May 20, 2007: Fort Hood / Killeen, Texas Birding (52 PHOTOS, 34 BIRD)

Today my brother Mike and I birded various areas of Bell and Coryell Counties in Central Texas, both on our own, and with Gil Eckrich. It was a great day, and we saw a good variety of birds! Thankfully, it was cool for Texas for this time of year, with pleasant temps only in the low 80's. We started on Fort Hood .... and then checked out some sites reccomended by Gil and the Twin Lakes Audubon Society......

FORT HOOD BIRDING

Lifer Black-Crested Titmouse
young Painted Bunting

Red-Eyed Vireo (I photographed one less than 24 hours earlier in Bergen NY!)

White-Eyed Vireo

Above two: Golden-Cheeked Warbler on nest!

This was a nice shot of an Eastern Kingbird with a backdrop of Indian Blanket

Above two: Dicksissel

Orchard Oriole

Smilax vine
Greenthread

Winecup

Widows Tears Flowers of a Yucca plantWe had lunch at the delicious Schoepf's BBQ in nearby Belton. (Map)


Birding at TEMPLE LAKE, Temple, Texas (Map)

First we encountered this turtle (what kind?)

We then encountered a small flock of migrating pipers:

Spotted SandpiperWhite-Rumped Sandpiper Two White-Rumped Sandpipers and a Sanderling

White-Rumped Sandpiper

White-Rumped Sandpiper and Baird's Sandpiper

Above 3: Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher (he didn't stay around for long!)Above 2: Western Kingbird

After Temple Lake, we hit the roads of Central Texas, looking for birds at a few other Bell County locations ...

Near The Grove, Texas, we found some nice fields of Indian Blanket

Above: Close-up of Indian Blanket

Below: Same flower with red-filter...

Lark Sparrow near The Grove, TexasTurkey Vulture near The Grove, Texas Painted Bunting near The Grove, Texas

Ironbridge Park, near Moody, Texas

Lepoard Frog

Great-Crested Flycatcher Yellow-Billed Cuckoo
Texas Longhorn near Mother Neff State Park, Moody, Texas

Miller Springs Park - Belton, Teaxas

Prickly Pear Cactus

Texas Paintbrush

Mexican Hat

Texas Thistle

Mystery red flowers

Belton Dam area:

Finally got two (semi) decent flying Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher shots

Eastern Bluebird

Western Kingbird

Above 2: Black Vultures

These two American Crows are up to no good!

Chalk Ridge Falls (Stillhouse Lake)

This Canyon Wren is nesting in the men's bathroom in the parking lot!

This Eastern Phoebe photographed while on the Fort Hood main cantonment was the last bird of the day!

MAP OF LOCATIONS MENTIONED

(See these locations on an interactive Local.Live.Com map)