Wings, Hooves, & Claws
On this page, Wings, Hooves, & Claws, I exhibit pics of wildlife. Aside from landscapes and bridges, my favorite things to photograph is wildlife. I am fascinated with birds, especially different species of raptors. However, I do love to spend time on the Texas coast photographing marine fowl and migratory birds.
Winter 2021 hit Texas and Oklahoma with a massive winter storm that set record low temps. We affectionately call this storm, Snowmegeddon. Families were out of power, road were dangerous, and schools were closed. However, I saw this as a unique opportunity, so I went out shooting.
Blue Herons are common water fowl in the Texoma area year round. I took this pic during the Snowmegeddon, just below the Denison Dam on the Red River.
With camera in hand I got out to take pics during the storm to find that all the birds were out likewise. I saw robins, blue birds, cranes, egrets, and hawks.
I came across this shot on one of my gulf coastal excursions. Hydra is the name of the pic because these Brown Pelicans were fighting, trying to occupy the same space at the same time. Thus, looking like a Hydra. One other striking species, in the region, is the Roseate Spoon Bill.
Summer 2010 I went on a medical mission trip to Uganda with CTOMA. Uganda enamored me by the people, wildlife, landscapes, and fauna. This Gray Crowned-Crane just wondered around our compound with no cares in the world. The Gray Crowned-Crane is the national bird of Uganda.
This is one of the many Hawk species that winters in the Texoma Area at Hagerman National Wildlife Reserve.
This beauty all perched up on that tree, would meet me everyday on my drive home from work. One day it swooped down for a kill and was hit by a truck. In any case, I recently discovered new hawk had laid claim to this local hunting ground. Regrettably, I haven’t taken any pics as of this time. The Red Shouldered Hawk is a common species in the area. It usually winters here and migrates north to the Arbuckle mountains in central Oklahoma for the summer.
Anyhow, I know, with the page title of Wings, Hooves, & Claws, you are expecting something more than birds. The Yucca bloom is a favored nectar gathering place for bees and wasps alike.
The Houston Museum of Natural History Cockrell Butterfly Exhibit it a wonderful place of butterfly pics.
Simians are one of my favorite species to catch on pics when I travel outside of the US. On the left is one example, the White Faced Monkey, I captured while in Costa Rica. And on the left is the Golden Monkey. They were all over our compound and we were warned not to feed them; like being in Yellow Stone, “don’t feed the bears”.
