We left on Sunday morning from our home on Lake Eufaula, and headed southwest toward the gulf, with a destination of the eastern coast of Texas along the Gulf of Mexico. We didn't start out to do a bird watching trip, but we saw such a variety of birds that the trip became more than just an adventure to look for sun and warmth.
Just as we left home, we came across a flock of wild turkeys in the cotton field just down the road.
Thousands of red wing blackbirds flying in formation and filling the trees amazed us with their aerial antics as we neared Dothan, Al.
It was noticeably warmer as the sun chased the clouds away on the west side of the front, and we began to see shore birds in the swamps along I-10. (Note: we drove all along the beaches in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas and didn't see a single trace of oil.)
We took the free ferry onto Aransas Island off the east coast of Texas. Nice and warm and sunny. This Roseate Spoonbill was busily digging for something along the road on the intercoastal side of the island.
Pelicans of all colors littered every dock and pier. Some of the birds we saw that I couldn't get a photo of: Crested Caracara, Mississippi Kite, and many varieties of hawks.
Most of Padre Island, Texas, is a National Wildlife Sanctuary. Miles of beaches extend all along the island, with limited access for fishing, beachcombing, swimming, etc. along the Gulf side. This old guy from Michigan spends his winters in an RV near the refuge and fishes every day. He proudly showed us the biggest fish he caught that day.
Well, that was a fun trip. You certainly have different birds there than we do here!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos!
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