Spring migration has been fast and furious in southern Texas. There have been fantastic days with multitudes of birds and there have even been times when birds have landed on my shoulders and camera! The photography has been great and I would have posted many of those images if it weren’t for some computer issues that kept me from downloading them.
Large numbers of beautiful Baltimore Orioles have been streaming north with males showing striking black and orange breeding plumage.
Male Baltimore Oriole.
Baltimore Orioles are common migrants in southern Texas.
Another less colorful yet striking grassland blackbird species that passes through on migration is the Bobolink. The tinking calls of this interesting bird are a common sound on spring nights as they migrate overhead.
A male Bobolink molting into breeding plumage.
Another grassland species, the Dickcissel, also migrates through the area. This is a fairly common bird of the tall grass prairie.
Dickcissel.
Keeping with the blackbird theme, it is always a pleasure to watch and take pictures of the striking Yellow-headed Blackbird. With its yellow head and white patches in the wings, this beautiful bird is an unmistakable sight.
Male Yellow-headed Blackbird.
Despite their somber plumage, Gray Catbirds are not related to blackbirds but are in the same family as the familiar Northern Mockingbird. This is a common species of thick, second growth in the midwestern and eastern states and provinces. It comes through southern Texas in large numbers and in doing so, offers up many a good photo opportunity.
Gray Catbird.
Stay tuned for more pictures of migrants soon!