Milkweed for the Butterflies

Danielle and I went to Hill Country Water Gardens this afternoon to get some plants for the yard. We picked up some Tropical Milkweed to add to the seedlings of Green Antelopehorn Milkweed we already have. Although Tropical Milkweed is a South American native plant, it is a host plant for some butterfly caterpillars, and the ones we saw at the nursery were attracting several butterflies. We initially thought these were Monarch Butterflies, but on closer examination, they were Soldier Butterflies. The Monarch has much bolder black veining in the wings and a black trailing boarder on the forewings. The very similar Queen Butterfly lacks the white spots on the hindwings.

Milkweed is a necessary food source for the Monarch caterpillars; the Green Antelopehorn Milkweed is the preferred native milkweed in Texas, as the toxins in the plant make the butterflies inedible to many predators, but Tropical Milkweed is still a very attractive plant.

Soldier Butterfly - iPhone 5 -  4mm, f/2.4, 1/753 sec, ISO-50

Texas Spiny Lizard on Tree

Found two Texas Spiny Lizards hanging on the trunk of our tree this evening. Here is a photo of the larger one.  The other was parked just above.

Canon SX-50 HS - 215mm, f/6.5, 1/80 sec,  ISO-800 (Danielle Plumer)

Conjunction of Moon and Mars

June Conjunction - A conjunction of the quarter moon and the planet Mars this evening.

Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L - ISO-200, 320mm, f/6.3, 1/250 sec and 2 sec

July Conjunction - This evening, the conjunction was even tighter though I missed the peak of the conjunction which was closer to twilight.

Conjunction of Moon and Mars 2014-07-05 22:30 CDT
Canon EF 100-400mm f/5.6L - 560mm, f/11, 1/60sec, ISO-400

Inca Doves in the Backyard

We have seen Inca Doves in the yard, only occasionally. They are much smaller than the White-winged Doves  that normally haunt our feeder station and devilishly shy. Normally, the birds at our feeder only spook when we open the back door ... these take flight while we are still behind the closed door thinking about getting a camera out.  This morning, after finding three of them resting on the cement patio, I was able to creep up to the window and aim the camera carefully between the slats of the venetian blind to get a picture. Though lacking the bright turquoise eyeline, these smaller doves have a very beautiful scalloped pattern to their feathers.

Canon SX-50 HS  - 215mm, f/6.5, 1/320 sec, ISO-320 (Auto)

Canon SX-50 HS  - 215mm, f/6.5, 1/320 sec, ISO-400

Cliff Swallows Show Up

On this evening's walk up the San Gabriel River Trail, we found that twenty or so Cliff Swallows had taken up residence under the D.B. Wood bridge. I am puzzled by the timing of their arrival. This USGS article states that Cliff Swallows, which winter in Argentina, should arrive in Central Texas in late March. This is about the date that the colony of Northern Rough-winged Swallows started nesting nearby in the drainage holes situated along the wall of the dam spillway. The mud dwellings under the bridge, however, have been empty. Every time we walk the trail we look up at the underside of the bridge looking for the resident Canyon Wren and feel certain we would have noticed the activity of these Cliff Swallows. Here is a photograph I took of one section of the colony. Note the dark throats and white forehead which distinguish these from the similar Cave Swallow.

Cliff Swallow Colony - Canon SX-50 HS - 215mm, f/6.5, 1/100 sec, ISO-800

Returned two days later and found much less activity in the colony. However, clearly saw nestlings being fed by parents. Some of these chicks have mature-looking feathers. Clearly, the colony has been active for some number of weeks and we have just missed the activity.

Thanks to a commenter on Facebook, Birds of Texas, indicating that, in addition to the plumage, the narrow-opening, gourd-shaped nests are also indicative of the species. Cave swallows make nests with more open tops. Danielle found this article on blog named Big Bend - Texas Nature which has some further description of the nests.

