Red-shouldered Hawk Sometimes all I see of the Red-shouldered Hawk is a dark shadow passing over the field, sometimes, a familiar shape disappearing at the edge of vision. She is in front of me, then behind me when I never saw her move. Sometimes, I turn around, and she is only feet away calm andContinue reading
Tag: birding bastrop tx
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Red-shouldered Hawk’s Crunchy Breakfast
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When I’m Birding It’s Totally Up to the Birds
It’s Totally Up to the Birds I have to confess, on my first few “birding walks” led by expert birders, I asked myself “Are they making this up?” Most of the time, I never saw the bird they pointed out. When I did, I saw a gray silhouette against the morning sky while the guideContinue reading
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Painting Birds at Little Piney
Painting Birds After painting yet another landscape in June, I felt restless to try something new. I wanted to paint in a looser style, and I wanted to paint some birds! I pulled out my pastels for a change of pace and some favorite photos for references and got started. I collected some old acrylicContinue reading
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Yellow Warblers and Central Texans Singin’ in the Rain
Relief from Triple Digits Came with Rain! Just when we thought we couldn’t take it anymore, rain and cooler air both moved in over the weekend! What a relief. I spent much of the weekend outside on the porch or out in the rain with my rubber boots on. As the rain arrived, so didContinue reading
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Special Moments in Nature–A Lucky Witness
Special Moments in Nature I pull out onto the highway from a dirt road. In front of me, a single black crow feather spirals slowly down from the sky. The suspended feather spins like a tiny dirt devil as I leave it behind. I step outside to watch for a late delivery truck.Continue reading
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Visiting Bastrop Texas–The Heart of the Lost Pines (update January 2021)
Visiting Bastrop Texas Visiting Bastrop Texas can be an easy day trip from Austin, San Antonio and most of Central Texas, but it’s really worthy of a weekend visit. I love the relaxed feel of the town. It’s easy to park, easy to get a table at a restaurant, easy to get around. and easy toContinue reading
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Partially Leucistic Female Cardinal Joins Flock
She’s Still Here! I’m happy to say that this pale beauty appears to have made Little Piney her home. The partially leucistic female Northern Cardinal seems comfortable vying for feeder space with the Chipping Sparrows and her own kind today in the front yard oak. She first appeared at Little Piney last week, and itContinue reading
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Winter Birds are Back at Little Piney
Winter Birds are Back at Little Piney Winter birds are back at Little Piney! I had a wonderful morning birding with friends, one a frequent birding partner, and the other a new friend–an expert birder who seems to hear and see everything at once! She spotted a new bird for my Little Piney listContinue reading
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Knock-Knock–Who’s There?
Pileated Woodpecker We always know when the Pileated Woodpecker is hungry. His distinct and resonant hammering sound is the loudest of the wood-pecking birds at Little Piney. No matter how many times I see a Pileated Woodpecker, it’s always a thrill. At 15-19 inches tall, with a brilliant red crest, shiny black back, pure whiteContinue reading
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Nature Writes Her Own Story
Red Shouldered Hawks Last Sunday, I planned to spend the morning discovering fall migrants–the warblers, orioles, hummingbirds, etc. that birders all over Texas reported daily for the past week. I didn’t have much luck with that plan, though. Instead, Sunday’s story was about larger birds. Red Shouldered Hawks patroled at Little Piney all day. I saw themContinue reading