[texbirds] Anahuac to Texas City today, several square miles of shorebirds

From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 10 May 2012 20:03:37 -0500
I did my usual loop from Anahuac to the Texas City Dike today and
shorebirding was spectacular with thousands of birds present. And I did not
really go out of my usual route to find them. The strong onshore winds
followed me home from from the RGV. Great weather to bring eastern strays
into the area.

Started at Anahuac where the new shoveler pond had a single black-crowned
night heron and a few least bitterns. Dickcissel numbers in the pond are
increasing as the bushes grow.

The oyster bayou tract had good shorebirds and fulvous whistling ducks. A
single american golden plover probably tied my latest ever record for
Texas. Really bad plumage on the bird may keep him even longer. Views from
the north side (shoveler pond loop road) really need a scope but the
crossover road side gives much closer looks. A few savannah sparrows still
linger.

I tried to count the regular orchard orioles and eastern kingbirds that I
have been tracking for several years but was unable to find most. Both
species left most nesting areas last year a month early and without much
production of young. Kingbird pairs are down at least 50% and orchard
orioles maybe 80%.

Heading east on 1985 there are some wet fields with wet rotted vegetation
on the north side of the road shortly after crossing the bayou. They were
generally empty of shorebirds and look unhealthy. A few edges had whimbrels
and yellowlegs. However there were at least a dozen upland sandpipers (13)
using the habitat which are my latest record for the state by a week or so.

Next on the north side you reach the very large field that extends all the
way to Pear Orchard Road and extends more than a mile to the north. The
entire field is flooded with the deepest water at the southwest corner and
the shallowest to the northeast. The entire tract of several square miles
is filled with shorebirds of most species. They fly around lots and at
times a couple of thousand birds were in the air with most still on the
ground. Some areas had mixed birds, mainly lesser yellowlegs, stilt
sandpipers and wilson's phalaropes mixed with almost all other UTC species.
Other areas like the northeast corner that was drier had many flocks of
200-300 white-rumped sandpipers.

The biggerst flock of hudsonian godwits had 18 birds but many others were
feeding and flying. Lots of whimbrels too. Messed up my whole schedule for
the day just watching the aerial gyrations of the birds. This was by far
the most birds in one spotI have seen in the state.

There are several areas further east including the east side of the
Skillern tract road that will be flooded in the future giving even more
habitat for late migrants. I did not go any further looking for more
flooded areas.

Smith Oaks had warblers, vireos and thrushes etc but they were hard work
and mostly singles. One little group of thrushes feeding on lantana berries
had 3 species. Perhaps red-eyed vireos were the commonest bird. In contrast
with Sabine, there are very few bugs around to annoy the birder.

The area along the coast was very dry and most wet areas on Yacht Basin,
Johnson and Retillon Roads were bone dry. The bob road lagoon is full with
no edge as it fills from the intracoastal on very low tides. Water was
pouring into Rollover but no birds were using it for feeding. Bob Road had
bronzed cowbirds as did the feeders at the High Island Trailer Park.

Bolivar flats had little new weed and the only turnstones, sanderlings and
dunlins were braving the blowing sand. Tropical kingbirds continue on
Pelican Island but nothing at the dike.

Shorebirds made the day week and month. They are doing lots more rice in
the area and just starting to work some fields. Perhaps this is a result of
the cutoff of the water to the lower colorado river growers.

-- 
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx
[texbirds] Anahuac to Texas City today, several square miles of shorebirds

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