Roseate Spoonbill

Cody.conway-Hook, line and sinker...I'm here to see through your eyes and live vicariously through your adventure/s. :-)

Sounds good Janelle, I just returned from Mexico and South Texas this evening. First round of images are up on Noah :-)

Cody.conway-I swear you're living my dream life, young man! I'd so love to live your adventures!! I would love to get back to Central America or see South America some day. Wow! What exciting adventures ahead for you. I can't wait to live vicariously through your images. Best wishes on your travels and success in your upcoming competition!! :-) I'll be in touch when the time comes and I'm ready to head down your way. Thank you!!

No worries, whenever you get ready just let me know and I'll see what I can figure out for you as far as where you should go for what you want to see. Right now South Texas at the MX border is hitting its peak with around 247 species present at current from Brownsville to Laredo so I'll be making the journey down this weekend and spending 4-5 days driving the entire coast of texas from the Louisiana border down to Mexico, then up to Laredo, then back to home in order to prepare for the Coastal Wildlife Photography Competition I'm shooting in during April, as well as my excursion down to Amazonia in Ecuador in the Yasuni Basin in May. Lots of good things coming up!

Cody.conway-You've been so incredibly helpful; thank you soooo much!! Not sure I'll have the money to get down there this spring but now that I have the information and desire, it will happen...thanks to you and your spotting/sharing. I'll be in touch. :-)

Beautiful species

Janelle, the best time to bird this area is in April, usually around the 2nd - 3rd week. This is when spring migration really kicks in and you can get all the resident birds, lots of wintering birds that have not left as of yet, new arrivals coming in for the summer, and birds that are just passing through like the numerous eastern and northern warbler species (my personal best is on April 21 2011, 28 species of warblers photographed in one day). The Spoonbills are here year round. But they are on nest in May and even in April some have already started producing young. Right now the Great Egrets have started laying eggs and others are making nests.

There are no real worries in this area - scorpians are further west and south, venomous snakes are rare to actually come by - with the exception of Sabine Pass you can frequently get Western Cottonmouths. IF you venture to Freeport area and Quintana Neotropic Sanctuary, you can run into Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes on occassion in the jetties and rocks while searching for Horned Larks in the dunes, so thats a place to be mindful of. Alligators are plentiful but rarely attack humans, and I have never seen a report of any kind of attack in this area. Just don't approach them and view from a distance when you encounter them and you'll be fine. Temperatures are lovely in April and even into May. Feel free to shoot me an email and I can help you go over specifics if you are wanting to make a trip into this area, I know the area very well. cody.conway@reptileexperts.com

Cody.conway-Your images have really wet my appetite. I did a map search and never realized all the land set aside down there for wildlife and habitat preservation. I really must come down there some time, preferably in January when I'm sure you're much cooler than in your late spring or summer...but you said that's when they're sitting on nests so maybe I'll have to visit twice. "-) Any warnings about that area ie scorpions, fire ants, poisonous snakes, alligators or crocodiles, etc...We don't have any of these critters up here so any warnings or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :-)))

Great timing Cody!

Janelle - I know some of the ranches you are referring to. There is a safari ranch in central texas outside of san antonio. It's called "Natural Bridge" there is also another one that is a cat sanctuary toward Dallas, but the name slips memory.

Across the street from your home?!! Oh my gosh, I'm sooo jealous! I have friends living in Texas (Flowermound) but I think that's quite a ways from where these guys are located. man, I'd love to photograph and observe these guys though. Just out of curiosity, I've heard there are "game farms" in Texas where people raise African Safari animals. I would pay money to them if I could shoot their animals with my camera instead of a gun and have considered making a trip down there to see if I could make it happen. Maybe I could combine the two...into one trip. Thank you so much for teaching me about these beautiful birds and where they can be found, Cody!!! :-)

Oo la la! love it!

very cool!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/codyconway/... Janelle check this link. They nest at High island just across the bay from Galveston Island, sometimes they nest on Pelican Island which is on galveston, but they are more common just up the beach at High island. The picture in the link was taken across the street from my home.

Cody do they nest outside the Galveston Texas area and if so, are their nests in trees along the shoreline or on the ground? Such amazingly beautiful birds! Are you able to get any video of them or their young?

Thank you Sudarshana, Janelle - they are here year round. During the spring to summer you can find them on nest and with young up till about June. During the winter they are in a lot lower numbers,

beautiful...

So amazing, Cody! Makes me want to come down to Texas... "-) Have you ever seen them down there before or was this bird just passing through? Gorgeous! I would so love to see one in the wild as well some day. :-)

Thanks guys! Was a last minute shot, but came out quite nice :-)

Fantastic great shot :)