Bird of the Week – Barred Owl

Image courtesy of Alabama Ag Extension By Abby West Owls have captured the imagination of humans for thousands of years, apparently striking fear, or at…

Continue reading

Bird of the Week: Loggerhead Shrike

Written and composed by Lindsey Hernandez Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus Walking through a forest alone, you might see a clump of fur or feathers on a branch. Upon closer inspection, you identify…

Continue reading

Bird of the Week: Spotted Towhee

Photo by Gregory Vinyard Written by Abby West Hiking around with my family at Enchanted Rock last January, we were all startled by a sudden flurry of leaf litter that…

Continue reading

Bird of the Week: Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata Crowned moth-eater Winter weather here in Central Texas brings unpredictable weather, predictable allergies and splashes of yellow in the trees. The Yellow-rumped Warblers, still known to some by…

Continue reading

Bird of the Week – Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

Photo by Kenneth Cole Schneider By Abby West We’ve camped at Enchanted Rock at least once every year for the past ten years. Except this time, I’d been paying attention…

Continue reading

Bird of the Week: European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

  Every European Starling in North America is descended from one of 100 birds released in Central Park in the early 1890s.  Shakespearian enthusiasts of the day also released House…

Continue reading

Bird of the Week: House Wren

House Wren Troglodytes aedon  The tiny brown bird, with its checkered brown and…

Continue reading

Bird of the Week: Downy Woodpecker

Photo by Evan Lipton Downy woodpeckers can be found here in Central Texas year-round. Downy woodpeckers are common in any woods, especially…

Continue reading

Bird of the Week: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius Written and compiled by Lindsey Hernandez Sources: Texas Parks and Wildlife, All About Birds, Travis Audubon Society, American Bird Conservancy, Ovid’s Metamorphoses A common woodpecker on the smaller side,…

Continue reading

Bird of the Week: Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Painting 1916 Robert Bruce Horsfall.   Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) The Yellow-billed Cuckoo arrives in the Texas hill country in late spring and leaves in mid-September when they migrate to…

Continue reading

Bird of the Week: Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Northern Cardinals are one of the most popular birds in North America, and many people confess that the Cardinal is the bird that got them started…

Continue reading

Bird of the Week: Brown-headed Cowbird

The Brown-headed Cowbird is aptly named. The male is, well, a brown-headed cowbird. They have a glossy black body, an entirely brown head, and are frequently seen around cow…

Continue reading

Bird of the Week: Green Heron

Photo by Daniel VanWart Let me introduce you to the Green Heron, my favorite bird. The few times I’ve mentioned this fact to my friends after we…

Continue reading

Bird of the Week: Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Dryobates scalaris) Like their name suggests, the Ladder-backed Woodpecker has stripes of alternating black and white running along their backs, and the males sport a striking red cap…

Continue reading

Bird of the Week: Pyrrhuloxia

Adult female Pyrrhuloxia. Courtesy of Mike Charest. Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus) Often called the Desert Cardinal, the Pyrrhuloxia is gray or brown with…

Continue reading