Greater Roadrunner at Hagerman NWR (July 2022)

Adult great roadrunners have a spot next to their eyes that are lightblue-white-red during mating season. It's usually easy to see the red and white but I don't think I've never noticed the blue before.

Snowy Egret at Hagerman (July 2022)

Myrna (Barred Rock)

Not to be outshone by Peggy Sue, Myrna showed me exactly how the hens get into the tree. They fly from the picnic table to the fencing around the tree and then jump up into the tree branches.

Myrna is a 5-month old barred rock chicken and too smart for her own good.

Peggy Sue (Red Star/red sex link)

Today, Peggy Sue showed me how the hens have been getting out of the yard. I figured they were going over the fence (rather than under) and I also assumed it was related to the maple tree. I just hadn't seen them do it until now. She was so pretty up in the tree that I decided to take some photos of her. She got down on her own shortly after the photo session.

Peggy Sue is a 5-month old Red Star (AKA red sex link) hen. Based on her comb and wattles, she'll be laying eggs soon!

American Lotus at Hagerman

Immature Great Blue Heron at Hagerman

Canada Geese at Hagerman

Wild Hibiscus at Hagerman

I didn't realize that we have native, wild hibiscus here in Texas. I'm not exactly sure what cultivar this is, but it's probably something related to Hibiscus lasiocarpos.

Red-winged Blackbird at Hagerman

If there's one bird I'm guaranteed to see at Hagerman NWR in the summertime, it's red-winged blackbirds. The females are non-descript and look nothing like the males. Their camouflage is so good that it's almost impossible for me to get a good photo of them. The males, on the other hand, are noisy and attention-grabbing and like to perch in very noticible places.

Immature Little Blue Heron at Hagerman

Little blue herons start out white and then turn slate blue/grey when they're adults. This one is in between stages.

Great Egret at Hagerman

Snowy Egret at Hagerman

The snowy egret is one of my favorite birds.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron at Hagerman NWR

I don't think I've ever seen a yellow-crowned night heron at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge before today. This part of Texas is in its breeding area, though, so maybe I'll see more of them in the future.