Texas Panhandle Bird Nerd

Adventures of a new birder from amarillo

Since I started birdwatching (the cool kids call it "birding") in 2019, I've been trying to discern which sparrow is which, to figure out where to see a variety of birds in the Texas Panhandle, and to learn to compose beautiful pictures of the amazing wildlife I have encountered. This website is a record of that journey.

Thanks for visiting!

Vicki Wilmarth

Birding and Wildlife Stories

Vicki Wilmarth

Feb 15

Snow Birds

As much as I love photographing colorful Painted Buntings in the summer or energetic Yellow Warblers in the fall in the Texas Panhandle,...

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Vicki Wilmarth

Jan 5

Birding Hot Spots in the Texas Panhandle

For a new birder, one of the most difficult challenges is figuring out where to find interesting birds to watch. Over the last two years,...

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Vicki Wilmarth

Dec 21, 2020

Bird Nerd on a Podcast

Anette Carlisle, education guru and fellow birder, invited me to share a little about Texas Panhandle birding and my now two-year old...

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Vicki Wilmarth

Dec 20, 2020

Christmas Bird Count 2020--Amarillo

Eighty-nine species of birds showed up on Saturday, December 19, 2020, to be counted by 15 local birders in the 121st Audubon Christmas...

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Vicki Wilmarth

Nov 15, 2020

Cooper's Hawks Nesting in our Yard in Amarillo (Updated)

Since April, we have happily followed the adventures of a pair of nesting Cooper's Hawks in our suburban front yard in Amarillo.

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Vicki Wilmarth

Nov 13, 2020

Why eBird?

eBird makes birding more fun and lets me participate in citizen science, treasure hunting, and scrapbooking all while learning about birds.

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Vicki Wilmarth

Sep 15, 2020

Swainson's Hawk Migration Begins

A cool fall morning in northeast Potter County marked the early stages of very long journey for the dozens of Swainson's Hawks that I...

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Vicki Wilmarth

Jun 6, 2020

Birding a Different Part of Texas

At the beginning of June, birding in the Texas Panhandle slows down and can seem a little, well, monochromatic. The migratory birds are...

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Vicki Wilmarth

May 20, 2020

Mystery Birds

Quick! If you are a birder, what kind of hawk is this? This picture is from my front yard in Amarillo, taken on May 9, 2020. You can see...

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Vicki Wilmarth

Apr 20, 2020

The Reopening of Palo Duro Canyon State Park

For two weeks in April, the animals had the 26,000 acres of Palo Duro Canyon State Park to themselves and they quickly staged a takeover.

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Favorite Photos

Coyote stirring up the birds Greenways 8

golden-fronted woodpecker pdc bird blind

Black-crested titmouse PDC bird blind 11

Wood duck pair Thompson 10-4-20 3.JPG

Sandhills in the snow 10-29-20 5.JPG

Cardinal at Copper Breaks 10-11-20 2.JPG

Upland Sandpiper McBride 8-21-20 8.JPG

Yellow Warbler Thompson 8-30-20.JPG

Rufous Hummingbird 9-13-20 6.JPG

capital peak pdc 7-5-20.jpg

cactus wren plum creek 8-2-20 3.jpg

Buffalo WMNWR 9-12-20 4.jpg

Vermillion Flycatcher Thompson 6 4-11-20

blue grosbeak bugbee 5-3-20 2.jpg

Antelope Plum Creek 8-2-20.jpg

swainson's hawk mcgee 8-16-20.jpg

cattle egret on post mcgee 5-24-20 (1).j

painted bunting pdc 5-7-20.jpg

barn swallow pdc 5-14-20 3.jpg

Aoudad 9-11-20 5.jpg

Indigo bunting PDC 7-18-20 2.jpg

northern flicker (yellow shafted) greenb

lark bunting mcgee 4-18-20 4.jpg

Blue-grey gnatcatcher PDC 4-26-20 3.jpg

yellow warbler rita blanca 5-2-20.jpg

Broad-winged Hawk in Claudia's tree 8-24

Juvenile BCNH posng as a branch Thompson

Beaver at WMNWR 9-13-20 4.JPG

Red-headed woodpecker Bugbee 5-17-20 4.j

High Island Egrets 3-17-20.jpg

hawk nesting in front yard 4-20-20.jpg

upland sandpipers in road mcgee 8-16-20

Tom turkey 4 PDC 3-22-20.jpg

Gamble's Quail 3 BdA 1-19-20.jpg

Northern Harrier - Prairie Dog standoff.

Loggerhead Shrike McGee 3 4-11-20.jpg

Male Northern Harrier (Grey Ghost) Bolivar 03-17-20

Bald Eagle on the ground McGee 2-8-20 (2

Junco on the feeder 2 2-4-20.jpg

American Kestrel in Bushland 12-17-19.jp

Red-tailed hawk BdA 1-18-20.jpg

Red-winged blackbird Greenways 2 4-7-20.

red-tailed hawk in flight mcgee 2 2-16-2

Cara Cara Anuhuac 3-17-20

Osprey at Lake Tanglewood (edited).JPG

black-crested titmouse pdc 2-15-20 2.jpg

Sandhill crane in water at BdA 1-19-20 (

Buck at Palo Duro Canyon 7.jpg

Ferruginous Hawk Amarillo 2-2-20.jpg

Hooded Mergansers (3) balanced at Medi-P