https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:13:06 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354481 Wed, 06 Mar 2024 13:30:00 +0000 Kyle 2354481@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Love that little cattle tyrant. What a great hobby! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354400 Mon, 04 Mar 2024 21:26:26 +0000 JAileen 2354400@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Suntiger, thank you. &nbsp;Let’s see: Purple Gallinule, White Ibis, and I have no idea. &nbsp;What’s the third one? &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>LaPed, thank you. &nbsp;Patagonia has good designs and uses good quality materials. &nbsp;And when something goes wrong, they go out of their way to make it right. &nbsp;My husband wrecked his Nanopuff jacket when he caught a quilting thread on his binoculars, and the thread was pulled <i>very tightly</i>. &nbsp;It looked like a lost cause. &nbsp;We took it into our local store and one of the sales reps took it in the back and was able to undo the pull. &nbsp;It took her at least 20 minutes. &nbsp;I had tried to do that, but couldn’t. &nbsp;</p> <p><div><br /></div><div>BlueJay, thank you. &nbsp;It’s funny you should mention that about the birds, looking familiar yet also unfamiliar. &nbsp;Jays are a good example of that. &nbsp;You have Blue Jays back east. &nbsp;In our backyard here in Northern Nevada, we get two different kinds of jays - the California Scrub Jay, and the Steller’s Jay. &nbsp;The Steller’s Jay only comes down from higher elevations in winter. &nbsp;In the Rio Grande Valley, we saw two more kinds of jays - the Green Jay and the Brown Jay. &nbsp;Up above, I posted a picture of the gorgeous Green Jay. &nbsp;I also took a bunch of pictures of the Brown Jays, but they were far away and obstructed by branches, etc. &nbsp;Apparently, we saw the only four Brown Jays that live in the US, on a ranch, right along the Rio Grande, near Zapata. &nbsp;ETA: the pictures are from Sibley’s bird guide.</p> <p> </div> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354370 Mon, 04 Mar 2024 15:34:12 +0000 BlueJay 2354370@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Your clothes look practical and perfect for the trip. I like the shade of green for your jacket and hat.&nbsp;</p> <p>The birds are fantastic too! They look familiar, but unfamiliar. So interesting! Some of them have such great, vibrant colours!&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354366 Mon, 04 Mar 2024 13:38:29 +0000 LaPed 2354366@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What a cool trip! Thanks for the photos.</p> <p>I have that same little Pata fanny pack and it's one of the most-used items I've ever bought. It's fairly indestructible, but I definitely won't hesitate to buy a direct replacement when it bites the dust.&nbsp;</p> <p>And how is it that rain pants always disappear right when you need them? I've had the same thing happen to me a couple of times.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354362 Mon, 04 Mar 2024 11:52:39 +0000 Anonymous 2354362@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great travel bags and love your birds! Have some Florida birds </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354334 Mon, 04 Mar 2024 01:10:28 +0000 JAileen 2354334@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Sharan, thank you. &nbsp;The cold weather was just a couple days but clothes for it took an inordinate amount of room in my bag. &nbsp;I might have wanted to wear shorts during the warm weather, but I didn’t want to risk any insect/tick bites. &nbsp;A guide at the ranch we visited had had a bite by a Lone Star tick, and became allergic to red meat! &nbsp;</p> <p>Phoebe, I hope you find a pair you like.</p> <p>Cardiff girl, thank you. &nbsp;I had no idea London had parakeets. &nbsp;Are they escapees? &nbsp;In addition to the flock of parrots, we also saw parakeets. &nbsp;Both are have expanded their range from Mexico. &nbsp;They roost differently, though - &nbsp;the parrots in trees, and the parakeets on power lines.<br /><div><br /></div> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354302 Sun, 03 Mar 2024 20:34:30 +0000 Cardiff girl 2354302@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What a fantastic bird list.How pink are those spoon bills!Thank you so much for sharing.Oh and by the way we have just spotted three parakeets here in wales ,we think that they are the advance party from the colony now living in London. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354300 Sun, 03 Mar 2024 19:32:05 +0000 phoebe 2354300@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thank you JAileen, this is exactly the review I was hoping for, especially "It's amazing how much I use them". </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354208 Sat, 02 Mar 2024 05:49:30 +0000 Firecracker (Sharan) 2354208@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>You did a beautiful job of packing for the extremely different environments and weather. I appreciate seeing your bags and the gear you wore. The photos are amazing--thanks for sharing them! What a variety of birds. Fascinating. