Birds of Quail Valley and Fort Bend

Pied-Billed Grebe

The Pied-Billed Grebe is a plucky little water fowl that lives in fresh water marshes, lakes and ponds. They dive mostly for their food as you can see with the ambitious-sized crawfish in his beak, which is shaped like a chicken's rather than a duck's.

The black and white markings are only present during breeding (on the male's bill only) and are shown in the first three photos. The Pied-Billed does not have webbed feet like a duck, but is more like a chicken's feet except it has lobes on each "toe" for paddling.

The breeding bill is even seen in the ambitious juvenile above.

The Pied-Billed Grebe is a smaller version in its bill and feet of the American Coot, which is black and has a face mask marking. These juvenile Pied-Bills better reflect it's brown coloration and non-breeding bill found in all Pied Bills except during breeding in the males.

The Pied-Billed normally dives for protection. Any flight is very low to the ground and "taxiing."

This yearround bird loves our Fort Bend ponds and creeks and can be seen swimming among other water birds especially American Coots and Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, which are much larger. Margaret tells a story of a Pied-Billed actually "goosing" a larger duck out of his way.

Babies can actually leave the nest quickly, but can't swim yet. You'll see them riding on parent's backs.

Photos copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album which has pictures of American Coots and Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

Learn how to attract birds to your garden, enjoy the Quail Valley Garden's Club visit and tour of Margaret's backyard.

 

 

Roseate Spoonbill

The Roseate Spoonbill is a wading bird often seen with heron, egrets and ibis. They are large birds about 32 inches. Some winter here, but during colder years may migrate during the winter to Central and South America.

They often mate for life with male and female sharing equal nest responsibilities. The males court by bringing nesting materials as they make quite sturdy nests.

Their coloration can be many shades of pink from shell pink to magenta. Their coloration is diet driven. The more carotenoid critters they get such as shrimp, the pinker they become. Adults have bald heads that are greenish, white necks, pink bodies and reddish long legs.

And, of course, is their distinctive spoon-shaped bill that they use to strain small food items out of the water such as aquatic beetles, frogs, and newts as well as shrimp. In the US, they are only on the Texas Gulf Coast and Florida. Unlike Herons, they fly with out-stretched necks.

Photos copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

Learn how to attract birds to your garden, enjoy the Quail Valley Garden's Club visit and tour of Margaret's backyard.

 

Black-throated Green Warbler

Look high in trees or in bushes to see this lovely little songbird with its Zoo-Zee song.

Distinctive yellow head and black throat, this bird is migrating to Canada for summer breeding and is found throughout the US from mid Texas east.

 

Habitat in pine forests and transitional areas, this insect eater is quick moving and usually stays in foliage.

Photos copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

Learn how to attract birds to your garden, enjoy the Quail Valley Garden's Club visit and tour of Margaret's backyard.

 

American Kestrel

American is truly right because this bird ranges from the Southern tip of Argentina to Alaska.

Our most colorful falcon or small hawk, the American Kestrel eats small rodents, insects and is beautiful flying along cleared spaces hunting.

You’ll often see them on high lines scouting for their next meal. And de-forestation has increased their numbers throughout North and South America.

They are not true migratory birds, but many do leave in the spring to go North. Some nest here.

Watch for the beautiful rufous and contrasting coloring on their wings.

Photos copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

Learn how to attract birds to your garden, enjoy the Quail Valley Garden's Club visit and tour of Margaret's backyard. Or learn more about the American Kestrel including their interesting "nest building" by visiting the Cornell Labs of Ornithology.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

 

A tiny bird, with a big voice. The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is barely larger than a hummingbird, a mere 3.5 to 4 inches .  

These birds winter in the Southern US and Mexico before heading back to Alaska, Canada, and the Upper US.

And you say, where is the Ruby Crown? The males only display it if agitated . . . then they raise all these tiny red feathers on their crown. But if you see a red streak and some yellow, you likely have seen a Golden-Crowned Kinglet, which are rarer in Texas. The Golden-crowned is the next two pictures.

The Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets both winter in Texas, but the Ruby Crowned is much more common, with its constant flickering wings. They are both insect eaters that find their meals on foliage and bark, so you’ll see them in bushes where there are quite a few trees. As you can see in the photo below, the golden streak is much more prominent than the red feathers on the Golden-Crowned.

These birds move so quickly and contantly flick their wings to scare up insects, they are quite a challenge for any photographer . . .but as photographer Margaret Sloan often says, you hear them before you see them. For a small bird, the Ruby-crowned can really belt out a song.

To see other Winter Migrants in our area now, choose the winter migrant category in the right column and scroll down to enjoy other birds you can see in Quail Valley, Missouri City and Fort Bend!

Photos copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

Learn how to attract birds to your garden, enjoy the Quail Valley Garden's Club visit and tour of Margaret's backyard.

To see a Ruby-crowned displaying his crown, press here.

And visit the Cornell Lab for the Ruby-crowned Kinglets' operetic voice.

Edited by Janice Scanlan

 

Wilson's Warbler

Ooh La La! Is it France or Fort Bend? This jaunty little Wilson’s Warbler with his black beret is indeed a Fort Bend visitor this month yellow undersides and all.

This songbird visits from Canada, Alaska, the Pacific North West as well as forests in Idaho are on their way to Mexico for winter.

Watch in bushes and trees as this little foliage gleaner is busy eating insects from foliage to keep plants healthy.

Wilson's Warblers can sometimes appear more orange . . . and close up their backs are more olive than brownish.

Visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to learn more and hear their distinctive chattery song that you will often hear before you see them.

Photos copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

We have now featured a full year of birds and only scratched the surface . . . to see more birds in the neighborhood and our January 2010 birds, press the the Butter-Butt,  Eastern Phoebe and Pine Warbler.

Or select Winter Migrants under Categories on the right to see all the Winter Migrants we've posted to date! But most of all, get out and enjoy the birds and nature!

 

Northern Cardinal

The Northern Cardinal is not just associated with Christmas because of its beautiful red plumage and crest. Northern Cardinals don’t migrate . . . and live year round in a good portion of the United States (excluding the Rocky Mountains, some of the Northern Plains states and West Coast).  So the striking photos of Cardinals in the snow are not “photoshopped”.

The female is more muted, but beautiful in her own right. These birds come to feeders and love black oiled Sunflower seeds. They also eat insects.

 

And they love water and enjoy water sprinklers and birdbaths-- and just clown around.

Mostly seen in pairs, the mature female has the lovely red bill but gray feathers with red splotches that can make her appear burnt orange.

These birds are ideally suited for back yards and enjoy feeders. If you look closely at both feeders in the photo below, the male and female pair are dining together in separate feeders. Look for her red bill in the right feeder to locate her. You'll have no problem spotting him . . . and males will often sit on fences and in other prominent places so their mate can feed on the ground.

 
 
80% mate for life, but in the late winter to early spring in woodsy areas, you may see Cardinals flocking with young birds and those randy 20% finding new mates.

Males bring on their red in sploches as shown in the photo below--it's not just a bad hair day.

Young birds have black bills and little color.

Photos copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

To learn more about the Northern Cardinal, hear an audio recording of its cheep (which may be the first bird sound of the morning), and see a wonderful video of the Northern Cardinal, visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

We've now posted a full year of both year round and migrating birds . . . our monthly post has barely scraped the surface of the ball park 120 birds that live or visit Fort Bend County. Happy holidays and enjoy the new year by enjoying nature and the outdoors.

Edited and posted by Janice Scanlan

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Giving thanks for small things . . . and one that eats insects summer until winter in Fort Bend is truly welcomed! The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is the northernmost gnatcatcher and the only true migratory one. While some live on the Texas Gulf Coast year round, this bird will be heading to Mexico and Central America when the insect population thins during the colder weather.

