[texbirds] Anahuac to Texas City today, hawks, say's phoebe, great black-backed and thayer's gull, black and common terns etc.

From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 5 Dec 2012 20:03:58 -0600

I did the loop around the east end of the bay today with a promise of great
sunshine all day. It was actually clear when I headed out but the day had
fog, mist, drizzle, rain, gloom and clouds and never a hint of sun. But it
probable kept people from getting out there too.
The birds of the day on 1985, the refuge and Bolivar were the hawks, kites
and eagles everywhere. Lots of red-tails with several nice krider's and
many harriers and kestrels too. A young bald eagle along the Anahuac
entrance road. 3 merlins. One of the krider's has an all white tail.

Most of the geese were only heard up in the fog and clouds and not many
ducks about. Shorebirds were mainly long-billed dowitchers.

After leaving the Skillern tract and heading east, I stopped at the 3
corrals on the north side of the road. The first corral which has no trees
did have a say's phoebe that took a minute to process as it headed back
toward the building. It later perched on the power lines and fed out in the
brushy field to the east.

Smith Oaks at High Island was about as birdy as I have seen it in the
winter. Red-breasted nuthatches topped the list but a very noisy pileated
woodpecker and an eastern towhee near the big tree were good too. There are
at least 3 groups of the nuthatches. Two coalesced when one discovered a
lizard in a tree top and started a great todo that also attracted many
other birds.

Rollover pass had lots of shorebirds including the small plovers; one
piping plover was banded.

The only dark hawk for the day was a Harlan's hawk on Yacht Basin Road.
Headed out toward Bolivar when the drizzle started again. Had horned larks
in a large flock that grew and shrank but had at least 21 birds at one time
with 2 others further west. I think I heard another bird flying with them
but have no idea what it was.

Finished the day on the Texas City dike where the first bird was a common
goldeneye along the long sandbar. There were also loons, mergansers and
lots of gulls and terns. Pelicans were having a great time at the fish
cleaning stations as there is still a good flounder run going on.

Headed out to the beach where there was a roost of small plovers including
9 snowy plover. Saw a young of the year thayer's gull but then forgot about
that bird when a greater black-backed gull loomed up nearby. Had a great
time watching it but all it did was yawn and then fly over and threaten
some herring gulls. It is with herring gulls and not the
ring-billed/laughing gull flocks. Forgot about the thayer's and taking
pictures until after I got home.

Then had a common tern resting with the foster's terns which is sort of
late. A black tern on an old piece of metal was definitely late. Rather
worn plumage but had no trouble flying and feeding. Lots of small tern type
minnies out near the end of the dike kept the forster's flock busy.

By the time I finished looking at all the gulls I was sure that there was
another 10-12 species out there. Young gulls sure come in lots of different
shapes and sizes even within one species.

May have to try going out on bad days more often as that seems to get the
birds.

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


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[texbirds] Anahuac to Texas City today, hawks, say's phoebe, great black-backed and thayer's gull, black and common terns etc.

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