Growing up on the upper Texas Coast, there were many reasons to regard the region as the state's armpit: 'skeeters the size of pelicans, ocean water color best described as washing-machine brown, the irksome effect of sweating in place (in winter, in the shade...) ,among others. Then I discovered birding. Yessireebob, it all started innocently enough in the front yard. A curious, dwarf-sized, dapper black and white pecker-wood excavating a nest hole in an exhausted mimosa tree captured my attention- less than half a foot in lenght, it seemed, but all feathers and frenzy. Chiseling away, day after day, oblivious to onlookers, this little dynamo had to be one of nature's most single minded inhabitants. Just what kind of critter was this, anyway? A quick trip to the local bookstore, and a thumb through Roger Peterson's "Birds of Texas" solved the mystery- the little flying buzzsaw was called a "Downy Woodpecker". That was in 1978- 30 years and 1100 or so species later, I now realize it's a privledge to call this little corner of Texas home. It's one of the continent's top destinations for studying and photographing birds. Hopefully in these pages there is something to hold the attention of nature lovers in general, and wild bird fanciers in particular. Not a great photographer, mind you, but improving (hopefully) as I go along. Nothing to write home about, image wise, but the galleries may give traveling birders an idea of what can be found at these locations. Oh and some family kinda stuff too! http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Ecuador-birds-7-06/OnTheTrail-GDedited-1/247141411_G4APJ-Ti.jpg http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/ 2009-01-22T23:46:57Z Copyright 2009, the copyright holder of each photograph. Some portions copyright SmugMug. All rights reserved. SmugMug <p><a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com">mtns2molhilz</a> updated gallery '<a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Costa-Rica-11-08/7167928_MAPdG">Costa Rica 11 08</a>'</p><p><a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Costa-Rica-11-08/7167928_MAPdG" title="Costa Rica 11 08"><img src="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Costa-Rica-11-08/11-05-080399/460125551_cjAiq-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Costa Rica 11 08" title="Costa Rica 11 08" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-22T23:46:57Z mtns2molhilz http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Costa-Rica-11-08/7167928_MAPdG <p><a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com">mtns2molhilz</a> updated gallery '<a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Panama-2005/4840249_7Bnhc">Panama 2005</a>'</p><p><a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Panama-2005/4840249_7Bnhc" title="Panama 2005"><img src="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Panama-2005/S-Llorona-lodge-22/288177718_cLWkh-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Panama 2005" title="Panama 2005" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2008-05-07T06:45:59Z mtns2molhilz http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Panama-2005/4840249_7Bnhc <p><a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com">mtns2molhilz</a> updated gallery '<a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/El-Cielo-Birding-and-Butterfly/4534393_nVdVD">El Cielo Birding and Butterfly Festival, February 2008</a>'</p><p><a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/El-Cielo-Birding-and-Butterfly/4534393_nVdVD" title="El Cielo Birding and Butterfly Festival, February 2008"><img src="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/El-Cielo-Birding-and-Butterfly/El-Cielo-1/267030345_uUkxB-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="El Cielo Birding and Butterfly Festival, February 2008" title="El Cielo Birding and Butterfly Festival, February 2008" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2008-03-19T05:42:04Z mtns2molhilz http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/El-Cielo-Birding-and-Butterfly/4534393_nVdVD <p><a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com">mtns2molhilz</a> updated gallery '<a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Fork-tailed-Flycatcher-Sabine/4527511_68bbU">Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Sabine Pass, Texas, March 16, 2008</a>'</p><p><a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Fork-tailed-Flycatcher-Sabine/4527511_68bbU" title="Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Sabine Pass, Texas, March 16, 2008"><img src="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Fork-tailed-Flycatcher-Sabine/FrkTail-FC-1/266588223_CYYjt-Th.jpg" width="150" height="79" alt="Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Sabine Pass, Texas, March 16, 2008" title="Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Sabine Pass, Texas, March 16, 2008" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2008-03-16T09:46:37Z mtns2molhilz http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Fork-tailed-Flycatcher-Sabine/4527511_68bbU <p><a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com">mtns2molhilz</a> updated gallery '<a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Ecuador-June-2005/4387177_VsLxt">Ecuador June 2005</a>'</p><p><a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Ecuador-June-2005/4387177_VsLxt" title="Ecuador June 2005"><img src="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Ecuador-June-2005/San-Jorge-lodge-7/257623526_R8ZjN-Th.jpg" width="150" height="113" alt="Ecuador June 2005" title="Ecuador June 2005" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2008-02-22T10:38:49Z mtns2molhilz http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Ecuador-June-2005/4387177_VsLxt <p><a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com">mtns2molhilz</a> updated gallery '<a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Travel/Playa-del-Carmen-and-Yucatan/4352954_vQPpP">Playa del Carmen and Yucatan, December 2007</a>'</p><p><a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Travel/Playa-del-Carmen-and-Yucatan/4352954_vQPpP" title="Playa del Carmen and Yucatan, December 2007"><img src="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Travel/Playa-del-Carmen-and-Yucatan/Church-scene/255474164_8HCmZ-Th.jpg" width="113" height="150" alt="Playa del Carmen and Yucatan, December 2007" title="Playa del Carmen and Yucatan, December 2007" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2008-02-17T10:02:45Z mtns2molhilz http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Travel/Playa-del-Carmen-and-Yucatan/4352954_vQPpP <p><a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com">mtns2molhilz</a> updated gallery '<a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Yucatan-Birdtrek-12-07/4227426_sUtKM">Yucatan Birdtrek 12 07</a>'</p><p><a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Yucatan-Birdtrek-12-07/4227426_sUtKM" title="Yucatan Birdtrek 12 07"><img src="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Yucatan-Birdtrek-12-07/Boca-del-Puma-18-BCFl/247252495_8GmnL-Th.jpg" width="150" height="107" alt="Yucatan Birdtrek 12 07" title="Yucatan Birdtrek 12 07" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2008-01-25T09:41:32Z mtns2molhilz http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Yucatan-Birdtrek-12-07/4227426_sUtKM <p><a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com">mtns2molhilz</a> updated gallery '<a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Ecuador-birds-7-06/4225598_dfCWf">Ecuador birds 7 06</a>'</p><p><a href="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Ecuador-birds-7-06/4225598_dfCWf" title="Ecuador birds 7 06"><img src="http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Ecuador-birds-7-06/Papalacta-Pass-Guango-61506015/247139958_AyJTy-Th.jpg" width="150" height="107" alt="Ecuador birds 7 06" title="Ecuador birds 7 06" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2008-01-24T23:56:41Z mtns2molhilz http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com http://mtns2molhilz.smugmug.com/Nature/Ecuador-birds-7-06/4225598_dfCWf