A Crested Caracara in flight.
A very common species on the Texas coast is Laughing Gull, named after its laugh-like call given incessantly when -in a group...
...as here.
One in flight.
A Caspian Tern. The tern with the largest bill and which occurs widely and not just, as its name suggests, around the Caspian Sea. Mainly in warmer climes though a few strays visit the UK most years.
In America the name 'hawk' is used for both what we would call hawks (e.g. Sparrowhawk) and also buzzards (e.g. Common Buzzard). Further confusion occurs as their buzzard-like hawks occur in a number of 'morphs' (dark, pale and intermediate) and can look very different when in one of up to four immature plumages. For me it is 'take a photo' and study the field guide. This is a pale morph adult Swainson's Hawk.
A Red-tailed Hawk, just about the most widespread and abundant buzzard-like hawk.
An Osprey. This species is common in coastal areas of the US. Latest thinking is that these should be regarded as a separate species as unlike 'our' birds they are non-migratory.
I did not expect to see a Common Nighthawk in full daylight. This species I recall hearing and seeing illuminated by the street-lights in New Orleans on my first State-side visit in 1981 when I was not really a birder.
Yes: Feral Pigeons occur in the US.
A Mourning Dove, named for its mournful call note. Similar in size to our Collared Dove which has also colonised North America. In flight it is separated by a long and pointed tail.
And here are two Collared Doves.
A White-winged Dove in the same genus as the Mourning Dove.
Definitely white-winged.
This is a Cliff Swallow.
The obvious pale collar is the easiest separation from the very similar Cave Swallow. Both species occur together in South-east Texas. In Europe short-tailed hirundines are known as martins: that epithet is only used in the US for the much bulkier Purple Martin...
...seen here evacuating its bowels.
Common Starling is an invasive species in the US introduced by early settlers (who would want to take these on a boat to the New World?). Just as they have in Australia where they have also been introduced they have caused a serious decline in some native species due to competition for nest-holes.
A Loggerhead Shrike.
This is what the Americans call a robin - an American Robin. If you think it looks more like a red-breasted Blackbird you would be correct. It is placed, along with out Blackbird and thrushes in the genus Turdus.
A Northern Mockingbird. A bird that drives some residents mad with its incessant loud song, given day and night throughout the breeding season. If one decides to nest in your garden (US: yard) you will know.
With nesting material.
In flight the large white wing patch is very obvious.
Great-tailed Grackles are ubiquitous in the southern states. This is a male. They are noisy birds with a range of unpleasant metallic notes.
The female is less striking but just as noisy.
She doesn't look impressed.
Two males dispute territory with a display known as sky-pointing.
A Brown-headed Cowbird, so-called from its favoured feeding location around cattle feed-lots. This species is a brood-parasite. Like our Common Cuckoo it lays its eggs in the nest of other species. The proliferation of feed-lots and the success of the cowbirds had led to one species of bird - Kirtland's Warbler - being in serious decline. Another bird with a metallic series of call-notes.
There are many species of flycatcher in the US, many of them difficult to identify. This is easy: a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.
Very elegant and on wires everywhere. In Texas you still get "bugs on the bumper" as you drive so there is plenty of insect food.
With a surprise when it shows its underwing.
A Great Crested Flycatcher. One of many similar yellow-bellied species.
With lunch.
America also has many species of Wren many of them large and some, like this Bewick's Wren, banded. This is a juvenile still with a gape line. This species is Starling-sized.
Don't mention American Warblers! Luckily in Spring they are all in their breeding finery although this Black-and-White Warbler species always looks like this.
A very charismatic species that runs around tree trunks and branches like a demented Nuthatch.
At all angles.
This is a Black-throated Green Warbler. Well its throat is black! There is a Black-throated Blue Warbler.
Another group of birds over-represented in America is sparrows. None of the almost 40 species is in any way related to 'our' sparrows though of course we did introduce our House Sparrow and it thrives. This is a Lark Sparrow.
House Finches can be seen around habitation everywhere in the USA (but does not reach Canada). The extent of the red in its plumage indicates it is a male.
This is, believe it or not, an Indigo Bunting. Only males are indigo blue, this being the brown female.
Another bird from the bunting family is Dickcissel: a male here. The name derives from its song notes.
A 'blue' butterfly. This group is difficult in the UK, worse still in Europe. A search on the web for blue butterflies in Texas suggests it might be an Echo Azure Butterfly (
Celastrina echo).
With mainly brown in the upper wings this is clearly a female.
A 'white' butterfly. I think a Checkered White (Pontia protodice).
I even found some moths. This is obviously related to our pug moths. The excellent butterflyidentification.org web site does not help here.
Another moth: it may be a Genista Broom Moth (Uresiphita reversalis).
Americans call this moth, with some justification, a Small Bird Dropping Moth (
Ponometia erastrioides). A camouflage against being eaten.
Obviously in the Tussock moth family but which I cannot determine.
And neither can I identify this moth, also looking to be a Tussock moth.
And a (very) longhorn beetle. There are 443 species of longhorn beetle known to occur in Texas so... It may just be
Elytrimitatrix undata.
A beetle, perhaps a very different-looking ladybird.
I was told these flies bite. They didn't bite me: possibly too preoccupied?
Here is the species of terrapin known as Red-eared Slider (
Trachemys scripta elegans). This species occurs widely in the US, aided by introduction from discarded pets.
Not the most beautiful creature. I am sure its mother loves it.
Also a random selection of flowers that caught my eye. Using apps and the internet I have made an attempt to identify some of them. This is a Petunia (
Ruellia sp.) though I cannot resolve it further.
The apps are not infallible. "Not a plant" it says. Further internet searches suggest it is an Impatiens sp.. with the East Texas Wildflowers site suggesting Orange Jewelweed (
O. capensis) as the most likely.
A flowering cactus: this is one of the Opuntia species, known as Prickly Pears: probably
O. engelmannii.
This flower is from the Aster family and known as Sunflower Goldeneye (Viguiera dentata).
This is one of the sneezeweeds (
Helenium sp.). I cannot track down the species that has the red mark at the base of the petal.
It looks like a thistle and by gosh it is. A Wavy-leaf or Grey Thistle (Cirsium undulatum).
I think this is a flower known as Scarlet Beeblossom (Oenothera suffrutescens).
This is one of the Blue-eyed-grass family (
Sisyrinchium). I would need a photo of the leaves to be sure: I suspect Stout Blue-eyed-grass (
S. angustifolium).
This flower is known as Firewheel or Indian Blanket (
Gaillardia pulchella). No identification on the bee though.
(Ed Wilson)
A Caspian Tern. The tern with the largest bill and which occurs widely and not just, as its name suggests, around the Caspian Sea. Mainly in warmer climes though a few strays visit the UK most years.
