Friday, April 5, 2013

Franklin Mountain Madness

Franklin Mountain State Park turned out to be another great birding location in west Texas.There are multiple entrances to the park and we did some hiking on the trails located near the Tom Mays entrance. There is an easy trail (good for small kiddos) that just happens to have a bird blind located near a water source and several bird feeders. Here are some of the birds I stumbled upon.


The Cactus Wren was one of my favorite "desert" birds to see.

Cactus Wren (lifer)

Curve-billed Thrasher (lifer)

I saw a good number of House Finches but the one stood out from the rest. The other male House Finches had a reddish/pinkish hue while this one was a vibrant orange. I've read there is an "orange variant" House Finch, which I believe this was. The color difference is typically cause by diet.

House Finch (Orange variant?)

House Finch

 White-crowned Sparrow (lifer)

 White-crowned Sparrow

 White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Rufous-crowned Sparrow? 

White-winged Dove


This fellow and I seemed to be in sync with our feeling that it was gonna be a good day!


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33 comments:

  1. Alan PaveyApril 5, 2013 at 3:41 AM

    Certainly looks like a great place, some great birds and stunning pics as ever Tammy :-)

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  2. CatherineApril 5, 2013 at 3:58 AM

    Finch are one of my most favorite birds. The red headed ones stay around all winter but I will be excited to see the yellow ones return. Hopefully soon!
    Love all your shots Tammy!
    xo Catherine

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  3. Two Old BirdsApril 5, 2013 at 4:10 AM

    Looks like you are having a great time exploring, and finding new birds. Must be so exciting. Love the orange house finch so different.

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  4. Ingemar PetterssonApril 5, 2013 at 4:14 AM

    Hi Tammy!
    Antoher stunning bird serie, great work as allways.
    Have a nice day!
    /Ingemar

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  5. Marc HeathApril 5, 2013 at 5:46 AM

    Great shots Tammy. I am more jealous of the weather though as you appear to have sun and blue sky. Something in the UK we do not have much of at the moment.

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  6. Jen SanfordApril 5, 2013 at 5:52 AM

    Ooh what a cool place- stunning Cactus Wren shots! I think your female White-crowneds are just immatures- I believe the sexes usually look the same. Those orangey House Finches always throw me, I have one that visits my feeder regularly. Great post!

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  7. KaHollyApril 5, 2013 at 6:54 AM

    Lovely post, Julie! Your pictures are just gorgeous. I didn't make it to W.TX this visit, but I'll know where to go upon my return next year!! Thanks!

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  8. IrmaApril 5, 2013 at 7:04 AM

    Hello Tammy a beautiful bird series as always.
    Very nicely done!
    Greetings Irma

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  9. TexWisGirlApril 5, 2013 at 8:32 AM

    awesome shots! i'd love to see a cactus wren. we're too far NE to get them here, though.

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  10. Wally JonesApril 5, 2013 at 8:49 AM

    Superb series of photographs! You're really bringing back some fond memories we have of west Texas! We were always amazed at the desolate appearance of the terrain and the abundance of wildlife once we started exploring! Especially birds!
    Congratulations on adding to your life list!

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  11. Bas.April 5, 2013 at 10:08 AM

    Prachtige serie Tammy geweldig vooral foto nr. 12 die is gewoon te gek.

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  12. GordonApril 5, 2013 at 10:52 AM

    Great shots as always Tammy, I particularly like the Gopher, and the White-winged Dove is cracking.
    All the best Gordon.

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  13. Isidro OrtizApril 5, 2013 at 10:56 AM

    Estupendas capturas.Saludos

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  14. MariaApril 5, 2013 at 12:58 PM

    Texas is an amazing place, I love the White winged Dove and the little Beaver.

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  15. Laurence ButlerApril 5, 2013 at 4:19 PM

    Great shots Tammy, especially with the tricky Rufous-crowned!

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  16. Marco LuijkenApril 6, 2013 at 1:40 AM

    Hello Tammy,
    These shots are so wonderful.
    Great to see how you photographed them so well. The House Finch is very beautiful.
    This is enjoyment, as always!!

