April 23rd, 2022 ~ Everyone feels frisky in the spring, and birds are no exception (in fact, we may have gotten some inspiration from them).
1/2500 sec. f/5.6 ISO 1600
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR
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No matter the time of year, seeing a Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, glide over on silent wings is always a thrill. This bird greeted us at the beginning of the 40-Acre Lake Trail, at Brazos Bend State Park, flying southwest across the trail. We’ve heard that they have a nest north of the park, but haven’t seen it; that is a fairly inaccessible and wild area.
1/2500 sec. f/8 ISO 1250
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR
The swamp on the north edge of the trail is full of half-broken Chinese Tallow trees, killed by the flood in 2017, and slapped down again by the Little Ice Age in 2021. Cattle Egrets, Ibis, Little Blue Herons, Great Egrets – and Spoonies! – are nesting in those broken branches, still high enough from the water to be protected from alligators and other 4-legged predators. This Roseatte Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja, sailed out of the sticks toward us, displaying full breeding plumage – orange tail, pink and fuchsia body, curly chest feathers, filigree bill and bright orange-red eye. I think they fly low and slow just to show off.
1/2500 sec. f/5.6 ISO 800
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR
Ooh, boy, a Purple Gallinule, Porphyrio martinica! He (or she) began making his way up a bare branch from the water. These are some of the most colorful birds we see in Texas. They are year-round residents in South America; the ones we see here along the Gulf Coast have come north from Central America for the breeding season, and will return there for the winter. With those YUGE feet, the gallinule can walk on top of water lily leaves or other floating water plants, and can swim like a duck.
1/2500 sec. f/5.6 ISO 1250
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR
Adult males and females look the same, and they have these colors all year, though they do renew their feathers with an annual molt before the breeding season (got to look sharp). He moved slowly and deliberately, pausing frequently to pose with wings outstretched. He may have been displaying for a female, or may have simply been drying his plumage (you can see that his back feathers are a bit damp).
1/2500 sec. f/5.6 ISO 1250
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR
My eye was caught by the little square of light gray on his left wing – did I have a speck on my lens? No, that is the sun shining through an abraded spot in the blue edge of the adjacent feather of his wing, probably from a foray through the sticks and dried reeds of the marsh. The gallinule finally took off, flying a few feet to another low limb. My walking buddy got the money shot of the gallinule in flight, and I have a nice shot of blurred leaves.
1/3200 sec. f/8 ISO 2000
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR
An Eastern Kingbird, Tyrannus tyrannus, was showing off his hunting skills. I don’t know what his prey is, but it has a yummy nutrient-rich orange color. Kingbirds get almost all their water needs from what they eat. They eat insects during the breeding season, and switch to fruits during the winter when they are in South America.
1/3200 sec. f/8 ISO 2000
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR
The Kingbird checked me out for a moment, making sure I stayed in my place. The Eastern Kingbird has an orange crown of just a few feathers, which is normally hidden beneath his black cap. When threatened, he flashes his crown and red gape (the inside of his mouth) and dive-bombs intruders. Apparently, he didn’t feel threatened by me, and his crown remained hidden.
1/3200 sec. f/8 ISO 2000
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR
The black of his tail silhouetted the spider webs cast under the curved limb. That border of white on his tail is a good identifying mark for the Eastern Kingbird. Don’t you love his scientific name, Tyrannus tyrannus – Kingbirds will divebomb anyone, including much larger birds and mammals, to drive them away from the Kingbird’s territory. He reigned supreme and unchallenged on this day. I have no good explanation as to why I was shooting with ISO 2000 in full sun… it was clearly a leftover setting from a prior spot along the trail. Here, I should have been using ISO 1000 or less.
1/2500 sec. f/6.3 ISO 800
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR
An adult Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Nyctanassa violacea, stood motionless beside the water. The bright sun gave me a rare glimpse of the shadows of his brow feathers, as they fell on his eye. The close proximity of a young bird actively learning how to hunt made me think this was the parent, keeping a watchful eye out for predators as well as the next tasty morsel.
1/2500 sec. f/6.3 ISO 1600
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR
The young bird didn’t seem to have yet learned the art of patience. He quickly gave up each hunting spot, bounding through the water weeds to another location which might be more productive. He moved in and out of the shadows faster than I could adjust my ISO (I know, excuses, excuses).
1/2500 sec. f/6.3 ISO 1600
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR
The creamy flecks in his brown juvenile plumage echo the spring flowers of the marsh plants, providing a surprisingly effective camouflage. His sideways gaze seemed shy.
Show-offs nor not, all the birds gave us something wonderful to view and enjoy.
S a m . R a p p e n 
Ahhh, the Purple Gallinule – “You’re killing me Smalls” hehehe. One of these days I am going to tin one of those colorful birds. Not many people know about the Kingbird’s crown and you are absolutely right. they fear nothing! I would really like to explore Brazos more. The three times I was there I didn’t get a chance to take a number of the outer trails and opted to really focus on their ponds and the area by their fishing dock with the amount of time I had. I’ve mentioned it before, but the huge number of vultures they have there is a bit unnerving.
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Ohh, the Sandlot! Great reference! Yep, you guys need to come spend some real time at Brazos Bend. Birds are so accessible that nearly every visit is rewarding. Whenever I see vultures (and they are everywhere along the Gulf Coast), I remind myself of Linda Murdock’s posts about them… she’s the only photographer I know who can make those birds attractive. They are really useful and interesting.
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I’ve used that movie reference a lot and you are one of the few who recognized it ha! We are going to try and get down to that region at a different time next year – we are always down there for the month of January and would like to get a chance to see some other birds that arrive a bit later.
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What a nice collection of superb photographs!
I really like the profile of the adult Yellow-crowned Night Heron. Nice work keeping up with the young one.
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Just as in the human world, seems the young are full of energy and curiosity, and a challenge to keep up with. And I loved the calm projected by the parent – all is normal, nothing to worry about here. Thanks for reading and commenting, Wally!
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