I crossed the river levee near Brownsville and drove through the Border Wall gate Tuesday morning without seeing a Border Patrol vehicle (trust me, they were watching from somewhere). The crisp autumn air was invigorating as I walked to the photo blind with a load of heavy gear… without sweating. As the sun climbed, I could hear migrating sandhill cranes high above, winging their way southward to Mexico for the winter. It was a perfect morning for wildlife photography.
After getting up at 5:00 AM, I photographed from daylight until 11:00 AM before heading home to edit images at the computer. Here are a few of the captures from the outing:
![](http://www.larryditto.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Great-Egret_79A0697-1-480x320.jpg)
![](http://www.larryditto.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Great-Kiskadee_79A0739-1-480x320.jpg)
![](http://www.larryditto.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Green-Kingfisher_79A0786-320x480.jpg)
![](http://www.larryditto.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Green-Kingfisher_79A0812-480x320.jpg)
![](http://www.larryditto.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Green-Kingfisher_79A0843-480x320.jpg)
![](http://www.larryditto.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Least-Grebe_79A0735-480x320.jpg)
![](http://www.larryditto.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Mottled-Duck_79A0929-480x320.jpg)
![](http://www.larryditto.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Ringed-Kingfisher_79A1015-480x320.jpg)
I’m hoping to get a few nice butterfly shots before Thanksgiving, so the next trip will be out to the National Butterfly Center south of Mission, Texas. Recently, butterfly watchers have identified a half dozen rare butterfly species along with hundreds of more common lepidopterans. It’s worth the trip if you can get there while the days are warm.
Larry