I stopped by Encanto Park, only a slight deviation from the I-10 highway. I only saw the resident
Lewis's Woodpecker at a distance, but it was very nice to just sit and observe for 15 minutes. There are plenty of Ring-Neck Ducks in the ponds, and always a few Kinglets and Gila Woodpeckers bumbling about. This Pied-Billed Grebe, done up right nice in his breeding plumage, was a special treat:
Here's a non-bredding Grebe, meaning it is without the namesake stripe on the bill, for comparison:
You can hear and see the Yellow-Rumped Warblers just about everywhere in the autumn and winter months. I must admit, I usually ignore them. But when it's a slow evening and there's not a lot of activity, you're forced to focus on every bird, and it makes me appreciate them once again.
