I participated in my 3rd Christmas Bird Count today. Our small group of four birders hiked for over 6 hours and logged 45 species. Our counts will be rolled up with the other teams’ results.
A foggy morning over the Pedernales River….
turned into a beautiful day above the Pedernales River.
What a lovely day!
Yesterday, I participated in the 118th annual Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count (CBC) for an area around the Pedernales River out in the Texas Hill Country. This was my second time doing it. The first time, last year, was my first real birding experience and I enjoyed it immensely. In the year since, I must admit that I have officially caught the birding bug and have many hiked many miles and logged hundreds of hours seeking out and identifying birds.
So, yesterday, I was a much better birder. And because of that, I enjoyed it more, and saw some new (for me) birds – aka “lifers.” Thankfully, while the collective consensus weather forecast was for downpours all day long, it only rained a bit in the morning, and we were left with just fog and humidity for the rest of the day. We hiked through woods, canyons, river and creek-side trails from about 8AM to 4PM. Our group logged 40-50 species, most of which I was able to spot in my binoculars.
Yes, the birding was nice, but it is just good for my soul to get out and experience places like this…
A damp and foggy overlook above the Pedernales River:
A sparrow-laden native prairie on an uplands section:
There is still time to join in on a CBC in your area – going on through January 5th. Check out the Audubon website to look for sign ups in your area.
I went birding and hiking today with my friend, Doray. We started early, at Reimer’s Ranch Park, and then did the guided tour of the canyon and grotto at Westcave Preserve. After that, we went back to Reimer’s to hike their River Trail.
Let me just say, “Whoo dogie, it was HOT!” Whew! 100 degrees or so. But it was beautiful, we did see lots of birdies, and we enjoyed a lovely day in our hill country. Pretty good day.
Today took me to Westcave Preserve with my friend, Doray, to participate in the annual Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count. I’m still learning how to identify the many bird species beyond those that frequent my own backyard. There’s much to learn, but I am enjoying the time spent out in the beautiful hill country of central Texas immensely.
We counted birds that we saw or heard. The counts get rolled up for each locality and are used to monitor bird populations from year to year. A very nice day spent in a place that I love.
Sheila365 