2011 New Years Day at the Park

I rang in the New Year Sunrise at Pedernales Falls State Park this morning. This photo was at 7 AM with Venus shining above the waning moon. A few clouds on the horizon postponed the real sunrise so I decided to head over to the bird blind. Calm air, no birds until 7:30. The first bird was an Orange-crowned Warbler drinking at the water feature. It looked as if the birds had become acustomed to the hosts feeding time of 9 AM so I headed for the trail to warm up hiking a 2 mile stretch of service road down to the river.
I was pleasantly surprised during the first ten minutes with an American Robin welcoming in the New Year and a single Verdin! The Verdin is a first for me at the park and Robins I do not see very often there. I watched the Verdin for 15 minutes as it fed by itself in the Juniper trees near the road. Then came a sharp call which turned out to be a Spotted Towhee. All great omens for the new year at the park.

Down by the river a few Double-crested Cormorants, Red-shouldered Hawk, flocks of sparrows and goldfinches. I saw the usual mix of wrens, chickadees, titmouse, pheobes and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers. In all I saw 27 species of birds.

I am enclosing a picture of a Golden-fronted Woodpecker I saw at the bird blind Christmas Day. It has been showing up regularly this winter at the blinds. Also seen on Xmas day were two Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers down at the Boy Scout Campground.