This fluttery, fast-moving little bird is literally using it's fluttery movements to scare up insects in your plant and tree foliage. You'll often see flashes of gray and white while this little bird with a long tail is "gleaning foliage." 

The females are slightly paler than the males. All are very curious and sometimes will come quite close to you...but they're quick and will be gone in an instant.  Look for a small flash of silvery-gray among the leaves and listen for a high insect-like "spee." And that white streak on the edge of the tail.

You likely may hear the "spree" before you see them, but they also mimic other birds.

These little birds like scrub to woodsey areas and really like water so look along creeks, in parks with trees and water and in scrubbery.

Photos copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

To learn more about the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and hear audio recording of its unique voice, visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Posted and edited by Janice Scanlan

 

 

 

 

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

The “scissortail” is an extremely distinctive bird with its long forked tail that it “scissors” in flight to maneuver. It’s gray upper parts are a striking contrast to its peachy, salmon breast.

The state bird of Oklahoma, the “scissortail” nests primarily in the South Central US in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas before it returns to Mexico and Central America. It ventures into small areas of Arkansas and Louisiana.

Immature varieties have less of the peachy, salmon breast.

 It catches its large diet of insects often through aerial hawking as shown in the dramatic photo below.

While the birds may nest in large groups, you most often will see them alone in open grasslands with occasional trees. While they are gathering on the Texas Gulf Coast to fly south, you may see 4 or 5 together.

You most open spot them in open grasslands and parks that have some taller areas of grasses and vegetation in areas surrounded by trees or open agriculture areas on fenses and high lines.

Photos copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

To learn more about the Scissortail and hear audio recording of its unique voice, visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Posted and edited by Janice Scanlan

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

The male Ruby -throated Hummingbird is quite distinct with his red throat, green "vest" and white undersides. The female lacks the ruby throat but otherwise resembles the male. Hummingbirds are quite the aerobats of the bird world. They can fly very fast, stop on a dime and hover as well as hover up or down and fly backwards.

Orange and red trumpet-shaped flowers as well as nectar feeders will draw them to your garden where they will also eat insects including killing spiders on their webs and then dine on any prey caught in the web. While some do nest in this area (and a few are reputed to live year round), the hummers are on their way to Mexico and Central America. They are known to fly all the way across the Gulf of Mexico to reach their destination.

 

Attracting and Feeding . . . Anything red or orange including garden art or furniture attracts the birds, but you should not put red food dye in their feeder water. 1/4 cup table sugar to one cup of water dissolved is all they need (and red on the feeder to attract them). During high heat, change the water every 3 to 5 days to keep it fresh and prevent fermentation. Don't use honey as it may grow a fungus in the feeder. Table sugar is best. Boil the water first, then add the sugar to dissolve, put in feeders when mixture cools to room temperature. Change the sugar water before it becomes cloudy. Having flowers such as Hamelia, Cupheas, and other fluted, nectar producing flowers will increase the number of hummingbirds that come to your feeders. And we're starting to see many more varieties in Fort Bend.

Since many nest further north and east than our area, we see them in the fall as they are just fueling up to complete the trip south for winter.

Enjoy these little jewels as they amuse you with their antics, likely into November. Be careful of hanging feeders too near windows so they do not fly into the window or where cats might see a good "bird trap" opportunity.

Don't worry about taking the feeders down. When the hummers are ready to go, they will leave. Feeders or not. However, the Rufous Hummingbird may take their place.

And they are attracted to red. Hummingbirds can be lured into garages by the red garage door pulls (that hang on a rope).  Often, they become trapped in the garage.  If you change the color of the door pull--perhaps cover it with duct or masking tape--that will solve the problem. 

Other Hummingbirds that visit Fort Bend are the Rufous Hummingbird and Black-chinned Hummingbirds, but are less predictable and fewer than the Ruby -throated.

See our Winter Hummingbird post.

