[texbirds] Galveston to Brazoria today, swallow streams, nesting kites and spring flowers

From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2015 19:07:10 -0600
I did a little different trip today for variety starting on 61st street on
Galveston. 3 common loons way down west and a couple of others went
overhead going west. A couple of other loons in canals as I went down the
island. Good habitat on 8 mile and sportsmens road but not many birds with
a good chop in the bay from the north wind.
I had 3 pairs of nesting white-tailed kites on the island with one pair at
the nest and the other 2 pairs doing aerial courtship so spring is here as
was also evidenced by blooming indian paintbrush. Almost no birds on either
side of San Luis Pass.

Both the beach and inland streams of swallows were in place. Just a few
barn swallows picking up flies along the beach but quite a few purple
martins as well as barn and tree swallows passing over Brazoria refuge
among the school buses and children. Herring gulls were the common beach
gull after being almost absent on my last beach drive in the area. One
bunch of maybe 6 lesser black-backed gulls on Bryan beach. A few flocks of
car birds on the beaches with just a few scattered black-bellied plovers
and western willets.

One patch of the canal beside the Surfside hurricane levy had 4 ospreys
along with both cormorant and both pelican species scooping up fish (cold
affected?). Common duck for the day was gadwall but what happened to the
baldpates. Years ago the 2 species were always together in equal numbers.
Today I had zero baldpates and none at Anahuac a week ago either.

The dredge spoil lagoon on the right as you cross the intracoastal to
Quintana is full of water so will have shorebirds when they start moving.
Neotropic had field sparrows with the white-crowned and savannah sparrows.
A yellowish warbler went in front of the car at the stop sign but was not
seen or id'd. Major dredging at the jetties and no birds.

Note that there is really heavy truck traffic in the area. Major dump
trucks at the port corner where they store windmill wings and on both sides
of the road at the LNG facility. Many trucks using the beach between the
bridge and LNG including caravans of 8 and 10 at a time. Many between
Brazoria and Buccees too. Many of the drivers do not understand what yellow
lines and stop lights mean either. Gravel everywhere and one car had a
broken window from a dropped rock at the end of the bridge.

Very few birds around but the strong wind never really helps a bird list.
They were doing a major burn near the Brazoria hq up on 2004 but the gate
was locked so I could not get in to look for hawks at the burn. But some
winter birds are gone and other than the swallows no migrants arriving.
There were lots of cranes about and the baby horned owl is getting big.
There were a number of horned larks on the beaches so Ike did good for that
species by creating lots of inland sand flats.

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


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[texbirds] Galveston to Brazoria today, swallow streams, nesting kites and spring flowers

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