Canon 60Da, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L with Kenko x1.4 - 560mm, f/9, 1/100 sec, ISO-800 (Flash)

Painted Buntings Along San Gabriel River

Painted Bunting season must be in full swing. We saw and heard a dozen today on our walk up to the lake, even along the portion of the trail following the river where I had not seen them before. Up at Overlook Park, I saw another immature male in song.

Canon SX-50 HS - 215mm, f/8, 1/360 sec, ISO-80

There were also many White-eyed Vireo singing and scolding ... I felt compelled to stop at each one and try to find it in the binoculars. I also caught sight of another Yellow-billed Cuckoo in the distance. I am learning to recognized the chocolate-brown back and spotted tail pattern which is evident in this picture.

Canon SX-50 HS - 215mm, f/5.6, 1/20 sec, ISO-800

Carolina Wren Family

Last few weeks, we have been watching Carolina Wrens in the yard.  After a big rain storm, we watched parent wren followed around by fledglings.  Image taken about 40ft away from the birds.

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L (Kenko) - 560mm, f/11,  1/40 sec, ISO-800

Memorial Day Weekend at the Sewage Plant

Late this morning, we drove down to the Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant in Southeast Austin. This location is popular for area birders; it is also known as the Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory which sounds a lot more palatable. We saw almost no water birds on the ponds this late in the season. The trails along the river had quite a bit of activity, but the migratory species have all passed through.

White-eyed Vireo - After our Lake Georgetown hike last weekend, where we thought we identified a White-eyed Vireo based on the call and a brief glimpse, this vireo has become our "bird of the week." All week, we have recognized the call along our evening walk along the San Gabriel River, but the birds are hard to find as they move fast and stay hidden in the brush. Yesterday, we positively identified a pair in the bushes along the trail, seeing the two white wing bars and the stunning white iris and yellow spectacles. Otherwise, a nondescript bird.

As soon as I heard them at Hornsby Bend, my mission was to get a recognizable picture -- and I succeeded! I still find the stark white iris hypnotizing.

White-eyed Vireo - Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L - 400mm, f/5.6, 1/500sec, ISO-800

White-eyed Vireo - Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L - 400mm, f/10, 1/80sec, ISO-800 ( Flash )

In all, we were able to identify the following birds:

• EUST - European Starlings - several around the parking lot
• STFC - Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - numerous perched on power lines
• NOCA - Northern Cardinal - every-present and numerous
• PABU - Painted Bunting - saw two females near bird observatory, heard one male near river
• RBWO - Red-bellied Woodpecker - saw and heard several of these
• CACH - Carolina Chickadee
• BCTI - Black-crested Titmouse - chattering in the trees with the chickadees
• EAPH - Eastern Phoebe - found two of these in the sultry Aquatic Greenhouse
• RSHA - Red-shouldered Hawk - hanging around an the Aquatic Greenhouse and flew through once
• YBCU - Yellow-billed Cuckoo - heard several times and saw one fly across the road.
• TUVU - Turkey Vulture - only a one of these
• BHCO - Brown-headed Cowbird - saw pair of females and, later, one male singing at top of tree.
• BLJA - Blue Jay - followed the call and caught a glimpse in bushes
• WEVI - White-eyed Vireo - hard to find in foliage
• SUTA - Summer Tanager - probable identification of call but no visual

At noon, we took a break and had a picnic sandwich at the truck. After lunch, we braved the heat and made another pass along the trails. Except for the ever-present Cardinals, the bird life had quieted down.

Dragonflies - We ran into another photographer, Eric Isley, who introduced us to dragonflies, showing us on his camera some of the different species we might find and pointing out field marks. Just like birds ... only they pose better and don't disappear during the warmth of afternoon.

After we got home, we trolled the internet looking for reference materials on dragonflies.  We found a site called Odonata Central and searched for a list of species for Travis County. Though the site is very slow, it does have some good field notes on the various species.

