[texbirds] Anahuac to Quintana today, summer birds like horned grebe and lesser black-backed gull
- From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2013 19:27:23 -0500
I did loop along the coast today starting at Anahuac and ending on the
Quintana hurricane levee pond which perhaps was the best spot of the day.
It is really dry out there and some areas that did not go dry 2 years ago
are dry now without a hint of damp.
Anahuac was rather slow. Many of the ditches are dry and showing salt edges
where there Ike flood still is present. Many of the fresh water birds are
missing from shoveler pond where the fresh water vegetation is shriveled in
much of the impoundment and even the cane is sick again. Salt marks on
stems etc. One small puddle had neat pink hypersaline algae which showed up
again at the Bryan beach lagoon.
Fairview had some mud down aways where they are flattening the field and a
single solitary sandpiper was back. The nice flooded rice at the corner had
no birds. Quite a few bobwhite calling in the area. Double Bayou park had
lots of young bluebirds. Most of the cave swallows were missing around the
corner on 1985.
Shoveler pond was a disappointment with only 1 heard purple gallinule and 1
coot with 1 foot. But there were 2 least bitterns with others around.
Florida gallinules had several broods. Both yellowlegs were heading south
or looking for water but did not stop. Orchard orioles are way down in
numbers but only one gave the eeep fall call.
Did not see the need to do lots of wood walking at high island but did
check Hook's Woods which had 0 migrants.
The lagoon southeast of high island seen from the beach was bone dry. Be
very careful if you go that way as there are some enormous holes that
swallowed a car. Or the driver went to fast and slid forward on the bottom
of the car leaving the wheels up in the air over the ruts. He was unable to
get people to help him push.
Scattered black terns were along the surf from high island down through
crystal beach. The tern flock at Rollover has built up to about 25 birds
including both sandwich and royal fledglings. 5 oystercatchers were around
until routed by kayaks and scooters and appeared unbanded. Some white
pelicans still out on the island. Only shorebirds were a long-billed curlew
and a couple of turnstones.
Best bird was a lesser black-backed gull molting into next to last plumage.
This could be the bird I found as a first year during the stint days. It
ranges widely but has been a summer bird there. It does beg if you wade out
there with a cast net.
Yacht Basin road had nothing. Bob road had a few birds and developing edge
but no shorebirds except a young willet and 1 parent. Frenchtown road pond
is dry with the exception of a little oozing. And high tides at Bolivar had
very few birds.
The ferry situation is becoming a joke. The people with special medical
needs filled the first boat and part of the second and there were plenty
for my boat. All the ones on my boat had kids in bathing suits etc going to
ride on the pier. The car in front of me told the pointer they were
visiting ????? and were allowed to go through the inspection lane without
inspection. I said I was visiting where they were but had to wait for the
3rd boat. Perhaps 80% of the vehicles with privileges cost more than
$50,000 which is odd that they are going for charity care. With fishing
rods and kids. 3 Frigatebirds and 0 terns on the trip.
No sign of the tropical kingbirds and the last nest site only had a little
grass left.
Headed down to Brazoria refuge which is totally dry except for a small spot
in Crosstrails pond. It had avocets, coots, phalaropes both in breeding and
winter plumage. Quite a few yellowlegs. One wood stork overhead. Other
birds had been there but the car ahead of me had pop-out people that jumped
out of the car and ran all the way to the edge of the road and scared most
of the bigger birds off. 4 reddish egrets came back. Blue-winged teal and
lesser scaup linger.
Both Neotropic and Xeriscape were empty of migrants and not even many
grackles. One frigatebird out near the jetty.
Xeriscape does have a nice new parking lot and a good sign so people will
know they are in the right place and the trails have been mowed so all that
is needed are some migrants. And a little rain as a lot of the vegetation
is getting peaked.
One of the wet areas at the LNG terminal is dry but the other had
shorebirds including the only bunch of peeps for the day. Light and glare
very bad so not sure if pictures will help. There were 2 white-rumped
sandpipers that flew and called and perhaps 1 or more baird's sandpipers.
Least sandpipers are back in great plumage which we mostly miss in spring.
The sludge pond beside the bridge as you go into Quintana is dry.
The beach was a little too soft for my car and out where the sand was
harder people parked blocking the way and were not letting anyone pass so I
turned around. The west lagoon at Bryan beach is bone dry and there is only
a small wet spot on the east lagoon. But there were a few birds.
The hurricane levee pond had good birds. The horned grebe continues and is
starting to molt. A total of 11 ruddy ducks including 2 in breeding plumage
were in the floating vegetation. It is still possible that they could nest
as the birds that long ago nested in shoveler pond with the masked ducks
had young on October 2 when I took pictures.
More than 75 coots and 75 avocets were good and some other birds were way
in the back including 1 very big duck.
I tried to tie down spots for shorebirds this fall but there really were
not many spots for them. Rollover and Bolivar will be better after there
are some north winds but there is not much else around for them.
If part of this went out earlier, I did not send it but the screen did
blink several times so who knows.
--
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx
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