[texbirds] Sabine Area today, Warblers and other goodies, stupendous birding
- From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:21:50 -0500
I spent the day in the Sabine Pass area and had a good list. I think about
24 species of warblers and I know of a good number of other birds seen
today.
And the wind blew well.
Started down around McFaddin and the old state park and revisited the area
again during the day. Good numbers of big birds (orioles, grosbeaks, etc.)
were along the road and in the dense trees. A single bobolink in odd molt
was out at the headquarters in the pm along with many warblers.
For the first part of the day there was the heaviest migration of
shorebirds along the beach and just inland that I have ever seen. Most were
yellowlegs and stilt sandpipers. Franklin's gulls were on the beach along
with cattle egrets. Made for a odd gull/tern flock.
2 white-rumped sandpipers were at the state park puddles and 1 actually fed
around a lady signing in at the entrance.
Western kingbirds were on both sides of Sabine Woods.
During the morning the birds kept low. The best birding was around the pond
where warblers were feeding in the small willows out in the water. The food
I saw eaten appeared to be scales picked from twigs or the underside of the
leaves. Warblers perched on people too.
One eastern wood pewee was really tame and picked bugs off birders, perched
on tripods and the strap for my bushhawk. Several took pictures with phones
of the pewee and warblers. There was maybe a dozen warbler species that
came within a couple of feet of large groups of people. And there were
still red-breasted nuthatches.
On my way home, I stopped up the road and saw the 2 semitropical
mockingbirds. Which leads to a philosophical question. As each bird has 50%
tropical mockingbird blood, can one list 1 tropical mockingbird if the 2
hybrids are seen at the same time. Two halves do make a whole.
Probably close to 200 species in the area for the day. Not a whole lot of
numbers of individuals but really good looks at most of the birds there.
And spectacular looks at many and spectacular looks for many birds. Can't
get better.
--
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx
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- » [texbirds] Sabine Area today, Warblers and other goodies, stupendous birding - Joseph Kennedy
