As the weather continues to tease us with possible rain this evening, I got this picture of a break in the clouds over the Town and Country playing fields. I was there to check on the Purple Martin roost near their large baseball field. I've been wanting to check on the roost in the evening ever since I was out jogging on August 5 and saw about 500 birds there. So tonight I did and I was a bit surprised. As I approached the area shortly after 7:00 PM I could see a group of 40-50 martins swirling around one of the light posts. (And I estimated there were 80-100 birds overall.) I started walking over to get a picture but as I walked, the birds left. First one group then another, they left their perches on the light posts and took off to the south. About 15 minutes later all the Purple Martins were gone. Were they migrating south? I don't think so -- I read that they migrate in the daytime. Maybe they were heading for a more sheltered roost since the weather was threatening? I just don't know.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Checked on Purple Martins
As the weather continues to tease us with possible rain this evening, I got this picture of a break in the clouds over the Town and Country playing fields. I was there to check on the Purple Martin roost near their large baseball field. I've been wanting to check on the roost in the evening ever since I was out jogging on August 5 and saw about 500 birds there. So tonight I did and I was a bit surprised. As I approached the area shortly after 7:00 PM I could see a group of 40-50 martins swirling around one of the light posts. (And I estimated there were 80-100 birds overall.) I started walking over to get a picture but as I walked, the birds left. First one group then another, they left their perches on the light posts and took off to the south. About 15 minutes later all the Purple Martins were gone. Were they migrating south? I don't think so -- I read that they migrate in the daytime. Maybe they were heading for a more sheltered roost since the weather was threatening? I just don't know.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Hi there!
Annie from The Transplantable Rose blog pointed me to your blog this morning, and I am so glad she did! So great to know there's another blogger in the neighborhood. I take photos of lots of things including birds, and really really enjoy it. Here's a post from my 'blog in June:
http://myphotomemries.blogspot.com/2008/06/birds-on-williams-back-porch.html
Friends of my sister-in-law had invited me to take photos of the birds that frequent their feeders. I had such a great time!
I also noticed that you got some great shots of the heron in the T&C waterway! I have been stalking that one for a long time, and have never gotten a shot I liked. I tried to make the best of the bad look like a watercolor in the Trying a New Photoshop Technique (July) but it didn't come out like I hoped.
I have put a link to your blog on my blog, and I hope some of my blog friends will visit you. I know they won't be disappointed!
Best regards,
Mike Z
Thanks Michael, I'm glad you like the blog! The heron in your shot is a Green Heron, which is common here in the summer. Some of them even nest in our yards. Keep in mind there are several kinds of herons on the creek. So far I have seen Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Cattle Egret, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Green Heron, and as of a couple weeks ago, Tricolored Heron.
I'll add your blog to my RSS reader. Keep me posted about what you see in the neighborhood. And if you're interested in learning more about local birds, maybe my NASWC Top 20 Bird List will help.
Hi Mikael,
Thanks so much for identifying the heron! On our walks through T&C, Jan and I have seen a large white heron? and the one I tried to photograph. I had no idea that there were so many different variations on the "heron theme" so near our house.
One of the things I love most about traveling/photography/blogging is that I learn so much about what I shoot. If I take a photo of a flower and don't know the name, someone like Annie in Austin will post a comment and give me the name. I have photos of a Stellar's Jay from Mt Ranier, ravens at the Grand Canyon, doves in my brother-in-law's back yard, and I learn something from every photo. Same with rocks, flowers, butterflies, and nearly everything else that I post on my Memories.
I will definitely keep the photos of the neighborhood birds coming. Thanks for the bird list, also; maybe I can pick out more than just the grackles and doves next time we walk!
Mike Z
500 purple martins? Okay, I should get over there and get a look at this roost. That just seems like a lotta martins. I suppose they have a tough time distinguishing themselves, probably indulging in silly costumes, cross-dressing...no, wait, that's Martin Lawrence.
Hi Aaron, I have not regularly checked this site in the evenings and I've only checked it about once a week in the mornings. But based on what I've seen I have no idea if there will still be a significant number of Purple Martins there. Sunday morning there were only 30 birds.
Maybe that one time, you lucked onto the Annual Purple Martin Convention.
Post a Comment