There are a few different types of habitats in south Texas. Over on the coast, there are lagoons and marshes. Subtropical forest, palm groves, and oxbow lakes occur along the riparian zones of the Lower Rio Grande, and open fields and arid habitats are found at many inland sites. The hot and dry character of the habitats in southern Texas turns water into quite the commodity. That’s why so many of my photos show animals and birds coming to water. It acts like a magnet, and brings in everything from ground squirrels to cardinals and Bobcats. Recently, I was happy to get some nice shots of Chachalaca families coming to water.
Chachalaca parents and babies come in for a refreshing drink in south Texas.
Baby chachalacas are always cute!
Like many birds, Plain Chachalacas also take dust baths and allow ants to crawl through their feathers. The ants probably clean out parasites.
I also got some nice shots of Groove-billed Anis.
Groove-billed Anis are cuckoo species with interesting beaks and iridescent plumage.
I have seen anis with green highlights but never purple! The feathers of this bird were showing some beautiful colors.
Another look at a Groove-billed Ani.
The Long-billed Thrasher is another long-tailed bird that comes to water drips in south Texas. Like the ani, southern Texas is the only place in the country where it occurs.
Note the yellowish eye and grayish face of the Long-billed Thrasher.
Cottontail Rabbits also show up for nice, close photos.
Crested Caracaras don’t normally come down to water but they often show for good photo opportunities anyways.
Caracaras mostly scavenge for carrion.
Like other birds, these vulture-like falcons can also be seen with their young. They can be told from the adults by their pink faces and lighter colored plumage.
A family of Crested Caracaras in south Texas.
There might not have been any Aplomado Falcons the day these photos were taken but as always, there was still plenty to see and photograph in south Texas.