Leaps, Jeeps and Misfits

Every four years we are granted and extra calendar day to attempt getting all the crap done we’ve procrastinated on since the previous gift of 24 hours. We’ve come to that charity point and I sit here staring at all the things on my to-do list wondering just how long ago each of those items were added. Each comes with a progression of analysis honed over the many years in the corporate grind – does it really need to be done, does it actually have to be done now, is there something more important that delivers greater benefit, is it still as critical as it was when the item was added, is it really independent or it is preceded by another task on the list (or worse, not even there), is it too daunting and needs to be broken into subtasks and more important than all, what kind of trouble will I get into from Linda if I delay any longer. Scan the list, re-prioritize, rearrange, prune some, add some, stare at it, flip some coins…screw it, let’s have some fun and write a post!

Want to give Brad a little bit more time to process all the tins from his recent adventure, so spent some time going through the recently processed shots from our Texas 2023 snowbird migration- you have probably noticed the heavy emphasis on that January trip as of late. What could we feature in celebration of this Leap Year. Then I jumped over to see Jet’s latest post and she absolutely Caarussshed it (link here)! All of my Bunny shots have been used and the only other good option was a Leopard Frog I took several years back – pretty lame. Maybe I could get “close”

Ladies and gentlemen, would you accept Jeep Year!?! Unfortunately, I should have been working on this years in advance to have a nice collection of shots to use (like it says right there on my to-do list ha). As a substitute we are going with a Free-For-All clear out of the (mostly) Texas one-offs. Put your seatbelts on and hit the jump for a joy ride.

The first shot actually taken on our recent trip to Las Vegas. This is the first time we had our Jeep out there and took the opportunity to go up into Desert National Wildlife Refuge. The entry sign cautioned high clearance vehicles only and they were not joking around. The boys had and absolute blast and were busy spotting all the wildlife we came upon. Good news is the new RV has a higher towing capacity, so we can finally add on the larger off-roading tires.

I did find one series that did have some “leaping” in it. These are actually part of a larger series on the Whooping Cranes at Rockport, TX I’m working on – see, right there, number 11 on the to-do list.

This juvenile Whooper was leaping and dancing like no one was watching – actually, from our experience, they could care less if people or watching or not – they are livin’ la vida loca. Something had piqued its interest and was apparently trying to escape based on the antics of this juvi – ah, to be young and carefree again.

Now we officially come to the Free-For-All portion of the presentation. Normally these shots would be uploaded to the gallery and forgotten from that point forward. It could be that I didn’t get enough shots to build a post around, missing a good story that our readers would be interested in, possibly a less than ideal setting or the subject has been covered so many times in the past that there isn’t much left to say about them. I am actually pretty excited at the rare opportunity to bring these on-offs out into the light.

First off, the Black-Crested Titmouse. A staple on the south Texas birding menu with some overlap (eastern half of Texas) with the Tufted Titmouse more common in our parts. This specimen was found at Guadalupe River State Park outside San Antonio.

The Pied-Billed Grebe is quite prevalent across North America and down into Central/South America. If you are States’ side I am sure you have run across these cute little waterbirds at some point. The abundance and pervasiveness of these Grebes is the reason I do not take a lot of pictures of them. This one happened to have a glimpse at its funny looking feet.

The one below happened to have a longer bill than I am used to seeing and thought it was interesting – also liked the shadow of the Black-Necked Stilt in front of it. I am working on an “abstract” bird series … number 38 on the to-do list.

There are a few birds that get me riled up every time I see them…and not in a good way. Some frankly just piss me off like the Asshats (link here). Others like the duck below are innocent of the reason.

The Ring-Necked Duck has to be one of the worst bird names out there. Named after a feature you can really only discern when you are holding one in your hands versus the very easy to see white ring around the bill. We call it the “Bowling Shoe” Duck.

Here is another very abundant duck, the Northern Shoveler. The males are quite beautifully adorned in the emerald greens and auburn sides complementing the blacks and whites. Not to mention that adorable eye – purely a victim of being everywhere.

Speaking of everywhere – the Butterbutts have definitely gone on an eruption these past two years. I will get a lot more interested in them once they split the Myrtles from the Audubons – for now it is a single check on a huge population of songbirds.