Photo copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

Posted and edited by Janice Scanlan

Mississippi Kite

The Mississippi Kite is a medium-sized hawk about 12 to 14 inches long. It is various shades of gray, but may appear black and white.

Juveniles may have some brown underside. What is unusual is its beak. It's not the normal hooked beak we associate with raptors. That's because it is an insect eating hawk that has a long, thin bill for flycatching.

It normally migrates through this area. However, at least one pair is nesting on Oyster Creek section of  the Quail Valley Golf Course.

In the Texas Panhandle, Louisiana, and Mississippi, it is know to live year around. However, many migrate to central South America to winter. It nests in trees and prefers open woodlands near water. It is a long-winged hawk so it has graceful gliding ability.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a great resource to learn more. In fact, I just listened to its distinctive sound captured on an audio clip at the Cornell site.

As I write this, a Mississippi Kite is calling from the high lines behind our home near Oyster Creek.

Photo copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

Posted and edited by Janice Scanlan

Barn Swallow (Aerial Foragers)

If you have been beset by Mosquitoes, birds that are aerial foragers are your friends. Insects, and particularly Mosquitoes, are their favorite meals.

The Barn Swallow is known for its long, symmetrical and forked tail. In fact, females pick males with longer tails and are attracted to a deep Rufus breast that is a beautiful contrast to its steely blue upper side.

All aerial foragers have highly-developed pointed wings, glide beautifully and are acrobats in the air.

Barn Swallows love rafters or under supports of bridges and need mud for their nests. They like open areas with water so Fort Bend is an especially attractive nesting area. They return to South America for winter. They are one of the widest ranging nesting birds in the Northern Hemisphere.

Other aerial foragers include Purple Martins, Chimney Swifts, Tree Swallows and Cliff Swallows.

While the Martins and most of the Swallows are "perching birds," the Chimney Swifts "cling" to the sides of enclosed structures like chimneys and are in the same family as Hummingbirds (APODIFORMES) because of their highly developed wings and less developed feet. To see the "flying cigar" Chimney Swift, please visit the Cornell Lab.

The Swallows and Martins are PASSERIFORMES.

Photographing these birds can be very challenging because they are fast in flight and maneuver like fighter pilots. To see more pictures, particularly the unique and beautiful forked tail, visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Please continue to scroll down to see other aerial foragers of Fort Bend.

Photo copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

Purple Martin (Aerial Foragers)

While this likely immature male is not in the right light to capture its purple iridescence, this picture certainly captures their wonderful flying ability when they are foraging for insects. They also fly across the top of a pond to get water . . . aerial showoffs that they are.

The Martin in the next picture is likely an immature male as well.

The Purple Martin is the largest North American Swallow. It also almost nests exclusively in man made bird houses, but when a communal nest box is inhabited by several pairs, usually only one male bird defends the entire colony. And older Martins normally return to the nest box before others who straggle along.

The Martin below has captured a large damselfly.

Like the other aerial foragers, the Martins like ponds and open space. For more about the Purple Martin including links in how to keep Martin houses, click here.

Please continue to scroll down to see other aerial foragers of Fort Bend.

Photo copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

Cliff Swallows (Aerial Foragers)

Cliff Swallows can live and nest in large colonies and "thunder out" to forage for insects. This is especially true in cliff areas and tall buildings.

In Fort Bend, they are likely to find building structures near marshes and ponds. They may even share and swap eggs in communal nests.

Picture shows the pointed and agile wings of all Swallows and nesting on the side of a building. Please scroll down to see more aerial foragers of Fort Bend.

To learn more about Cliff Swallows, visit the Cornell Lab.

Photo copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

Tree Swallows (Aerial Foragers)

Tree Swallows are striking birds that migrate through Fort Bend to nest further north and return again in the fall to winter in South America. They are aerial foragers catching insects in flight and eat all kinds of insects.

They enjoy marshes and open fields.

The Cornell Lab really has an interesting video of their nesting boxes.

