I got down to Fairview Road, just before the sun came up. The southeast corner field that has had many shorebirds is being graded and ditched and only a couple of birds there. Only a few uplands when I went on to the east. The area had lots of rain compared to only a bit at my house. Anahuac had a couple of inches. Ditches running and water in the fields. Lots of new water at Anahuac. Coming back to the stop sign, I checked a flock of blackbirds in a wet area looking for yellow-heads and found that all were brewer's blackbirds. Counted and had a first count of 137 when another 25 or so joined them from behind me and then 2 other smaller groups. Said aha, this is a sign of a great number of western type birds that came in with the front. However, it was the only western type birds that came with the front but is by far the most brewer's I have ever seen in Chambers County. Hoped for a couple of rusty's inasmuch as they were in water but did not see any. Lots of great habitat now on 1986 for shorebirds but I found few and actually did not see any grounded golden plover for the day except for a single bird at A&M in a puddle at the end of the day. The rufous phase red-tailed hawk was on a pole about 7 or 8 down the entrance road from 1986 but flushed way ahead of me and the guy with the boat tailgating me and I never did figure out where it went. Many of the red-tails were not on their usual perches but some were replaced by Swainson's. The resident cooper's hawk at shoveler pond was on his favorite stick and still many northern harriers, which did not seem to be migrating. No kestrels for the day. Heading out to shoveler pond, several least bitterns were in the ditch just west of where the willows used to be and several more were calling around the refuge. Fly-up-the creek's flew up the creek and elsewhere. At the back southwest corner of shoveler pond a couple of american bitterns were thunder-pumping. Several more were calling along the frozen point road just past the sharp right turn with the yellow striped barrier. Later in the day I had 6 american bitterns in sight at the end of bob road in the marsh to the west, on the road and in the roadside grass. Lots more savannah sparrows but that could be because they concentrated on the roads as many former feeding areas had water. Singing orchard orioles and eastern kingbirds. Lots of king and clapper rails calling along with sora's. Got charged by an upset king rail. Lots of both whistling ducks flying around and many fulvous at Skillern. There were migrants at High Island but maybe more red-breasted nuthatches than most of the newly arrived birds. Hooks woods had my first wood thrush of the year. A adult male rufous hummingbird fed some in the flowers at the roost across from Boy Scout Woods and I was able to show it to a few visitors before it was spooked by an orchard oriole. The best birding was up at the top of the hill at Smith Oaks where the large pecan and mulberries used to be and working out from there. Birds moved through and with work and patience new ones could be added but it did take a lot of patience and work. Great fun to show new birds to visitors to this country. Lots of birders around with several busfulls just at high island plus many self-guided souls. Both Bob Road and Frenchtown continue to be bank full with limited birds and many birders. Yacht Basin Road had some whimbrels and courting gull-billed terns. The crystal beach beach had lots of people. Spent lots of time with a dark billed tern that turned out to have a reddish beak and a too short tail. One bonaparte's gull too. The beach at Retillon had 2 red knots, one red and one gray. Gulls at the ferry appeared sated. Stopped at A&M on Pelican Island to end the day. Best sparrows of the day but most were white-crowns. The 2 tropical kingbirds made a great circle all around the area before returning to the campus. Mulberriers are ripening but only the sparrows, grackles and starlings eating them. Saw and heard a female type grosbeak disappear. Nice day out and the grackles and starling are in splendid plumage too. -- Joseph C. Kennedy on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx Edit your Freelists account settings for TEXBIRDS at //www.freelists.org/list/texbirds Reposting of traffic from TEXBIRDS is prohibited without seeking permission from the List Owner