[texbirds] Smith Point Hawk Watch today
- From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2012 19:26:45 -0600
With the end of the count approaching and a great cold front arriving, hope
sprang for lots of birds and lots of rarities but instead only had a really
nice day with nice birds.
An early exploration of Hawkins Camp and Texaco Roads and metroplitan Smith
Point did not have much around but lots and lots of red-breasted nuthatches
all through the side streets in town. Lots of swallows passing but all but
one at the tower were tree swallows with a lone rough-winged swallow.
Siskins and goldfinches were calling overhead but usually unseen.
Bluebirds, pipits and other seasonal migrants were overhead and a lingering
black-chinned hummingbird or two (one shy and one tamer perhaps?) were at
the feeder and perched in the oaks. A nice bluebird flock is using the
nearby fences but did not attract any friends.
Lots and lots of geese overhead including many ross's. Still a few white
pelicans, several flocks of sandhill cranes and a single wood stork and a
few white ibis. I had 3 loons overhead for the day.
The hawks numbers were short what I expected perhaps because the expected
turkey vulture flocks that would have attracted other birds never showed
up. The common hawk continued to be the swainson's hawks that streamed, or
trickled, through the area with some repeated passages of at least one
bird. Red-tailed hawks were not in the numbers expected either but there
were a couple of harlan's hawks and a new krider's hawk for variety. One or
two ospreys, some broad-winged, white-tailed and red-shouldered hawks etc
kept things moving. Only 14 species for the trip with a couple not at the
tower. Quite a bit of back and forth birds until later in the day when all
the morning birds had gone elsewhere.
Had a merlin perched in a dried up wetland on the way up the peninsula. It
is very dry there with no tilth in the soil and most non-tidal water areas
bone dry. Some of the ragweed that would have provided food shriveled and
died before the seed ripened. Houston is more than 10 inches below normal
rainfall now for the summer and fall. The soil moistures maps show that the
situation is worse for growing things than the drought classifications
which now are expanding again.
The wind was a factor as there were no thermals and at times it was hard to
stand steady on the tower. Good northerly winds are expected to continue
through tomorrow and maybe even the rest of the week. Let there be hawks.
--
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx
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