With the exception of the ones that manage to fool me by not revealing their bright yellow butts, the appropriately named Yellow-Rumped Warblers get little more than a quick shudder click to record their presence for the later eBird submission. These next two happened to come out pretty nice from the brief attention.

I noticed you, now will you and the rest of your horde please STOP distracting me from the species my readers really want to see.

I used to think there were a lot of Vermilion Flycatchers in Texas until our latest trip to Arizona. The males are one of the few birds Linda is willing to take a picture of – she refuses to take shots of any bird that isn’t “pretty”. I saw this female hanging out in the golden light of the day – Linda said nope, but I thought it was worthy of a click.

White Ibis are another of the Texas staples. I didn’t realize just how common they were to the Gulf Coastline until our Florida trip back in April of 2023. I happen to like the White juvis slightly better with their added browns and definitely enjoy their Glossy and White-Faced cousins due to our more infrequent encounters.

I happen to really like the sunlight coming through the wings that still left some texture in the feathers on this flying specimen.

If you live in or visit the southwest, then you are very familiar with this next bird. Do you happen to remember the Two-Faced Seinfeld episode (link here)? I think the Great-Tailed Grackle is the Gwen of that episode, in good light, they look pretty cool in their shimmering blues/purple coat…catch them in different light and …

EEEECCKKK!!!

This next species is making its debut here at Intrigued. I really don’t have an excuse for not doing a full feature on this rather stunning Dove. They are rather tough to tin as they are incredibly light and easy to blow out.

You really don’t realize just how big these Doves are until you see them up against the others in their family – especially the Incas. In addition to their size, The Eurasian Collard-Doves are easily identified by their namesake mark on the back of their neck.

I’ll turn this specimen just a bit to give you a better look at it.

I happen to have a shot of the Inca in this set as well. Hard to tell without a good reference in the shot, but they are much smaller than the Eurasian above. Their feather “scaling” is also very unique to the rest of the Dove family.

The best part of the Inca is usually kept as a secret until they fly away and reveal their vibrant chestnut underwing feathers. A feature that is rather hard to capture in the field. I got lucky with this following specimen as the burnt orange was very visible – either it had not folded its outer feathers down yet or there was some molting going on.

Mallards are truly ubiquitous, even our friends across the pond get to enjoy their colorful presence. Ask Ron or I about the Mallard and we will both quickly inform you that they are the only Duck that “quacks” – what can we say, we love our trivia. Unless they are with their ducklings, I usually pass on spending time with them beyond the eBird submission reference shot. Contrast that with the extra time given to the Mottled and Mexican varieties which are significantly rarer. Still cute though!

…and on the mention of the Mottled, here is a cute couple from Estero Llano Grande State Park. I could see how smitten they were with each other just in their eyes.

Drake: “On this here log I do proclaim my unfaltering love for you”

Hen: “You know you look like a female Mallard right?”

Drake: “Ummm, I think I’ll go check out that philly over there”

Although not as ubiquitous as the Mallard, the American Wigeon has North America covered – even a titch down into South America. Those across the pond have another family member we refer to as the Eurasian variety that every once in a while has a few too many pints at the local pub, stumbles out and surprisingly finds itself wandering around the States

They do have a cute mixture of green and white on their heads…

..but it is their squeak toy calls that will put a smile on your face. I like to use their soundbites on Cornell to play tricks on our pups.

Another species of bird you will need to travel to Texas for to get the best look at is the Golden-Fronted Woodpecker.

On closer look, it appears you may be able to locate them in Oklahoma as well – can’t say as I have ever seen them there. What I can say is you simply need to visit Laguna Atascosa, walk the paths behind the visitor center until you come to a sign that says “Golden-Fronted Woodpecker” and then look up and 9.9 out of 10 times one will be banging on a tree.

Then again, you could just got to Bentson-Rio Grande State Park, Estero Llano Grande SP, UTRGV Landbridge, Santa Ana NWR…you get the picture ha.

Will close out this series of misfits with the state bird of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. For the record, Texas chose it first back in 1927. They supposedly selected it due to being “a fighter for the protection of his home, falling, if need be, in its defense like any true Texan” per the Texas State Historical Association (reference here). Honestly, I think it is an inside joke as this species annoys me to no end.

