Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Thursday, October 30, 2014

More Fun on Galveston Island, Texas 9/20/14

If you missed Part I of our visit to Galveston, Texas,  click HERE.   Today,  I'll share some more of our visit that glorious day.   I was surprised at some of the comments from Part I  saying that so many people have never heard of Galveston and didn't have any idea that it was on an island... It is truly a neat place ---and other than the worry of hurricanes,  it is a fantastic place to live and to visit.

Most of this post is about and for BIRDERS... Galveston is one of the top places for birding in the United States.  Many birders come to Galveston looking for the Reddish Egret,  which is only found in a few places.... There  are many online sites talking about birding in Galveston.  I marked three for you:  HERE and HERE  and HERE.

I love my backyard birds but truly don't know much about shore birds. I do know that my eldest son --who lives in the Galveston area--- has become a real birder and knows alot about the birds in his area.  We were only there for a few hours,  but I got to see several 'new to me' birds....  Since my pictures are not too good in spots (too far away plus having to crop them),  I am enclosing some other pictures from the internet also --so that you can see how gorgeous these birds really are.

First were the ROSEATE SPOONBILLS.   Wow --what gorgeous birds.  Wish I could have seen them closer and not sleeping!!!  Bert (son) raved and raved about these beauties --which were not far from where he lives....


This  is what I wish I had seen instead of them taking their morning naps!!!!! ha  (Photo from the internet)


OR-- wouldn't it have been fantastic to see THIS????? Wow--one of the most beautiful birds I think I have ever seen.  (Photo from the internet)



This is another picture (not cropped) of the Spoonbills --but it also shows a couple more birds,  a Great Egret (white one) and a Tri-colored Heron (darker one)....  What a great place for birds to enjoy!!!!



When we were riding around Bert's resort,  he saw a LONG-BILLED CURLEW...  I jumped out of the cart and tried to get a picture.  But--he kept running away from me.  This is the best I could do!!!!  Look at that bill!!!!!!



Here's another photo (from the internet) of the Long-billed Curlew.  Beautiful birds, aren't they?



As we kept riding around the area on the golf cart,  I also saw an immature BLUE HERON.  I have seen Blue Herons before --but it was fun seeing one in Texas.



Later,  while we were riding the ferry across Galveston Bay toward the Bolivar Peninsular,  I enjoyed watching lots of birds following the ferry.  There were several different birds around including PELICANS.


Then Bert saw HIM......  (Lots of excitement here!!!!)    There he (or she) is:  a MAGNIFICENT FRIGATE BIRD.  You can't tell it from here --but the wingspan on this bird is HUGE.... Wow!!!!!!


Here  is a picture of a female Magnificent Frigate Bird  (from the internet).



AND,  here's another one from the internet showing the female and a male Frigate Bird (which has a red neck) ----'blowing' himself up to get the female's attention!!!!!  Wonder if he will POP?????? ha ha

IF you want more information about any of these special birds,  there are quite a few sites on the internet.  One I chose for you today is All About Birds.  Click HERE for any info you are looking for when checking out birds.


Back to the ferry,  another area of excitement for me during that day was seeing the DOLPHINS.  They jumped in and out of the water ---but neither George nor I could catch a picture of them totally ABOVE the water.... ha



Here's  another DOLPHIN ---or is it part of two Dolphins??????  We had so much fun watching them --and 'trying' to get some good pictures... ha


********************************
OKAY---for all of you who are not interested in Birds or Dolphins,   I have four more cute pictures taken when we were wandering around the STRAND in Galveston that afternoon.    First, I took a picture of son Mark in an old telephone booth...



Then,  George just had to take one of me in that telephone booth... By the way,  that door was heavy... Maybe George wanted me to STAY in that booth for awhile... ha ha

More Info:  Do you see the crown  above the word TELEPHONE?????  That means that this was a British Telephone Booth.... Bet my British Blog Friends will know something about this booth....


