[texbirds] Corpus Christi Yard - Greening up!

From: Clay Taylor <Clay.Taylor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Texbirds <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 22:55:23 -0400
Hi all -
Ooohhh, yesterday I arrived back home after a LOOONG trip this time - Ohio 
(Biggest Week in Birding), New Jersey (World Series of Birding), and Rhode 
Island (because it's there).   Debbie had informed me about the rain levels 
while I was gone, and landing at CC International Airport, I was pleased to see 
green grass along the runways.

Arrived home to LOTS of green!   The grass is growing into the bare spots (my 
first job was to mow the front lawn), the Retamas were flowering like crazy, 
and I was SO happy to see that the three larger Anacua trees had all totally 
leafed out!   When I left, they were all totally leafless and barren, and I was 
convinced that at least one of them was dead.   Wow, what a turnaround!

Debbie informed me that the Oriole Show was pretty much over - good thing, as 
they were becoming pests - tipping the hummingbird feeders to get the nectar, 
and pecking holes in Debbie's tomatoes.   She was not amused.    The hummers 
were still around in decent numbers - looks like all Ruby-throats.

So, this morning, woke to thunder and rain (yaaaay!), and the clouds were 
streaming up from the south.   The rain ended and I went out to investigate the 
yard.   A sharp "check" signaled the first new Yard Bird of the day -  Northern 
Waterthrush hanging around a yard where the only standing water was a 15-inch 
diameter birdbath.   Go figure!  It stayed around all day, and later in the 
afternoon was walking around in the middle of the lawn like a House Sparrow!

Various zips and buzzes in the trees led me to a Chestnut-sided Warbler, an 
Ovenbird, at least three Magnolias, a Nashville, an female Black-throated 
Green, and a bird that was very yellow underneath but looked wrong for any 
flavor of Magnolia - I never got a good look at it.    Later Debbie and I were 
looking at the backyard plants and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak started calling in 
the neighbor's yard.   Cool.   While I was trying to find it, a nice 
Bay-breasted Warbler popped into the neighbor's mesquite - not a long look, but 
a definitive one.   Yard Bird #2 on the day!

I chased an empidonax flycatcher for a while, but I really suck at ID'ing those 
things, so it goes down as "Sp."   Call, darn it!

A few hours later, up in the Retama on the top of the backyard, I spotted the 
mystery warbler again, and this time I got a good look at the head - it had a 
big ol' white eye-ring - Oh, Canada!   Prior to seeing the face, I had been 
wondering if it was a female Cape May, and even idly fantasized about a female 
Kirtland's.   Hey, there was a Colima Warbler on the King Ranch, so why not?   
;-)

So, 8 species of warblers for the day is not bad, especially when three new 
species brings the yard list up to 226 species.   Come on rain, bring me more 
birds!


Clay Taylor
TOS Life Member
Calallen (Corpus Christi), TX
Clay.taylor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:Clay.taylor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>





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[texbirds] Corpus Christi Yard - Greening up!

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