The number of times I’ve hunted high and low for a bird only to find out the call was coming from one of these mimics is staggering. At this point, as soon as I see a Mockingbird show up on the Merlin App, I shut it down as nothing can be trusted after that point. I am also not afraid of their little wing flashes so you can just sit there and think about why I am ignoring you! (Linda has already recommended therapy hehehe).

Well, not the best link to Leap Day, but hope you enjoyed this little bird ensemble. A rare look into images that would likely never make it to the pages of Intrigued on their own. Now I need to get back to this to-do list…on second thought, maybe a run or a perhaps a trip in the Jeep with the boys would be better…wait, forgot about the “Linda trouble” part.

Take care everyone and good luck on your extra 24!

46 thoughts on “Leaps, Jeeps and Misfits”

  1. Great shot of the boys in the Jeep. Wonderful collection of fowl wet and dry and cranking looking grackle. I like Jeep year. In celebration of the big leap, I have a doctor appointment on 2/29, then we are going to see The Reverend Horton Heat.

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    1. Good luck on the appointment. I have not heard anyone mention The Heat for years – didn’t even know they were still around – still remember their Let Me Teach You How to Eat video – quite the impression. In for a night of fast strumming, drumming and standup bass. Have fun!

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      1. Appointment sucked. Doctor ran really late. I made her rush because I had to get back to work. The rest of the day was pretty messed up, also. Then there were multi-car accidents blocking traffic going home. The one I had to get around had 5 cars involved. It was a mess. Someone was probably texting and not paying attention. Traffic was still backed up two hours later when Laurie was coming home from class. Needless to say, we didn’t make it back out to see The Rev.

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        1. Oh no, hope I didn’t jinx you. Few things irritate me more than when I pass someone driving while staring at the phone in their hand. I understand the glance if using for navigation, but that is the rare situation these days. I was coming home from therapy yesterday and watched the car in front of me basically drive halfway off the road at a completely random time – luckily on the right hand side of the road or I would have witnessed something I don’t want to see. Do they even show the grotesque accident films anymore in drivers ed? Hoping things work out better now you’ve successfully made it to March.

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          1. That’s a good question about driver ed films. When I was in middle school we had a lazy ass shop teacher who was a drivers ed teacher, also. He would show us the gross drivers ed films on Friday instead of teaching us shop stuff. I asked him why he was showing us drivers ed films. He said so we would be careful when we went out on dates over the weekend. I told him we were 11 and 12 year olds we couldn’t drive much less date. I think the coach in Funky Winkerbean was inspired by that shop teacher.

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            1. Hahahaha – now a reference to Funky Winkerbean definitely dates you Tim (and conversely as I pictured it immediately). Also assuming you made it out of your shop class with all 8 fingers and 2 thumbs.

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            2. Shop class and science were the only classes I did well in when I was in middle school. I was in too much trouble all the time to do well in the other classes.

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            3. We didn’t have a shop class in my middle years (we just had grade and high). Instead I had to take religion classes … let’s just say I am envious of your option.

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            4. Did you go to CatLick school? I didn’t have any religious studies classes until the university. I had mostly stupid classes in MS and HS. Schools were really overcrowded and too strained to be effective.

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            5. I did indeed – grade school, high school and three years in a Catholic dorm in college. One upside was the class sizes were good in GS and HS and there wasn’t a lot of troublemakers as they were dealt a firm hand (literally). You haven’t experienced punishment until you cross a nun, brother or priest.

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            6. I had friends who went to Catholic schools and told stories. It seemed like all the pent up frustration from being celibate was released by beating students. Priest and nuns should go to Steel Panther concerts. The band could have the nun from Oklahoma segment.

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            7. You hit it directly on the nail head…add in the alcohol and you get some miserable people. I cannot imagine what would happen to their heads if they were subjected to a Steel Panther concert. Only the Good Die Young, Mother (Pink Floyd) and ACDC’s Big Balls and many other songs all managed to get banned in my 7th grade and you know how tame those are compared to the SP songs, much less the stage theatrics.

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            8. Although, around here the Catholic girls didn’t start so late. They were the teenagers who were getting pregnant. The Protestant teen girls were on the pill. Steel Panther is a good counter balance to CatLick school in my honest and miserably immoral opinion. As you may know, I was called the Antichrist by an old Catholic woman once.

