[texbirds] Anahuac to Galveston today, brewer's blackbirds, both bitterns, rufous hummer, nuthatches etc.

From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:17:50 -0500
I got down to Fairview Road, just before the sun came up. The southeast
corner field that has had many shorebirds is being graded and ditched and
only a couple of birds there. Only a few uplands when I went on to the east.
The area had lots of rain compared to only a bit at my house. Anahuac had a
couple of inches. Ditches running and water in the fields. Lots of new
water at Anahuac.

Coming back to the stop sign, I checked a flock of blackbirds in a wet area
looking for yellow-heads and found that all were brewer's blackbirds.
Counted and had a first count of 137 when another 25 or so joined them from
behind me and then 2 other smaller groups. Said aha, this is a sign of a
great number of western type birds that came in with the front. However, it
was the only western type birds that came with the front but is by far the
most brewer's I have ever seen in Chambers County. Hoped for a couple of
rusty's inasmuch as they were in water but did not see any.

Lots of great habitat now on 1986 for shorebirds but I found few and
actually did not see any grounded golden plover for the day except for a
single bird at A&M in a puddle at the end of the day.

The rufous phase red-tailed hawk was on a pole about 7 or 8 down the
entrance road from 1986 but flushed way ahead of me and the guy with the
boat tailgating me and I never did figure out where it went. Many of the
red-tails were not on their usual perches but some were replaced by
Swainson's. The resident cooper's hawk at shoveler pond was on his favorite
stick and still many northern harriers, which did not seem to be migrating.
No kestrels for the day.

Heading out to shoveler pond, several least bitterns were in the ditch just
west of where the willows used to be and several more were calling around
the refuge. Fly-up-the creek's flew up the creek and elsewhere. At the back
southwest corner of shoveler pond a couple of american bitterns were
thunder-pumping. Several more were calling along the frozen point road just
past the sharp right turn with the yellow striped barrier.

Later in the day I had 6 american bitterns in sight at the end of bob road
in the marsh to the west, on the road and in the roadside grass.

Lots more savannah sparrows but that could be because they concentrated on
the roads as many former feeding areas had water. Singing orchard orioles
and eastern kingbirds. Lots of king and clapper rails calling along with
sora's. Got charged by an upset king rail. Lots of both whistling ducks
flying around and many fulvous at Skillern.

There were migrants at High Island but maybe more red-breasted nuthatches
than most of the newly arrived birds. Hooks woods had my first wood thrush
of the year. A adult male rufous hummingbird fed some in the flowers at the
roost across from Boy Scout Woods and I was able to show it to a few
visitors before it was spooked by an orchard oriole.

The best birding was up at the top of the hill at Smith Oaks where the
large pecan and mulberries used to be and working out from there. Birds
moved through and with work and patience new ones could be added but it did
take a lot of patience and work. Great fun to show new birds to visitors to
this country. Lots of birders around with several busfulls just at high
island plus many self-guided souls.

Both Bob Road and Frenchtown continue to be bank full with limited birds
and many birders. Yacht Basin Road had some whimbrels and courting
gull-billed terns. The crystal beach beach had lots of people. Spent lots
of time with a dark billed tern that turned out to have a reddish beak and
a too short tail. One bonaparte's gull too.

The beach at Retillon had 2 red knots, one red and one gray. Gulls at the
ferry appeared sated.

Stopped at A&M on Pelican Island to end the day. Best sparrows of the day
but most were white-crowns. The 2 tropical kingbirds made a great circle
all around the area before returning to the campus. Mulberriers are
ripening but only the sparrows, grackles and starlings eating them. Saw and
heard a female type grosbeak disappear. Nice day out and the grackles and
starling are in splendid plumage too.

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


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[texbirds] Anahuac to Galveston today, brewer's blackbirds, both bitterns, rufous hummer, nuthatches etc.

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