[texbirds-freelists] [texbirds] upper Texas coast Saturday and Sunday

Dennis Scott and I birded the upper coast yesterday and today. Passerine
migration was slow at both Smith Oaks and Sabine Woods, but we managed to
eke out 16 warbler species, thanks in large part to Sam Woods of Tropical
Birding. The highlights were 2 Bay-breasted, 1 Blackpoll, 1 Blackburnian
and 1 Ovenbird this afternoon at Smith Oaks, 1 Blackpoll at Sabine Woods
this morning, 1 Blackburnian at Smith Oaks yesterday and 1 Swainson's
Warbler on Shoestring Rd off Hwy 326, just north of Sour Lake, yesterday
morning. A Veery was at Sabine Woods this morning. The most amazing
migration spectacle was a flock of 114 Bobolinks (113 males!) in the field
behind Sabine Woods this morning. They unfortunately did not stay long. We
enjoyed seeing the cooperative Tropical Mockingbird that is paired with a
Northern Mockingbird at Sabine Woods today.

A large flooded field on the north side of Hwy 73 a few miles east of
Winnie had a tremendous variety of shorebirds yesterday, the hightlights
being 20 Hudsonian Godwits, 25 Buff-breasted Sandpipers and 50+
White-rumped Sandpipers. We spent a pleasant 2 hours at Tyrell Park in
Beaumont, yesterday. There were 50+ Fulvous Whistling Ducks, 1
Black-bellied Whistling Duck, great looks at most of the the expected large
wading birds, 10+ Soras and a Least Bittern. A Western Kingbird was near
the rookery at High Island yesterday afternoon.

The pair of Bronzed Cowbirds were still at the RV park on 5th Street in
High Island this afternoon. Mcfaddin NWR, which is near Sabine Woods, had
many Least Bitterns, several Clapper Rails and many Soras this morning, as
well as 30+ migrating Bank Swallows, numerous Orchard Orioles and Eastern
Kingbirds, and singing Seaside Sparrows.

Peter Barnes
Tyler

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