Parrot Tulip copy
Giverny
Day 6, Water Lily, National Butterfly Centre
Day 6, Water Lily
Day 7, Hong Kong Orchid tree, Estero Llano Grande…
Pornic
lila
DAHLIA
DAHLIA
Victoria's Butchart Gardens, Part 7: Outrageous Ec…
Flower Focus
Victoria's Butchart Gardens, Part 9: Ravishing Ros…
phacelia tanacetifolia
Mohn
plissé
Orchidée
MON JARDIN
MON JARDIN
Yellow Lily
MON JARDIN
Opening Gaillardia flower
MON JARDIN
MON JARDIN
Borretsch-2... ©UdoSm
Day 4, Aloe vera, Bishop City Park, South Texas
DSCF9056
DSCF9052
DSCF9037
DSCF9048
rose Ronsard
Western Columbine at L.L. Stub Stewart
MON JARDIN
Almost white magnolia
Pink and White Camelia
Ronsard dans son écrin de verdure
profil de la Ronsard
lavandes et herbes folles
texture de la rose
ourlet de lumière
MAGNOLIA
Pansey 028 copy
Pictures for Pam, Day 204: SSC: Angel with Wings D…
Pictures for Pam, Day 203: Droplet-Covered Purple…
Thistle 2010 203 copy
BONNE FÊTE AUX MAMANS
Location
See also...
Flowers & trees of southern Texas, 19-31 March 2019
Flowers & trees of southern Texas, 19-31 March 2019
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80 visits
Day 5, Mexican Hat, King Ranch, Norias Division
This was a really special full day, from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm, on 23 March 2019, Day 5 of our 13-day birding holiday in South Texas. Before we left Calgary, we had booked a tour at the 825,000 acre King Ranch and we were greatly looking forward to it. The area we explored was way south on the ranch land, called the Norias Division. The driver of the van/mini-bus was Barb, who did a great job of finding 47 bird species for us, and also trying to find a tiny Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. We also bumped into Barb's boss a couple of times and he went off in search of an owl. Almost at the end of our great day, he managed to find a pair of them! A man, originally from Holland, but now living in Houston, had travelled all the way to the King Ranch, hoping most of all to see one of these beautiful owls. The rest of us had actually seen one of these owls on our Trinidad & Tobago trip in 2017. He joined us for the day and, needless to say, he was delighted that his sought-after species was successful. The owls were far away, so photos (to be posted later) are very distant, but what a gorgeous pair of little owls they were. Everyone was thrilled to bits. Many thanks to Tom (?) for searching and searching!
"In 1853, Captain Richard King purchased a creek-fed oasis in the Wild Horse Desert of South Texas, sparking generations of integrity, preservation, and innovation.
King Ranch now covers 825,000 acres—more land than the state of Rhode Island. Over the course of over 160 years, King Ranch led some of the first cattle drives, developed the Santa Gertrudis and Santa Cruz breeds of cattle, bred the finest Quarter Horses, and produced champion Thoroughbreds—all under its iconic Running W® brand.
Today’s King Ranch is a major agribusiness with interests in cattle ranching, farming (citrus, cotton, grain, sugar cane, and turfgrass), luxury retail goods, and recreational hunting."
king-ranch.com/
Some of the species we were already familiar with, but new birds included the amazing Scissor-tailed flycatcher, Vermilion Flycatcher, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, and Bronzed Cowbird. I was really hoping that we might see a Green Jay, and I was in luck.
A variety of wildflowers, a mushroom (Ink-cap or similar), a beautiful moth, and several deer added to our enjoyment. We were also very lucky to see a Javelina/Collared Peccary travelling fast through the bushes. Another sighting that was as fleeting as could possibly be were half a dozen Nilgai Antelope.
"Texas is home to more free-range nilgai antelope than their native country of India. Originally stocked on the King Ranch in the 1930’s, these sporty game animals quickly took hold and are currently free- ranging on a handful of large private properties in lower South Texas." From link below.
www.wildlifesystems.com/nilgai-antelope.html
For me, I think the highlight of the day was when I happened to spot a tiny Texan Horned Lizard / Phrynosoma cornutum. A few years ago, I had been so disappointed to miss a trip to SE Alberta to see a Horned Lizard. At the King Ranch, we were standing still for some reason, when something caught my eye near my shoes. I thought a small piece of dead, faded plant had blown in. Then it moved again, still not far from my feet. Couldn't believe my eyes!! What an interesting creature - it actually can shoot blood from small protuberances by its eyes when it feels threatened! Will post photos later, when I get to them.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_horned_lizard
We had lunch outside and were visited by a beautiful, curious White-tailed Deer. Several others were also seen while we were driving around the ranch land.
A good day, for sure, and we appreciated the effort that Barb and her boss put into searching for various species.
"In 1853, Captain Richard King purchased a creek-fed oasis in the Wild Horse Desert of South Texas, sparking generations of integrity, preservation, and innovation.
King Ranch now covers 825,000 acres—more land than the state of Rhode Island. Over the course of over 160 years, King Ranch led some of the first cattle drives, developed the Santa Gertrudis and Santa Cruz breeds of cattle, bred the finest Quarter Horses, and produced champion Thoroughbreds—all under its iconic Running W® brand.
Today’s King Ranch is a major agribusiness with interests in cattle ranching, farming (citrus, cotton, grain, sugar cane, and turfgrass), luxury retail goods, and recreational hunting."
king-ranch.com/
Some of the species we were already familiar with, but new birds included the amazing Scissor-tailed flycatcher, Vermilion Flycatcher, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, and Bronzed Cowbird. I was really hoping that we might see a Green Jay, and I was in luck.
A variety of wildflowers, a mushroom (Ink-cap or similar), a beautiful moth, and several deer added to our enjoyment. We were also very lucky to see a Javelina/Collared Peccary travelling fast through the bushes. Another sighting that was as fleeting as could possibly be were half a dozen Nilgai Antelope.
"Texas is home to more free-range nilgai antelope than their native country of India. Originally stocked on the King Ranch in the 1930’s, these sporty game animals quickly took hold and are currently free- ranging on a handful of large private properties in lower South Texas." From link below.
www.wildlifesystems.com/nilgai-antelope.html
For me, I think the highlight of the day was when I happened to spot a tiny Texan Horned Lizard / Phrynosoma cornutum. A few years ago, I had been so disappointed to miss a trip to SE Alberta to see a Horned Lizard. At the King Ranch, we were standing still for some reason, when something caught my eye near my shoes. I thought a small piece of dead, faded plant had blown in. Then it moved again, still not far from my feet. Couldn't believe my eyes!! What an interesting creature - it actually can shoot blood from small protuberances by its eyes when it feels threatened! Will post photos later, when I get to them.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_horned_lizard
We had lunch outside and were visited by a beautiful, curious White-tailed Deer. Several others were also seen while we were driving around the ranch land.
A good day, for sure, and we appreciated the effort that Barb and her boss put into searching for various species.
Pam J has particularly liked this photo
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