World places

Locations I've documented throughout the world.

North America

Locations I've birded in North America.

North America

Pearsall Park

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The trail leads from the dog park entrance of the park down to the river walking path.

Description

Pearsall Park is a 505-acre park that opened in 2016 on the South side of San Antonio, Texas. The park offers 5km of walking/running paths.

For birding, I start at the parking lot next to the dog park and take the trail down the hill to the river. This trail takes you through large fields where you’ll see Barn Swallows, Purple Martins, Western Meadowlarks, and many other birds.

Flanking the trail is a power line that American Kestrels and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers like to perch on to watch for prey.

Address

4838 Old Pearsall Rd

San Antonio, TX 78242


Personal stats

Visits

📆 First visited 12/01/2013
📍 Location San Antonio, Texas
🪶 Species seen 79
📊 Visited 42

Experiences & anecdotes

12/13/22 - This is one of my favorite and most-frequented birding spots in San Antonio, partially because of proximity but also because it’s a great place to see a wide variety of birds. One of my most memorable experiences at this park was on October 16, 2021, when I arrived to find around 75 Western Meadowlarks flying all over the fields. They were on the ground, flying around in groups on both sides of the trail, and doing lots of singing and calling. It was my first time seeing so many of these birds at once. The experience made for a great TikTok video that I created.

Upon further reading when I arrived home, I learned that Western Meadowlarks are found in larger groups more often than their Eastern counterparts. I’m honestly not able to tell the difference between the two birds visually, but Merlin helped me identify them via the noises that they made.


Captured media

Photographs

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The walking path that follows the river. Parking is located at one end for easy access. 08/2/21


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A nice sunset on the trail leading back up the hill to the dog park entrance.  | 08/2/21


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The birders who attended my first bird walk at Pearsall Park. | 05/21/22

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Barred Owl we found on the first bird walk I led. 05/21/22

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This a great example of the varying tail lengths due to age. | 05/01/22

Audio recordings


From my blogs

North America

Pedernales Falls State Park

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A beautiful vista from Pedernales Falls State Park

Description

Pedernales Falls State Park opened in 1971. It was purchased from private owners and is 5,212 acres. It’s east of Johnson City, Texas and sits next to the Pedernales River. It has multiple hiking trails of varying difficulty.

Address

2585 Park Road 6026 

Johnson City, TX 78636

Personal stats

Visits

📆 First visited 12/14/2022
📍 Location San Antonio, Texas
🪶 Species seen 10
📊 Visited 1

Experiences & anecdotes

12/14/22 - While on a work trip in Johnson City, TX, one of our activities was to go on a hike at Pedernales Falls State Park. We planned to do the Wolf Mountain Loop trail. We arrived a bit after 9AM. Either it was too late in the day or bad luck, but I only saw 10 species of birds there. I got hyped up looking over the list of recently reported birds there on eBird but didn’t get lucky this time. There were a few opportunities to get some great recordings of a few new species like the Dark-eyed Junco.


Captured media

Photographs

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Wolf Mountain Trail


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Wolf Mountain Trail sign


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Another view of the Wolf Mountain Trail

Audio recordings


From my blogs

Eurasia

Locations I've birded in Eurasia.

Eurasia

Dohat Arad Lagoon

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The cool, gigantic falcon statue perched atop a small hill at the lagoon.

Description

Dohat Arad Lagoon is located in Al Muharraq, Bahrain. It offers 3km of walking paths around the lagoon with great views of many shorebirds. When I visited, we went to eat at Freej Bin Rashdan Authentic Bahraini Cuisine. My spouse surprised me with a visit to this special restaurant in 2018. It sits right on the edge of the lagoon and offers beautiful views of the lagoon and the many birds that visit.

Address

Shop 29، 224 Road 147

 Muharraq, Bahrain


Personal stats

Visits

📆 First visited 12/24/2018
📍 Location Al Muharraq, Bahrain
🪶 Species seen 13
📊 Visited 1

Experiences & anecdotes

12/24/18 - My spouse took me to Freej Bin Fashdan restaurant so we could enjoy breakfast while watching birds scurry around the lagoon. The food itself wasn't super memorable, but our wild bird companions left a lasting impression on us. I had my camera placed precariously on a chair next to me, keeping it nearby in case any of the birds decided to wander closer. Large Western Reef-Herons in both gray and white versions stomped around in the mud while Gull-billed Terns and Black-headed Gulls zipped around in the air looking for their next meal. After eating, we explored the walking path along the outer edge of the lagoon.


Captured media

Photographs

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This Western Reef-heron (dark morph) shows off an impressive wingspan as it prepares to land. | 12-24-2018


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A profile of the Western Reef-heron (white morph)  | 12/24/2018


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A Kentish Plover makes its way through the lagoon mud. | 12/24/2018

 

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Black-headed Gull in non-breeding plumage. | 12/24/2018

 

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Slender-billed Gull. | 12/24/2018

 

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Gull-billed Tern. | 12/24/2018

Audio recordings


From my blogs