Texas Hill Country Vermilion Flycatcher!

Wow! For a day which I bemoaned the weather, I learned I could not have been more wrong. Research via eBird led me to believe that there was an area that was flycatcher heaven about 60 miles from Fredericksburg. As today was my last day in the Texas Hill Country I got up well before sunrise to drive to my targeted birding area. Upon arriving, there was nothing to indicate this was a super spot. The habitat was a a large open field with scattered trees, a few tennis courts, which backed up to a small airfield and a cactus wildflower area. The South Llano River was about one mile distant.

When I arrived the weather was horrible … a slight mist in the area with heavy clouds and a strong wind. Little did I know it was this same weather which would be my nirvana. Once the mist ended I started hiking the area. Within a few minutes I quickly discovered a male Vermilion Flycatcher! This was my target bird. I had only seen this kind of flycatcher twice in my life and always at the top of a distant tree. Remember my weather? The wind and mist were keeping any bugs down near the ground. For two hours I was able to watch the Vermilion Flycatcher find some bugs for his lady love from a distance often less than ten yards. This bird did not mind my presence. It often flew into trees closer to me than where I had been observing it. Wow! I repeat wow!!

After three hours of birding, and a short time watching a Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher just as the sun was making an appearance, I decided to call it a birding day. Not only did my ugly weather keep the Vermilion Flycather low, with perseverance I was able to get some great photographs and a video regardless of the low light.

Vermilion Flycatcher