[texbirds] Anahuac to Galveston last week, Bobwhite day

From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 22 May 2012 14:29:16 -0500
I did the usual loop from Anahuac around to Galveston last Thursday. the
highlight of the day was the calling bobwhites at Anahuac. Some six to
seven males were calling along the road from the gravel lot to the woodlot.
It was great to find a large group of quail since they are not present in
many of their former haunts. Several were perched on fenceposts along the
road
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/143468181

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/143468180

I heard no rallying calls or saw females and do not know if there has only
been an influx of males to the area
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/143468179

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/143468172

There are eastern kingbirds nesting along the roads
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/143468229

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/143468226

It was not a big day for late migrants but I did have a flycrosstheroad
black-billed cuckoo at Anahuac and near Tuna Road on Bolivar. There were
red-eyed vireos in most areas and a couple of warblers, singing swainson's
thrushes etc. The only migrating migrants was a stream of swallows going up
the coast just inland from the beach with most being bank swallows with
trees and barns mixed in.

Oyster Bayou was very busy with large numbers of herons, teal, coots, both
whistling ducks etc but the deluge of the previous weekend had removed the
shorebird habitat. A few birds like white-rumped and stilt sandpipers and a
few others were using vegetation clumps in shoveler pond.

There were the usual common nighthawks on fenceposts
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/143467991

And a rather tame black-crowned night heron on the shoveler pond bank
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/143467985

For the first time since early last fall I had no savannah sparrows on the
refuge but still had 1 along 1985.

Heading east on 1985, the first large fields had been diked and drained but
had a few baird's sandpipers and the usual list. The large fields along
Pear Orchard were drying and only had birds down in the drains which made
them hard to find as there were no hawks working over the area. The common
birds were dunlin, dowitchers and whimbrels. The fields at Skillern were
flooded but birdless.

Rollover Pass had a small flock of shorebirds almost all of which were
dunlins in breeding plumage
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/143467675

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/143467673

Sanderlings kept up the red-backed theme
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/143467670

As did a white-rumped sandpiper
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/143467671

A white phase reddish egret was the only heron in close
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/143467666

Going on down to Bolivar flats, the bay at the jetty was full of water.
Walking down the beach on the flats had sanderlings, turnstones and dunlin
but not much else. The least terns were on the water edge and not back in
the nesting area which is protected by fences as well as the deep mats of
weed which cover all the sand as you go down the beach with use by almost
no birds even with a north wind.

The tropical kingbirds on Pelican Island appear to have lost another nest
to the grackles for #2 this season. At least they were not attending so
could be waiting for a complete clutch. Or the great kerfuffle between one
of the kingbirds and a group of adult and fledgling grackles was about the
kingbird nest. Did not want to get close to check and disturb them more
than the students and workmen do.

Lots more pictures of the bobwhites and others at
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/inbox


-- 
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx
[texbirds] Anahuac to Galveston last week, Bobwhite day

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