Boerne CBC - 1/2/2025

This year we birded Capers Camp and a nearby ranch both in Waring TX. Last year, we were at the same 2 spots and one more ranch but only got only 33 species. A good trend to continue next year, no?

Any great photos? Not really. Overcast skies, distant birds, backside-only views and some that fly by too fast to get a shot. Thanks to our team's collective skills set, we made field ID's of most birds by photo clues and silhouettes even if no photo was obtained. Back at home, with a real-sized screen, software for brightening images and tools like iNaturalist, most of those id's were confirmed. Can you ID these silhouettes???

How birding - and life - has changed with technology. Think about this when you see those AWESOME images captured on film in the pre-pixel birding days!

Photos

Cedar Waxwings' distinctive flight pattern also lend a hint to their ID when viewing conditions (dark and in flight) are less than ideal.

This sharpie shot across the sky - twice in 2 nearby locations - but a camera capture gave us a better, longer look.

And finally, it was a 3-porcupine day. This one was pulling the entire branch nearer to him/her to munch the apparently yummy leaves.

2, Wild Turkey, 20, White-winged Dove, 90, Mourning Dove, 1, Greater Roadrunner, 1, Great Blue Heron, 75, Black Vulture, 1, Turkey Vulture, 1, Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1, Red-tailed Hawk, 1, Belted Kingfisher, 8, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, 2, Downy Woodpecker, 7, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, 1, Crested Caracara, 8, American Kestrel, 4, Eastern Phoebe, 6, Loggerhead Shrike, 4, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, 2, Common Raven, 19, Carolina Chickadee, 33, Black-crested Titmouse, 10, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 6, Carolina Wren, 4, Bewick's Wren, 10, Northern Mockingbird, 3, Eastern Bluebird, 60, American Robin, 69, Cedar Waxwing, 8, American Pipit, 6, House Finch, 13, Lesser Goldfinch, 10, Chipping Sparrow, 2, Field Sparrow, 7, Lark Sparrow, 5, White-crowned Sparrow, 70, Vesper Sparrow, 10, Savannah Sparrow, 1, Song Sparrow, 1, Orange-crowned Warbler, 4, Yellow-rumped Warbler, 35, Northern Cardinal, Additional taxa, 40, Western/Eastern Meadowlark