Award Winning Birding Today

Today was quite the birding day at Pedernales Falls State Park. For the first few hours after sunrise no winds made for some great sitings back behind the bird blinds in the horse pastures. A male Vermilion Flycatcher set the morning on fire as he darted for insects from a perch in the morning sunlight. Add to this a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and five Meadowlarks feeding in the field. Also of note was a male American Kestrel hanging around the new nest box placed along the utility line along the edge of this field.

Golden-cheeked Warblers are back and happily singing along most trails, most notably the Nature Trail. Black & White Warblers and White-eyed Vireos are also setting up territories. I detected the song of a Swainson's Thrush at sunrise along the Hackenberg Creek Trail.

Spring migration has begun and though some new birds can be seen around the bird blinds it really takes walking different trails throughout the park to catch them all.

I am including a picture of what I believe to be a Morel mushroom. I actually found several along a rocky trail leading down to the river. Regular rains in the Hill Country not only has made this a good year for wildflowers but mushrooms as well.