This morning I spent over 3 hours covering about 2.5 miles of trails on the south half of Travis Audubon's Baker Sanctuary in northwest Austin. It was a beautiful cool and clear morning, and when I arrived at about 8:30 the birding was great! Many birds were singing including Painted Buntings, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Northern Cardinals, and Yellow-billed Cuckoos.
I followed a trail I hadn't been on before that paralleled Lime Creek Road and enjoyed lots of bird activity. A few spring migrants I found were Magnolia Warbler, Nashville Warbler, and a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak. The grosbeak was especially fun to find because I heard its loud squeak call first, and thought it might be a rock squirrel before I saw the bird.
Most exciting was hearing some fast high chipping, and then finding a couple fledgling Golden-cheeked Warblers. Here's one of them:
As I watched it through my camera, a male adult came in and fed it! I got this single photo showing them both:
Golden-cheeked Warblers is one of the main reasons the Baker Sanctuary exists, and I felt especially fortunate to be able to observe this species successfully reproducing here.
By about 10:00 AM the bird activity had slowed, and I walked a trail going down to Baker Creek. I found a few odonates including tantalizing looks at a dark dragonfly over my head that never landed. I think it was some kind of darner I've never seen before. By the creek this Great Spreadwing was fun to find:
A few butterflies were about as well, and I was able to photograph a Monarch and this small sparkly Juniper Hairstreak:
Here's my complete bird list:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S36589857
And here are my photos on Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikael_behrens/albums/72157681370431381/
What a fun morning! I need to spend more time here!
Taken on Travis Audubon Society's Baker Sanctuary in northwest Travis County.
Taken on Travis Audubon Society's Baker Sanctuary in northwest Travis County.
Taken on Travis Audubon Society's Baker Sanctuary in northwest Travis County.
Taken on Travis Audubon Society's Baker Sanctuary in northwest Travis County.
Taken on Travis Audubon Society's Baker Sanctuary in northwest Travis County.
Taken on Travis Audubon Society's Baker Sanctuary in northwest Travis County.
Taken on Travis Audubon Society's Baker Sanctuary in northwest Travis County.
I came across these two spiders spinning their webs at the same time, the smaller in front of the larger.
Taken on Travis Audubon Society's Baker Sanctuary in northwest Travis County.
Taken on Travis Audubon Society's Baker Sanctuary in northwest Travis County.
Taken on Travis Audubon Society's Baker Sanctuary in northwest Travis County.
Taken on Travis Audubon Society's Baker Sanctuary in northwest Travis County.
Taken on Travis Audubon Society's Baker Sanctuary in northwest Travis County.
Two Golden-cheeked Warblers counter-singing their B song to each other
Comments
Nice!!! I'll probably want to get the rights one of the adult with the fledgling for my book on the Ashe juniper. :)
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