Mary the bird photographer/videographer

Mary's helping out with our Raptor Road post, adding quite a bit of photography that I didn't get. She carries a Canon Powershot something-or-other with like a gillion times zoom and stuff, plus a video camera (JVC maybe?). Here's some of her fine work:
Harris's Hawk! I never would've thought I'd see these! Beautiful dark chocolate with a rufous front edging on their wings. And those yellow legs and feet really stand out; note that he's standing on one foot like he stubbed a toe or something. We saw this raptor and the next on Hwy 77 in the King Ranch between Raymondville and Sarita. It was getting darker and with the cloud cover, photo conditions were not optimal. But check out that white underside--that's actually a white band that wraps around on the rump too. At first glance, when we saw one swooping over us in Harlingen before we left to come home, I saw that white rump and guessed Northern Harrier, though I thought it must be a dark morph. Then we saw this guy and stopped for photos, and I checked the guide--Harris's Hawk is beautiful!

We also saw what I'm guessing is a very wind-blown Red-tailed Hawk:I think somebody ran out of hair gel.

We also saw, near the Santa Ana NWP, what I think was a Gray Hawk--it was certainly unlike anything I'd seen before: so light-colored, a light gray all over, with a black tail. They call the Northern Harrier "the gray ghost," but if I really did see a Gray Hawk (which I'm 99.99% sure I did), THAT raptor is the true gray ghost. Amazing bird.

And check this out!
Okay, not a raptor--we're done with those. These are the Western Meadowlarks that Young Mary ID'd all on her own while I napped for a bit in the middle of the King Ranch near Sarita. The really look like Easterns, but according to the guide, whereas Easterns hang out in singles or pairs in meadows away from everything, Westerns are more gregarious, gathering in flocks on the roadside. That's exactly where we found these, a group of probably 15-20 individuals, right by the highway, chillin' and havin' some grub. I think this individual is kinda pigeon-toed, no?

Meanwhile, back to the Valley for more of Mary's coverage of the weekend:

She got a much better pic than I of this Tropical Kingbird. These guys were EVERYWHERE at Estero Llano.

And look, sparrow enthusiasts:

Her photo of the Savannah Sparrow, save for the impeding branches, is like a field guide shot, right down to the yellow eyebrow streak. Nice!

And you want whistling ducks?

She was able to zoom right into the personal space of this Black-bellied Whistling Duck. Look at him giving her the hairy eyeball.

And here's some video from Young Mary. Here, Mary and I discuss sparrows:

That "somebody" turned out to be the freakin' Song Sparrow. Hmph.

And here, finally, is the Great Egret fishing video! This is awesome:

Poor guy! I like the way he has to wash off his beak a couple of times; that dumb big fat fish left a foul taste in his mouth, which is no doubt why he dropped him.