After bad luck looking for little birds for several weeks, I decided to
skip the effort and go after big birds out in the open.
Got on what used to be the sunrise ferry but the sun rises sooner. Poked
around in Port bolivar but most spots continue dry and the mulberries etc
were empty.
Fort travis looks great for grasspipers but only had 6 black-bellied
plovers.
Going out Retillon Road, one black rail was calling at 8:09 a little
further toward the beach than past listenings.
Was the first person out on the beach unless they really went and left
early and not a soul around until I was heading back when people started
arriving.
Driving down to the bollards, I did not see a single gull or tern. Had one
red knot and 3 piping plovers all unbanded as were all seen on the day.
Lots of sanderling and dunlins resting in the sargassum windrow. Also a few
western willets, turnstones etc.
Parked and just after going through the wire, a hunting peregrine way down
the way went looking for breakfast. Everyone except the pelicans got up and
after lots of swirling about 500 birds headed east past me and apparently
migrated up the coast as they did not come back. Other birds headed to east
beach. Had a snowy plover male acting territorial but did not see any
female.
About 100 yards or so down the beach, a flock of 15 lesser scaup and the
oldsquaw were sitting. One scaup and the oldsquaw was still there when I
left and ignored 15 people standing around but it did stand for a few
seconds.
Walking down had 5 piping plovers and really lots of sanderlings and
dunlin. About that time the peregrine or someone akin put all up again.
There were good numbers of birds way down there almost all asleep and then
after an hour they started to wake and walk or fly east. Then they erupted
again but I saw no one and then one more when a caracara went down the
vegetation line.
The great black-backed gull was down there as well as the adult lesser
black-backed gull. 3 franklin's gulls flew in from inland but turned around
and went back inland.
Went east from Retillon along the beach to the cut when a neat adult all
white gull went by. Could have been a color challenged herring or anything.
It appeared to stop so I went out Magnolia and back with no luck. Had
another odd plumaged bird further east and I followed along for several
miles with it gaining and never found any other gulls for it to join. And
then a 3rd odd gull on the dike which is likely another herring odd
plumage. Lots of ratty gulls out there to be the ratty gull of the summer
if they last that long.
Came back across the ferry to east beach and there were lots of sanderlings
and turnstones resting. A few gulls and terns. Got my season pass so am
ready for the summer.
Stopped by pelican island for the tropical kingbird but A&M is improving
the wetland lots more by removing mulberry trees and cover which sort of
contravenes the purpose of the wetlands agreement that offset something
else they did.
Went on up to the dike and found a pile of fish heads with a few gulls,
sanderlings, turnstones and other scavengers like a American oystercatcher,
2 Bonaparte's gulls and a baird's sandpiper slumming with such ilk. One
scaup and a bleached red-breasted merganser were the things. 3 American
oystercatchers also went by with great calling and chasing. several
yellow-crowned night herons were crabbing and there was a very bleached
black-crowned night heron.
They are greatly improving the dike for people by filling in wet spots and
bulldozing the remaining grassy area so there is less and less spot for
birds. Very few birds on the sand
Going home an osprey was perched on the Bucky's sign along the freeway and
traffic was really bad for no apparent reason most of the way home.
The new lanes going north are done and all they have to do is remove the
barrels and the great bottleneck north of Nasa is gone. Until the create
another one as the work on the freeway was going on back in 1966 on my
first visit going up from Galveston.
But the really tame baird's sandpiper who almost went under my car was the
bird of the day but a great black-backed gull is not that bad. There are
either 2 or 3 of them that have been around this winter. But never together.
--
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx
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