I started off at Anahuac before the sun was up and had patches of fog that
kept me from seeing much before getting into the refuge itself. Not a real
busy place but birds are arriving. There appears to be a substantial
rookery developing inside shoveler pond where the cattle egrets have nested
recently.
Both species of bitterns were evident. The least bittern males were calling
and chasing and the American bitterns were sky-pointing and chasing too.
Only one female least seen and it was trying to get warm in the sun.
Eastern kingbirds were in good numbers but the only orchard orioles were
some males fighting to nest next to the kingbirds in a favorite tree. Both
marsh and sedge wrens were in heavy song as were the marsh willets who have
more territories than last year.
The bird of the day was a fledged bald eagle that may have contributed to a
fresh pile of feathers being scavenged by a gray ghost northern harrier. It
was later found sun bathing and then headed off toward the old 521 church
backyard-ish roost/nesting site. I kept pace with it off to the west and
found it going at least 35 mph in steady flight with perhaps a 10 mph tail
wind.
Only one wet spot along 1985 going east had some shorebirds including
whimbrels, pectoral sandpipers and gull-billed terns. A good area on the
south side had rice dikes but no final plowing. A large area just east of
Skillern on the north side is ready for rice planting except to finish the
sluices through the dikes.
An adult and young of last year swainson's hawk were close to where they
nested last summer and a peregrine was on a pole north of the intracoastal
bridge along 124. Saw not red-tailed hawks or kestrels for the day which
was a little odd as they should be around still.
Worked boy scout woods for a bit at high island after getting my pass. Got
dove, grackle, cardinal, Carolina wren and quit after hearing a mockingbird.
Down on the beach east of 124, had the great white heron flying east but
lost it when it lit past where my car wanted to go due to soft sand. It has
some plumes or longer tufts on top of the head.
Incidentally, there are a couple of stop and yield signs in the
intersection that you should heed if going through as the police are using
the beach dunes to keep hidden from the unwary.
The flats at Rollover pass went way out there and not many birds within
easy range. On down at bolivar flats, the same very low tide had few birds
mainly way out there. Walked dry shod most of the way to the jetty and got
a few birds. Only had snowy plovers of the small plovers and did not see
any piping plovers. The marbled godwits were in pretty plumage.
Frenchtown road was very full and had coots. Ferry ride had only laughing
gulls following.
Did the texas city dike and had no luck with the recent odd gulls. Lots of
activity and the fish cleaning station but only 2 herring gulls with the
laughing gulls and horde of brown pelicans. Lots of pelicans just scooping
up fish at the end of the dike too. There were good numbers of eared grebes
and 3 common loons way back by the docks to the west.
Odd birds were the first horned lark I have seen in many years and maybe my
first whimbrels. A laughing gull had lost its beak which is a trick used on
bait stealers south of the border but was feeding at the fish cleaning
station and preening.
Swainson's hawks were migrating along the bay between i45 and the
refineries as well as in town itself. They were a little reluctant to pass
the chimneys etc but managed to do so. Should have been a good day at
Sylvan Beach with the south-westish wind acting the same as a north wind at
smith point in the fall.
Good day to out and see spring coming.
--
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx
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