[texbirds] Anahuac to Galveston today, Hawks and ducks plus Skillern flooding

From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2013 18:00:22 -0600
Going down toward Anahuac from I-10, the thermometer hit 33 in the cold
sink near Fairview and 34 along most of the rest of the way. Fog formed
with the rising sun and hid most of the Shoveler pond birds out in the
middle of the the area until about 8 am.
There has been a substantial influx of red-tailed hawks all along the route
today. Plenty of other hawks including 5 cooper's in the main part of
Anahuac.

2 merlins in Anahuac were each eating a seaside sparrow. First you eat the
head, then you pluck the body and eat it from the head down. Very fat and
happy when done. A little odd as seaside seem scarce and swamp sparrows are
common in the feeding area but maybe the seasides sit up more like when
they are singing so are better targets. The tame krider's is still down on
frozen point.

No ducks, loons or grebes on a smooth bay. 4 American bitterns seen with 2
fighting and screaming at each other.

A change-over in the duck population too. Most of the lingering fulvous
whistling ducks were gone with 23 birds that were split in several groups
early and then resting together. Same count both loops. Other ducks down
but ruddy ducks, canvasbacks and ring-necked ducks were up. Geese were
resting on the refuge until moved by an unseen predator that did 2 attacks.
The white-headed duck is still in the same area. While waiting for the fog
to lift, I was able to listen to a quacking ruddy duck for the first time.
They say kveck.

They are flooding several tracts at Skillern resulting in lots of
freshwater shorebirds, lots of both dark and white ibis and some ducks and
geese. The birds are serving as food on a feeding table for many harriers
working the new wetland.

Several vesper sparrows east of skillern can be hard to find in the area.

Rollover pass had lots of birds but you would have had to walk half way to
Anahuac to get to them. The islands where the white pelicans roost way out
there could be reached dryshod. No flow in the pass and a smooth gulf made
for great watching of seabirds and sea ducks. None were seen and pelicans
were feeding at the limit of visibility. 23 Bonaparte's gulls and the same
number of avocets were swimming and feeding on the gulf end of the pass.

Great beach driving with lots of new sandbars way out where people cannot
drive but almost birdless. The only place that had birds was down near the
bollards at Bolivar flats where all 4 small plovers were on the last
isolated sandbar. Many sanderlings there.

Tree swallows, starlings and white-tailed kites were feeding on a bug hatch
over the western part of Crystal Beach.

A better strategy would have been to stay around the Anahuac area.

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


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[texbirds] Anahuac to Galveston today, Hawks and ducks plus Skillern flooding

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