[texbirds] Anahuac to Texas City today, Glaucous gull still on the dike

From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2014 20:01:37 -0500
Started out going down to Fairview road where the fog let me see to the
fences. Continued most of the time at Anahuac but helped to get birds out
around shoveler pond.
They mowed the grass along the road edges yesterday and all 3 gallinule
species, soras, savannah sparrows and yellow-crowned night herons were
enjoying food in it. Had 30 purple gallinules on the road section with a
few more down toward the bay.

A ball of feathers rolling in the grass was 2 soras locked bill and claw
and lots of flapping. Good day for soras with 5 on the road shoulders.

A merlin was finishing breakfast but the food was too blurry to id and had
been mostly finished.

Skillern had more of the above and is starting to dry so added several
solitary sandpipers.

There were a few summer tanagers, blue and rose-breasted grosbeaks in odd
places but no small migrants other than a black and white warbler which may
have been caught by a shrike. Found 2 shrike nests with sitting birds.

Tried poking around after the fog started listing but people with cameras
parked in the middle of the road with both doors open and headed up the way
to put up their tripods both on the shoveler pond loop and the main
entrance road. Heard of a fun event a few days ago where again
photographers in a car went around shoveler pond blocking the line of cars
behind them from passing so that the passers would not scare any birds that
might be photographed. The line had to wait for lots of pictures and
cursing by the photographers whenever anyone suggested reason or courtesy.
Its getting to be not fun out there. At least I didn't go to Lafitte's for
their fun with tripod pigs.

It is getting very dry out there and some of my little spots are now dry or
almost so with the drought ended. Last year they did not dry out in the
drought until late July or later. Some spots are wet but rains have been
very spotty.

I did not find any flooded or even damp rice fields of Fairview or 1985.
And no shorebirds either. Lots of Sanderlings on Retillon beach along with
4 piping plover.

Headed up to the dike and had the glaucous gull at the base begging. Most
of the birds from a week ago were gone and 95% of birds were sandwich
terns. Only 5 royal, 1 forster's and 1 common on the dike but a bunch of
forster's were on beach at the base. Maybe 6 least terns were there
including 1 female being fed by 2 males.

Nice day but it seemed to combine the best of the coastal hiatus and summer
doldrums. But will do it again.

-- 
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
[texbirds] Anahuac to Texas City today, Glaucous gull still on the dike

Other related posts:
