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 Featured Photo Archives |
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This Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway) was photographed in south Texas during a feeding break from a dead cow on the ground below. There are two photos to illustrate a behavior peculiar to the Caracaras, where the head is thrown back and a cackling call is uttered. This could be a breeding behavior, or possibly a pair bonding maintenance behavior, since the bonds between mates are very strong and pairs rarely separate. Caracaras are members of the falcon family and although they do hunt for small creatures like dung beetles, frogs, snakes, and lizards, they are quite fond of carrion and will dominate at a carcass over the Turkey Vultures and even the Black Vultures. Nikon D1X, 600 mm, TC-14E, 1/640 sec, f8, -2/3 comp, Gitzo tripod. This Roseate Spoonbill ( Ajaia ajaja ) was flying to its nest on a small island off Smith Point, Texas. The island had many nesting species. Roseate Spoonbills are monogamous and both the male and female share in the incubation of the eggs which lasts about 3 weeks. The Spoonbill forages in shallow water and uses its oddly shaped bill by sweeping it back and forth through the water to catch aquatic prey such as insects, mollusks, crustaceans, small fish and amphibians. Nikon D1X, 80-200 F2.8 AFS, TC-14E, 1/500 sec, f5.3, fill flash.
There is a great story behind this photo, and the success of the story has led to the success of this photo. This Black Skimmer has become my most requested image. A decision was made by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Houston Port Authority to deepen and widen the Houston ship channel. This would mean that pipelines just below the existing bottom would have to be relocated or removed. Many of these pipelines belonged to ExxonMobil so they enlarged a 4-acre island in the middle of the channel to 12 acres to provide a work station for all the necessary heavy equipment. During the development phase, four species of ground-nesters moved onto St. Mary’s Island and set up nest sites. Progress had to cease until the nesting season was over. In a cooperative effort between many agencies, it was decided to make the island a refuge for these nesting species of Least Terns, Forster’s Terns, Gull-billed Terns, and Black Skimmers. Over 500 pairs of protected bird species were counted in a recent census of nest sites on the island. Nikon D1X, 600mm lens, 1/1500sec., f4, exp. comp. -1/3, Gitzo tripod
This Great Crested Flycatcher was doing a fine job of providing for its young. I watched the parents bring a variety of insects to the nest hole in a nearby tree. This bird was photographed in the Texas hill country, on the Homer Martin Ranch. Follow the links to this "Recent Shoot" to see more! Nikon D1X, 600 mm with TC -14E, 1/60 sec, f 5.6, fill flash
Definitely a case of the eyes being bigger than the stomach. This Pied-billed
Grebe caught a fish but then could not swallow it. He tried many times to down
his catch, each time trying a different angle of attack. He spit it out in frustration
a couple times but kept going back to it. Finally, as grebes do so often to avoid
predators, he submerged and dropped out of site. He took his catch with him and
we kept a close eye out for his reappearance to see the outcome but he never showed. You can travel all over the world to get good photos, but sometimes the best is just waiting for you in your own back yard! This Red-bellied Woodpecker is a frequent flyer in my yard, and has become the true definition of “greedy”. I place mealworms in a hollowed out tree trunk for the birds, and most will come to grab one worm and then fly off to enjoy the feast. But not this guy! If you look closely at the belly, you can see where the species gets its name. There is light red that area. One might think this woodpecker should be called “Red-headed” instead of “Red-bellied”, but that name was already taken. Both the Red-bellied and the Red-headed Woodpeckers can be found in these east Texas Piney woods. Nikon D1X, 300mm f2.8 lens, 1/13 sec., SB-28DX fill flash, slow sync, Gitzo Tripod
This cattle egret caught the frog, dipped it, shook the daylights out of it, and then gulped it down. Cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis) are most often seen in groups following along or even on top of cattle. They eat insects that live in the pastures, and even pick flies directly off of the cows. Some cattle egrets will travel either singly or in groups to wetlands where they feed on insects, frogs and fish. That’s where I came across this lone hunter—at the Anahuac NWR. Cattle egrets are not native to North America. They probably came from Africa and arrived in Florida in the 1940’s, and made their way to Texas in the early 1950’s. Galveston Island had nesting colonies by 1958. Worldwide, they are found in six of the continents – all but Antarctica. This egret is in its adult breeding plumage depicted by the pale orange patches on the head and body. Nikon D1X, 600mm AFS, TC 1.4, Lexar media
Sometimes you just can't get any privacy. This Black-necked Stilt is sitting
on her eggs and the Black-bellied Whistling Ducks just would not leave her alone.
In fact, the Stilt's mate had to continually back them off. Every time the mom
would get up to venture off and stretch her legs, the ducks approached the nest
like it was some kind of oddity.
The Trumpeter Swan was once believed to be extinct. This photo was made at
Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge and was only the fourth modern sighting in Texas.
The Trumpeter is the largest native waterfowl in North America and has a wingspan
of more than 7 feet. Compare size to the teal next to it. The Texas Bird Records
Committee requested photos of this swan for their documentation, and TEXAS
PARKS AND WILDLIFE magazine featured this photo in the May issue. |
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Sixth Day Wildlife Images
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