While visiting our son Mike in Allen, Texas, Francis and I drove to the nearby Fitzhugh Cemetery in Lucas. My plan was to photograph some of the old headstones since I collect headstone art. Fitzhugh Cemetery was established in the mid 1850s, predating the Civil War, so it's quite historic. I also wanted to see if any birds were around since cemeteries are some of the best places for birds. Unfortunately I had forgotten to bring
my binoculars with me for our trip so bird ID'ing was nearly impossible. My camera battery was nearly dead as well. Wow, I was SO unprepared for the day!
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| Northern Mockingbird. Fitzhugh Cemetery, Lucas TX |
One great bird turned out to be a Northern Mockingbird, vocalizing on the branch of a
tree at the far end. Unlike Mockingbirds I've heard in Southern Utah, its song was
very melodious,
warbling and beautiful. I've never heard one sing like that before.
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| Blue-headed Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. Fitzhugh Cemetery, Lucas, TX |
The other bird that caught our attention had a long, long tail, blue head, and orange-washed
belly, and was a total mystery. Managed to capture this photo of it before my battery completely gave out. The bird had a graceful, swooping flight when it suddenly took off
because I came too close. Did not hear it vocalize. A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher came to mind, but the coloring was so different from anything I was familiar with. On my return it was ID'd by several expert birders as a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, but with this blue color variation. It surely was exquisite!
We also drove
past Lavon Lake which was so low that it has almost no water. The only birds to be seen
were a large number of Great Egrets and a few DC Cormorants. Saw several Black Vultures circling in the sky. A hawk flew off from the top of a telephone pole that may have been a Red-shouldered Hawk. Lots of enormous spider webs glistened with dew along the sides of the road. A lovely morning for a drive even if it wasn't very birdy.
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