All the Old Haunts

For the last two weeks, I’ve visited several of the my old haunts here in south Texas, including Santa Clara Ranch, Laguna Seca Ranch, and South Padre Island.  It’s May and all the critters are doing two things, looking for water and mating…not necessarily in that order.  So, it was the right time to head for the country and stir up a few photos.

When you are viewing today’s photos, don’t forget to click on the image to enlarge it and make it sharper.  The right and left margins have hidden arrows for advancing and going to the previous photo.

Cottontail rabbits playing.
Cottontail rabbits playing.

 

The photo above was shot at blind #2 just after sunrise.  The two cottontails seemed to be playing tag…one would dash in and the other would leap over it.  In the past, I tried to get these shots with the super telephoto, but switching to the 100-400 mm lens allowed me to widen the view for catching a rabbit 3 feet in the air.

Mexican Ground-Squirrel with a water droplet on his chin.
Mexican Ground-Squirrel with a water droplet on his chin.

 

Pyrrhuloxia male fluttering wings as it approaches a group of feeding birds.
Pyrrhuloxia male fluttering wings as it approaches a group of feeding birds.

 

Brown-headed Cowbirds vying for a spot at the feeding post.
Brown-headed Cowbirds vying for a spot at the feeding post.
Northern mockingbird feed on agarita berries.
Northern mockingbird feed on agarita berries.

When agarita is fruiting, it is very attractive to birds and humans for food.  This limb was brought to south Texas by another photographer to set up a colorful perch for hungry, fruit-eating birds.

Migrating male yellow warbler bathing just before sunset.
Migrating male yellow warbler bathing just before sunset.

Yellow warblers, like this one at Laguna Seca Ranch, are always among the late spring migrant songbirds in south Texas.

Black-throated Green Warbler foraging for caterpillars among the leaves of a tepeguaje tree on South Padre Island during the spring migration.
Black-throated Green Warbler foraging for caterpillars among the leaves of a tepeguaje tree on South Padre Island during the spring migration.

 

Least terns feeding their young on a bar near the Laguna Madre.
Least terns feeding their young on a bar near the Laguna Madre.
Some black-bellied plovers are well into their summer plumage by the time they reach South Padre Island in the spring.
Some black-bellied plovers are well into their summer plumage by the time they reach South Padre Island in the spring.
Least Tern diving for fish in the surf along the Gulf of Mexico at South Padre Island.
Least Tern diving for fish in the surf along the Gulf of Mexico at South Padre Island.
When sargassum is carried ashore by the tides, sanderlings are there to find any sea creatures living in the plant's leafy segments and air bladders.
When sargassum is carried ashore by the tides, sanderlings are there to find any sea creatures living in the plant’s leafy segments and air bladders.
Piping plover leaping out of the surf after a quick bath.
Piping plover leaping out of the surf after a quick bath.

 

This piping plover photo is one of my favorites.  I used the 500 mm lens and 1.4 X teleconverter on a Canon 1D Mark IV to get this capture from the car window.  It was shot at 1/3200 sec. , f 6.3 on ISO 640.

This is just a little of what I’ve seen in my neck of the woods  in May.  It makes me all the more eager for June’s arrival.

Larry