Purple Finch

This picture was taken in our back yard on 20 April 2006. Purple Finches have declined in numbers when the non-native House Finch was introduced in 1940. The House Finches original territory was Southwestern United States and Mexico, but was introduced to Long Island in 1940 and quickly spread throughout the east. Fights between Purple and House Finches almost always end up with the House Finch being the victor.

American Goldfinch (male & female)

This picture was taken on 14 May 2006 in our back back yard. They are an extremely beautiful bird and their favourite food is thistle or Niger seed. They also eat seeds from last years weeds. They don't nest in the spring like most birds but instead nest in July or August and usually only have one clutch but will occassionally have a second.

Redhead Duck

This picture was taken near Rockport Texas on our way home last spring (6 April 2006). The Redhead is a diving duck and eats mainly vegetation but will eat the odd small animal such as frogs and salamanders. They're a fairly small duck weighing 2-2 1/2 pounds and they've been known to lay their eggs in other birds nests, especially Mallards.

The hunter

This is a Tricolored Heron in the hunt mode. The picture was taken on 23 March 2006 at Port Aransas. I was standing on the board walk watching him as he walked very quickly up and down, occassionally shooting his neck forward to catch a small fish or insect.

Misty morning

This picture was taken way back on 24 January 2006 near Mission Texas. I didn't initially publish this picture because I didn't think it was good enough. If you look at it, it's not as clear as it could be, but there's something kind of mystical about the picture. It was taken fairly early in the morning on a day that had a lot of fog. The sun was trying to burn through the fog creating a glow in the water while an assortment of waterfowl (Glossy Ibis in the middle) languish on a log and in the water. One of my favourite shots even though it isn't really clear.

Male Mallard

This picture was taken at Rockport Texas on 6 April 2006. The Mallard is the most common duck in North America and one that most people can identify.