Photo copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

Barred Owl

Barred Owls live year round in Fort Bend and love our open spaces to hunt. They live in forested areas, and swamps are just fine!  They nest in cavities in deciduous trees.  Hunting at night their preferred prey includes small mammals, rabbits, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. It’s quite common to see them in trees during 6 AM hikes on the Quail Valley Golf Course as they are ending their hunting and are common on the slough off Glenn Lakes. 

Distinctive with their black eyes and no feather tufts on the ears, a barred owl lost its home on Stafford Run from a wind storm and lived in a tree near our home for several days until he or she located a new home. During last summer’s drought, the owl would return to our birdbath during the day. It was quite unusual to see that large a bird in the birdbath much less an owl in the daytime. And yes, owls yawn.

To learn more about the Barred Owl and see other photos, visit the Cornell Ornithology Lab where you can also hear the distinct calls and voices of Barred and Great Horned Owls.

The other Owl living in Fort Bend and from the Arctic to the Tropics in every kind of habitat is the Great Horned Owl. The Great Horned Owl is so-named for the tufts near his or her ears. In contrast to the Barred Owls' lack of ear tufts and black eyes, the Great Horned Owls' eyes are yellow and cat-like in how the irises visibly open and narrow into slits. The Great Horned Owl is not seen as often in "urban" Fort Bend, preferring agricultural areas more prevalent in West Fort Bend County. This photo is not very good, but will give you a real contrast on how the two Owls look very different from one another.

To see more detailed photos and learn more about the Great Horned Owl, visit here.

Photo copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

 

Baltimore Oriole

The Baltimore Oriole is one of the many species migrating through Fort Bend County from South and Central America to various nesting areas in the SE and East North America. As shown in the picture, one of the Baltimore Orioles favorite foods besides insects are Mulberries.

While Mulberry Trees due to their dropping fruit and attracting insects may not be a tree of choice near a patio or sidewalk, having them along creeks, along edges of parks and in wooded areas are highly desirable to attracting and providing a food source for these and other migratory birds to “fuel up” for their migratory journey. These birds literally “plump up” to have the fat for fueling their flight to their nesting grounds. . . or they lose muscle and die . . . and in mass, we lose another species of birds.

At the Sugar Land Garden Tour, we were pleased to see a Mulberry planted in an buffer zone between the Hurley’s garden and Oyster Creek.

The Baltimore Oriole only stops on the Gulf Coast to fuel up for the rest of its flight to the East and South East of North America. To learn more about the Baltimore Oriole visit the Cornell Lab. To see pictures of the Orchard Oriole that nest in Fort Bend, scroll to the next entry.

Photo copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

Orchard Oriole

The Orchard Oriole nests in Fort Bend County. It is less intense in color than the Baltimore Oriole and the male's more chestnut breast can almost look black without field glasses. The female can look more olive to yellow than orange to chestnut. It is the smallest North American Oriole.

It nests in shade trees along streams, rivers and lakes. As you see in the picture it is in a Mulberry tree, and eats Mulberries, other fruits, and insects.

To learn more, hear typical sounds or see more pictures, go to the following link at the Cornell Lab.

Photo copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

Summer Tanager

Our spring and fall migratory birds are coming back and the Summer Tanager is the only all red North American bird.

It lives in southern forests and further west along creeks and streams . . . and that’s where you’ll likely see them in Fort Bend. You may have mistaken a Summer Tanager for a Cardinal, but the Tanagers do not come to feeders, but will occasionally come for fruit.

What they eat are Wasps and Bees. They catch their prey in flight and beat them against a woody limb, remove the stinger and dine. They also like Mulberry fruit. Summer Tanagers winter in Central and Northern South America. Like all birds that fly long distances, they put on fat to “fuel the journey.” They breed in the southern US in the summer and like “gaps” near creeks and woodlands for nests.

The female is a striking color contrast more mustard yellow to orange brown. 

 

Compare the male Summer Tanager with the male Scarlet Tanager pictured below. You'll notice the black markings on the wings of the male Scarlet Tanager; whereas the male Summer Tanager is all red.

