[texbirds] Anahuac to Texas City today, hawks etc

From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:51:16 -0600
Got down to Anahuac about sunup. When you go through the T intersection be
careful since the area is getting lots of hog activity and there were a
couple of dead large ones by both roads. Hard on cars. Lots of wind later
in the day from all 4 directions. When I left the texas city dike in mid
afternoon, it was flying portapotty weather from the north.
Its getting dry out there but what else is new, half the state is in
serious drought. The area of oyster bayou near the shoveler pond road is
drying but still plenty of west to the south along crossover road. Most
geese were gone and fewer ducks but still lots of puddle ducks. Numbers of
paired mallards and more female pintails.

The 2 whistling swans were in the oyster bayou tract but could only be seen
from crossover and were well back to the northwest. There is a new
black-crowned night heron roost on the 4th side of shoveler pond with maybe
250 birds. I counted about 175 and then moved up the road and found more.
There are still lots at Skillern too. 4 rail species and good numbers of
singing seaside sparrows along crossover.

Land birds are changing with most eastern phoebe gone and palm warblers
arriving. And there are lots of hawks still everywhere.

Going east on 1985 an adult bald eagle was perched up east of pear orchard.
Kestrels are going north and killdeer are sitting in scrapes but the 2 I
saw had no eggs yet.

Going east from Skillern the say's phoebe was by the first corral on the
north side of 1985. This is the one that has the trailer further back. It
was not on the corral as 2 red-tails were there and it then flew across to
the south side of 1985 to the oak grove where the white ranch house was
pre-Ike.

High island had nuthatches but not as many and nesting or at least working
at it eastern bluebirds for my first at High Island.

The high winds of the last week really did a number on the shorebird area
at Rollover Pass with the cut gone, the trail out into the sand gone and
lots moved about. In the same vein, most of Yacht Basin Road had been
underwater and has lots of debris. All of the wet area like the pond at
Frenchtown are brimful from the high tides. Very wide beaches though. The
tide was up to the trash barrels west of Retillon and closer to Crystal
Beach removed some dunes leaving the vegetation up in the air. Not much on
the beaches. The bay at the bolivar jetty was almost all dry except for a
strip along the houses where some of the avocets were sleeping.

Barn swallows were at the anahuac hq compound and the pelican island
bridge. Finally found the tropical kingbird pair after 7 months of tries
but they were very quiet and sneaky. Not sitting up hollering.

The texas city dike was rather barren with no loons, grebes, oystercatchers
etc seen. a couple of parasailors were working the sand area which scared
off the gulls of which there were very few. Pelicans were getting lots of
food as were the ring-billed gulls sitting on the pelican heads.

One other sign of spring was a very squished but fresh purple gallinule on
the road shoulder across the highway from the crystal beach school.

Nice day out as usual as birds were seen.

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


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[texbirds] Anahuac to Texas City today, hawks etc

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