Winter Nature Activities in Texas

Finding winter nature activities in Texas may seem tough even though our Lone Star winters aren’t always cold. (In fact, as I write this at the tail-end of December the temperature is a balmy 80 degrees!). But the Lone Star actually offers plenty to do in nature this time of year.…
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Bat Viewing in Texas

Bat viewing in Texas heats up in the summer, especially in August. Bats live on every continent except Antarctica. Of the 1,000 or so unique species worldwide, 70% eat insects. In Texas, we have 32 species of bats statewide. (Learn about 10 of them here.)…
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Fall Foliage in McKittrick Canyon

The fall foliage in McKittrick Canyon makes a great subject for nature photography. Now that it’s actually cooler than 90 degrees here in central Texas, I can finally wrap my mind around photographing Texas in autumn. Below, you’ll find some info about one of my favorite autumn destinations.…
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Sea Turtles and Such

Sea Turtle Hatchlings Run for Water at North Padre Island National Sea Shore, Texas
I thought since mid-summer is the time for sea-turtle releases along the Texas Gulf, this would make a timely blog post. As many of you know, Mary and I have a book coming out titled, “Explore Texas ~ A Nature Travel Guide” through Texas A&M University Press.…
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Go Native! ~ Texas Native Plant Week

October 19-25 is Texas Native Plant week 2014. This got me thinking about Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) in particular. Why those two species? Just last week I returned from leading a photo tour in the Brazilian Pantanal–—a wonderful wildlife experience that I will write about some more another time—–and both species were plentiful there.…
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Wildflower Photography Tips

It was 26 degrees here at Red Belly this morning. Cold for us, but for many of you I suspect that would be considered warm! After months of really nippy temps here, I see signs of spring “springing” and the beginning of great wildflower photography opportunities.…
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Hummingbird Photo Workshop ~ 2013 Report

The 2013 Hummingbird Photography Workshop is a wrap and a great one at that! We had a good number of hummingbirds and a great group of enthusiastic participants. Two stations set-up for multiple flash allowed participants a chance to create some great “freeze all the motion” hummingbird photographs.…
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Painted Buntings

We are blessed to have Painted Buntings in abundance each summer here at Red Belly Ranch. But, for such a brightly colored bird, they can be frustratingly hard to spot! Often I can hear them singing their little hearts out but cannot seem to find them when in the more forested areas.…
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