Port Aransas Christmas Bird Count

For the Port Aransas CBC, I always check around my parents' house a little bit around dawn. Every other year I find something interesting, and this year it was this Le Conte's Sparrow in the dunes behind the yard. I've never seen one here, although I've never looked too hard. This one was perched in Camphorweed and responded to pishing.
Taken during the Port Aransas Christmas Bird Count.

These are a few of almost 400 American White Pelicans that were in the water around the edge of the south jetty. Taken during the Port Aransas Christmas Bird Count. Special thanks to Frank Ernst, boat pilot for the UTMSI, for taking us out to find birds in the gulf on such a beautiful morning!

This photos shows the sometimes dramatic difference in size between the smaller male and large female. Taken during the Port Aransas Christmas Bird Count. Special thanks to Frank Ernst, boat pilot for the UTMSI, for taking us out to find birds in the gulf on such a beautiful morning!

We saw several Northern Gannets while out on the boat. All were flying and is the only photo I got. At one point we were chasing another gannet which we thought might have been a booby. (It wasn't.) We ended up going 37 knots alongside the flying bird which was easily keeping us just behind it. Taken during the Port Aransas Christmas Bird Count. Special thanks to Frank Ernst, boat pilot for the UTMSI, for taking us out to find birds in the gulf on such a beautiful morning!

We estimated there were at least 7 Nelson's Sparrow in one small area of Black Mangroves in Charlie's Pasture. Unfortunately we had to leave the boardwalk to see them, something I only do once a year for the CBC when we have permission to do so. Taken during the Port Aransas Christmas Bird Count.