Midnight Mockingbirds?

Here it is 12:22 a.m. and there is a male mockingbird calling at the top of his voice. Very strange. Over the last week I've heard him calling for a mate any time from Midnight to 4 a.m. Never heard of this before. Talk about desperate. ;-)

Waxwings again tonight

They are still in the yard. This evening in the neighbor's pecan tree and the other neighbor's Mulberry tree.

Retro: May 9 to May 15, 2008

We had a dove's nest low (about 5 feet) in our Western Red Ceder last year.

This is the second brood on that same nest.

Here's the egg. May 9


Here's the mama WW dove, after having been hit by a hail stone.


Here's a CU


She's shealed up by May 15


A CU.

WaxWings again today

Saw the Cedar WaxWings up in the backyard neighbors Pecan tree again. You hear them before you see them. They're almost always in flocks and they have a high, thin almost whispered call note. The flock sounds almost ghostly.

I didn't get any pix from today, but see my other post from today for pix from last year.

Retro: May 2 to May 8, 2008

Just getting around to posting these shots from last year.

May 2

House finch preflight (at Barton Oaks Plaza)


house finch in flight (at BOP)

May 3

Monarch on Lantana at my house


May 4

Male Lesser Goldfinch at thistle feeder


Yellow Crowned Night Heron (48th and Harris)


Yellow Crowned Night Heron chick


Parent and chick


May 8

Cedar Waxwing duo


Cedar Waxwing trio

Cedar Waxwings

Saw them for the first time this year in the backyard neighbors pecan tree.

Over the weekend, I saw a male American Goldfinch at the sock thistle feeder. First time I've ever seen the males in summer plummage in my yard. Haven't seen him since.

Saw the ruby-throated hummers in Early April for about a week, but not since.

The female red-wing blackbirds are back in force at the front yarder feeder this week and I've seen song sparrows feeding on the ground under the thistle feeder.

Lots of lesser goldfinches. Pretty sure I have at least two breeding pairs in the yard or nearby.

Have taken loads of pictures. Will try to get them up ASAP.

Great backyard bird count coming up Feb. 13-16!

I know. Long time, no blog. Got caught up since taking a day job in April. Still, I've been checking out the birds.

The migration is starting. I've seen a ton of ruby-crown kinglets in the yard, and the elm's are budding so I've got my eye out for Cedar Waxwings. Just saw a red-winged black bird at the feeder today.

Next week is the GBBC. Really easy to do. Just stand in your yard for at least 15 minutes, note the birds you see, and then report them. Go here for more info and rules.

I will try to post bird pics that I took but didn't post here. Stay tuned.

Late March through Arpil roundup.

Culled through my pictures to update the old bird blog.

Here's a sampler.

Here's a few cedar waxwings from a flock that kept coming back to my backyard pecan tree to feed on the tassles March 29 through March 31.



























The next dates for pictures in April 4. Still gettting rain back then, this year often accompanied by Hail. Plus, I found a dove nesting above 5 feet off the ground in my juniper tree in the front yard.




Splurged on a new camera, a Nikon D60 10.1 Megapixel, and the dove on nest photos from 4-10 are among the first I took:




Django, my Chow-mix conered this Possum on 4-15. Took me a while to figure out how to use the new camera to ge this shot.



April 20th was a big day. Here are all the photos from 4-20. Two baby doves on the nest with pin feathers. Momma on the nest and a starling in flight.






The waxwings had plenty of food this spring so they stayed. Here's a pic from 4-25 in my backyard.



Now near the end of the month, here are the baby doves with feathers this time, 4-27.



My new workplace is right on the Barton creek greenbelt right next to Zilker park. Here are male and female house finches, male and female Cardinals, and what I believe to be a pine warbler, though I never got a clear shot as it hopped and moved so much. Pix from 4-28 to 4-30.










Not pictured here are the numerous house sparrows, great tailed grackles, white wing doves and starlings that visited the house in huge numbers. Also plentiful were cardinals, bluejays, Carolina wrens, Carolina chickadees and mocking birds.

Major Gap!

Between work, a screenwriters group, a new play and volunteering at wildlife rescue, I've scarce time to update this blog. But I have taken some cool photos that I'll get up here as soon as I can. Noticed that the cedar waxwings have stayed through mid may eating mulberries and pecan blossoms even. Also have finally gotten lesser goldfinches to hit my feeders. Pictures with dates will follow, I swear.