The subject line says that my day was made then. I had done the shoveler
pond and was down near the bay when I stopped to add some coffee to my mug
and a black rail sounded off near the car. I turned off the engine and he
called some more, then another responded a little way ahead, a 3rd bird a
little way back and then a 4th bird a good ways out.
The habitat was not what I would expect lots of rails to be using but the
birds with youngsters were in patch surrounded by this habitat last summer.
Who would have that that the commonest rail for the day would be black rail.
I did some checking and I have never heard a black rail in Texas since I
moved here in 1981. Never saw one at Anahuac since they ran buggy rides way
before that. Saw some run across roads near Sabine Woods. Now I have had
lots? calling and at least two broods? in 10 months.
It made the singing mourning warbler at Smith Oaks anti-climatic.
I started out at sunrise on Fairview road off 521 where there were great
rice fields but dry with sprouting rice. Uplands overhead. And dickcissels
and swallows everywhere. Several very large flocks of dickcissels on 1985
before the Anahuac turn. Whimbrels were heading inland from their coastal
roost area.
Headed to shoveler pond and found some of the birds from a week ago were
gone including all the purple gallinules. Lots of whistling ducks etc. The
swallows were down low over the water scooping up bugs and included a high
portion of bank swallows which were not around last week. Big flocks of all
the swallows everywhere in the area, flying, on wires and on the road.
Seaside sparrows up singing and dickcissels were scattered all along the
bay moving west. Flocks all over the refuge. A few would take off and then
another 100 or so would appear out of the grass. Lots of savannah sparrows
around compared to past weeks and still many singing sedge wrens but the
house wrens seemed gone.
Several harriers still around and 1 red-tailed hawk on the way out of the
refuge appeared to be the bird that wintered just west of the turn-off. No
other hawks for the day.
High island had lots of birds with the best ones up at Smith Oaks. Lots of
tanagers, grosbeaks etc eating mulberries. Had all the thrushes, singing
vireos of several sorts, and warblers. Best numbers were bay-breasted and
magnolia but lots of others for the list.
The mourning warbler was up near the house site north of Don's drip back in
the singing and chipping but only gave a very short glimpse way back in the
cover.
White-rumped sandpipers are in but shorebird spots were hard to find as
lots of rice fields may not be seeded this year. I seem to remember an
article about the price being way down and texas rice is high cost compared
to Arkansas rice.
Tried beach driving without much luck. A very large flock of smaller terns
was a mile or two west of high island but I could not find a way to get at
them. Drove down to the bollards at Bolivar flats and did not have much
other than piping plovers. A big flock of birds went up way down around the
corner so I went around to the jetty.
Spent the rest of the pm there. Found a good spot and let the birds come to
me. There are still a couple of thousand avocets and large numbers of
western willets mixed with dowitchers, both yellowlegs etc. Also many terns
and gulls and off to the west, a single eared grebe with a nice horn. The
birds were feeding right up to the rocks at the base and would come and go.
Great spot to sit with the avocets piping and feeding just a few yards
away. And the flock of black terns dipping among the avocets. And egrets.
And not a birder to be seen.
--
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx
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