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            9. That was the whole point of the song and the nuns didn’t appreciate the truthfulness of the lyrics…but the boys didn’t mind hehehehe! I have to give my parents credit, they didn’t press me very hard on the religious studies as long as I kept up my STEM grades for college.

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  2. Lots of ooohs and aaahs then…… Collard Dove, really? Yeah I get it, they are probably quite novel in the States and obviously not natural migrant/vagrants! Only one of two species of dove we get here so to me they are quite small. Funnily enough we don’t get them in our garden here, way too many Wood Pigeons, in the the last place you were tripping over them (almost literally).
    As an aside there is presently a Myrtle Warbler way up in Bonnie Scotland, drawing quite the crowd I’m led to believe.
    Don’t skip on the to do list, your elbow might get a little tweak.

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    1. Well now I know what I haven’t given the Collared-Dove its own feature hahahaha. We are inundated with the Mourning Doves here and of coarse the Rock Pigeons as you get closer to town, but beyond that we have to travel to see the others in the family. Texas gives us access to the White-Winged, White-Tipped, these Eurasians, the Common and every once in a while a rare Ruddy will enter into the scene. I had to look up the Woods, those are new to me … very similar to our Rocks. I can ship over a couple of thousands Myrtles whenever you want – during migration and then on into the rest of the season I can’t throw a rock without coming close to hitting one (them or the more common Audubons). I’ve wasted so much digital space on them I rarely lift my camera for them anymore beyond the obligatory reference shot. I feel Linda has the advantage over me now when it comes to “persuading” me to do stuff…at least I’ve been able to milk the “sorry I can’t lift that” when it comes to house chores – the vacuum cleaner is RIGHT OUT ha! Thanks for dropping in B., hopefully the other specimens made up for the Collared entry.

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      1. Just read up on wiki about the history of the Collard Dove in the States. It started in ’74 with escapes from Bahama and the species has now spread to almost every State. That is pretty impressive. In the UK the species first bred in the late ’50’s but I notice there are less of them than, say, a few years back.
        Yep do not disobey she who must be obeyed.

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        1. Well, at least I can’t blame Shakespeare like I do for a number of our other invasive birds. I think due to their smaller population I find them more fascinating than I do the rest of the Pigeon/Dove family…less annoying ha. You sound like you are confirming obedience from experience there B.!

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    1. Thank you Sharon – this gave me a great opportunity to bring shots that normally would be tucked away and never seen outside of the gallery. Good to hear the Ducks are hanging out…just need to get them closer to the banks ha! Appreciate you coming by and have a Happy Leap Day.

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    1. Thank you Sandra. We love being back in the Jeep community – we actually had a manual hard top Wrangler (inline 6) many many years ago and decided to give it up for something sleeker, but now we are back “in the box” and enjoying all the places we couldn’t go with the other vehicles. Think of the duck pictures as your virtual duck for your dash!

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  5. I like the one-off format. I have many photo languishing like that. Now there are a bunch of new ideas floating around in my head. Butterbutts have become very prevalent in SC, almost like sparrows at home.

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    1. I actually enjoyed going through the variety of shots – definitely considering more multi-species posts in the future. I am amazed as the number of Butterbutts that have inundated are favorite birding hotspots – now I have to keep reminding myself to stop taking pictures of theml

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  6. A long, long time ago, in a far-away galaxy, we purchased one of the first-available-in-America Toyota Land Cruisers. Solid metal, fold up bench seats in the back, all metal floors with drain holes allowed me to wash out the inside with the hose, steel front bumper stuck out a couple of feet. That beast went ANY where! Our shining moment arrived at a drainage ditch in San Angelo, Texas. We came upon a (hide your eyes) Jeep stuck in the mud on the banks of the ditch. Pulled it out with no effort.

    What a terrific post with SO many birds! Makes me want to go birding. Which I will in a few minutes.

    But first – a LEAP of joy at seeing this post!

