Molting Season

I suppose this might be considered a form of graffiti. Someone took grackle feathers, plentiful at this time of year when they are molting, and stapled them to a utility pole.

Our CIty Hall

It's theme day at City Daily Photo and the theme is "Municipal Building" so I shot a picture of Austin City Hall, near our condo building. The sculpture of a bird (largely from old tires?) might represent a grackle but none of those pests have a colorful head! The plaque did not reveal any details. (It said not to climb on the sculpture!) Click here to see what other city blogs presented on this theme.

Pair on a Perch

These guys each claimed one of these old concrete piers on Lady Bird Lake. They remained there calmly while I went down the hill to frame a shot. They are some sort of geese, I think. They might have gotten this vantage point to look for breakfast.

Grackle Visit

While the grackles often decide our neighborhood is a great place to roost they don't usually perch on our building, preferring the trees below or the parking garage across the way. But one day at sunrise they were all over our balcony and others on our side of the building.

Bird Down

We discovered this Painted Bunting on a downtown sidewalk. Breathing but not hopping or flying from the foot traffic.

Monk Parakeets

Jackie shot this picture a couple of weeks ago near Town Lake. Here's what she said about the shot and this flock often seen around Austin:

There’s an enormous bird’s nest atop a power pole at the corner of Sandra Muraida Way and Lamar. We can see it from our apartment but can’t see inside it from here. Walking below we always hear chirps but no bird sightings until yesterday. Lo and behold, we confirmed that the nest belongs to feral monk parakeets, year-round residents of Austin since the early ‘70s. Cornell’s Ornithology site says “They are the only parrots to nest communally; dozens live together year-round in large, multifamily stick nests built in trees and on power poles.” The bird at the top of the shot posed for me patiently as I clumsily dug my phone out of my backpack and zoomed in. There’s another parakeet visible at the lower left of the shot; looks like that one is busily doing nest maintenance.

Grackle clock

This custom-designed and crafted clock is in the new library. It features likenesses of grackles, among the prevalent species of fowl in Austin. 

Goose, Goose, Goose

Jackie sees these Lady Bird Lake geese from her apartment but recently got up close for a photo. Today is theme day at City Daily Photo. The theme is nature. Downtown denizens like Jackie and us are often asked if we miss being around nature like people who live on ranches or in the suburbs. Our answer is that nature is a short walk away for the taking. Click here to see interpretations of the nature theme from all over the world.

House Finch at Sunrise

Shot from my easy chair through a dirty window. These guys usually get stirred up and show up when the weather is in flux. Except for a wind shift this day not much was happening with the weather.

Composed grackles

These birds were daring anyone to walk under them on a recent night.

Mr. Hitchcock, the stars are in place!

This was the sight that greeted me on an afternoon a few weeks ago. These grackles stick together.

Bucolic Scene in the City

The wading bird waits for some breakfast near a boat stowed for later recreation.  Joggers, walkers and bikers pass nearby on the Lady Bird Lake Boardwalk. All in the middle of our high-rise city.

Sunny day, fish on the way

These guys were lined up waiting for a fish to make a mistake.

Growing up On Lady Bird Lake

I'm thinking this is a Black-crowned Night Heron juvenile. What do you think? Spotted on Lady Bird Lake, of course.

Me and My Shadow

This egret appears to be walking on water but really he's wading in the shallows near the Lady Bird Lake boardwalk.

Lost little bird

This sweet little parakeet was perched below a fence rail on Lavaca Street between 8th and 9th one recent afternoon. We couldn't begin to get it to come to us. It was obviously lost and I'll bet its owner is worried sick.

Stand Up Straight!

It's funny how different the yellow-crowned nigh heron looks when he stretches up.

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron

Seen early in August from the boardwalk.

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron

Jackie shot this while we were on our boardwalk inauguration adventure a few weekends ago. I believe it to be a yellow-crowned night heron. Lovely to have all the flora and fauna we do around Lady Bird Lake.

Natrual beauty

This pretty bird was wading along the lakeside trail the other day.