The weather is still cold and gray, but I decided to walk around the Visitors Center here at Laguna Atascosa and see what kind of pictures I could get. The refuge maintains a couple of bird feeding stations and a photo blind to attract birds.
The Altamira Oriole is a beautiful tropical species that barely makes it into South Texas. Orioles will eat nectar and fruit and can be attracted to nectar (hummingbird) feeders and citrus.
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| Altamira Oriole at nectar feeder |
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| Altamira Oriole at grapefruit |
Another South Texas specialty is the White-tipped Dove. This large dove has a soft moaning song that sounds like someone blowing over the top of a coke bottle.
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| White-tipped Dove |
The Green Jay is another colorful tropical species that lets us know that we've arrived in South Texas. Like most jays they are gregarious and vocal.
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| Green Jay |
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| Green Jay |
The Long-billed Thrasher is in a family called "Mimidae" which you might guess makes it a mimic. While it is not as accomplished as the Northern Mockingbird it can develop a pretty impressive repertoire.
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| Long-billed Thrasher |
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| Long-billed Thrasher |
We know that the sun will come out soon and more birds will be out and about. So stay tuned...
Mark
I love that green Jay. And the Altamira Oriole is beautiful, too.
ReplyDeleteI love that green Jay. And the Altamira Oriole is beautiful, too.
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