Photographs copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. View her full photo album, Birds of Quail Valley by pressing this link.

To learn more about Summer Tanagers, click here.

For Scarlet Tanagers, press here.

Great Egret

Do you think I'm sexy? Yes, mating and the wonderful courtship dances and songs of birds are all around us. Long plumes (aigrettes) are held up over the back in courtship displays around the nest. These displays can last 10 minutes or more.

Plume hunters in the 1800 and 1900's had reduced populations in North America by 95%. The species rebounded after they became protected by law.

Standing up to four feet high, the Great Egret is indeed impressive equally on the ground in and out of courtship display and in flight. And they are even taller on tiptoe with their necks extended as in the photo below.

Sometimes called Great Whites, these birds are members of the Heron family and are found along creeks, sloughs and other wetlands. They nest and live in Fort Bend year around and extend throughout North America.

Photos copyrighted by Margaret Sloan.

Keep visiting, we are posting birds and habits as the visit the area and time permits of Winter and other varieties of birds that live or visit Quail Valley and Fort Bend.

To see a more complete photo album of Birds from Quail Valley and Fort Bend, Birds of Quail Valley.

Cedar Waxwing

The Cedar Waxwing is a silky, shiny collection of brown, gray, and lemon-yellow, accented with a subdued crest, rakish black mask, and brilliant-red wax droplets on the wing feathers. A common winter bird they have a sheen that makes them almost look plastic or wax like!  Spotted in the area since January, and large flocks of this medium-sized bird have occurred the past two weeks. They should hang around for another month or so. 

They love the berries of the wax myrtles that line Oyster Creek!.  Every year, the flocks descend on these trees and noisily feed on the berries so you’ll need binoculars to see them.  Their call is a high-pitched, buzzy sound and you'll hear them as they fly overhead.  In the spring, they'll head to the northern US and Canada to breed, but you can see them high is trees, especially those with berries in our area. If the berries ferment, it’s quite common to see “drunken” birds. They also eat insects and are quite aerobatic. In flight they resemble European Starlings and feed, fly and roost in large flocks as shown below.

Photos copyrighted by Margaret Sloan.

Keep visiting, we are posting birds and habits as the visit the area and time permits of Winter and other varieties of birds that live or visit Quail Valley and Fort Bend.

To learn more in depth on the Cedar Waxwing or hear actual bird calls,the Cornell University has a wonderful website, press here to visit.

To see a more complete photo album of Birds from Quail Valley and Fort Bend, Birds of Quail Valley.

Pine Warbler

These small birds are a large Warbler and are found in the Pine Forests of the Southeast US year around.

Janice's garden is more contained than Margaret's on Oyster Creek. The Pine Warblers come to her more enclosed space or are found in heavily wooded areas. I always know when they come to my garden for water, that winter is tough in Arkansas and mid-states east. A scout may come, but the next day the waterfall is full of these tiny birds. They seem to enjoy seeds from the Elm trees, but I've not seen them on feeders, just on the ground near water--especially running water.

The males have more olive to a chartreuse color than the females.

Photos copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. Stories and photos written by Margaret and Janice Scanlan.

Keep visiting, we are posting birds and habits as the visit the area and time permits of Winter and other varieties of birds that live or visit Quail Valley and Fort Bend.

To learn more in depth on the Pine Warbler or hear actual bird calls, Cornell University has a wonderful website, press here to visit.

To see a more complete photo album of Birds from Quail Valley and Fort Bend, Birds of Quail Valley.

Bald Eagle

The picture above is the first Bald Eagle that Margaret photographed in Quail Valley. It is a mature male. Margaret captured a second Bald Eagle, but the picture was only good enough for identification. In fact, the bird is likely about 3 years old as he does not have his breeding white tail feathers that he will acquire in a year or so.

