Texas

Neal's Lodges, drive to Baytown and White Memorial Park

Today we had to leave the Edward's Plateau and head for Baytown where we were staying for four nights. We did another trip to the Black-capped Vireo site but failed to see or hear the bird. We did get great views of a singing Yellow-breasted Chat plus a pair of Bushtits, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a White-eyed Vireo eating a moth and I wandered off and found a nice singing Olive Sparrow showing quite well.

Next came the 400+ mile drive to Baytown, east of Houston. Not much was seen on the way but one van did lose a bit of edging around the windscreen necessitating a cold stop for duck tape and a quick bit of creative glazing by Giles (see Rogues' Gallery). We did see a few species on the way including 40+ Cattle Egrets, a flock of 16 White Ibis, and the usual Scissor-tails, Loggerhead Shrike, Northern Mockingbirds, Great-tailed Grackles, BVs and TVs, plus another Western Kingbird, and five American Crows - our first for a while. We also had our first and only Canada Geese flying over I10.

After dropping our stuff off at the motel we drove to White Memorial Park. En route we had American Kestrel, Great-tailed Grackle, Little Blue Heron, Great and Snowy Egrets and, of course, TVs.

Today was overcast and cool and the park didn't look too inviting at 4pm. However we gave it a go and were soon rewarded with a huge-looking Pileated Woodpecker flying across in front of us and obligingly landing in a tree so we could see it properly.

White Memorial Park

Blue Jays could be heard and occasionally seen flying through the woods and whilst we were in the park a Little Blue Heron, a Tricolored Heron and a Great Blue Heron flew over. A Cattle Egret was found feeding on the grass. Soon someone spotted another woodpecker which turned out to be a Red-bellied Woodpecker. We saw two of these birds which were soon joined, which caused some fights, by two Red-headed Woodpeckers. Also here we had our first Baltimore Orioles (two males and a female in total) and a singing Pine Warbler.

Some of the group at White Memorial Park

Back at the motel Helen and I checked the grackles and found both Great-tailed and Boat-tailed Grackle, the latter being new for the trip and a lifer for us.

Birds seen in Texas