January 10-16.
Tuesday, January 13: Flint Pen Strand
Weather wise, it wasn't the best of weeks. Monday wasn't bad, but yard work called and I didn't get out. Tuesday was partly cloudy and breezy, Wednesday was very cloudy, Thursday was rainy, and Friday was cold. Very cold! So the only trip out during the week was Flint Pen Strand on Tuesday.
Cool, breezy, and mostly overcast was not good insect conditions. Only three species of butterflies were seen (10 Gulf Fritillaries, 4 White Peacocks, and 2 Zebra Longwings) and no dragonflies. Even bees were scarce.
But it was decent for birds with 43 species identified. Other than hundreds of Tree Swallows that passed over in one big, continual flock, no species was abundant. Only Palm Warblers and Yellow-rumped Warblers had individual numbers in double digits.
But there
were some nice sightings. Two Purple Martins showed up, the first of the
nesting season. Other sightings included a Northern Flicker, Red-headed
Woodpecker, American Kestrel, Marsh Wren, and several Swamp Sparrows.
All of
the herons and egrets were present including one Cattle Egret. They are
everywhere in Pepper Ranch, but it's a bit unusual to see in on Flint Pen
Strand's marsh.
Raptors in addition to the Kestrel were an Osprey and a half dozen Red-shouldered Hawks.
Mockingbirds outnumbered Catbirds, which was a little out of the ordinary. The Northern Mockingbird at the left was a puzzle from a distance because of the really noticeable curve of its bill. Its silhouette offered the possibility of a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, but closer inspection showed it to be just a mockingbird.
After the Tree Swallows and warblers, the most often seen birds were seven Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, eight Red-bellied Woodpeckers and six each of Turkey Vultures, the hawks, and Boat-tailed Grackles.
No sandpipers were observed although where shallow water and muddy banks in the marsh should have been ideal places for them. One Killdeer and one Greater Yellowlegs were the only birds in those areas.
A pair of very noisy Sandhill Cranes spent the morning in the marsh and were joined there by a Limpkin.
Birds actually in the water included Double-crested Cormorants,
Common Gallinules, Mottled Ducks, and a Pied-billed Grebe. We spotted three
Anhingas but all were either high in the air or on the ground spreading
their wings to try and warm up in spots that were sheltered from the wind.
My yard
With a cold front moving through on Wednesday and Thursday, birds were active at the feeders getting ready for the change in weather.
The most active were Northern Cardinals, Red-bellied Woodpeckers,
and Painted Buntings. Blue Jays and Tufted 
Titmice were sporadic visitors while Mourning Doves foraged on
the ground below the feeders. Gray Catbirds were close but not looking
for spilled seeds.
At least seven buntings are present, four males and three females. All seven haven't been present at the two feeders at the same time, but they have been together enough for that much of a count.
The males are still rather feisty, but if they are on opposite sides of the feeders and can't see each other, they'll feed peacefully.
When they're aware of the presence of another male, there will be some chasing. One eventually settles at the feeder while the other waits patiently in the oak above the feeders.
Gray Squirrels also frequent the ground below the feeders, and they get along with each other and mingle peacefully with the Mourning Doves.
An Eastern Screech Owl is in the yard, but it hasn't been at the owl box. When I was driving out early Tuesday morning on my way to Flint Pen Strand, it flew in front of the car and was illuminated by the headlights.
Regular nighttime critters have been the Southern Flying Squirrels, Cottontail Rabbits, and Virginia Opossums. A lone Raccoon sometimes shows up around three or four in the morning, and an Armadillo shows up north of the house on one of the more remote trail cameras in the yard. A male and female Coyote passed by the same remote camera on Sunday but continued on. They weren't actively hunting because all of the regular rabbits and opossums were still here on Monday.
One pair of Virginia Opossums was overly active early Wednesday morning. There was lots of chasing which lasted for quite a while. He probably had some serious courtship on his mind and she wanted nothing to do with him. Here's part of their "interaction."
Then on Thursday night, the Bobcat showed up. There had been three Cottontail Rabbits there just five minutes earlier and one of them may have been hiding in the ferns that the Bobcat is watching. If so, it was its lucky night because even though the Bobcat came right back, it didn't leave with anything and a half hour later, the rabbits were back along with this year's baby Opossums.