I was so excited to see my first Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon), that I didn’t care if my pictures turned out crappy. My field guide, Birds of Texas, 2007, by Keith A. Arnold and Gregory Kennedy, tells me that if this were a female, she would have a rusty color across her belly. So, I believe this is *Mr.* Kingfisher. And fish. Read the rest of this entry »
I took this photo because I was bored while staking out my Turk’s Cap for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. This is one of many wasps that I have seen around my house. Recently, the pest control service came to my house. The only way to keep the peace in my household was to allow the pest control service to treat the inside of the house and fire ants…and wasps. The wasps were a battle - I wanted to leave their nests under the eves and attached to patio covers. After all, wasps have their place in the web of life, right? Read the rest of this entry »
We had a lot of rain last week, and I thought I would take a quick trip to a nearby lake, just to see what the birds were doing. This is what I found at White Rock Lake, in Dallas, Texas:
This Great Egret (Ardea Alba) was hanging out with the local Red-Eared Sliders… Read the rest of this entry »
This is the second in a series I am writing about Camp Fire USA’s Camp El Tesoro, in Granbury, Texas. As I was looking through the photos from my visit there, I noticed that many of the photos showed evidence of wildlife in residence. I usually focus most of my attention on wildlife itself, but it was very interesting to photograph and really take notice of the habitat.
First of all, I would like to know WHAT kind of animal lives in there! Read the rest of this entry »
Yep, I said it - I found a PRETTY beetle:
Actually, my nieces and nephews found it while I was hosting my mother’s birthday party. We had family and friends in from out of town - and I dropped everything when the kids came to me with this “cool bug.” Read the rest of this entry »
"I'm the king of the world!"
I couldn’t help laughing out loud when I saw how this picture turned out. This is a beautiful Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor), doing its best impression of Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie, Titanic! Read the rest of this entry »
Texas Thistle and adoring fans
Look at this mob of pollinators! I love the wee little green guy there on the left. This is a blooming Texas Thistle (Cirsium texanum). This was far from the only flower in the field, but for some reason all of these insects wanted to party on this one! Read the rest of this entry »
This Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia) boldly flew into a sunflower plant, about fifteen feet away from me. According to The Behavior of Texas Birds (2002, by Kent Rylander, University of Texas Press, Austin, TX):
They are generally unwary and easily approached and observed.
Although I was sitting quite still, Read the rest of this entry »
I visited Camp El Tesoro in Granbury, Texas - what a wonderful place! This camp is part of Camp Fire USA, and has been operating for 75 years!
Click here to see a map of the campgrounds at El Tesoro.
When you arrive at the camp, one of the first things you see is Read the rest of this entry »
If you have ever heard of the childrens’ book The Rainbow Fish, you’ll understand why I thought of it when I captured a picture of this sweet little Ruby-throated Hummingbird. If you have not heard of the book, Read the rest of this entry »
ambercoakley | 
08 27th, 2008| 