    Many greetings,
    Marco

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  17. NoushkaApril 6, 2013 at 2:35 AM

    Lovely picture of birds I discover here!
    Each one is magnificent!
    The Desert wren is superb and the variety of sparrows is impressive.
    It seems you have much more varieties in the States than we do in France!
    Thanks for this wonderful post, Tammy!
    Enjoy your WE!

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  18. RosemaryApril 6, 2013 at 9:04 AM

    Gorgeous photos Tammy! I see by the (lifer) that you are catching many birds you've not photographed before :) Love the toothy smile of the gopher (?) and is that the white-winged dove from the Stevie Nicks song Edge of Seventeen?

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  19. Pasión por las avesApril 6, 2013 at 12:27 PM

    Hola Tammy magnificas fotografias y un un buen repertorio de diferentes especies.Un abrazo

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  20. Jero MilánApril 7, 2013 at 1:36 PM

    Impresionantes Tammy, en tu linea. Sensacional. Un abrazo desde extremadura

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  21. UnknownApril 8, 2013 at 2:20 AM

    Amiga Tammy, las fotos tan impresionantes como siempre.
    Me encantan los plumajes niméticos como el de la primera foto.
    Un abrazo!!

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  22. Mia McPhersonApril 8, 2013 at 5:39 AM

    Love these images Tammy and the fact that you got more lifers!

    I agree with Jen on the White-crowned Sparrows, the ones you have listed as females are juveniles.

    Love the Ground Squirrel!

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  23. Julie G.April 10, 2013 at 12:30 PM

    Congratulations on the life birds! Beautiful series of images! It's always a pleasure to view photographs of birds I have never seen in person before. It is difficult to select favorites from this collection but I really love the Cactus Wren, Orange House Finch and toothy gopher images.

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  24. Larry OstbyApril 12, 2013 at 4:49 AM

    All terrific shots Tammy and congrats on your lifers. I'm really liking the Cactus Wren.

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  25. Debbie Miller @HooootOwlApril 12, 2013 at 10:11 AM

    Looks like a great place to explore! I love the Cactus Wren we don't get them around here. Beautiful images! Congrats on the lifers :)

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  26. Lorents H BlomsethApril 14, 2013 at 9:47 AM

    Hi !
    Another Nice trip you have done i see, Nice pics of the Texas birds !
    Have a Nice week and take care !

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  27. Bob BushellApril 15, 2013 at 12:14 AM

    I love all of them, right down to the one showing its teeth, beautiful images Tammy.

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  28. Stewart MApril 15, 2013 at 2:32 AM

    Lifers and good pictures - thats a rare combination in my experience! Well done.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  29. eileeninmdApril 15, 2013 at 4:49 PM

    Tammy Wow, awesome collection of birds and photos! Congrats on your lifers!

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  30. Fernando Santos (Chana)April 16, 2013 at 2:58 PM

    Excelentes fotografias de belos pássaros....
    Cumprimentos

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  31. NoushkaApril 19, 2013 at 3:00 AM

    Helllo Tammy!
    Thanks for visiting my blog so regularly with sweet words!
    Looking forward myself to your next post! ;-)
    Cheers and keep well!

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  32. RohrerbotApril 19, 2013 at 3:29 PM

    Hi Tammy,

    I don't know if anyone answered your questioned but it looks like the Rufous-crowned(congrats!). It has a nice eye ring. Looks like you've gotten yourself some great birds checked off your list:)

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  33. EvanirApril 28, 2013 at 5:26 PM

    Que nossa amizade continue eterna
    e tenham sempre um lugar especial em nossos corações,
    e nossa jornada de hoje e de sempre esteja repleta de flores,
    paz e amor.
    Que DEUS: esteja sempre com sua mão
    estendida apontando o caminho correto
    por onde devemos prosseguir .
    Uma feliz e abençoada semana.
    Beijos,Evanir..

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I greatly appreciate your comments!

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