The national emblem of the United States, the Bald Eagle is a conservation success moving from the Endangered Species list to "threatened" in 1995 and removed from the list altogether in 2007. They are true Raptors so they hunt prey.

Regarding the eating habits of Bald Eagles, Margaret did a little research.  Their preferred food is fish, then birds (mainly water birds like coots and small ducks), with mammals and reptiles comprising a small percentage of their diet.  They like carrion, so road kill or the prey of another bird or mammal is the source of some of their food.  On average, they can only fly with prey that are up to half their weight, and they weigh around 8 pounds. Most of their prey falls in the 2 to 4 pound range.  The eagles forage mainly along waterways and lakes and prefer to be away from humans. 

While it's possible for a Bald Eagle to take small cats and dogs given an opportunity, that's not their preference. Living with nature includes living with predators (alligators, coyotes, eagles, hawks, owls) and the wise pet owner supervises their little guys.

Photos copyrighted by Margaret Sloan. Stories and photos written by Margaret and Janice Scanlan.

Keep visiting, we are posting birds and habits as the visit the area and time permits of Winter and other varieties of birds that live or visit Quail Valley and Fort Bend.

To learn more in depth on the Bald Eagle or hear actual bird calls, Cornell University has a wonderful website, press here to visit.

To see a more complete photo album of Birds from Quail Valley and Fort Bend, Birds of Quail Valley.

Eastern Phoebe

The Eastern Phoebe is in the flycatcher family and is an insect-eater.  It will eat fruit if there are no insects.  Phoebes are fun to watch as they generally perch on a branch in the open.  They fly out to catch insects, then often return to the same spot.  You may not see their prey, but they do! Usually the branch/fence/wire is less than 25 feet high.  Their call sounds very much like "phoe-bee."  I often see them along the Oyster Creek (shown below at sunrise) and along streams in parks.

Article by and photos copyrighted by Margaret Sloan.

Keep visiting, we are posting birds and habits as the visit the area and time permits. Other winter migrants include Goldfinches and Pine Warblers.

To see a more complete photo album of Birds from Quail Valley and Fort Bend, Birds of Quail Valley. 

Yellow-rumped Warbler aka Butter Butt

Yellow-rumped Warbler, aka "Butter-butt" 

--  Like many of the winter birds,  these warblers are pretty plain in the winter except for the pale yellow rump spot.  As with the Goldfinches, the males start changing to breeding plumage when they are ready to head north so we miss their brighter colors.  A winter bird photographed in Fort Bend is above. Below is a summer bird from Utah which is slightly different from the east coast summer Yellow-rumps. This photo shows how male plumage intensifies in color during mating season.

In our area, they can be found in brushy areas or high in trees.  I see them frequently along the creek and in the parks.  Their preferred diet is insects, but they eat fruit when insects are scarce.  I put banana peels and overripe fruit out to try to attract insects for them.  I also see them drinking water from a dripping hose that I've hung in a tree.

 
Article by and photos copyrighted by Margaret Sloan.

To see more Birds from Quail Valley and Fort Bend, Birds of Quail Valley. 

Birds of Quail Valley and Fort Bend

Margaret Sloan is a Quail Valley Resident who is an avid birder and photographer.

To help Quail Valley and Fort Bend residents appreciate their own back yards, parks and open space, this journal will keep you informed of what birds are migrating or prevalent in Quail Valley and Fort Bend during a particular time and provide tips:

• Where to look for them
• How to attract them to your garden
• When they are in the area if migratory

To get started we're posting migratory birds around the time we see them so the date of the post will give you a good idea. As we have time, we'll feature year-aound and nesting birds.

The bird pictured here is a Baltimore Oriole feasting in a Mulberry Tree.

To view a story about Margaret in Fort Bend Independent written by our editor Janice Scanlan, press here.

Margaret has photographed more than 100 species in Fort Bend County. If you have seen a bird you wish to identify that we haven't included yet, a good place to start is Margaret's photo album, Birds of Quail Valley. 

All pictures are copyrighted by Margaret Sloan.