This was not the best of days for this Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus). But molting will do that to you. Poor baby, it looks like quite a painful process. I’m sure he will soon be rivaling the other handsome males. Their bright yellow eye is good trait to distinguish them from their close relative, the Boat-tailed Grackle which is also found along the Gulf Coast.
Great-tailed Grackle, South Padre island, Texas March 2019
Gafftopsail Catfish, Rockport, Texas April 2019
Don’t let the shiny surface of the Gafftopsail Catfish (Bagre marinus) fool you – this fish is adorned with long, venomous spines (hiding in the dorsal and pectoral fins). Fishing websites recommend caution when dealing with this species as one wrong move can send you to the emergency room in horrible pain. Interesting factoid, the male is a mouthbreeder, meaning after fertilizing her eggs (up to 55 of them) he carries them in his mouth until they hatch. He must forgo food for the entire 65 day incubation period. What a good dad!
I call bs on the phrase, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Setting aside my aversion to roses, anyone who believes that saying has never been called pulchritudinous. Instead of making me feel beautiful, the word gives me the creeps. Try saying it out loud, it sounds like someone hacking up a hairball. It should be a description for a nauseating odor. (Ed. Note: I’ve never been called pulchritudinous. This is just the kind of thing I think about while feverishly fighting a cold. So I thought I’d share it with you. You’re welcome.)
Prickly Pear Flower, Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park, Brownsville, Texas March 2019
Texas Spotted Whiptail, Estero Llano Grande State Park, Weslaco, Texas March 2019
When I glanced down to find the source of the rustling noise in the leaf litter I caught a blur of color. Intrigued, I followed my fast moving subject through the detritus. Finally, he paused and I snapped a couple photos before he zipped away.
A bit of online research helped me identify my speedy fellow as a Texas Spotted Whiptail (Aspidocelis gularis). The species sports an exceptionally long tail, roughly three times their body length, but I was too busy concentrating on the colorful stripes and spots on its body to catch the tail.
Gularis is Latin meaning throat which is an appropriate feature to focus on since the reddish throat is so prominent (females of the species sport a lighter pink throat). Here’s a better photo of the back:
Louisiana Waterthrush, Port Aransas, Texas March 2019
The Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) is found along wooded wetlands with flowing water. While actually a warbler, this bird’s streaky plumage resembles a thrush (hence the common name). The bright pink legs and white eyebrow are helpful identifying features of this fast moving bird. The ornithological term for that long, white eyebrow is supercilium (which is an awfully fun word to say, come on, try it). By the way, motacilla is Latin for moving tail and is used for the genus of wagtails. Though technically, the LOWA teeters its body, it doesn’t wag.
Name calling at its finest…
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Cricket, an Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio). Based on his expression, he may not have been as excited to meet me. Cricket was brought in to ARK with an injury that was irreparable, so he is now a permanent resident. Cricket earns his keep by serving as an educational ambassador, traveling to schools and appearing at special events.
I collect sunsets. I suppose I take after my dad in that regard. He collects clouds. He’s especially fond of the towering thunderheads that are good omens of rain. That penchant is understandable, since he was born and raised in the arid Sonoran Desert.
Our collections differ in that I capture mine digitally and store them on a hard drive for potential later use, whereas his exist only as mental snapshots, stored in his mind palace. To each his own.
This Green Heron (Butorides virescens) was a talkative fellow, with lots of throaty kyowing going on as he attempted to entice a female. While I found him quite handsome, we weren’t exactly birds of a feather (if you know what I mean). By the way, virescens is Latin for greenish referring to the color of the crown and back (which in my photos looks more gray than green).
While waiting for a beer at the Back Porch in Port Aransas the other evening I caught this conversation between the group of men standing next to me:
Guy 1: “Hey man, how ya doing? I haven’t seen you since our fishing trip!”
Guy 2: “Yeah, that was such a great trip!”
Guy 3: “Wait, wasn’t that the trip where you forgot the tackle?”
Guy 1: “Yep. We got all the way out there and set up the poles before we realized that we left the tackle and the bait in the truck.”
Guy 2: “We had the coolers though, so it all worked out.”
Chuckling ensued…
Sunny Afternoon, South Padre Island, Texas April 2019
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