Birding and Golfing and Birding

We went golfing on Tuesday as it was the only day that there wasn't going to be very windy. As we teed of on the first hole, we spotted a long-billed curlew by the adjacent pond. We also saw snowy and great egrets and a couch's kingbird.

Wednesday morning we had our escorted birding tour at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. Our driver wasn't a hardcore birding expert but he did take us to some spots where we were likely to see some species.

At the park office, they set out food first thing in the morning. This is one of the saw three javelinas or collared peccaries literally 'pigging out'.

















Some of the birds we saw were roseate spoonbills on the wing,

















a Couch's kingbird



















northern bobwhites















a belted kingfisher,













some type of hawk,
















crested caracara,


















yellow-crowned night-herons,






















white-faced ibis,






















and a gator sizing up a great egret.













Back at the birding centre in the photo blind, we saw Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal,













a chachalaca,

















a song sparrow,


















and a long-billed thrasher.