Trying again... Success!

I DID IT! I posted a photo! This crazy Blogger. This time, I obsessively clicked the "Upload" option on the left and then hit the okay button. This seems to help, though it's still taking a few times of doing it to make it work. Sheesh. But hey--here are some pics from my trip to Texas!

Anyway, this is a photo of my Golden-cheeked Warbler! I went to San Antonio to visit my parents for a while, but I resolved I was only going to bird locally so I could spend more time with them. (Usually, my sister Mary and I head down to the Rio Grande Valley for a few days to get some crazy lifers.) Dad's had some health issues of late, and I just wanted to be with him and my mom. Got to see all my siblings except for my baby sis who lives in Ohio. A great trip!

Still, Mary and I did get out a few times, and we scored the Golden-cheeked. We went to Friedrich Wilderness Area near town. We'd gone there a few years ago but had no luck. This time, we nailed it! I was also hoping for Black-capped Vireo, but no such luck on that one. Still, it was pretty exciting.

Saw some other western birds:

A nice Lesser Goldfinch, almost in full breeding plumage. His back isn't quite all there. His cousins the American Goldfinches were still a ways from their spring coats:

 I love how they're in midair there, but I think someone else was a little annoyed:

Get off my lawn!

We also saw some nice sparrows:

A bad pic of a Lincoln's Sparrow! This was at Crescent Bend Nature Park in Schertz, near San Antonio.

And a good pic of a Savannah Sparrow, taken at Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory near Austin. (I flew into Austin and then we drove to SA.)

Also seen at Hornsby, my FOY peeps:

A bunch of Least Sandpipers and the obviously bigger Pectoral Sandpiper. He's a giant among the little guys.

Also saw this Funereal Duskywing:

and this Red Admiral:

Up in Maine, I haven't seen any butterflies and only one moth. And it's been rainy and cold today. But spring is here, because it hasn't snowed in two whole weeks! (holding breath)

Here's an Eared Grebe. One of these days, I'll see a male in breeding plumage...

This day was cool and overcast, so the lighting was terrible. But we found a great new spot to bird, Mitchell Lake Audubon Center in south San Antonio. What a great place! A lot of ponds, some elevated paths (better looks into the treetops!) and great birds.

Black-chinned Hummingbird--this is the best pic I could get:

Great looks at a Verdin, though the photo is awful:

I was so proud of myself for recognizing the song. After I obsessed over them last year at Big Bend National Park, I guess that song stuck with me.

Also had some Ruddy Ducks, but no one with a blue bill:

These Scissor-tailed Flycatchers were everywhere:

But can you ever get enough of such a bird?

Sadly, this is as close as we got to seeing my nemesis bird, the Painted Bunting:

Grrr. Just a little too early. But I didn't see one when we went in June last year either!

Some Northern Shovelers at Hornsby:

These guys were feeding nonstop. I never saw their bills!

Well, this has taken about two hours, and it's time to go to Reny's (a Maine advenchah!). I couldn't find one with a Mainah accent, but you MUST click on this link to see what life in Maine is all about!

A picture of a framed photo of my wonderful parents, on their wedding day!