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    1. I bet Toyota would love to have a shot of you pulling that Jeep out for their marketing brochures! (I had to do some Googling to remind myself what those looked like). Glad you enjoyed the multi-species post Wally – definitely not standard working model here at Intrigued, but on the rare times have it has been well received – thinking we might start doing this more frequently as I certainly have many many shots that normally get stuck in the gallery and never visited again. I never thought of adding a shot of me “leaping” on one of my runs – note to self for next year although those shots usually mean something bad happens immediately after the shot is taken hehehe. Take care and good luck on your bird hunt.

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  7. I enjoyed your fantastic photos of many different bird species here, Brian. And also appreciated the link and shout-out to my Leap Day post, thanks so much. Gorgeous golden-fronted woodpecker shots with the golden lit up beautifully. Butter-butts, ducks and the pied-bill with the foot showing. Most of all I liked the white ibis photos, the bird sailing elegantly above the water, markings so crisp, pink bill and legs so prominent. Another day to leap for joy, thank you.

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    1. You are quite welcome Jet, especially since you set the bar for celebrating the rare day. As I mentioned in the post, usually these one-offs get processed and go directly into the gallery archives – it was fun to give them their day. That Ibis shot was also one of my favorites – so hard to get those brilliant white birds captured in the tin without blowing out the features in the feathers. We are heading back to Texas in a couple of weeks and looking forward to seeing our old friends like the Golden-Fronted again. Hoping to find plenty of subjects to fill up the Intrigued pages the rest of this year. Take care and again, job well done on your Leap post.

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    1. Perfect, beyond the meat I find the individual stew ingredients less than appetizing, but together a fine option for dinner! Of course, now the rest of the on-offs are complaining they want their day to shine now ha! Thanks for dropping in Jerry.

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  9. Loved your List Mantra (“Scan the list, re-prioritize, rearrange, prune some, add some, stare at it, flip some coins…screw it, let’s have some fun and write a post!”) – I need the T-shirt! Laughed out loud at your duck script – great fit. Yep, I definitely enjoyed this multi-species collection. I recently read a blog post where someone was celebrating the wonderful colors of the Grackle, which many of us here in coastal Texas consider to be a pest. Since then, I remind myself that blog readers come from all over the world, and what is common for me might be unusual for them. For example, I too gloss over the doves, but your Eurasian Dove made me stop and think – I don’t believe I’ve ever seen one. And I haven’t seen the cinnamon wings of the Inca, either. So much to see!

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    1. Hmmm, I just might have to consider that for our next batch of corporate shirts – currently working on the “No Photo, Didn’t Happen” batch to cut down on the number of times I have to say it hehehe. Those Mottleds were quite the characters – just sitting there on a log watching the day go by and when not jabbing each other, heckling any Coots that dared come within earshot. Having been down there enough times now, I can relate to the “pest” perspective with that noisy Grackle – I still remember to this day back when I restarted my birding enthusiasm someone absolutely lit into me because I had the audacity to take a picture of a Gull while visiting Mackinaw Island. Heard her out, blinked twice checking if a mirage, looked at Linda smiled and went back to taking pictures. In case you need a Collared checked off your life list, scan the power lines next to the Subway on the main road through Galveston Island (not to far from the state park). That is where these shots came from and where I’ve checked them off my list for the last 5 or so years. You have to see the cinnamon flashes from the Inca – absolutely stunning the first time I saw it, but you need to wait until they take flight which isn’t that often because they spend most of their time smooching with their mate while perched on branches. So glad I was able to bring you something you haven’t seen Sam – have a great week and welcome to March!

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    1. Glad you liked them Lisa – received a lot of positive feedback from the mixed bag of shots, so thinking I might do that more often as there are always scattered shots from every trip into the field I usually just stash away. Appreciate you dropping in and have a great March out there!

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  11. I’m glad you decided to show these photos, Brian. There are a few life birds for me in your selection and the one I would like to see most is the Whooping Crane. I keep hoping one will fly over Colorado during migration and that I happen to be in the right place at the right time.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the post! I have received a lot of positive feedback on the variety of birds and will probably try and have this type of post more often. The Whoopers are at the top of my favorite bird list and one I consider my “trigger” for getting back into birding later in my life (was big into it during high school and then drifted away). Linda and I went out to Texas many years back and we stumbled on this place where the Whoopers are much more accessible – we make a point to go back every year. Stay tuned, there is a big post coming featuring this juvenile’s parents. Thanks for coming by and apologies for the delayed response.

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