It’s been pretty chilly here in Minnesota, although we’re s*n*o*w-free right now, and that’s a good thing. It’s been a nice, long fall, unless you have allergies. Then it’s been a nice, long allergy season. That’s okay. You can take a pill for allergies. The only “pill” I know of for winter is to go south. So grab your sunscreen and your flip-flops and let’s go back to Port Aransas, Texas!
As I’ve said 30 or 40 times before, Port Aransas is my favorite place to be, and for me the main attractions are the beach and the Leona Turnbull Birding Center. (Of course, later on, a big attraction is the other fun Winter Texans who make their way south!)
I wish I had a magical 360 degree picture of the birding center. Most of the bird action is out towards the open water and back towards the reeds where the ducks and other birds hang out. If you go up the observation tower, hower, and look towards land, you can often see a variety of birds. Since this is Telephoto Tuesday, I decided to choose some pictures where I really used my telephoto to full advantage. Here’s a picture towards land (just a piece of it, I couldn’t get it all in one shot). And it’s none too scenic, but trust me, it’s full of birds!
I was watching for the roseate spoonbills. They like to congregate back in this area, and you can usually see them in one of the smaller ponds. This trip, however, I only saw one land, and it was far, far away. I took a photo, but you couldn’t even tell what kind of bird it was! I did find a great blue heron:
And two of my favorite pictures from the whole 12 days were of egrets back in this area (different egret on different days). Look at this guy coming in for a landing! What a wing span.
And probably my most favorite picture. I’m way zoomed out because he was in a tiny pond towards the back of this area. This was taken probably about 5:00, and the golden sunlight made the colors look so rich. Isn’t this a peaceful scene?
Thanks for visiting the Texas coast with me today!
–Sue
Lovely!
thank You for the update on Port A. I just can’t hardly wait to head south!!!Will be looking forward to seeing the new places. Will have to take a suitcase for the material I have to make into quilting projects. Appreciate the pictures, that helps to just look at the beach and water. Eileen