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| Texas has some great stuff |
Earlier this year, I had two occasions to “return home” to
Colleyville, Texas, where I lived before moving to Colorado.
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| Too busy to bird |
Back when I lived in Texas I was busy – very busy – with a
high-pressure job, two young children, Girl Scouts (I was a leader for nine
years) and lots of other stuff. That's me and Caty at a Girl Scout function in Texas to the right (love those shoulders!).
I traveled some and took pictures but had not
yet developed a passion for wildlife photography or birding. Now that I live in
wildlife-rich Colorado, I was surprised to learn that Texas is a treasure trove
for birders.
I already blogged about my trip to Texas in March. I then went
back on several occasions because I just couldn’t get enough!
My biggest
surprise was that just a few miles from my former home is the magnificent
Colleyville Nature Center. The big draw: Barred Owls.
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| Barred Owl |
The Northern Barred Owl (Strix varia) is sometimes called
the Hoot Owl because it is the owl with the most distinctive hooting call.
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| Sleepy Owl |
This expansion has created threats for the Spotted
Owl because the two species compete for food.
We don’t have them in Colorado, so I have to travel to see
them.
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| Stretching |
A large owl, adult Barred Owls can be as tall as 25 inches and can have up to a four-foot wingspan. They have a somewhat freaky look
because, unlike most U.S. Owls, they have dark brown eyes – often giving them
the appearance of having empty sockets rather than eyes.
The head is round and
lacks ear tufts. There is no mistaking them for a Great Horned Owl!
Barred Owls prefer to nest in tree cavities, often ones
created by pileated woodpeckers, but they also take over nesting sites made by
Red-Shouldered Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, Crows or Squirrels.
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| Looking at me |
Unlike migratory Owls, they generally stay within a five-mile radius their entire lives. The Great Horned Owl is the most serious predator of the Barred Owl. Although they often live in the same areas, a Barred
Owl will move to another part of its territory when a Great Horned Owl is
nearby.
The oldest recorded Barred Owl was at least 24 years old. It was banded
in Minnesota in 1986, and found dead, entangled in fishing gear, in the same
state in 2010.
Pleistocene fossils of Barred Owls, at least 11,000 years old,
have been dug up in Florida, Tennessee and Ontario, Canada.
Caty and I both love Owls and back in 2016, when we went to
Shenandoah National Park, we spent a lot of time looking for a Barred Owl. We
saw one – very briefly – but got no photo. So, now, I find out that there are
easily photographed Barred Owls in Colleyville!! Who knew??
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| A beautiful creature |
The first time I went (on a trip in February with Scott who
was golfing with his friend, Bob), I was clueless where to look at the
Colleyville Nature Center (I just assumed they were found throughout the
center). The park comprises 46 acres, hiking and biking trails and nine ponds that wind through upscale
residential areas, often flanking beautiful backyards. Interestingly, it appears to have no Visitors Center, something I usually expect at a Nature Center.
I wandered around a bit,
looking and photographing other birds and critters. During my two trips there, I saw ...
Carolina Wrens ...
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| A very vocal bird |
Downy Woodpeckers ...
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| Common throughout the west |
Blue-winged Teals ...
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| A very pretty duck |
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| Look at that! |
Mallards (this one napping)...
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| Creepy sleepy eyes |
Red-bellied Woodpeckers ...
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| This one was involved in a high-speed territorial fight |
Eastern Bluebirds ...
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| Lots of orange and blue (a Gator bird?) |
Snowy Egrets ...
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| On the move |
Red-eared Sliders (lots and lots of them) ...
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| Big and little ones |
Northern Cardinals ...
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| Bright birds |
White-throated Sparrows ...
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| A nice pose from an elusive bird |
Northern Mockingbirds ...
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| This one looks displeased |
Mrytle Yellow-rumped Warblers ...
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| Name is obvious |
Double-crested Cormorants ...
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| Two Cormorants |
American Wigeons ...
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| Also called "Bald Pates" for that white head top |
Cedar Waxwings ...
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| Often seen in flocks |
... and Gadwalls ...
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| A small flock |
And, I've seen photos of many other birds -- plus Raccoons, Foxes and Bobcats -- there.
Now, back to my first visit ... I had given up on finding Owls and gone back to my car when
a Red-shouldered Hawk practically buzzed me before it landed in a tree in a
yard across the street.
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| Beautiful Hawk |
It was a treat because we
don’t have Red-shouldered Hawks in Colorado. They live exclusively in the east and along the coast of California. I discovered that this was a
different type of Red-shouldered Hawk (Lineatus, which is much redder and more clearly barred) than I had photographed in Florida (Extimus, which is much paler).
The amazing thing is that this bird sat very still while I photographed it. I could not have been more than 15 feet away.
It was in a tree in a residential yard and the only reasons I didn't get closer were that my long lens couldn't contain the whole bird and, as I said, I did not want to leave the sidewalk.
As I was taking pictures, two runners came by and spooked the Hawk, which flew to another house.
