave without tearing it into pieces and feeding the chicks. Mom usually flies in to the front of the nest area, so maybe this was dad. That time I just saw the chicks peck at the rodent a bit, since they had not quite learned to rip things apart. At a later date I saw the chicks having a tug of war with a small rodent. And last night I saw a rodent being dropped off from the side and that may have been dad.
If you look close you can see a tail and hind legs of a small rodent the adult is carrying.
The story is not yet over. The babes have not fledged yet. It will be pretty soon and you can still watch them by going to:
Wildflower.org/visit/athena-the-owl
In the meantime I will be a bit obsessed still and worry about them and see owl images in such things as my back fence.
Fence Owl
The real owl images were taken from screen shots on my Ipad or from my Nikon of screen images.
I am so thankful for the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for offering this opportunity.
Last month I was expecting Spring and actively looking for signs of the early anemones. I looked for them everyday in my front yard. On February 18th I saw the first ones!
AnemonesA Host of Anemones At The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (February 2024)Purple Anemone At The Wildflower Center
The first day of Spring is celebrated in North America on the Spring Equinox, I am celebrating Spring now because so much fresh life is emerging all around. Green shoots are coming up from the ground and sprouting from tree branches. And there is the blooming of flowers…from the pinky purple buds on my redbud tree to the purple spiderwort blossoms popping out every day. The days are getting longer and warmer. Birds are becoming more vocal and active. Some will soon leave to breed farther North (white throated sparrow seen below), while we welcome other species home from their wintering grounds in the South. I am guessing some of you have already seen some purple martins (early Spring arrivals). Other critters are emerging on sunny days (lizards, snakes, insects)
White Throated Sparrow At Wildflower Center (ready to fly North to spend the warmer months)Carolina Wren Wondering What Their Significant Other Is Up ToSignificant Other Taking A Dust Bath In Potting Soil In Our Raised Garden BedAnole Sunning On My Porch Glider
I am embracing them all in my heart and soul, these little joys of Spring.
And, No, I didn’t forget! The Blue bonnets are starting to bloom!
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (February 2024)
Recently, a friend dropped by. She was having a horrible day, one of those days when nothing goes right. She had failed at making a special cake, one that she had made a thousand times before. Everything she tried that day became a frustration. The biggie was earlier in the day, when she bent down and picked up what she thought was a brown leaf on the floor by her bed. She put it on a counter to toss out later. She was not wearing her glasses at the time. Later, while wearing glasses, she passed by the counter and was appalled to see a dead scorpion on the counter! She had picked up a scorpion with her bare hands! Was this a bad omen? A symbol of the bad stuff to come? I told her that I had done that before…picked up what I thought was a leaf while not wearing my glasses. In my case the object was a large dead roach.
I told her that things would get better, that we all have days like this and it would pass. And she should be happy that the scorpion was dead…maybe that was a good sign. After she left, I googled “what do scorpions symbolize?” thinking that negative things would come up on my screen. But, the websites I checked out had positive things to say about scorpions, such as: “Scorpions can be a symbol of rebirth, power, independence, and passion.” (1)
A few days before that, another friend had texted me a link to a story on what it means when a cardinal appears. I had heard about cardinals being a sign of a passed on loved one visiting from beyond. And some people believe they are a sign of love and hope and loyalty. The 30th of December was when I started writing the draft of this blog. That was my late father’s birthday and I kept looking out the window at my trees and feeders, hoping to see a cardinal.
But, I like to think of myself as above all this superstition…that I am a student of nature, ever in awe of the beauty of all species that inhabit the earth with us…and how special they all are, but in a scientific way. Well, I pretend to think like this, “Look at me! I don’t believe in that magical hooey!” If I am honest with you, I admit to giving special significance to seeing certain critters, especially positive significance. If I see a hawk as I set out on a trip, I consider this a good omen…that the trip will be safe. I never think a particular critter represents badness. That is my personal choice and fits in with trying to “think positive thoughts”, something my mother used to say.
Driving home from a recent luncheon a scissortail flycatcher flew over the road in front of my car! I thought I might have hallucinated it because they are not supposed to be here in the winter. They are an unmistakable bird with their long forked tail. So, I looked them up online…what they might symbolize. The website said “something has ended in my life- an ending that has been necessary for quite sometime.” Okay…not yet sure what this is referring to.
