[texbirds] 7 Rallid day at Anahuac, ongoing shorebirds

From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 22 May 2014 17:39:45 -0500
I started as usual on Fairview Road where they were just getting water into
the rice fields which looked perfect for shorebirds but which only had a
few whimbrels and a flock of white-rumped sandpiper. Lots of bobwhite
calling
Headed to the refuge and Shoveler pond had the usual good birds with lots
of calling by least bitterns, pied-billed grebes, all 3 gallinules etc.
There is a great nesting by boat-tailed grackles this year. Clapper rails
calling from the salt side and king rails in the pond itself.

There is also a king rail that is often on the asphalt part of the trail to
the ruff spot. The ruff spot is basically dry and had a killdeer. Heading
down to frozen point, most of the wet spots are now dry. One sora was out
in the open in the drying ditch for my latest ever by 2 full weeks. Great
bird for the day. Seaside sparrows singing good and there is a great raft
of sargassum down at frozen point opposite Rollover Pass.

On the way back toward HQ, I watched for an open ditch where I had seemed
to see a least bittern on the way south. Found the spot and a pair of least
bitterns was there. The female was in the ditch hunting and the male about
15 yards back sitting up watching. While watching them, someone started
calling kick-kick-grrrr off to the west and behind me. Then someone started
calling close in and out front, then a second and third bird close in.

I sat there a long time hoping a bird would come out to the ditch which had
water but the marsh seems drained. Then baby birds started begging with the
kickers. A green heron came running with the calls and appeared to be
looking for the callers back in the sedge. A bigger heron or egret would
quickly snatch up a black rail but the green heron did not leave the edge.
But there was intent. The male least bittern started moving and a fledgling
black rail chick fluttered through the air for a few yards which ended the
calling.

So I can write what I never expected to write

The commonest rail at Anahuac today was the black rail with 7 or 8 calling
and 1 seen bird. I have seen them at the refuge from the old buggy rides
but never heard them in all my trips. I don't think I have seen anyone else
write that either.

Skipped landbirds due to the season and weather. Rice fields along 1985 had
shorebirds but most were dry. Tried the southeast oil field pond on the
beach at high island but found it almost dry but there were still lots of
shorebirds, mainly white-rumped sandpipers and dunlins. Had my latest ever
solitary sandpiper which is very hard to get late in the season.

The beach in Crystal Beach has vast amounts of new kelp washing in and lots
of black terns, almost all in breeding plumage, and turnstones, sanderlings
and dunlins. Not much at Rollover. Yacht basin Road had continuing horned
larks. Whimbrels continue in the side road ditches on Bolivar. Frenchtown
road had dowitchers, both semipalmated, white-rumps etc as it dries out
again. Some new water is coming in from the high tides.

Went on down to Brazoria and the drying Gator Nest Pond had shorebirds.
Lots of blue-winged teal, a pair of redheads and a male pintail along with
both whistling ducks. Some avocets lingering.

The Quintana jetty still has a couple of spotted sandpipers. Tried both
Xeriscape and Neotropical in mid afternoon for dropins but there were none.
There was a small bird back in cover at the back drip at Neotropical. The
hurricane levee on the way out had displaying bronzed cowbirds.

Lots of black rails can really make for a great day.

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


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[texbirds] 7 Rallid day at Anahuac, ongoing shorebirds

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