Birds of the San Antonio Riverwalk
My Big Surprise
It began some years ago. A colleague and I were driving from Houston to San Antonio in order to pick up some equipment and head a bit south to monitor a "fracking" job. This was one of the early fracking jobs that our software was going to monitor, and as the head of the software development my job was to ensure it worked properly, to observe it being used in actual conditions, and to determine what changes should be made.
I had been to Texas a number of times, but since I wrote software for the oil and gas industry, I mostly went to Houston. I guess in my mind Texas was just one big collection of oil wells and refineries.
Then our truck drove over a bit of a rise and the city and the river valley lay out in front of us. I was astounded and struck by the beauty I saw. At that moment I fell in love with the city and have been back to San Antonio once or twice a year every year, up until Covid hit. I'm looking forward in anticipation to be returning, hopefully soon.
This feature is a collection of the birds that I have photographed along the river walk over the last seven or so years. I hope you enjoy it. (Click on an image to view it in the catalog.)
Mallard
Growing up in Western Canada, Mallards were a common sight. I almost didn't take these photos. But now I'm glad that I did. (See more on the Audubon Field Guide.)
Black-Bellied Whistling Duck
I found these on the northern part of the River Walk, a little south of the Flood Control Tunnel Inlet Park. I don't think I had ever seen ducks quite like them before, at least not here in Alberta. They really are quite beautiful. (See more on the Audubon Field Guide.)
Domestic Duck
I found many ducks along the river walk. Some had more specific identifications, but for others all I could find were Domestic Ducks.
If anyone can provide me with a more specific designation, please let me know. (See more on the Cornell Birds Site.)
Rock Pigeon
Rock doves (or rock pigeon, as it is more correctly called) can be found wild or domesticated. I haven't seen many along the river walk, although I find them elsewhere through the city. But this pair seemed to like sitting on the dam. (See more on the Audubon Field Guide.)
Yellow-Crowned Night Heron
We do have herons here in Alberta, specifically the Great Blue Heron, but I had never before seen this variety. I have also found them in Ontario and in the UK, but never here near my home.
In many of my photos they have a striking appearance that almost looks angry. But I'm sure they are not, it's just the shape of the bill and the slight squinting of the eyes. (See more on the Audubon Field Guide.)
Double-Crested Cormorant
On the river walk, these birds seem to be everywhere.
Apparently they can be found throughout North America, from Alaska all the way down to Florida, although I've never seen them near my home in Alberta, Canada. This one was enjoying itself enough that I was able to get quite close and take some very clear photographs. (See more on the Audubon Field Guide.)
Snowy Egret
The Snowy Egret is a smaller type of Heron. We don't get these in Western Canada, so it was a real treat for me to see them. They certainly were not as common on the Riverwalk as were the Cormorants, but this wasn't the only one I saw either. (See more on the Audubon Field Guide.)
Great Egret
The Great Egret seems to have a bit of an identity problem. It is also known as the Common Egret, the Large Egret, Great White Egret, or the Great White Heron. As its name implies, it is a larger bird than the Snowy Egret. I almost passed this one by as it was somewhat hidden by the weeds, but I saw it in time to notice that it was different from the others and managed to get a few good photographs.
(See more on the Audubon Field Guide.)
Egyptian Goose
I had never before seen a bird quite like these. We certainly don't have any like them here in Alberta. It was obvious that they were geese, but what variety? These were the days before I had any automated bird identification software so it actually took me a fair bit of work to find the appropriate designation. But that simply increased my satisfaction once the mystery was solved. (See more on the Audubon Field Guide.)