[texbirds] Anahuac and Smith Point today, eastern willets back

From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:47:03 -0500
Started at sunrise along Fairview with not much around and very dusty. Went
down a couple of miles and had equipment ahead of me making more dust so
turned around. Found a flock of 34 golden plover in a field on the south
side and then in the field nearest 521 and where fairview is paved had a
flock in flight circling the field. The flock kept gathering more birds as
it circled and totalled 160 by my best estimate before they went down in
the back corner of the field. Did not find any on the way home.
The winter resident osprey is still roosting on 521.

Anahuac still has lots of ducks and shorebirds in the oyster bayou tract
but the pintails, gadwalls and mallards are basically gone. Lots of
shorebirds wading among the swimming ducks. No swans seen. The large
black-crowned night heron group is still in shoveler pond on the last leg
of the tour loop. The last parking area just before heading back is a good
place to look. One bittern out there.

Down on the bay one pair of loud territorial eastern willets were on
traditional perches and looking spiffy in new plumage.

Several mockingbirds were doing orchard oriole noise on the way down to the
bay and either they heard them already or its time for that part of their
learned reportoire to be used. I did not see or hear any.

Harriers were streaming north through the refuge with an arrival point near
where the yellow rail prairie road hits the bay and they appeared to be
coming from maybe the western end of crystal beach. Fewer red-tails on
poles but a lot of trucks went by ahead of me. The really white krider's
posed for me for the first time.

Down at the Skillern tract, it was mowing day but both the younger but red
vermilion flycatcher and the really red bird were between the parking lot
and the deck to the north up the bayou. The only eastern phoebe for the day
was there too.

I walked the mottes at Smith Point hoping for a few early migrants but saw
none. Still red-breasted nuthatches about but not as many as when they
arrived but I could hear birds from 3 different mottes at one time. Lots of
yellow-rumped warblers flycatching all around as there was a big hatch of a
largish midge that annoyed by landing and walking around but no biting.
Lots of turnstones at the shell mounds but no oystercatchers. Most wet
areas in the area are bone dry or getting that way unless they have tidal
access. Lots of mowing, bulldozing and cutting in the area too since fall.

But nuthatches make all well. And I have a single nuthatch at the feeder
for the first time this year and ever too.

-- 
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx


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[texbirds] Anahuac and Smith Point today, eastern willets back

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