Sunday, August 27, 2006

Owl Prowl and Frog Frolic

I signed up for Texbirds recently. I'd heard about it several years when I was birdwatching in the Rio Grande Valley. I signed up because I had an unknown bird that I could not find in my bird books. (I still need to post about that one . . . later) Warning: If you sign up for this list, you will get LOTS of emails. But I have found it interesting to hear about bird sightings all over the state.

One of the posts that caught my attention: Hornsby Bend Partnership Celebration. I'd been reading about the Hawkwatch that was counting the migrating hawks at Hornsby Bend. It was a multi hour event, but the big drawing factor for me was the Owl Prowl.

I went last night . . . . We walked for about 2 hours. We heard a brief owl calling early on as well as some frogs. One of our guides was excellent at simulating owl calls, but they went unanswered. But it was beginning to look as though we weren't going to get to hear the owls. And then as we neared the end of the walk, it came: Whoooo Whooooo Who Who Who Whoooooo!!! (Ya gotta get the rhythm right here!) And then an answering Whoooo Whoooooo Who Who Who Whoooooo!!!! The pair called back and forth, and at one point called at the same time! They were close . . . . While we did not see them, it was well worth the time spent tromping around near the Colorado River in the dark.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006