Back on April 29th, I started out at Anahuac. The deluges of a a couple of
weeks earlier had really stirred up shoveler pond and apparently caused a
lack of oxygen which damaged much of the vegetation and also made the area
less attractive to the birds. A week later there were lots of algae mats
growing inside the levee.
Most of the birds like this green heron were in other very wet areas
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159956082
Large numbers of swallows were going through the largest numbers bank and
tree but cliff swallows were well represented
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159956083
One group of dickcissels was mainly females
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159956086
Orchard orioles have lots of food out there.
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159956088
High island had lots of migrants with magnolia warbler common
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159956689
Red-eyed vireo did the mystery bird pose
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159956690
But did look back for an id
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159956691
lots of swainson's thrushes around
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159956693
But the bird of the day was the scarlet tanagers
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159956711
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159956710
Available in all poses
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159956707
Male and female together
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159956704
And just females
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159956700
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159956699
Stilt sandpiper was the common sandpiper on Bolivar
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159956716
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159956714
I spent a good bit of the afternoon sitting on the bolivar jetty watching
the birds walk by. They were feeding right at the base on small minnows.
Black skimmers periodically did one of their group fly-arounds
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159995930
Black terns were enjoying the minnows.
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159995931
A single eared grebe was going back and forth behind me
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159995933
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159995934
Lots of yellowlegs and all I saw were lessers
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159995938
and who had more trouble eating the minnows
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159995936
But made good mystery birds
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159995937
Many western willets were enjoying the feast. Birds without any sign of
molt may summer in the area
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159995940
The star of the show were the 2000+ American avocets feeding, hollering and
sitting
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159996007
Most were in full breeding plumage
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159996031
But a few were just getting some color
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159996038
It was almost impossible to get a picture of the food as they swallowed
right away
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159996027
Not much courtship yet but these birds did a little piping
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159996012
Going around the other way on May 4th, got stuck out in the bay for 3 hours
due to an unfortunate incident but was able to watch how the coast guard
does a search
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159996120
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159996118
High tides had most of the bolivar flats area under water. I had 2 large
groups of common terns on the beach totaling about 500 birds. All appeared
to be adult birds and not the first year birds that often appear now and
who will summer or at least be around well into June.
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159996123
A little group of 8 red knots were the only ones I have seen this spring
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159996125
The beach was very messy with discarded trash and huge bags of collected
garbage, a sign of a great weekend there. Lots of shorebirds feeding with
most ruddy turnstones and car birds.
The ruddy turnstones were in high plumage
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159996128
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159996129
As were many of the car birds, also known as sanderling. In many spots most
of the sanderlings were all pale or all in reddish plumage and not in mixed
groups.
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159996130
The only small plovers out there were semipalmated
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/159996133
Not much at Anahuac other than lots of both whistling ducks. Could not find
any rice fields other than on Fairview just off 561 but several large
fields east of Skillern on 1985 were being prepared. They should be very
wet now after the recent rain.
--
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx
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