I have many wrens visit my yard. They apparently are associated with the ideas of staying joyful while moving forward in life, and kindness. I like that.(3)
Anyway, these ideas come from our human imaginations and can be a source of amusement and inspiration. I think they can coexist with science…just so we know the difference.
I never did see a real cardinal on my dad’s birthday, but I did see one in my kitchen. I spotted a cardinal magnet on the refrigerator. That will have to do. Am wishing you all a wonderful New Year filled with signs of goodness in many forms!
p.s. Word of advice: Before you pick up something from the floor, please put on your glasses!
It is no news to any of you that this has been a really hot summer so far. Here in my Austin suburb our thermometer reads 100.6. I know it is even hotter in town. Any outdoor activities are pretty limited to evening and morning. No walking in the nearby greenbelt. I can’t even sit in the shade on my porch in the afternoon. We make sure we put out water for our little feathered friends and others. I am sharing a few photos of some visitors to our backyard. They are making my summer enjoyable.
I missed my slow walk this morning. I missed my slow walking friends, but right now it is too hot for me to be outside.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is visited by thousands of people each year. Young and old, locals and tourists, the people come to view the flowers and other native Texas plants. Trails wind around the 284 acres and people can move at their own pace. There are fast walkers that get their steps in and medium walkers moving from one patch of spectacular floral colors to the next. There are parents pushing strollers and kids running around the lawns in the children’s garden. And then there are the groups of very slow walkers. They can be seen in groups of 6 or more, huddled around a flowering bush, taking turns to get the best angle to get a good shot with their close-up camera lenses. Some carry binoculars that they point at the trees and grassy fields. These women and men are participating in the weekly Fauna Survey, finding, identifying and documenting all the non-plant life that call the Wildflower Center home.
The Fauna Project is a weekly survey event led by Val Bugh (check out her website: http://www.austinbug.com). She has been at this since 2010 and has amassed quite a record of the bio diversity contained within this site. Her special area of expertise is entomology. The walking is slow because there is so much to see. At least every other plant will have a little insect on it doing something: eating another insect, mating, hunting, etc. Each survey is different. Here are some of my photos taken on the surveys so far this year.
Red Eared Slider Turtle (February)Robin (February)Leopard Frog (March)Ribbon Snake (March)Great Horned Owl Mom On Nest (April)Fox Squirrel (April)Tarantula (April)Buckeye Butterfly On Milkweed (April)Juvenile Great Horned Owl (May)Texas Spotted Whiptail (May)Beetles On Thistle (May)Dragonfly (May)White-tailed Deer Print (May)White Eyed Vireo (May)Texas Spiny Lizard (June)Beetle (June)
So, get out and do a slow walk. You never know what you might find.
According to their website, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is home to at least 1,800 insect species (93 of these are butterfly species), 148 bird species, and 15 mammal species.
Last month I shared my trip to the Texas coast. It was a much longed for getaway scheduled after the crowds of spring break and before the crowds of summer. It was just coincidental that this visit was during the peak of the spring bird migration. Ordinarily the Texas coast is a wonderful place to look for birds, but the numbers of different birds during migration make this a special time. And we happened to visit during a fallout…this is when bad weather conditions temporarily prevent the migrating birds from traveling on to their breeding grounds. I got a good look at many wonderful birds from rose breasted grosbeaks to indigo buntings to orange colored orioles. However, most of the photos I actually got were of birds that can be seen year around.
There were large birds…
Brown Pelican
Birds flying…
Brown Pelicans
Birds flying in large groups…
Brown Pelicans
Birds with long beaks…
Tri Colored Heron
Colorful birds with short beaks…
Indigo Bunting
Delicate shore birds…
Stilt
And other types of flocks…
Birders at Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center
Port Aransas has so many places to see birds from the beach to the ship channel to designated nature preserves. Birders can walk for a mile or so on some sturdy boardwalks at The Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture and Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. A fun and short walk is at Paradise Pond, a small wetland tucked behind the Restaurant San Juan.
Lots of beautiful birds seen and perhaps a trip during Fall migration is in my future.
*Bonus bird seen on the way home- Wild turkey flew across the highway just north of Kenedy, Texas
Natural Musings 