Sunday was a good day for starting an overdue note on the birds of Texas. On Sunday, "Summer...was a thousand colors in a parched landscape". The view from the window would have had an artist reaching for her paintbrush:
The still copse of trees sweats dried leaves, a green canopy with a yellow carpet. The dark, wrinkled, hardwood bark of the trees contrasts well with the occasional rusty spots in the foliage- the weathered patches in Mother Nature's green tunic.
Right at the foot of the tree in front of the window, a mocking bird drinks water from a bowl than Poonam had put out in the morning. On a branch of the neighboring tree, a mourning dove is curled up for an afternoon snooze. Who says hibernation is only in the winter? Nothing beats a siesta in the heat! The faded pastel pink and browns of its down enhance the feel of Sepia on this sun-burnt afternoon.
One can see an unusual amount of activity in the thick bushes that are intertwined with the trees. They had borne berries recently, providing a well needed lunch for the European starlings and the resident Red Cardinals.The reclusive Cardinals are easily identified by their characteristic chik-chik. If one waited patiently, the reward would be a sighting of the brilliant red of this bird.
The northern mocking bird is the most common bird of this area, and the state bird for several surrounding states, including Texas. Not a striking bird, I guess its value is more cultural, thanks to the book by Harper Lee (Perhaps appropriately, the quote at the beginning of the blog is from the same book). Apparently, it is a good mimic too.
This thicket is home to other birds, less frequently seen. The Downy woodpecker (most probably) is a resident- I couldn't get a proper view of it. The Carolina Chickadee is a visitor, announcing itself with this garrulous song. The Blue Jay, with its plaintive cry, is also easily identified. The Blue Jay and the Chickadee looks similar to the Indian Roller and the Great Tit of India respectively, although the Indian birds have more striking colors. There is also a resident Hummingbird, but I have had only glimpses of it. The only possibility is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
Other birds that I have seen in the locality:
- Belted Kingfisher
- Common Grackle
- American Crow
- Sparrows (quite common, but not able to ID the genus exactly)
- Unidentified Raptor (gray colored bird)
- Egrets and ducks
Overall, I find that Indian urban bird landscape is richer, but this has been rewarding too.
Pictures from the web:
The still copse of trees sweats dried leaves, a green canopy with a yellow carpet. The dark, wrinkled, hardwood bark of the trees contrasts well with the occasional rusty spots in the foliage- the weathered patches in Mother Nature's green tunic.
Right at the foot of the tree in front of the window, a mocking bird drinks water from a bowl than Poonam had put out in the morning. On a branch of the neighboring tree, a mourning dove is curled up for an afternoon snooze. Who says hibernation is only in the winter? Nothing beats a siesta in the heat! The faded pastel pink and browns of its down enhance the feel of Sepia on this sun-burnt afternoon.
One can see an unusual amount of activity in the thick bushes that are intertwined with the trees. They had borne berries recently, providing a well needed lunch for the European starlings and the resident Red Cardinals.The reclusive Cardinals are easily identified by their characteristic chik-chik. If one waited patiently, the reward would be a sighting of the brilliant red of this bird.
The northern mocking bird is the most common bird of this area, and the state bird for several surrounding states, including Texas. Not a striking bird, I guess its value is more cultural, thanks to the book by Harper Lee (Perhaps appropriately, the quote at the beginning of the blog is from the same book). Apparently, it is a good mimic too.
This thicket is home to other birds, less frequently seen. The Downy woodpecker (most probably) is a resident- I couldn't get a proper view of it. The Carolina Chickadee is a visitor, announcing itself with this garrulous song. The Blue Jay, with its plaintive cry, is also easily identified. The Blue Jay and the Chickadee looks similar to the Indian Roller and the Great Tit of India respectively, although the Indian birds have more striking colors. There is also a resident Hummingbird, but I have had only glimpses of it. The only possibility is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
Other birds that I have seen in the locality:
- Belted Kingfisher
- Common Grackle
- American Crow
- Sparrows (quite common, but not able to ID the genus exactly)
- Unidentified Raptor (gray colored bird)
- Egrets and ducks
Overall, I find that Indian urban bird landscape is richer, but this has been rewarding too.
Pictures from the web:
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| Collared Kingfisher |
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| Mourning Dove |
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| Northern Cardinal |
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| Blue Jay |
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| Carolina Chickadee |
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| Northern Mockingbird |
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| Downy Woodpecker |
1 comment:
Anna, glad to see you back on bird watching. Your posts are very useful for me in educating Adi about the various bird species....You are my researcher....
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