Barred Owl Encounter

On a recent visit to San Antonio, TX to spend the holidays with my daughter, I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of a pair of Barred Owls (Strix varia). 

Taking advantage of a little break in the not-so-nice weather that had moved into S. Texas, we decided to get out of doors and wander an inner-city park situated along the river.


As we were strolling along, looking here and there, discovering the presence of this little bird and that, a large striped bird flew into a nearby tree.  My first response was to call out,  "Look, it's a hawk!  No, it's an OWL!"  It perched for a few minutes as it contemplated who or what we might be before deciding what to do next.

My adrenaline level was elevated beyond all measure, the GOOD adrenaline!  My heart was beating so hard I thought it might break through my chest wall.  I've had very few owl sightings since becoming a birder, although I have made several attempts.  And here he was, sharing our time and space. 

The world stood still once more.

He flew to a nearby tree, a more picturesque setting, and hung out for quite awhile, much to the dismay of the resident smaller birds.  They dive bombed him, and squawked at him, and he just blinked his eyes, looking around, unbothered by the commotion he caused.

How do I know he was a he?  Because when he finally flew away, and I turned to continue my stroll, look who I found sitting almost exactly where he had first landed, watching our every move -

I wonder what she was thinking?

Wordless Wednesday

Best of 2009

IN THE ZONE

(click to enlarge)

White-throated Sparrow
(Zonotrichia albicollis)

Photo compliments of little sister!

Thank Goodness for Busy Fingers!

So, I was stranded at the airport for what felt like forever, but was only 20 hours, along with multiple others.  Some became irate, some became resolved, and one young man never stopped smiling!  

  I am so grateful for having little portable projects with me.  Mostly, I knitted away on a scarf that I had started last winter.  I found this pattern on Lily Boot's site shortly after I knitted my first hat.  A great big thank you to Lily for sharing.  I am going to need this baby the next time I step out the door, so I will keep those needles clicking all day today!  It's snowing to beat the band outside my window, a wintery welcome home from the more temperate S. Texas climate where I've spent the past 3 weeks visiting my daughter and her family for the Christmas holiday.




Before I began my wintertime travels, I fashioned this sweet little traveling container for my supplies.  I purchased a fabric pencil case from the dollar store.  (It cost only a dollar.)  I prepared a matching tiny foundation pieced heart, and appliqued it over the existing logo. It has plenty of room for all of my smaller supplies and has been handy to take to my quilting group, as well as on my cross country travels!   


My portable quilting project is, as shown, brightly colored batik flowers. I will be cat-sitting at my sister's for the next two weeks and her sewing machine is in storage.  With that in mind, I prepared this little project to keep me busy throughout my stay.  A traditional quilter, it's fun to work with such bright colors.  Once I returned home from the fabric store and made my first flower, I wasn't exactly impressed with my fabric choices, but they are growing on me and I'm stuck with them, anyway.  Might be the ugliest quilt I've ever pieced!  My experience has been to stick with it, because once everything is pulled together, what I was calling my ugliest quilt, turned out to be not so bad afterall!  


Ugly or not, it kept me contented while I lounged around the airport and waited and waited and waited..........

First Bird 2010?

My sister tells me (in her "Don't be so stupid" tone of voice) that I have to consider the pigeons at the airport as my first birds of 2010, but honestly, I didn't look at them!  They were just there in my line of vision!

Truly, my first bird of 2010 is this little beauty, who was patiently waiting for me to return home after being held hostage by Continental for almost 20 hours at the Newark airport.

[I'd like to extend a warm thank you to the airline for finally getting me home minutes before the big snow started flying, and to Mother Nature for holding off on the forecasted storm until I arrived safely in the boondocks!  All I can say is, "Whew! That was close!"]

So, okay, if I play by the rules, the pigeon was my first 2010 sighting.  That stinks.  But this little Snow Bunting, (Plectrophenax nivalis), certainly was eye candy to the weary traveler. I've only ever seen them, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, in the farmer's fields during the cold winter months here in Maine, and never this close up!  I imagine this little guy is kind of lonely.

Snow Buntings nest and breed during the summer months way up north in the Arctic, moving south, as indicated on the map to the right, in search of food during the winter.  They are ground feeders and a tasty treat for them is comprised of seeds and insects.  

They nest in rock cavities and return to the tundra very early in the spring to ensure that they get the best spots!  Men who cook are always my favorite, and the Snow Bunting male is right up there on my list!  Because of the location of their nests deep in the rocks, it stays mighty cold.  In order to preserve energy and life, the male feeds the female on the nest during the entire incubation period.  Her sole job is to keep those eggs warm and cozy and safe.  Predators aren't a huge problem because their nests are so tucked away.

Presently, they are on the "of least concern" list in both their winter and summer habitats.

Melanistic Buteo

Harris's Hawk

(Parabuteo unicinctus harrisi)

While exploring the Texas landscape west of San Antonio, my daughter spotted this beauty. She's not a birder, but she has the eye! Even from a distance, and traveling 65 mph, she was able to tell that this bird was different enough from the hundreds of Red-tail Hawks that dotted the trees along the roadways, to warrant turning around to take a better look.

                                                                                                                                         A buteo of the scrub prairies             found in South Texas and other semi-arid habitats, the Harris's Hawk is probably my most favorite of all the raptors.  Now, those that know me best would tell you it's because they are so easy to identify, knowing how I struggle with identifying  birds of prey.  But the truth of the matter is they are simply gorgeous birds!  You can't see it in my photo, but they are a chocolate brown with chestnut shoulders.  Absolutely stiking!  They have a white band at the tip of a tail, and in flight, sport a bright white rump patch like the Northern Harrier.  For a better view of Harris's Hawks in all their  splendor, check out these captivating photos at:  http://www.greglasley.net/harrishawk.html. 

I find it most interesting that the the Harris's Hawk are such social birds.  They live and hunt in family groups consisting of sometimes up to ten  individuals, but most regularly 2 - 6.  How smart is that?  This gives them the opportunity to snag a jack rabbit once in awhile, a welcome break from snakes, lizards, and large insects!  Another most interesting fact is that the female can be up to 40% larger than the male.  This phenomenon is called reverse sexual dimorphism.  I think, but I'm not sure, that this allows the female to protect herself and her nest and family while her mate is away to ensure survival of the species.  Just a guess. 

Although it's population is declining in the US, the Harris's Hawk was on the 2002 Watchlist, but is not on the 2007 Watchlist.  For more information, go to:  http://audubon2.org/watchlist/viewSpecies.jsp?id=106

Peace on Earth

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