We will miss the beach and all the sea birds, and especially our time volunteering at the Birding and Nature Center on South Padre Island.
It has been a blessing to see the creatures that God has put in this habitat. We have also had the chance to visit and bird with lots of friends, many from Wisconsin.
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| Yellow-crowned Night-heron |
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| Peregrine Falcon high on the water tower next to the Birding Center |
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| American Coot has unique red spot on beak shield |
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| Green Heron stealth mode |
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| A cold windy day at San Benito Wetlands Green Kingfisher |
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| American Oystercatcher lands nearby |
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| Oystercatcher keeps an eye on passing Osprey |
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| Yellow-throated Warbler nails a fly |
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| Great Egret has a nice catch |
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| Reddish Egret does his fishing dance, shading the water to draw the fish close |
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| Hermit Crab has selected a True Tulip shell - perfect fit |
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| Dolphins escort oil tanker up the Brownville ship canal |
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| Dolphin pod a common site along SPI |
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| Forester's Tern dives in the waves |
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| A rare treat - Purple Sandpiper feeding along the breakwater with Ruddy Turnstones |
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| Birders came from all over to find this rare winter visitor |
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| A few days later, another rare visitor stopped giving three birders a look Black-legged Kittiwake |
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| Laughing Gulls coming into Spring plumage |
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| Green Jay at Laguna Atascosa NWR |
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| Surprise! What are you doing behind the bird blind? White-tailed (fork horned) Buck |
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| Seven foot long Indigo Snake at Prairie Trail - Laguna Atascosa |
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| Closeup photo shows wood tick on snake's neck |
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| Black Skimmer working the waves |
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| Unique bills longer lower mandible skims the surface and snaps shut with fish contact |
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| High surf hits the jetty but doesn't deter the people fishing in spite of losing equipment. Cold fronts seemed to arrive every week in January - also bringing in unusual birds |
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| Loggerhead Shrike captures Katydid |
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| Roseate Spoonbill delicately preens his feathers, Black-bellied Whistling Duck looks on |
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| Snowy Egret has unusual bill color, typically all black |
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| 900 pound "Big Padre" takes a slow walk |
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| Count the gators at the rescue pen. All lining up for some sun, |
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| Last day at the Birding Center, finally got a look at the Clapper Rail |
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| Black Skimmers fly through the sunset to roost. And our next roosting site is Weslaco, about 60 miles west. Love & Prayers, Ty & Ida Baumann |
