Spring migration goes by with a rush of birds in southern Texas. Some days, it seems like there are birds everywhere you look but the action doesn’t last for long. The main push of birds happens for just a week or two and then tapers off about two weeks into May.
We are now at that tail end of spring migration in southern Texas but the bird photography has still been very good. Recent sessions at a water drip turned out to be very productive for a number of colorful migrants and resident species.
As common as Yellow Warblers are, they are one of the later migrants and are a striking looking species.
The Yellow Warbler is one of the most common, beautiful birds in North America.
Another common late migrant is the Canada Warbler. These pretty birds winter in the tropical forests of South America and breed in mixed hardwood forests pretty far north of Texas.
A handsome Canada Warbler.
The Canada shares some of those northern woods with the beautiful Cape May Warbler. Named after the migration hotspot in New Jersey where it was discovered, this species is actually dependent on spruce forests.
Cape May Warbler.
Buntings have also been cooperative photography subjects. Most of the Indigos have migrated through the area but some are still around.
This male Indigo Bunting shone like a sapphire when the sun hit it!
Painted Buntings have been around too. It’s almost impossible not to take photos of this incredibly colorful bird when the opportunity presents itself!
Male Painted Bunting.
The female look nothing like the male but is still shows a pretty, green plumage.
Female Painted Bunting taking a bath.
Northern Cardinals aren’t migrants but that doesn’t stop them from visiting a waterdrip.
Male Northern Cardinal.
The Pyrrhuloxia is a desert dwelling cousin of the Northern Cardinal. It makes a striking portrait with its yellow beak and red and gray plumage.
A gorgeous Pyrrhuloxia.
The female Northern Cardinal looks a lot more like the Pyrrhuloxia than her male counterpart.
Female Northern Cardinal taking a bath.
One of the birds that is a nest parasite on orioles and other resident species is the Bronzed Cowbird. Part of its display includes helicopter-like hovering like that shown by the bird in the picture below.
The Bronzed Cowbird used to be known as the Red-eyed Cowbird.
One of the less colorful yet very interesting resident bird species that also showed up at the water drip was a Curve-billed Thrasher. This is a common species of arid habitats in southern Texas and the American southwest in general.
Curve-billed Thrasher.
As the hot summer weather comes into play, I expect to see a lot more bird activity at water drips like this one.