Northern Shovelers at Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center (Nov 2021) (Pt. 2)

The northern shovelers definitely gave me some of the weirdest photos.

Tri-colored Heron at Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center (Nov 2021)

I'm fairly certain this is a tri-colored heron.

Northern Shovelers at Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center (Nov 2021)

I didn't think these birds were anything interesting when I first saw them. I only got pictures of them because they were near a heron I was trying to photograph. Turns out that northern shovelers winter along the Gulf coast – and they're rather amusing.

Adult male northern shoveler

Adult female northern shoveler

Northern Shoveler

(Not sure if juvenile or adult female)

Black-crowned Night Heron at Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center (Nov 2021)

This is a juvenille black-crowned night heron. I'd love to see an adult in person because they look quite a bit different.

Black-necked Stilts at Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center (Nov 2021)

You can't tell because they're standing in the water, but black-necked stilts are disproportionately tall for their size. And they have pink legs.

White Ibis at Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center (Nov 2021)

White ibis start off as brown. After their first year, they start to slowly turn white. It was nice to see a 1st year juvenille (brown), an almost adult (brown and white), and an adult ibis (white) all together.

American white pelicans at Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center (Nov 2021) (Part 2)

Pelicans are fun to watch because:

1. They're improbable-looking
2. They're big so you don't have to get too close
3. They're not particularly bothered by people so you can get a bit closer than with other birds

American White Pelicans at Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center (Nov 2021)

American white pelicans are always impressive looking. There are a few that live year-round at Hagerman NWR in north Texas, but they don't gather in large numbers like they do along the Gulf coast. I always enjoy watching them preen; they're surprisingly graceful.

Fun fact: American white pelicans don't dive for their prey like brown pelicans do. They fish from the surface of the water.

Whooping Cranes at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (Nov 2021)

This was a completely unexpected encounter.

We stopped at a lookout point and decided to take the trail next to it. The trail said it was closed <1 mile in, but it was a lovely day so we decided to walk until we had to turn around. First we saw an alligator. Then a whole bunch of alligators. Pretty exciting stuff. I even saw a roseate spoonbill hanging out with a bunch of cormorants. Then, we saw these huge things in the distance: whooping cranes.

Its hard to explain how big they are. Usually the biggest birds I see are great blue herons and pelicans -- and they're pretty big, but they're not human-size big. It's almost like there was a disconnect between the size of the birds and the distance I was viewing them from.

There was one big male (he looked to be at least 5ft tall. And three smaller, juvenile whooping cranes. The birds were just hanging about, searching for food and preening. At one point, the male started calling which was completely amazing.

I'd read that a trio of whooping cranes was seen in Aransas National Wildlife Refuge at the beginning of November, but I didn't hold out hope that the birds would still be some in the area. The memory of seeing them still makes me feel a bit giddy.

Pink Turk's Cap in Rockport (Nov 2021)

I saw this pink turk's cap at Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary in Rockport, Texas. I'd never seen this flower in pink before. This cultivar is known as Pam Puryear.

Osprey at Aransas Pass ferry landing (Nov 2021)

I'm a novice at trying photographing birds. If the bird is too fast, I can't get any decent pictures. Whenever I've seen them previously, they were hunting so I've never had the opportunity to photograph an osprey. They are such awesome birds to watch. Osprey winter along the gulf coast so I never really have a chance to see them except for my annual Beachgiving trip.

This osprey was using the light and camera poles around the ferry landing to scout for fish.

Great-tailed grackle at Aransas Pass ferry landing (Nov 2021)

Grackles aren't the most exciting bird, since they're pretty much all over the place. (Lots of people consider them a nuisance.) However, I appreciate their swagger. I've never seen a grackle that was anything other than completely confident that this is their world and they just let us humans live in it.

While there are a few different types of grackles, I believe that this is a great-tailed grackle because it has yellow eyes. He kept us company as we waited for the ferry to go from Aransas Pass to Port Aransas.

American Bumblebee at Aransas NWR (Nov 2021)

I didn't know that there are 9 different types of bumblebees native to Texas. Had I known there were so many and that identification was based on the backside view of the bee, I might have taken more photos.

This poor gal was a bit chilly, despite the sunny weather, and the wind was whipping around the plant she was clinging to.

Soldier butterfly at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (Nov 2021)

This is a soldier butterfly (Danaus eresimus). At first glance, I thought it was a monarch because there are usually a lot of monarchs migrating through the Texas Gulf coast in November. I still think it's pretty lovely, though.

American alligators at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (Nov 2021)

This was the largest number of alligators that I've seen at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. They were obviously enjoying the lovely, sunny November day. Intellectually, I know that gators aren't interested in attacking people without reason but they creep the bejeesus out of me anyway.