Yesterday (Wednesday, 11/04/15) in coastal Cameron County my wife (Birgit)
and I birded the TX-48 boat launch and TX-4 (Boca Chica Blvd.) from the
eastern outskirts of Brownsville eastward to (but not including) the Gulf
beach. Here, by site, are our shorebird species (all) and our
personal-highlight other species (including all raptors seen along TX-4):
TX-48 BOAT LAUNCH:
Shorebirds â BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (8); WILSONâS PLOVER (3; a species hard
to find this late, but if found anywhere, that is likely to include this
site); SEMIPALMATED PLOVER (1); BLACK-NECKED STILT (est. 12-15); WILLET
(est., 200+; widespread and largely dominating the scene); LONG-BILLED
CURLEW (1); RUDDY TURNSTONE (7); SANDERLING (est. 150-200; virtually
everywhere, sharing scene domination with Willet); WESTERN SANDPIPER (6);
and LEAST SANDPIPER (3) (Total shorebird species for site = 10).
Highlights of other species: BROWN PELICAN (12); REDDISH EGRET (1, white
morph juvenile); WHITE IBIS (12, incl. 2 immatures); ROSEATE SPOONBILL (6,
nice variation in plumages); WOOD STORK (1, south of channel); GULL-BILLED
TERN (est. 8-10, seemingly, to us, a surprising number this late); CASPIAN
TERN (12-15); and BLACK SKIMMER (250-300, possibly conservative; parked
thickly at several locations).
TX-4 (BOCA CHICA BLVD.):
Shorebirds (almost all on north side of TX-4; possibly using highway uplift
as protection against strong southeast wind) â BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (6);
SEMIPALMATED PLOVER (1); KILLDEER (4); AMERICAN AVOCET (est., 375-400 in a
long, sometimes thick, east/west line north of highway, facing off the
strong wind); WILLET (est. 15-20); LONG-BILLED CURLEW (1); and WESTERN
SANDPIPER (5) (Total shorebird species for site = 7).
Highlights of other non-raptor species: PIED-BILLED GREBE (4, in a large,
flooded ditch on south side of TX-4); WHITE PELICAN (45); BROWN PELICAN
(several); REDDISH EGRET (1, white morph juvenile); SANDHILL CRANE (2, our
first-of-season; flew northward across TX-4, appearing to land in western
vegetated fringe of South Bay); GULL-BILLED TERN (est. 20-25; this was
beginning to look like a late-migration serge; tried to turn these into
Forsterâs Tern, but these terns would not turn); CASPIAN TERNS (numerous,
but tended to sleep amongst the other terns, which made a rigorous
estimate difficult); and BELTED KINGFISHER (1 utility line near broad canal
south side of TX-4).
Raptors (all species found along this often raptor-favorable highway):
OSPREY (2); NORTHERN HARRIER (1, prob. juvenile, cruised flats on both
sides of highway); HARRISâS HAWK (2); WHITE-TAILED HAWK (4); CRESTED
CARACARA (3, all close-by in same stretch of highway); and AMERICAN KESTREL
(several; seen often, various places) (Total raptor species for site = 6.)
We drove all the way to the Gulf beach but decided not to drive there. We
were delighted with what we had seen on a beautiful day that stayed free of
rain, brought refreshing, cool wind, and provided a nice variety of birds.
A special thrill was the graceful flight, directly across in front of us as
we drove eastward, of our first-of-season Sandhill Cranes, a species whose
arrival in these parts we eagerly had anticipated.
Rex Stanford, Weslaco, TX.
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