Finally here are two cute shots of George and me ---while visiting a HALLOWEEN Shop on the Strand....
George seems to be having a conversation with a couple of Cutie Pies!!!!  Ya think????


I was trying to have a conversation with this guy --but he wouldn't talk to me... (A little boy walked by at this time, and gave me a strange look....  I looked at him and said:  "This man won't talk to me."  The boy's eyes got big,  and he ran back over to his mother probably telling Mama about this strange old lady!!!!!! ha ha)


I'll  finish my posts from Galveston, Texas by sharing one last picture of my THREE GUYS:  Son Mark,  Sweetheart George,  and Son Bert.   (photo taken from the balcony at Bert's condo)

Hope you have a wonderful day.  We are in for some cold weather on Saturday --with a low of  26 degrees F  and a high of 42 degrees.  We also 'might' have some snow showers....  Wooooo--welcome to winter...  (Think I wanted to enjoy Fall a little more--although I do LOVE snow!!! ha)

Hugs,

51 comments:

Rose ~ from Oz said...

Betsy absolutely fabulous birds! I class myself as a complete novice birder but a lover of the little darlings. I love all the birds on earth!
We used to have those red telephone boxes in Oz, I think there's still one or two lurking around town somewhere.
Ha! I knew of Galveston and even where it was! Sounds like a wonderful trip, your boys look happy and well.
Snow??? already??? it only seems such a short time ago that I was looking at snow photos around your gorgeous green house! Yikes, Christmas is coming.......
x

DeniseinVA said...

Great photos Betsy, fun ones too. I have known about Galveston because I was a big fan of Glen Campbell and remember his hit, Galveston. I made it my business to learn all about it at the time. I have the song running in my head now :)

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Yet again a wonderful full post which I really enjoyed. Loved all the beautiful birds and the red telephone boxes.

Ms. A said...

One of these days I've GOT TO get back to Galveston!

Snow showers??? Say it ain't so! Already?

Fun60 said...

Great post and isn't it just impossible to take photos of birds! We still have a few of those red telephone boxes in the UK although not so many nowadays as everyone has their own phone. My brother used to live in Texas and has some beautiful photos of the USA http://www.andyholmes-photo.co.uk/
Worth checking them out as they are really beautiful. You may recognise some of the places.

eileeninmd said...

Hi Betsy,, I love all the birds. Awesome photos.. Cute shots of you and your family.. Have a happy day!

Optimistic Existentialist said...

I would love to visit Galveston someday. I love those red telephone booths!! :)

Linda G. said...

You captured great photos of the shore birds: love the picturesmofmyou, George and your sons too.

Out on the prairie said...

I love all the water fowl. I need to go down there.Last time I just kept asking all around me what each bird was, not sure if the gal near me was impressed.

Terri D said...

Wonderful photos and I love your narrative - always! You two have had a fantastic Fall!! Thanks for 'taking us along' with you through your wonderful pictures. Hugs!!

linda m said...

Great photos. You were so lucky to have seen all those magnificent birds. The Blue Heron is the only one I have ever seen before. Love the pictures from Galveston as well. We are in for a real cold spell. Tomorrow it will be in the 30's with snow flurries. Keep warm!

diane b said...

Great birds you saw in Galveston. It must have been fun to catch up with your sons. Nooooo not snow yet....pulease. It is 30*C here already, summer has arrived early.

Linda Kay said...

Great pictures of the birds, Betsy. It's so interesting to see those unusual beaks. Nature is astounding.

George said...

This is a wonderful post with good information about some of the birds ewe saw. I guess you need to get a longer lens so you can get better closeups the next time we go back.

Marcia said...

Nice set of photos. We saw several of those red phone booths in England. One of them had been transformed into a site for first aid. It was outfitted with equipment to revive someone from a heart attack.

The Furry Gnome said...

So nice to read more about your travels. Amazing birds there!

Rohrerbot said...

