[texbirds] Tuesday Anahuac pictures, geese, ducks and hawks

From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 11:46:48 -0600
I spent Tuesday birding in Anahuac refuge and along 1985 enjoying the birds
and rice harvest. The rice harvesters flushed lots of American bitterns and
sparrows but only a couple of rails that I saw but one was a yellow rail.
As soon as the machines cleared a field, the birds moved in; geese, ibis,
and blackbirds.
There were large flocks of dark ibis thus most were white-faced but they
were far enough off not to verify each id. Many were also alongside the
geese in the burn on the west side of the shoveler pond loop

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378105

Snow geese were the birds of the day with large flocks next to shoveler
pond and another down the road at the corner of Pear Orchard and 1985

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378132

Dark phase birds or blue geese

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378131

White birds

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378130

And gray birds which are young of the year

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378129

birds in flocks on the ground

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378125

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378127

And in the air

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378157

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378155

All morning, the geese were moving back and forth inside the refuge as 10
or 12 bald eagles looked for breakfast. the geese would flush and move and
the eagles would follow if they did not find a vulnerable bird

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378154

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378152

Later in the afternoon, the biggest flock was resting when a single eagle
came in to feed. It actually herded the birds and kept them from leaving
the immediate area

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378149

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378146

the geese went back and forth

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378146

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378134

Having lots of geese to eat, the eagles left the eagle food alone (also
known as coots)

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378095

Many pied-billed grebes in the canal along the road. They even have tails

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378098

Buffleheads are scarce birds in shoveler pond

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378096

Best year in a long time for ruddy ducks there

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378100

Which are one of the stiff-tailed ducks

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378102

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378104

Fulvous whistling ducks are lingering

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378108

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378107

this young white-tailed hawk does not have much white in the face but a
nice chest patch

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378167

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378168

A merlin on a fencepost showed that it can turn its head almost as well as
an owl

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378169

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378173

It appeared to catch a sparrow flushed by a rice harvester but took it off
to a distant tallow tree

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/158378171

Lots more merlin and goose pictures can be seen at

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/inbox

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


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[texbirds] Tuesday Anahuac pictures, geese, ducks and hawks

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