Getting our ducks in a row at Estero Llano Grande State Park

Birdie and I got some ducks in a row when we visited Estero Llano Grande State Park in south Texas today.

What a great park! So glad I got my Texas State Park Pass.

So, you want to go birding with us? You can get in free on my pass.

We'll start with some of the ducks that hang out by the Visitor's Center. They have spotting scopes set up and rangers and volunteers help you find and identify the birdlife. This is a Ring-necked Duck....ought to be called a Ring-billed duck, I think.

 A pair of Northern Shovelers...Snowbirds that came south for the winter.

 A Blue-winged Teal

 Canvasback

Green-winged Teal

 THe gorgeous male Wood Duck

 Male Canvasback again

Northern Pintail showing off his signature feature. 

And then there were some herons. This is a Black-crowned Night Heron

 And a new one for me, the Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Green Heron

The Red-tailed Hawk wanted to show off his best side too.

These last two are my favorites: The Eastern Screech Owl,

And the (not so) Common Pauraque. Can you see it?

 I wouldn't have either, if Birdie hadn't pointed it out to me.

 Shh, he's resting.

And there were others I didn't photograph. Why so many different birds? Here's why:

 I started to read about the history of the area, but got distracted by the birds. This is as far as I got.

I did find the answer to a question I had about all the tall concrete pillars I've been seeing in the fields:

 Irrigation Standpipe

So the ducks are all lined up....sort of.

Time to rest.