Wonderful Betsy! Glad you were able to see the Roseate Spoonbills. This is an incredible place, like you say, for birders. It's on my list of places to visit down the road. From what I understand, during migration, the place becomes a magnet for all birds crossing the sea to rest. Thanks for sharing your adventure:)

Busy Bee Suz said...

So funny that all the birds (and dolphins) are exactly what we have here….I suppose the gulf coast is the gulf coast. :) I gasped with delight this morning seeing a hummingbird in our yard; this is only the third time I've seen one here!
Love the photos of your men; so handsome.

Anonymous said...

What fabulous shots!

Sylvia K said...

Ah, thanks for the memories!! I went to college with a gal from Galveston and visited her whenever I could, always fun! Love your captures as always! Awesome birds! It does look as though all of you had a great visit! Thanks for sharing!!

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

Sorry you didn't quite catch the action bird shots you wanted. But you got so many amazing pictures! And more importantly, looks like you all had loads of fun :-)

I Am Woody said...

With the cold weather coming, maybe we should head south the Galveston!! I watched a documentary last week that included frigate birds. They are amazing!

Ginny Hartzler said...

Wonderful picture of Mark, George, and Burt! I love the spoonbills, that must have been so exciting!! Is this the same Galveston that Glenn Campbell sang about? I think it is! The Frigate Birds are always associated with pirates! The red phone booth makes such a good photo backdrop!

Ruth Hiebert said...

To think that I've been at Galveston and don't recall seeing any birds. One reason could be that I was so in love with the man at my side,I wouldn't have noticed a bird unless it hit me in the head. LOL It is a beautiful area,though,I do remember that.

Cheryl @ TFD said...

I'm like you, Betsy, and only know about my backyard birds. But, I so enjoyed seeing the beautiful shore birds. That first one is especially pretty!! Great shots of you and your handsome guys, too!

Elizabeth Edwards said...

luv the phone booth pics!!! saw one of those on my Mackinac island posts soon I will share it. love all the noses, such character - what a fun trip!!! big big hugs! ( :

David said...

Betsy, Great bird photos! Those spoonbills are primitive looking but very cool. We've never seen a Frigate bird but we have seen a flock of nesting albatrosses. Your boys are a handsome lot... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Connie said...

Betsy, that is so great that you got a chance to see several new kinds of birds. They do have some very pretty and interesting birds there.

Peaches McGinty said...

Hi Betsy!
I loved this post (but then I love all your posts!!) Galveston is beautiful, I was fascinated with the Roseate Spoonbill, so much I instantly turned the laptop round and asked Dave if he knew it (he did, he loves birds) I have never seen one! I have never seen a dolphin in 'real life' either, it must be a thrill to see one and then I see a red Telephone Box, oh my goodness they bring back memories, those beautiful structures have been replaced with such lacklustre kiosks, it's good to see they are travelling far and wide though and yes, those doors are heavy! and if you would have said 'this man won't talk to me' re the eerie statue, you would have given me the giggles! hope you are having a great week! x x x

happyone said...

Love the British call box. : )

Arkansas Patti said...

I had no idea that the Roseate Spoonbills could be seen in the states. They look so ultra tropical.
What a great variety you saw and I can see how your son got hooked on birding.
I recognized that phone booth right away from some British films I have seen. Cell phones have pretty much eliminated the public phone.

Shug said...

You crack me up! I love the picture of you and the Butler... You and George are the Travel King and Queen!! How neat that you have the awesome opportunity to travel like you do..Of course, we benefit from your travels as well....we get to see all of the gorgeous photos of places you go....
hugs sweet Betsy

Linda said...

Looks like a great trip! I'd like to see some of those birds.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I've been to Corpus Christi and San Antonio but never Galveston, TX, Betsy. There is a lot of Texas I'd like to see! The fact it is a bird paradise makes it very attractive.

Love your Halloween encounter! Happy Halloween!

