9-15-09

Observations from: Holiday Park, Benbrook Lake, Texas:
Time to update my bird sighting from the last few days, maybe (9-12 to 9-14)? Due to the hard rains and rising lake, didn't see much. It was hard to get good looks with my 7 x 35 binoculars (Nikon Actions, if you care..and if you’re reading this other crap, why wouldn't you care?). It was definitely weather that would have made having a) a spotting scope, b) 10 power binoculars, or c) high-grade optics, with better light transmission and clarity worth having. But I have to say, I bought these binoculars several years ago after long, careful research on what the best low-end binoculars were, and for the price (around $80), they have been awesome. I heartily recommend them to anyone on a tight budget. But with the poor/low light and stormy weather, it was hard to see details. Examples: I saw a bird on top of a very tall tree yesterday. It sat there. I got as close as I could, but I still couldn't get a good view of it. It seemed to have a white or pale lower back. The only thing I could think of that it could be was a Bobolink, but I've never seen one, so I'm not sure. Also, I saw a very active small bird, probably a warbler of some kind, flittering rapidly around the branches about 20 feet high near me. I was able to study it for awhile, but it was in the shade and it was already cloudy, so I'm not sure. I never got good looks at its head. IT was yellowish, especially on the chest and underparts, and streaky on top. Very small; didn't see any hook to the bill-tip like a vireo might have. Shaped like a warbler. Could have been a female or immature Yellow Warbler, but not sure. Both birds would have been seen better with 10 power or better optical quality, or both. The same with one small egret I saw a couple times over the weekend, which seemed to have a dark bill. Could have been Snowy Egret, which I've never seen, but couldn't make out leg color for sure. Same with some peeps (small sandpipers) that deserved closer looks.