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Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularia
basic (winter) plumage - walking across pond slider
Hornsby Bend,
Austin,
Travis Co., Texas
21 January 2010

I've always thought a good caption for this image might be "pardon me, have you any Grey Poupon?"

Taken during the first Port Aransas Nature Preserve Bioblitz, with Colleen Simpson.

Wade Strickland pointed out this Greater Flamingo to us. It's the escapee from the Wichita zoo (with leg band 492) that has been living on the Texas coast for years. It was initially just northwest of Salt Island. It made its way north, on the west side of the board walk, until it took flight and landed in tall grass just south of the birding center. I hope it hangs around for awhile!

Visual Description: These birds are about a foot and a half tall with yellow feet and beak. There feathers are blue-grey as well as white. They additionally have a distinct line of strips on their front side.
Habitat: This particular bird was found sitting on the top of an apartment complex near a forest. However, these birds are found in many habitats including coastal, mountains, and deserts.

References: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Peregrine_Falcon/id#

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Birds/Peregrine-Falcon#:~:text=With%20their%20global%20range%2C%20peregrine,falcons%20eat%20mostly%20other%20birds.

It was perched on the corner of this building. There was literally a tornado watch in town. Highwind. I watched it perch and search the sky for about five minutes as the wind increased and it wrestled to hang on. Then it literally got blown off.