Zooming in on Birds Birds move fast. That’s why photographers often create a natural looking perch above a feeder, or play recorded bird sounds to lure a bird in front of the their tripod mounted camera. There’s nothing wrong with a tripod or staged bird photography but recorded bird calls interrupt the bird’s natural behaviors.Continue reading
Tag: birds of texas
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Beauty Magnified–Zooming In On Birds
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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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Leucistic Northern Cardinal and More Winter Birds
Leucistic Northern Cardinal I saw a light-colored bird drop down into the woodpile in brush behind the Hummingbird garden–one I couldn’t immediately identify. I thought it might be a female Cardinal but it was unmistakably gray and white, not a hint of creamy buff. Maybe a pale Pyrrhuloxia? When the the shy bird ventured outContinue reading
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Wild New Year at Little Piney
Christmas Bird Count New Year’s at Little Piney was all about the wildlife. On January 1, I participated in my first Christmas Bird Count in Bastrop. Every year, all over the world, on a given day between December 14 and January 5, tens of thousands of local birders count the birds in their area and report theContinue reading
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Mixed Flocks at Little Piney
Mixed Flocks Return Cool weather brings a return of “mixed flocks” to Little Piney. Fast moving, noisy, and often in the treetops, a mixed flock is a real challenge to identify and count. When a cloud of dark silhouettes descends on bare branches, chipping and flitting from branch to branch I’d better have myContinue reading
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The Gray Palette of Winter
The Gray Palette of Winter at Little Piney As the golden tones of autumn fade, the gray palette of winter is pleasingly rich and textured. Here is a collection of photos highlighting both warm and cool shades of winter gray.
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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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Birds! Bald Eagles! Lake’s Fall Look
Backyard Birds So many birds were hanging out with us at Little Piney this weekend, I could scarcely let go of my camera and binoculars. The birds below were all photographed while visiting the feeders or within view of the feeders in the back yard on Saturday. In addition, a noisy group of Cedar WaxwingsContinue reading