[texbirds] Re: GCBO Smith Point HW, 25 Oct
- From: Tony leukering <greatgrayowl@xxxxxxx>
- To: Texbirds <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2012 21:48:34 -0500
All:
As I ran out of time at my local wi-fi hot spot, I didn't get the pic posted so
did not remember to mention the calling and photographed American Golden-Plover
that went right over the tower this morning heading NE. I'll try to get the
picture uploaded to Flickr at my next chance.
Tony Leukering
Smith Point, TX
On Oct 25, 2012, at 7:59 PM, Tony Leukering <greatgrayowl@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hi all:
>
> The very first bird I saw this morning was hanging over the shore right by
> the parking lot: adult female Mag Frigatebird
> (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tony_leukering/8123537956/in/photostream --
> though this picture was taken once I got up on the tower). My second bird of
> the day was also a Mag Frigate, as were the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth!
> I was treated to a 'kettle' of frigates this morning. Unfortunately, they
> were mostly hanging over the motte to the east -- in the bad light
> (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tony_leukering/8123520529/in/photostream/) and
> they would not all get in the same picture. One did a little swooping a
> couple of times
> (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tony_leukering/8123520685/in/photostream/).
> All right, I don't need a hawk flight at this point, because it would be
> difficult to imagine a better start to the day!
>
> Nearly no landbird migrants (a few meadowlarks and zero for both
> Scissor-tailed and B-g Gnat!). Today was very much like yesterday, but at
> about half-speed. In fact, I recorded just one bird fewer than half of
> yesterday's total. Yup, another Turkey Vulture-Broad-winged Hawk day. Throw
> in the obligatory Swainson's Hawk, a smattering of accipiters of two species,
> and a few American Kestrels, but with the added spice of three Peregrines
> (one adult flew by for the only visitor of the day) and a lovely light juv
> White-tailed Hawk that, unfortunately, stayed too far away for any kind of
> pix. If I were going to create a hybrid between Swainson's Hawk and
> Red-tailed Hawk, it might look amazingly like a juv light White-tailed --
> that's what I was thinking as I was trying to figure out what this enigmatic
> (word of the day; sorry, inside joke) thing was way out there. I had never
> seen this plumage before and I would have awarded it BOD honors today, if it
> weren't for...
>
> Bird of the Day: As I was driving on Smith Point Rd heading home, I saw up
> ahead a bird on the wire with the swallows that was all white. I started
> cursing to myself, because I didn't know if I could stop in time or stop far
> enough away to NOT scare the bird away. I got lucky, it and its neighbors
> stuck and I proceeded to photograph it
> (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tony_leukering/8123537618/in/photostream --
> start here and go six more pix to the left in the stream). To my good friend
> in Colorado who usually finds all the weird birds: HAH! I got one of my own!
>
> This snowy Northern Rough-winged Swallow is leucistic (soft 'c') and is
> probably a first-year bird, as it has replaced much of its upperparts
> feathers with normally colored ones, but not its flight feathers (for the
> most part; the ones it did replace may have been due to adventitious loss).
> Leucism is not albinism. Albinism is a genetic mutation creating an
> inability to manufacture melanins (dark pigments from brownish-red to black).
> Something is either albinistic or it is not. The term "partial albino" is
> very much akin to the term "partially pregnant;" to wit, an impossibility.
> Most abnormally white birds (and other animals) are leucistic and their
> genetic problem is not with manufacture, but with deposition -- they cannot
> get the melanins into everywhere that they should be. Some leucistic animals
> are only partly white; some can be all white. The dark soft parts (bill,
> legs, eyes) of this bird prove the case for leucism here, rather than
> albinism. Check here for an overview on the subject
> (http://cmboviewfromthecape.blogspot.com/2010/12/more-on-abnormally-pale-plumages.html).
>
> American White Pelicans again put on a great show, with 502 in 12 flocks.
> Interestingly, it dawned on my today that the this species seems to save the
> really big flocks for the afternoon, often late afternoon. At least, I find
> it interesting. Yet another thing to look into, if only I were independently
> wealthy!
>
> Raptors counted (count conducted by Gulf Coast Bird Observatory):
>
> Black Vulture 23
> Turkey Vulture 255
> Northern Harrier 13 (2 ad f, 8 brown, 3 juv)
> Sharp-shinned Hawk 21
> Cooper's Hawk 13
> Broad-winged Hawk 106
> Swainson's Hawk 1 light juv
> White-tailed Hawk 1 light juv
> American Kestrel 8
> Peregrine Falcon 3 (2 ad, 1 juv)
> Total 444
>
> And now for a bit of corrigenda: First, I didn't quite write all that I had
> intended yesterday about Broad-winged Hawks. I stated that all counted were
> juvs, when what I meant to write was all that I aged (168 of 229) were juvs.;
> that is also true today. Second, and much more egregiously, I misled all
> about American Kestrels and the seasonal record for the species. I hate it
> when I out-think myself. The total for the season as of the end of Monday
> was 2203. On Wednesday (yesterday), Sue Heath texted me with an updated Am.
> Kestrel total for the season of 2231, as I had previously expressed some
> uncertainty about it. Yesterday, I counted 28 Am. Kestrels. Huh, I thought,
> how did she know that I was going to count 28 (2203 + 28 = 2231). So, I
> proceeded to write in yesterday's post that we were 11 kestrels from tying
> the seasonal record. Then, today, I got to thinking, "Wait, 2203 + 28 does,
> indeed, add up to 2231, but what about Tuesday's count?" Eventually, I
> thought, "oops." And what was Tuesday's count, you might ask? Yup, 28. So,
> fortunately, before I had out-thunk myself yesterday, I kept track of things
> and noted that the tying American Kestrel went by at 1:09 pm and that the
> rec0rd-breaking American Kestrel passed the tower at 1:16 pm.
> Anti-climactic, now, isn't it?
>
> The weather this extended weekend looks very interesting; I don't know what
> to expect, but the various systems and lots of wind should certainly shake
> things up!
>
> Enjoy,
>
> Tony
> Tony Leukering
> Villas, NJ
> http://copyeditinggonebad.blogspot.com/
> http://capemaymoths.blogspot.com/
> http://cfobirds.blogspot.com/
> http://aba.org/photoquiz/
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