PS: I think maybe the buck that is staying a long time in my backyard is tired of holding up those big heavy, antlers? Maybe that is why he is resting so much? If he is going to shed them I hope he does it in my yard!

Jeevan said...

I liked the second part more than the amazing photos on bird! Its fun how you and George express towards the statues and I love the red telephone booth which remind me my childhood days where I used to accompany my aunt to make calls to her friends. I have seen blue herons many times in Run a Round Ranch blog and that’s spoonbill picture was fantastic, wished that it was captured by you :)

Beatriz said...

Hi Betsy
What a wonderful place you've been! You know I LOVE life around the beaches. The marine life is something that always fascinates me and surprises! The "colhereirC" (Roseate spoonbills) is very common in southern Brazil, in the marshes. The "Fragata" (Frigate bird) is seen on oceanic islands and some places along the coast. The last one is a predatory bird and love to steal nests of other birds or their food! I could see lots of them when I was studying the marine life in Abrolhos island in the south of Bahia some years ago.
Your photos are fantastic and so your trip!

have a nice weekend Betsy

<º))))< Bia

troutbirder said...

Those are some awesome shore birds indeed. Wow!!!!

Janice K said...

Enjoyed your pictures. That male Frigate looked pretty "full of himself." I can tell you had a wonderful time.

Chatty Crone said...

Wonderful photos - I have to tell you I don't think I have ever seen that kind of bird nor know they existed. Very pretty.

Just stopping by to say Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheqna said...

Hi Betsy,

Haha...I love the "halloween" photos of you and George..

hmm...I do miss reading your adventures. Hope I could be more active after this.

Anyway, hope you and George are in good health.

Have a great weekend.

:-)

Elizabeth said...

Oh, Betsy, I giggled SO hard at the thought of you high-tailing it out of the cart with the camera, chasing after long beaked bird in the high grass..it's exactly what I would have done!! And then the rude man who wouldn't speak to you, and how you told the little boy about it...priceless!!

I LOVE birds, too, and you got to see some beauties. I went to Galvaston once a very long time ago and I remember the gulls on the shore, flying into the wind that was blowing so hard that the birds didn't appear to be moving, just hovering over the sand.

So THAT's a Frigate, with the red balloon chest...I've seen them on the nature channel shows...I wonder if an Albatross is the same size? Gee, I ought to check out the links about birds that you provided, ya think?!

Thanks for a great blog post..have a super weekend...and stay warm!! We're in for the same cold weather here in North MS. Brrrrrr.

Betty Manousos said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Betty Manousos said...

hi betsy, i love all the birds, wow, amazing shots as usual and galvaston is really beautiful. always love reading about your travels.

just stopping by to say happy halloween!!

big hugs~

Jarka Panci said...

Betsy, beautiful fotos, very beautiful. Thank you - I was on trip.
Sorry, I have not blog.
Have a nice weekend!
Jarka

Dee said...

Dear Betsy, thanks so much for sharing these truly magnificent birds with us. I'd never before seen a photo of a frigate and I can why it's called that. I wonder if the frigate followed the frigate ships in the ocean????? Peace.

Anonymous said...

Great photos of your sons. Too cute about the phone booth door being heavy! I would not want to be in there for an extended time! I've never been to Galveston but of course, remember the country song.

amanda said...

Fun, fun, and more fun!
I'm reading in the wrong order.. off to check out part 1. :)

Haddock said...

I have always wondered about the long beak of the Curlew. Does it not come in the way?
Good to see that old phone booth still in perfect condition.

MTWaggin said...

Such a fun place to visit. I'd have been nuts trying to get bird shots! Love love the spoonbill.

Janie said...

Looks like a great family reunion. I like the bird pics. I've never heard of a frigate, but it does appear to be huge!
Cute Halloween pics! Telephone booths are becoming antiques. I haven't seen a real, operational one in a long time.

Pat Tillett said...

Amazing birds and your photos of them are gorgeous! So nice Betsy...