We decided we needed a day birding at Port Aransas. Barb and Dan joined us and so we loaded up, crossed on the Ferry and headed to The Leorna Turnbill Birding Center.
When we arrived the trees along the sidewalk harbored a few Yellow Rumped Warblers.
The one pictured wasn’t in its breeding plumage, which was a common sight for many of the birds at the Center. One exception was the American Flamingo.
It was still at the center but sleeping with a flock of American White Pelicans. It did wake up for a bit and preened its plumage before returning to it mid-morning siesta.
The weren’t as many ducks as we expected to see and that was normal as hunting season is over.
A pair of American Shovelers did pose only to have a Black Necked Stilt, photo bomb the picture. A pair of whooping Cranes made a brief appearence but they were too far away for a decent image.
The huge alligator nickn
amed, “Boots” has been trapped and moved to near the city of Beaumont, Texas. Probably because it was eating too many waterfowl at the Center.
Leaving Leorna Turnbill, we drove next to a small birding spot, Paradise Pond. There was very little there as the pond is almost completely dry from the severe drought, (we later talked with a member of our rock club who told us that his four wells were all dry and that his fifty-year-old Live Oak trees have all died from lack of water).
Our next stop was at Virginia’s for lunch, and as usual were served a lunch of excellent seafood! Our favorite is the Parmesan Crusted Black Drum, while our friends shared a salad and an order of Calamari.
The day had passed quickly, the older we get the faster time flies by, and so we crossed the ferry and returned to our place at Blue Lagoons Rv Park.
Clear skies
