Back to Port Aransas searching for a clapper rail

Some birds seem to elude us. One is the clapper rail and a place where it is sometimes seen is at the Leorna Turnbull Birding Center in Port Aransas. We decided to take one last trip there, with our friends Barb and Dan in the hopes of finally adding it to our life bird list. Arriving at the Center we took photos of the many yellow- rumped warblers and even took some of a blinking boat tailed grackle.

It was displaying nicely and even was trying to nest on a post top in one of the viewing towers. Along the Western Gulf Coast this grackle has a bught yellow eyes while eastern ones have a brown one, (birds eyelids blink sideways unlike ours). As we watched, a pair of blue winged teals waded across a small inlet and begin to feed.

Heading out on the new walkway a small flock of dunlins fed along with a short billed dowitcher

. A white morphed reddish egret posed on the railing and numerous gulls flew in to join others.

American white pelicans were resting on the far shore along with an occasional American avocet.

We met a very knowledgeable birder who pointed out a stilt sandpiper

and a Wilsons snipe with its orange tail.

Both were new birds for us. He also told us that the clapper rail was spotted yesterday, at its usual location along the southern walkway.

Heading to the second, and older tower we could easily see the giant alligator, sunning out from the towers shadow. My goodness, what a monster. A family stopped near us and the children, wide eyed, ran over to see the beast. It did have its eyes open and seemed to be lurking in ambush for any careless bird.

Black necked stilts were everywhere. Renita joined me and we walked further south hoping to see the clapper rail.

The same birder did tell us to watch for a swamp a sparrow and we did see it but neither of us could get its picture before it disappeared into the thick mangroves. It was also a new bird for us, which made three in one day. Its always nice to have an expert who points out new birds! One last look was at a pair of mottled ducks who woke up and waddled into the thick.

Walking back to the car we did stop to photograph a beautiful American white ibis with its bright red face and legs. Later we drove to Paradise Pond where we saw little as most of the birds were done feeding. A cardinal flitted back and forth, which is always a plus as we don't have them where we are live in Western Wyoming. After lunch we drove to Charlies Pasture. Its another birding place with walkways and platforms. The whooping cranes had already headed north. Still we took a stroll along one of the paths and were rewarded with a new flower.

Its called a Mexican sombrero, renratbida columnifera/upright prairie flower. It was starting to seed out somewhat like a sunflower, only more erect. Another colorful flower was a brightly colored flower named an Indian Blanket, gaillardia pulchella.

The geckos/anoles are also out and Renita spotted two mating.

She got a good picture even thought the reptiles were partially hidden by plant stems, (we often have to use manual focus for shots like this one. Our last sight of the day was of a tarantula.

It escaped into its hole but Dan gently coaxes it out for a quick picture. Another successful day of birding even though we never did spot the clapper rail, thanks Barb and Dan!

It’s just about time for us to leave the Texas Coastal Bend and start our journey North,so we are busy packing and moving things into storage. Clear skies and of course safe travels