The most common type we saw was the Widow Skimmer, which shows yellow stripes down the two sides of the abdomen joining on the thorax. These are obscured in mature males, which look powder blue. Males have white patches on the wings while females do not.  We think we have a picture of a female and an immature male.

Female Widow Skimmer - Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L - 400mm, f/7.1, 1/400 sec, ISO-800

Female Widow Skimmer - Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L - 400mm, f/7.1, 1/640sec, ISO-800

Male Widow Skimmer - Canon SX-50 HS - 215mm, f/6.5, 1/160 sec, ISO-250 (Danielle Plumer)

The  next dragonfly is, we think, a Royal River Cruiser based on the small break in the yellow band around the second segment. To quote a description at Austin Bug Collection:

To distinguish this species from others, note that the yellow ring at the base of the abdomen is broken at the top, the front shoulder stripes only reach partway up the thorax, and the abdominal spots are rather small.

Royal River Cruiser - Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L - 210mm, f/7.1, 1/320 sec, ISO-800

This final dragonfly is unquestionably a Comet Darner, showing the green thorax and brick red abdomen. It is quite a sight and, apparently, not very common. Many thanks to Eric for pointing this out to us!

Comet Darner - Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L - 400mm, f/6.3, 1/800 sec, ISO-800

Comet Darner - Canon SX-50 HS - 215mm, f/6.5, 1/160 sec, ISO-200 (Danielle Plumer)

Update 2014-06-08 - Have seen a few of what I think are juvenile WEVI on our evening walk.  Identical to adults photographed above but the iris is still black.

Blue Grosbeak at Lake Georgetown

This afternoon, we went hiking along the section of the Goodwater Trail around Lake Georgetown from Jim Hogg Park to Russell Park. The water level has been consistently low for several years and we were able to walk down onto a meadow that used to be completely underwater. There, we found a half dozen Northern Mockingbirds displaying from stubby tree tops. In the water remaining in the inlet, we found a Great Blue Heron and Great Egret feeding as well as a lone American Coot. A couple of Red-winged Blackbirds and Killdeer were also calling near the water.  Later, alerted by strange duck-like noises coming from the somewhere off the trail near Liz Ln, we found an egret nest, high in the branches of a deciduous tree. After Murphy Park yesterday, seeing a single egret nesting in isolation seemed pretty odd. At various places along the hike, we heard a very distinctive song which I am fairly sure is a White-eyed Vireo, especially at the creek crossing at the apex of the inlet. We have yet to see it.

The highlight of our foray into the meadow was finding a Blue Grosbeak, only the third one we have seen this year.

Canon SX-50 HS - 215mm, f/6.5, 1/320 sec, ISO-400

Cattle Egrets Nesting at Murphy Park

Whereas the Great Egrets started nest building earlier in the year and are now caring for chicks, the Cattle Egrets still appear to be building their nests and beginning to incubate eggs. They are certainly now in full breeding plumage including the red-orange bills.  As we observed earlier in the year, the Cattle Egrets stake our the lower branches of the trees as well as much of the cane.

Canon SX-50 HS - f/6.5, 1/400sec, ISO-200

Large flocks of them also settle on the east shore of the pond, where there are less people.

Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L - 400mm,  f/9, 1/1000 sec, ISO-800

Much of the group activity on shore seems to be stick hunting. I saw several egrets pulling on the twigs poking out from the ground cover. Others were able to find a quiet perch in the bare tree branches for some preening.

Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L - 400mm, f/9, 1/1000 sec, ISO-400

Not sure if this egret is looking for food or the perfect stick but it looks pretty intense. I did not see any cattle egret fishing in the pond but did see them drinking at the water's edge. Unlike the Great Egrets, I believe that these mostly eat insects they gather on pasture land.

Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L - 400mm, f/9, 1/1000 sec, ISO-400, EC -0.3

Occasionally one of the twigs comes free and the lucky bird flys back to the island with its prize.

Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L - 250mm, f/9, 1/3200 sec, ISO-800, EC -0.3