Last weekend Gabi and I went to the Brazos Bend State Park (map) again. It wasn’t a photography trip, we just hiked around the Elm Lake to watch some wildlife, however, I brought my big lens with me hoping to get some shots of the park’s reptiles and birds. As we expected, we saw many alligators, but they were either too far or too deep in the undergrowth to pleasantly photograph them. Instead, I could take a shot of some red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) that were sunbathing in the middle of the lake.

We also saw a lot of blue-winged teals (Anas discors). They are winter visitors in south Texas and breeding as far north as the Canadian tundra. These teals are among the latest ducks to migrate northward in spring.

One of the most abundant bird species of the park is the American moorhen (Gallinula galeata). It was formerly considered to belong to the same species as the common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), until the American Ornithological Society split them into two species a few years ago.

The park’s other common bird is the black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis), my personal favorite. Fortunately, I was able to photograph them while taking a bath …

… and while perching on trees. It is a highly gregarious and noisy waterfowl and I really like its voice as it fills the air. Check it out here.

All photographs were taken with my Canon EOS 7D camera and a Canon 300mm F/4 L lens + 1.4x extender on a Manfrotto tripod.