SA State Park Birds

So Paul and I might have a new favorite hobby.  Ever since we bought a bird book in the Smoky Mountains we've been trying to spot and identify birds.  During the day we'll sit out and watch for them.  Just outside our hotel and around the base we've seen a blue jay (we named him Jay; clever, no?), white-winged doves, mockingbirds, western kingbirds, house sparrows, and grackles.  A few weeks ago the Kindle daily deal was The Audobon Bird Guide app for freeee so that helps us identify them.  We also got a Birds of Texas book from the library last week and that helps too.  AND Paul bought binoculars with some of his birthday money so now we're basically pros.  Turns out bird watching can be really fun.

On Saturday we went to San Angelo State Park to birdwatch.  It was about 100 degrees out.  We brought all of our gear, but forgot the camera.  Here are some of the cooler-looking birds we saw.

Pyrrhuloxia

 

Greater Roadrunner

Bullock's Oriole

Summer Tanager

Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher

Curve-billed Thrasher

We also saw Turkey Vultures, a Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbirds, and a few others that we failed to identify.  AND we saw a jack rabbit, a huge wild pig, bison, a Texas long-horn herd, and prairie dogs, which were all awesome too.

Our life list now has 27 birds on it, only counting the ones we've seen since our hobby began.   Next weekend we plan on birding at the lake and we'll probably go every other weekend too.  It's nice to spend some time outside but since you don't have to do much to watch birds we're able to stay cool in this desert weather.