Continuing posts from the second leg of our Texas birding trip.

We found this Long-billed Thrasher taking advantage of a ground level bird bath provided by Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge.

From the Cornell Lab:
"The Long-billed Thrasher looks a lot like the Brown Thrasher of the eastern U.S. but lives in the dry, brushy landscapes of southeast Texas and northeastern Mexico. It's a rich brown bird with heavy black streaking on white underparts, a grayish face, and an orange eye. Like other thrashers, it lives in dense brush and spends much of its time scratching or tossing leaves aside to catch insects on the ground. In spring, males sometimes perch in the open and sing a jumbled song with many repeated phrases."

Tags:   long-billed thrasher Toxostoma longirostre cornell lab laguna atascosa national wildlife refuge get your goose on texas birding nature conservation protect wildlife

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I've been posting a few shots of other birds in the Whooping Crane neighborhood. But birds aren't the only neighbors.
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, where Whooping Cranes winter, has a healthy population of American Alligators too.

We found this one while walking the Heron Flats trail in the refuge. We usually see gators there and had our eyes scanning the edges of the ponds as we walked along and stopped occasionally to check with our binoculars. On one of those stops, the binoculars weren't needed. I looked down to see the tip of this gator's tail only a couple of feet away. He had been hidden in some tall grass and we hadn't noticed him as we approached.
After giving my heart rate a few seconds to slow down, I carefully maneuvered to get this open portrait and we continued our hike.

Note: During winter/cool weather, American Alligators don't eat. They're fairly lethargic and not at all aggressive.

Tags:   American Alligator Alligator mississippiensis reptile 10 footer apex predator Nature conservation aransas national wildlife refuge aransas wildlife Texas wildlife get your goose on protect wildlife protect public lands

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Last in my wetlands series is this American Avocet photographed in Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Utah.

Established in 1928 by Congress, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge was one of the first refuges to join a system of lands now encompassing over 560 refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System - a network of lands set aside and managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service specifically for wildlife. The Refuge and other wetlands associated with the Great Salt Lake provide critical habitat for migrating birds, over 250 species moving through this area annually by the millions to rest and feed. As part of the Bear River Bay, the Refuge is designated as a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network site, a globally important shorebird area.

The Refuge lies along the eastern edge of the Pacific Flyway and the western edge of the Central Flyway, making it an important resting, feeding, and nesting area for birds in both flyways. Of more than 250 bird species that use the refuge, 67 species nest on the Refuge. American avocets and black-necked stilts nest by the thousands along Refuge dikes and roads. White-faced ibis nest in dense emergent vegetation in large colonies of up to 10,000 birds. Migrant tundra swans can number in the tens of thousands in the spring and fall. The Refuge uses a complex system of dikes and water control structures to provide different water depths for a variety of waterbird species over the seasons.

Tags:   American Avocet Recurvirostra americana shorebird bear river migratory bird refuge wetlands get your goose on elegant breeding plumage Nature conservation cornell lab protect wetlands protect public lands protect wildlife

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Next to last in my wetlands series is this Greater White-fronted Goose photographed in Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, California.

The Sacramento NWR was established 1989 under the Endangered Species Act, Emergency Wetlands Resources Act, and the Fish and Wildlife Act. Units are located along both sides of the river and serve to protect and provide a wide variety of riparian habitats for birds, fish, and other wildlife.

This shot could be sharper, but the pose and light are good enough to post. This species migrates through our local refuges in the thousands. But I never get close to them there. Had to go all the way to California for a closeup.

Tags:   greater white-fronted goose Anser albifrons sacramento national wildlife refuge get your goose on cornell lab waterfowl california birding Nature conservation wetlands protect wetlands protect the environment protect wildlife

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Next installment in my wetlands appreciation series is this juvenile Little Blue Heron. From the Cornell Lab: Juvenile Little Blue Herons are entirely white except for vague dusky tips to the outer primaries. Note the two-toned bill.

This youngster was photographed at Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge, South Carolina. The refuge is an important link in the chain of wildlife refuges along the Atlantic Flyway, attracting thousands of migratory birds annually. The refuge also provides nesting habitat, called a rookery, for colonial wading birds such as ibis, egrets, and herons.

Tags:   little blue heron juvenile little blue heron Egretta caerulea pinkney island national wildlife refuge get your goose on cornell lab Nature conservation south carolina birding protect wetlands protect wildlife

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