[texbirds] Galveston to Anahuac yesterday: shorebirds and baby birds

From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2014 13:57:46 -0500
I had such good luck with lingering shorebirds on Tuesday that I went back
out yesterday to see what else I found and count what was around.
I started out on 61st street and did not find any loons or other water
birds other than brown pelicans which were having a field day on the east
side of 61st.

Stopped at Pelican Island to see how the tropical kingbirds were doing.
They are on their second nesting attempt for the year. I assume that the
first try failed because of the usual grackles nesting in the same tree.
The new site does not have grackle nests in the trees so there is a little
more hope.

Headed out to east beach and found a fair number of shorebirds. Few larger
birds around but there were a couple of Caspian and gull-billed terns along
with a few royal and sandwich terns. Lots of laughing gulls who are losing
their red bills so spring must be over for them.

A herring gull? may be the mangiest gull on the coast this summer.

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155977019

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155977020

I have only found 2 other candidates. Another herring gull at rollover pass
has bad primaries but is growing other good feathers. And this very pale
and faded bird that is perhaps a ring-billed gull or something else. It
does not have marks I would look for in a ring-bill of this age so I may
decide it is some other seagull

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155977021

Other summering birds can also have bad feathering like this black-bellied
plover

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155977022

or this bird that is in better shape

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155977024

Unlike Bolivar on Tuesday, there were good numbers of sanderlings around
flats and beach. None were in good plumage but a few had some color. There
were lots more western sandpipers too with some out in the small puddles

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155977025

Feeding birds like the sargassum everywhere

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155977027

But they were also wandering around the flats

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155977028

Semipalmated sandpipers were about tied with white-rumped sandpipers for
the commonest and were flocked together

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155977026

A large flock of peeps (50) was back in the lagoon inside the tern nesting
area but could not be seen except when they flew.

American avocets were also in the sargassum

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155977030

As was a tricolored heron

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155977032

Took the ferry over to Bolivar and found it very different from Tuesday.
The shift to a more southwesterly wind had a vast sargassum mat on the west
side of the jetty which supported a large flock of great and snowy egrets
walking around. There was lots more weed on the flats but it was used weed
and had no birds or food. Only a couple of western willets and a dozen of
peeps were the only birds remaining out there.

As I was leaving a passing helicopter stirred up a flock of 75+ American
avocets roosting back of the tern area. It also stirred the least and black
terns so I was scolded as I was leaving but not while arriving. The
scolding least terns were all 1st year non-breeding birds
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155976954

And non-breeding black terns
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155976949

Each pair of eastern willets all had to come out and join the terns in
yelling at me
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155976951

I stopped along 1985 to see if shorebirds were in the rice fields that were
ready for water on Tuesday. The fields at Skillern were in great shape with
perfect water but only a few white-rumped sandpipers. Lots of black-bellied
and fulvous whistling ducks and mottled ducks. The fields up on the south
said of Fairview had perfect water too but no birds. The north side fields
were not flooded yet. Bobwhites calling there as well as at the refuge.

Going to the refuge at noon is not as productive as early in the morning. I
found the white-headed mottled duck at the same spot in shoveler pond as I
found it in the fall. The white is not as evident in the newly molted
feathers.

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155976891

The common gallinules had newly hatched ginger chicks out for a swim and
feeding. The chicks really peep a lot.
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155976901

One of the parents broke off water lily bulbs from beneath the surface and
then broke off little bits for the chicks
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155976892

The chicks are always hungry
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155976893

The chicks were left behind as they do not swim very fast yet
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155976898

The chick also had a little trouble with their feet which hung up on the
vegetation
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155976897

Always something good at the refuge.

-- 
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx


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[texbirds] Galveston to Anahuac yesterday: shorebirds and baby birds

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