A slightly worn Julia Heliconian butterfly, Dryas julia Fabricius.
This image was taken summer 2004 at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park's Pollinarium exhibit. It was donated to Wikipedia under the GFDL by Steven G. Johnson, the photographer. [wallpaper size].
As promised, here are my Houston, Texas, bird and butterfly lists for last weekend, including life list additions denoted with an asterix (below the fold);
Bird List
* = New species on Life List
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Eared Grebe
Great Egret
Mallard
Ruddy Duck
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture*
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Crested Caracara*
American Kestrel
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher*
Blue Jay
American Crow
"Black-crested" Tufted Titmouse (I've seen Tufted Titmice before, but not the "Black-crested" variety)
Carolina Chickadee*
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Song Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark*
Red-winged Blackbird
"Bronzed" Common Grackle (I've seen Common Grackles before, but not the "bronzed" variety)
Great-tailed Grackle*
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House (English) Sparrow
Butterfly List
* = New species on Life List
Black Swallowtail*
Sleepy Orange*
Cloudless Sulfur*
Gulf Fritillary*
Julia Heliconian*
Red Admiral*
Monarch
Long-tailed Skipper*
Common (or White) Checkered Skipper*
Clouded Skipper*
a small day-flying moth with a fuzzy orange butt*
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You saw a crested caracara in Houston? A wild one?
And, is a great grackle the same as a boat-tailed grackle?
yes i did see a crested caracara! it was sitting in a tree next to the freeway (can't remember which freeway, but it was one that goes westward away from houston). it's a good thing i wasn't driving or the car would probably have ended up in the ditch!
great-tailed grackles are NOT the same as boat-tailed grackles. unlike the coast-loving boat-tailed grackles, great-tailed grackles are found farther inland and are bigger birds.
Wow. I'm jealous. I'm not a serious birder, and I don't keep a life list, but I'd love to see one of those.
BTW - I assume you were on I-10.
Caracaras are abundant in the fall and winter on the Katy Prairie west and NW of Houston. The 35+ mile drive out from downtown is worth it. Part of the remaining prairie is witrhin the western environs of Harris County, in which the city of Houston is embedded. Do a Google search for the Katy Prairie Conservancy and see what you are missing.