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354192 Sat, 02 Mar 2024 03:08:10 +0000 JAileen 2354192@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><div>Phoebe, thank you. &nbsp;When I was starting to collect up the things I planned to pack, I couldn’t find my Goretex pants. &nbsp;I looked everywhere! &nbsp;I went to REI to buy some pants in case I never found mine. &nbsp;There were only coated pants available. &nbsp;A sales person asked what I was planning to do - she was concerned that they would fail me. &nbsp;I turned my closet upside down and eventually found the Goretex pants. &nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>I’m no expert on binoculars. &nbsp;I have two pairs I use - a full size Zeiss pair for birding, and a small Leica pair for everything else. &nbsp;Mine are Leica Ultravid Compact 10x25. &nbsp;We go to our local symphony and our seats are pretty far away. &nbsp;I take them to look at the musicians! &nbsp;They are very small and fit in a pocket or handbag. &nbsp;Sometimes I just put them around my neck and they tuck under my coat. &nbsp;It’s amazing how much I use them. &nbsp;You should try out the binoculars in person, and go to a store like Cabella’s. &nbsp;They have a good selection in all price ranges, and the stores are so big you can try them inside. &nbsp;I bought a pair at a local hunting store and they let me take them outside to really try them out. &nbsp;</div> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354145 Fri, 01 Mar 2024 16:04:27 +0000 phoebe 2354145@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thank you for posting the beautiful photos and details of your trip.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;Having recently added multiple Goretex shells I'm finding that nothing I had before was anywhere near as good at keeping me warm and soon, when the rain begins, dry. The only downside is it can be a little noisy.</p> <p>JAileen do you have an opinion on very small pocket size binoculars? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354142 Fri, 01 Mar 2024 15:42:03 +0000 JAileen 2354142@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Angie, thank you. &nbsp;Yes, Bob Barker (not his real name) missed us terribly. &nbsp;I missed him, too. &nbsp;He’s back to chasing squirrels in our backyard.</p> <p>Lee, thank you. &nbsp;The parrot was with a huge flock of red capped parrots. &nbsp;He was on a lower branch in good light, and seemed to pose!</p> <div><br /></div><div>cjh, thank you. &nbsp;I’m glad you enjoyed them. &nbsp;Over time, I’ve been able to get better pictures with better equipment. &nbsp;My husband has ulterior motives - when I’m engrossed in taking pictures, I don’t notice how cold or tired I am, so he keeps giving me new equipment: a better camera for Christmas, lighter weight binoculars for my birthday, etc. &nbsp;It’s kind of sneaky, really. </p> <p>Brooklyn, thank you. &nbsp;Texas has so many interesting birds. &nbsp;Some live there year round, and some are migratory. &nbsp;In the Rio Grande Valley, you find so many gorgeous tropical birds. &nbsp;The Whooping Cranes are migratory, spending winter on the Texas coast, and then flying to northern Alberta, Canada to breed. &nbsp;</p> </div><div>April, we were in Florida in February 2020, just moments before the pandemic broke out. &nbsp;We flew into Tampa and drove down to Key West, and were on both the Gulf and Atlantic side. &nbsp;I did not see a single flamingo. &nbsp;I saw quite a few spoonbills, though. &nbsp;So maybe you did see a spoonbill. &nbsp;Most of my spoonbill pictures are of them standing around. &nbsp;Few of my inflight pictures are in focus.<br /></div><div> </p> <p>Helena, thank you. &nbsp;I don’t know what was going on, but we saw several rare birds on our trip. If you’re signed up for eBird, Cornell’s birding database, they will send you alerts of rare birds. &nbsp;We were at a state park early in the morning, where a rare bird had been sighted, and there were at least 50 other people looking for it. &nbsp;As for Cardinals, we don’t have any here in Northern Nevada, so I get pretty excited to see them!</p> </div></p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354119 Fri, 01 Mar 2024 12:28:42 +0000 Helena 2354119@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Fantastic ... I love your stylez which supports your active lifestyle and passionate hobbies! That's exactly as it should be.</p> <p>Amazing photos ... What is it about birds that is so captivating? I was gleeful about spotting not one but two male Cardinals yesterday. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354115 Fri, 01 Mar 2024 11:33:48 +0000 April 2354115@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Must admit I rushed straight to the bird list. Connecticut has many egrets, osprey, and herons and I have never, ever gotten over the thrill of seeing them.</p> <p>Your photo of a roseate spoonbill makes me wonder if that's what I saw flying overhead years ago, at a conference in Tampa FL, and decided was a flamingo.&nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354114 Fri, 01 Mar 2024 10:48:44 +0000 Brooklyn 2354114@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wow! I had no idea Texas has this kind of wildlife. Amazing! Great photos too. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354108 Fri, 01 Mar 2024 03:42:14 +0000 cjh 2354108@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thank you for sharing the wonderful birds! I enjoyed looking at the photos for quite awhile. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354105 Fri, 01 Mar 2024 02:51:30 +0000 Lee 2354105@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Your pictures are again amazing!!!<br /> I especially love 11, 16 &amp; 17. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354080 Thu, 29 Feb 2024 16:49:22 +0000 Angie 2354080@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I love how well prepared your gear is for trips! Good job to you and hubs :)</p> <p>And gorgeous pics of beautiful birdies! Give your pup a hug from me. He must have missed you! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354073 Thu, 29 Feb 2024 14:29:34 +0000 JAileen 2354073@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Joy, Irina, Star, thank you.</p> <p>Ginger, thank you. &nbsp;You’re lucky to have Sandhill Cranes! &nbsp;We see one or two only occasionally in our area. &nbsp;<div><br /></div><div>Jaime, thank you. &nbsp;My husband showed me the expected weather for each day and place. &nbsp;Of course, the further out, the less accurate. &nbsp;But I would rather have warm clothes and not need them, than freeze. &nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Suz, thank you. &nbsp; I doubt anyone thought I looked fashionable! &nbsp;But I was warmish. &nbsp;The poem is lovely. &nbsp;I wonder what bird he was writing about. &nbsp;We have two birds that are very similar - the Snowy Egret and the Great Egret. He mentions Africa, and the Great Egret is found around the world, so maybe that one.</p> <p>Carol, thank you. &nbsp;We saw lots more birds, but I wasn’t able to get a good picture, or any picture at all. &nbsp;Some of the birds are skulky, hiding in the brush, or they flit from branch to branch, too quickly for me to focus on them. &nbsp;</p> <p>Sisi, thank you. &nbsp;The pants are Columbia Anytime pants. &nbsp;I have started wearing them every day. &nbsp;This casualization of my everyday outfit is partly why I was off the forum. &nbsp;Who wants to see me in hiking pants and a hoodie? &nbsp;Anyway, I’ve bought them at Scheel’s, REI, Macy’s, and Amazon. &nbsp;I love them because they have a drawstring waist for a perfect fit. &nbsp;I hope they don’t discontinue them!</p> <p></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354059 Thu, 29 Feb 2024 10:18:00 +0000 Sisi 2354059@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Your capsule looks perfect for this type of trip, all the pieces look practical and pretty as well (I love the pants). Thank you for posting all these beautiful photos - I am always happy to look at your trip reports! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354052 Thu, 29 Feb 2024 07:26:17 +0000 Star (Lise) 2354052@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Incredible pics!!&nbsp; Thanks for sharing. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354042 Thu, 29 Feb 2024 04:19:57 +0000 Carol 2354042@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wow, just wow. Who knew there could be so many types of birds in one trip?&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354037 Thu, 29 Feb 2024 03:46:03 +0000 Suz 2354037@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>You definitely packed well for your adventure! I'll bet the other travellers were in awe of your fashion savvy.&nbsp;</p> <p>Although honestly, it looks as if the birds were really the main attraction! :)&nbsp; I just read a poem about a snowy egret. Or that includes a snowy egret.&nbsp;</p> <p><div><div><div>White Egret</div><div><div>BY <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/chris-abani">CHRIS ABANI</a></div></div><div><div><div><div><br /> <div> <p>The whole earth is filled with the love of God. – Kwame Dawes</p> </div><br /> </div></div><div>A stream in a forest and a boy fishing,<br /></div><div>heart aflame, head hush, tasting the world—<br /></div><div>lick and pant. The Holy Scripture<br /></div><div>is animal not book.<br /></div><div>I should know, I have smoked<br /></div><div>the soul of God, psalm burning<br /></div><div>between fingers on an African afternoon.<br /></div><div>And how is it that death can open up<br /></div><div>an alleluia from the core of a man?<br /></div><div>How easily the profound fritters away in words.<br /></div><div>And the simple wisdom of my brother:<br /></div><div><em>What you taste with abandon<br /></em></div><div><em>even God cannot take from you.</em><br /></div><div>All my life, men with blackened insides<br /></div><div>have fought to keep<br /></div><div>the flutter of a white egret in my chest<br /></div><div>from bursting into flight, into glory.