Thursday, July 23, 2015

West Texas

Last week I headed down Toe Nail Trail southeast of Christoval, Texas to the Hummer House to band Black-chinned Hummingbirds. Per the usual in my bird related travels I encountered kind supportive people I've come to regard as friends.

This particular visit was dubbed a "Hummingbird Boot Camp" where I completed my required training to be permitted to band hummingbirds.I had little time for photography, but managed to sneak in a few hours to capture some Texas nature.

The stars of my visit, Black-chinned Hummingbirds:




Nearly just as abundant were the Painted Buntings, another specialty bird of the Hummer House which holds the longevity records for both Painted Bunting and Black-chinned Hummingbird.



It seems many things in Texas come disproportionately large and the Plains Lubber Grasshopper, bigger than the size of my thumb are no exception.



I was hoping to encounter more herps on this trip. I settled for daily encounters with Six-lined Racerunners.



On departure day, I observed/assisted with some passerine banding at the ranch which allowed for a close capture of this lively Vermillion Flycatcher.



No doubt, a return trip the Hummer House and the Davis Mountains to reunite with friends and band more hummingbirds is in my future.

No comments:

Post a Comment