Green Violetears in Blanco County

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="096d4c00dduajq.gif"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="95" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 46 WIDTH="91"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="46" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="91" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#003333" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Fauna and Flora of Kerr County, Texas</B></FONT>     |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Fauna and Flora of Kerr County, Texa"><U>home</U></A></div> <div>                                                   </div> <div> Green Violetears in Blanco County</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> This is apparently the juvenile of an adult/juvenile pair of Green Violetears that is present at Vahn Adams' house in Blanco County. I was busy taking these pictures when the bird first showed up and didn't get binoculars on it. A bird showed twice more, which was dark bellied and vented and was obviously the adult, for which i didn't get pictures on these later visits. After viewing these very distant and poor photos when i got home i believe this bird to be the juvenile as it seems to show quite a bit of buffy below, unlike the bird i viewed with binocs. In about two hours of viewing time we saw GVs three times for a total of 10 to 20 seconds each bout. As was noted in a TexBirds post, one could be seen sometimes flycatching around the oak canopy or sitting on grapevine just inside the canopy. </div> <bR> <div> More detailed thoughts (revised somewhat) added in a post to Sheridan Coffey on May 26:</div> <div> i think i had the same basic experience you had, but didn't realize it until i got home. i was trying to take pictures, and "the" bird was showing up briefly at the window feeder, but sitting and staying longer at the distant feeder. when we arrived there were three other folks there already and we hung back with them, and i focused on getting pictures. the bird showed briefly at the window feeder, zoomed to the trees, then appeared at the distant feeder where it drank for 15-20 seconds or so. i was snapping pictures and never bothered to get binocs on it (it was my fifth in Texas, so no need to do the lifer intense look thing at first). well, after the other folks left, we were invited onto the porch and i took up a position so i could photograph the window feeder, and out of position on the other. from there i got excellent binoc looks at the bird as it came twice briefly to the window - it was clearly a full adult and beautiful. but then it'd zoom into the trees for a while, and then a bird would appear on the other feeder, which i had no angle to see. when i got home and blew up the pictures (which are very poor), it's pretty obvious it was the younger bird, with buffy color from mid belly down to the vent where the other bird had been largely dark green. so i didn't realize it while there, but i think pretty obviously we had both birds, and it appears to me the adult (may be) using the window feeder, and the juvenile the distant one, where it stays longer. it also seems like they (may be) traveling and feeding together, which may indicate a bird so young it's depending on cues from a parent. we did watch the adult leave the feeder once and pick bugs off leaves on the canopy of one of the oaks. </div> <bR> <div> And more thoughts sent to Sheridan:</div> <div> ". . . I called an immature (meaning first spring) . . ." </div> <bR> <div> On re-reading all this, i think it just as possible that this is, as you suggested, a first spring bird paired with the "adult" bird. The association may be so close that it should raise some interest about the possibility of local nesting. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> We (Susan Sander and i) also had the following other critters while there:</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Giant Swallowtail 2+</div> <div> Queen 1</div> <bR> <div> Green Anole 1m</div> <bR> <div> Fox Squirrel 1</div> <bR> <div> Inca Dove 2</div> <div> Mourning Dove 2</div> <div> Yellow-billed Cuckoo 2 (perhaps nesting near the road as they kept returning to the same spot)</div> <div> Black-chinned Hummingbird 12+</div> <div> Green Violetear 2</div> <div> Eastern Wood-Pewee 1</div> <div> Black-crested Titmouse 2 ad w/2 fledglings</div> <div> Carolina Chickadee 2</div> <div> Carolina Wren 2</div> <div> Northern Cardinal 8+</div> <div> Painted Bunting 1 ad male; 1 off color male; 1 female</div> <div> House Finch 4</div> <div> Lesser Goldfinch 2</div> <div> House Sparrow 2</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="1090664e0.jpg" border=0 width="358" height="334" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="1092924e0.jpg" border=0 width="402" height="334" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="1094ce700.jpg" border=0 width="462" height="368" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>