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Coastal
Birds of Texas - IIPhotos
and Notes by Ken
Rudine |
| Great
Blue Heron. March 2006 photo |
| Great Blue Heron
- This bird likes to find a pier that has 2 or 3 fishermen on it and they will
approach to within about 15 feet and wait for a hand-out. |
| White
Pelicans waiting to be fed in Fulton.
March 2006 |
| White Pelicans
are entirely different from Brown Pelicans which crash into the water from
high heights to catch a fish seen while flying over the water. White Pelicans
tend to group in a single location near day's end waiting for fishermen to throw
them food collected from cleaning the fish of today's catch. |
| Brown
Pelican. December 2006 |
| Brown
Pelican. August 2008 |
| Black-Necked
Stilt. July 2008 |
| Black-Bellied
Whistling-Duck. December 2005 |
| Black-Bellied Whistling-Duck
- These ducks do whistle, but the belly is not always black - all the time. |
| Northern
Shoveler. March 2006 |
| Northern Shoveler
- Colorful medium size duck with a green head, black back, rusty sides, sometimes
a blue wing spot, but if female it has orange lips on a dark bill. |
| Scissor
Tailed Fly Catcher. March 2007 |
| Scissor Tailed
Fly Catcher - This bird was taken on the Rio Grande near Santa Ana N W R.
They have extremely long tail feathers and like pasture lands too. |
| Birds
of a feather flock together. February 2006 |
| Grackles at
the power pole was taken at Fulton,
Texas harbor, corner of Broadway and Fulton Beach Road. |
| Ducks
on a wire. December 2008 |
Photographer's
Note:
After The
Rudine Team saw Ron Stone’s Houston
TV report of the Rockport Hummer/Bird Celebration in the mid 1980’s, we
began our annual treks there. Each year we listened to lectures given by various
birders on their specialty and saw their slide shows. All this was helpful in
understanding where certain birds could be seen and how to recognize them when
you do find them.
At The Celebration in 1995, one of the speakers was Roger
Tory Peterson. During that weekend, he was honored at Rockport’s
own Connie Hagar (1886-1973) Bird Sanctuary dedication near the corner
of E. 3rd and S. Church Streets. During this event, and not being dressed for
the heat of the day, Peterson collapsed. At his then age of 86, many of us feared
the worst, but his stamina soon returned. |
He was a birder and an artist who started drawing birds while in high school.
As an artist he recognized and simplified a method of identifying birds. He published
his "Field Guide to Birds" in 1934 which revolutionized bird-watching.
John Audubon was the reigning painter of birds before Roger Tory Peterson came
along.
Peterson was born in Jamestown, N. Y., August 28, 1908 and died
July 28, 1996 in Old Lyme, CT. We credit the Peterson Identification System with
our ability to find, photograph and identify birds for our enjoyment. – Ken
& Yvonne Rudine |
|
| Green
Parrot. March 2007 photo |
| Green Parrot
- Maybe not considered a coastal bird by purists, but I have photographed them
less than 9 miles from the Gulf. | |
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