Now that my birding sister-in-law (Dale Ohl) has moved back to Alpine, after many years absence, we'll be doing a lot of birding together, especially when rarities show up in the area. Yesterday we had a fun day in Balmorhea. I got a lifer Yellow-billed Loon.
I don't get to Balmorhea often enough to be familiar with gulls, terns, and ducks so it was a bit overwhelming. I'm still working on IDing all my photos. Here are a few of them. Since most everything was way out in the lake my photos aren't as sharp as I'd like.
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Ring-billed Gull with Franklin's Gull in foreground
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Common Loon
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Dozens of White Pelicans were an impressive sight.
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| Ring-billed Gull |
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Very distant Hooded Merganser
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And a
Greater Yellowlegs from Sandia Wetland near Balmorhea. It's a man-made wetland that doesn't have many species. At Balmorhea we probably got at least 50 species, including yellowlegs. But at Sandia I can get closer photos.
congrats on both the "Loon" and Dale being there!!! so want to come out- drive 6 hours to see the Yellow-billed Loon, but just know that as soon as I get there - it will be gone. that's okay - it has been fun seeing my birding friends find it!
ReplyDeleteI do hope you come look for it. It may very well stick around and nothing ventured nothing gained. Something else wonderful could show up any day too.
ReplyDeleteI'm fond of the hooded mergansers. I don't know why. Maybe because they just look so snappy!
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