Early Winter in Brazos Bend State Park

December 28, 2022 ~ Our little series of below-freezing days had sported glorious (and glaring) brilliant sunshine, so as soon as the temps rose and the clouds rolled in, I headed out to visit the birds. And, I found another bird new to me in my usual patch, Brazos Bend State Park, in Texas. But first, look what I found at the trail head!

Red-shouldered Hawk keeping her toes warm
1/1600 sec. f/5.6 ISO 1250
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR
(Click on any photo once to enlarge in a new window; close that window to return here.)

I made my way down the sloping path at the west end of 40-Acre Lake, watching my footing on the loose gravel and fallen leaves. I was thinking hard about my exposure settings. The thick gray clouds overhead obscured a lot of light, and it was doubly dark under the dense tree canopy. It was an ISO 6400 afternoon, to be sure. I checked the woody trunks to my right, just on the off-chance a bird would be hiding in the shadows, and I saw this gorgeous Red-shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus, sitting just above eye-level, not 12 feet from the trail. Holy cow! I fired off a few shots at my initial settings (1/2500 sec., ISO 6400), then decided to see if I could get good shots at much lower ISO’s by slowing my shutter speed.

Red-shouldered Hawk with curly vines
1/640 sec. f/5.6 ISO 1250
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR

The fact that there was no breeze, and that she was just sitting, quietly observing, made the lower settings reasonably successful. I did increase exposure in post-processing by a half-stop, so that you could see her colors better. She continued to sit and watch as a parade of park visitors passed by (children whooping for alligators, laughing college kids, young professionals in loud and serious discussion, a troop of noisy boy scouts on clattering bicycles, strolling dog-walkers), alert, but unperturbed. I think this may be one of the pair I wrote about in October – it’s wonderful to think they’re making this lake their home.

White-eyed Vireo hunting bugs
1/640 sec. f/5.6 ISO 1250
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR

The deciduous trees with their feet in the marsh right at the edge of the 40-Acre Lake trail provide good habitat for bugs, and therefore, for birds. This White-eyed Vireo, Vireo griseus, looks quite conspicuous in this image, but when he flew into the winter-yellowed reeds, he virtually disappeared. The tiny hook at the tip of his bill helps him subdue his dinner.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher gives warning flash
1/1600 sec. f/5.6 ISO 1250
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR

The tiny Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Polioptila caerulea, is always in motion, flitting under, over and around the winter-bleached branches and grasses. This tail-flip is very characteristic. It may be a warning to other birds to stay away from his patch, or it could be a strategy to flush insects from their hiding places… or both. This is the most pronounced elevation of the tail that I’ve been able to photograph – it only lasts a split second, and typically, by the time I get ready to take the shot, the bird and his tail are already gone.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher showing off his color
1/1600 sec. f/5.6 ISO 1250
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR

I followed him through various bushes, and appreciated his momentary pause for this image, with the gray water of the lake behind him, making the blue shades in his plumage more apparent.

Spanish moss is a rich environment for insects
1/1600 sec. f/5.6 ISO 1250
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR

The Spanish moss, Tillandsia usneoides, is alive with insect life, and he zipped in, out, and through the fronds chasing dinner. The white border feathers along his tail and inner wings, along with his white eye-ring, are good identifying characteristics.

Eastern Phoebe pointing me toward a new bird
1/1250 sec. f/5.6 ISO 1250
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR

I kept seeing a dark little bird flitting through the branches overhead, and he finally came down where I could get a good shot without the harsh washed-out sky. This is an Eastern Phoebe, Sayornis phoebe, a little fly-catcher, with a characteristic large squarish dark head, and mouse-brown back and shoulders. I took a few shots, then looked toward the scratching noises that held his attention.

A Lincoln’s Sparrow scratching among exposed roots
1/1000 sec. f/5.6 ISO 1250
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR

I found a handsome little gray-brown bird with sharply etched fine black streaks, vigorously scratching in the dirt. A clump of reeds had recently fallen from the eroding bank, exposing its roots and the insects that feed around and on the roots. This was a new bird for me, the Lincoln’s Sparrow, Melospiza lincolnii, one of three species of song sparrow in the Melospiza genus.

Lincoln’s Sparrow range map, courtesy of All About Birds

The Lincoln’s Sparrow is a medium-distance migrant, staying in Texas, Louisiana, Mexico and Central America for the winter, then flying north to Canada for the breeding season. He was named by John James Audubon, after Thomas Lincoln, a member of Audubon’s expedition searching for birds in Quebec, and the only member of the team to successfully collect a specimen of the sparrow. (I try not to think about those old museum specimen drawers with their rows and rows of little bird bodies… and I’m very thankful for the long glass that enables modern researchers to obtain details about birds and their lives, from a distance.) All About Birds notes that there is less regional difference in the songs of Lincoln’s Sparrows than in the other two species of Melospiza, and speculates this may be due to wide dispersal of the young across their range. Seems like a good survival tactic for the species, regardless of the music.

Fine black streaks on peachy chest, and buff eye-ring help ID him
1/1000 sec. f/5.6 ISO 1250
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR

That faint peachy wash across his chest and cheek, and the cinnamon accents along wings and upper tail coverts (you remember coverts) give him a well-tailored appearance.

Goodies hide among the roots
1/1000 sec. f/5.6 ISO 1250
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR

As with the hawk, the sparrow allowed me to stand close to the edge of the trail, probably 10-15 feet away from his clump of mud, unruffled by my chittering camera. He checked on me regularly, but didn’t cease scratching and pecking in our warm Gulf Coast mud.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the park, and my acquaintances both new and renewed, with my avian friends.