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| Nice wingspan |
They apologized (it's Texas; people are nice) and asked me if I had seen the Owls. I
told them I didn’t know where to look and they gave me directions. So, I went back in the park and started looking.
But, I quickly became confused and turned back to the car. That’s when I ran into a couple who walked me to the first nesting site (it's Texas; people are very nice).
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| The nest tree |
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| A supercilious look |
The light wasn’t
good, but I managed to get some shots. I
stayed until I really had to leave. I met some folks who showed me spectacular
pictures they had taken (some the previous season). They asked me to join the
Friends of The Colleyville Nature Center Facebook Group and post my pictures there
(since joining, I have learned that this park is a real suburban gem).
The location of the nest right on the trail with no foliage
in the way creates great opportunities WHEN the Owls are IN THE NEST. I was too
early. Now, I really wanted to camp out there for the next month or so!!
While there, I also encountered the Red-shouldered Hawk and its mate -- they were building a nest nearby.
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| Mating pair |
The next morning, I took Bob and Scott back to try to find
the Owl again. It wasn't readily found.
They gave up and headed back, but I persisted and succeeded
again. Actually, it was directly over my head.
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| You can't see me |
Hard to find, but obvious once I
saw it. Then, later in the day we had to head toward home (I’ll cover that trip
in my next post).
Around this time, Caty decided to take a trip to Texas to
visit friends and try to find some Bluebonnets to photograph. So, Scott and I
decided to go back for Easter to meet up with Caty. I knew from the Facebook
posting that the Owls were in the nest, so I was excited.
We learned when we arrived that there were TWO sets of
nesting Owls. We never found the “westside” nest, which was in a new location
this year, but we did photograph the male as he perched in a tree in the
vicinity.
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| Close-up |
This was a great find because he was right above us and in some very good light. It was a bit breezy and it was fun to watch his feathers fluff in the wind. While we were taking pictures, we talked to a neighbor whose yard backs right up to the trail. He said that he sees the Owls almost everyday. What a treat!
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| Looking down |
We also spent a lot of time looking for the “eastside” pair. We found
the male (well, another photographer pointed him out to us) and took lots of
pictures. He put on quite a show -- fluffing and stretching and fluffing some more.
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| Stretching |
Then, he flew so silently that I couldn't hear him as he passed right over me. But, after he landed he made quite a racket -- hooting to the female who was deep in the nest. We could hear her talking back and hoped we would soon see her.
We knew that these owl are primarily nocturnal and that it would be very unusual for the female to leave the nest before sunset while she is incubating eggs.
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| Money shot! |
Still, we saw it!!!
I want to go back next year in late April/early May, so I
can see the Owlets. We were just a bit too early. Still, it was fun
On the trip, we also saw a bird that apparently is common in
Texas, but I had been completely unaware of
before: the Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher.
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| The very long tail says this is a male |
What a beauty! How did I miss this?
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| They are the logo for a major trail |
In the U.S., they venture only into Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and parts of Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana. Caty and I encountered a few as we traveled in pursuit of Bluebonnets.
Mostly, they sit on wires and then fly very quickly away.
We went out to Cleburne State Park (why didn’t we go to
these beautiful parks when we lived in Texas?), where we found only a few
Bluebonnets ...
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| Texas State Flower |
... but did spend some time with a flock of Cedar Waxwings ...
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| See the "wax" tips on the wing? |
... and some
Northern Cardinals (these are still a novelty for Caty) ...
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| Singing loudly |
We also learned that
the park is a habitat for the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler. We didn’t see
any, but it’s nice to know we can find them there.
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| Pretty |
These blue/purple lupines got their name because they were thought to resemble bonnets
worn by pioneer women to shield them from the sun.
Former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson is credited with
bringing the Bluebonnet back into the spotlight with her efforts at highway
beautification in the United States.
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| Becca in Bluebonnets; it's a thing |
Bluebonnets have become such a common
backdrop for family photographs that the Texas Department of Public Safety
issues safety recommendations each year for roadside photography.
In addition to Bluebonnets, Texas also has a host of other wildflowers, including Indian Paintbrush...
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| Texas wildflowers are wonderful in an otherwise blah state |
... and Evening Primroses ...
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| Sometimes they look like paper scraps in the median |
Just as with the owls, we missed prime Bluebonnet season for
north Texas. They were having a banner year south of us (thanks to the
hurricanes), but it was a bit too far to drive to. The season hadn't yet peaked where we were.
The best field we found was
actually a hill on the side of the Interstate in Fort Worth. We found that, by crouching, we were able to make it look like the wilderness.
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| A nice setting (on the Interstate!) |
That’s how it is with Bluebonnets.
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| A shady walk |
I will admit that I expected lakeshore, but this area is actually behind the Lake Lewisville dam.
There had been recent flooding, so some of the areas were in accessible. Thus, we didn't see water birds and the trail was fairly silent. It was also incredibly warm and humid. But, it's a really lovely place and we had a pleasant walk.
So, between my trip to South Texas and these visits, I am
now a fan of Texas flora and fauna.
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| What a nice surprise! |
Trip dates: February 17-18 and March 29-31, 2018
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