<br /></div></div></div></div></div><div><div><br /></div></div> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354031 Thu, 29 Feb 2024 02:09:01 +0000 Jaime 2354031@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great photos! And cheers to husbands that like to do a lot of research - I have one too ! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354022 Thu, 29 Feb 2024 00:54:55 +0000 Ginger 2354022@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What wonderful pictures! You saw some great birds, and the gator. I'm not sure I've ever seen a whooping crane here, though they should migrate through. Speaking of migrating, there were a whole bunch of sandhill cranes gathering over my house on Monday. They milled around for several minutes until they got organized into several V's and headed off to the northwest. They sound so strange!</p> <p>You also planned very well for the weather. Humidity is the real joker when it comes to winter weather. It's strange how a damp, windy, cloudy low 40's is way more miserable than a sunny mid-20s. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354020 Thu, 29 Feb 2024 00:21:30 +0000 Irina 2354020@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>OMG, isn’t this wonderful! So many birds!<br />What a lovely trip and you prepared so well for it.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354014 Wed, 28 Feb 2024 23:13:46 +0000 Anonymous 2354014@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Such great photos. One of my best friends grew up in South Texas birding country. Her husband recently died and she remarried another guy she knew from high school. I don’t know if he is a birder too. She got remarried very quietly in the church adoration chapel on a Saturday. With five married daughters with families there it could not have been too quiet. She visits<br /> her daughters a lot.<br /> I am glad you got to see so many birds before it got really hot. Thank you for sharing the photos and your trip. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/south-texas-in-winter#post-2354013 Wed, 28 Feb 2024 22:46:31 +0000 JAileen 2354013@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>We just back from a ten day birding trip to South Texas. Texas is interesting with respect to birds, because it has both Eastern birds and Western birds. &nbsp;The Rio Grande Valley also has tropical birds. &nbsp;We went to Corpus Christi, Rockport, Kingsville, Harlingen, McAllen, Zapata, and Laredo. &nbsp;The weather ranged from cold, windy and rainy, to hot and humid. &nbsp;</p> <p> <div><br />We went on a boat to see the Whooping Cranes, and it was in the 40s and windy. &nbsp;Later, down in the Rio Grande Valley, it was up in the 80s and humid. &nbsp;As we got further inland, it got hotter, but drier. &nbsp;I think the hottest it got was about 90.</p> <p>My husband always does a lot of research, so I knew how cold it could be on the boat, and took long underwear, fleece, Nanopuff vest and jacket, a Goretex jacket and pants, gloves and a warm hat, and I was fine. &nbsp;There were some on the boat that were freezing, though.</p> <p> <div>1-2. My bag is an older version of this REI bag, and I have this backpack for carryon. &nbsp;I carried my camera, binoculars, iPad, Nanopuff jacket, small wallet, ID, etc. in it. &nbsp;It’s great for flying because it easily slides under a seat without catching on anything.<br />3. I used this waist pack every day for my wallet, phone, and lip balm. &nbsp;I had it for several months before I realized it matched my backpack.<br />4-7. What I wore nearly every day: Tilley hat, North Face wind breaker, Columbia Anytime nylon pants, Salomon shoes or boots, and a cotton tee shirt. &nbsp;The Salomon boots were newish and very comfortable. The windbreaker was good in the mornings until it warmed up. &nbsp;I also used a lot of sunscreen and insect repellant. &nbsp;We started using towelettes, and they worked very well.</p> <p>Here is some of what we saw:<br />8. Cattle Tyrant - this bird has been hanging around Corpus Christi for several months. &nbsp;He is a nonmigratory South American bird. &nbsp;So how did he get there? &nbsp;That’s the mystery. &nbsp;He was very friendly and got within a couple feet of us.<br />9. Laughing Gulls - &nbsp;they had found a big lump of lasagna noodles and all wanted it.<br />10. Whooping Cranes - this family of three includes offspring from last year. &nbsp;There are an estimated 500 left in the world.<br />11. Roseate Spoonbill - these are my favorite birds. &nbsp;<br />12. Snowy Egret - they nearly went extinct when ladies wore feathers on their hats.<br />13. Alligator<br />14. Aplomado Falcon - these falcons have been reintroduced to Texas.<br />15. Roadside Hawk - &nbsp;this hawk is primarily found in Mexico down to South America<br />16. Eastern Screech Owl<br />17. Yellow Headed Parrot - this is likely an escapee, but had joined a large flock of red capped parrots. &nbsp;We also saw parakeets.<br />18. Green Jay&nbsp;<br />19. Black Bellied Whistling Duck&nbsp;<br />20. Chachalacas<br />21. Wild Turkeys<br />22. Osprey<br />23. Altamira Oriole<br />24. &nbsp;Long Billed Thrasher<br />25. &nbsp;Pyrrhuloxia<br />26. Greater Roadrunner</p> <p> </div></div><div>It was a fascinating trip but I’m glad to be home!</div> </p>