[texbirds] PROPERLY EDITED version of earlier shorebirds (Cameron Co.) missive
- From: "Rex Stanford" <calidris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "TEXBIRDS" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 5 May 2013 23:42:14 -0500
PLEASE NOTE: I offer my apologies! The missive that follows is one I
prepared with careful editing before I sent the message already posted to
TEXBIRDS in regard to our shorebirding (Cameron Co.) today. Due to some
outrageous mistake thanks to tiredness I failed to paste in the carefully
correct version, but here it is. It makes, I trust, much better reading!
EDITED VERSION:
Today (05/05/13) our birding was devoted to finding migrant shorebirds, and
the finds included all three of our especially desired species. We will
recount the day by site visited, and some sites were visited twice.
PROGRESSO SOD FIELDS: We only briefly birded this area, viewing the
west-lying fields only from the turnaround at the end of Nora Road in the
development west of the fields, using a scope, and the south-most field only
briefly with binoculars as we passed while traveling east on US-281. Our
only shorebird species at these fields was BLACK-NECKED STILT (2), and,
consequently, we did not go on to bird the area from the usual access road
off of US-281. The place did not look potentially productive, and we saw no
standing water. We saw COMMON NIGHTHAWK (3) overhead while there and enjoyed
their distinctive "peent" flight calls.
WEAVER ROAD (between FM-800 and Jimenez Road) 12:10-12:30 PM: We drove that
route from FM-800, so the first sod field we came to was the northernmost
field. Most of the field had some time ago had the sod removed and appeared
to have been plowed flat--not furrowed--giving us hope that sod was to be
(or already was) planted there, but no grass was in evidence there today
except for a distant stretch of green, quite tall, grass beyond some
irrigation equipment. This did not look like a promising situation--dry,
entirely barren dirt on most of the field and tall grass, which is not
beloved of many grasspipers, including the Buff-breasted Sandpiper, one of
our sought-for species. As we very slowly drove down the road Rex managed to
spot two BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS as they walked slowly about the field,
often pausing and looking about. They were something close to invisible
because of the match between their coloration and that of the soil. Birgit
quickly got onto them and found a third a short distance away, still on the
barren beige soil. We exulted and felt very lucky because this species is on
this date very close to the end of its usual migratory passage through this
area and should be rare at this time. The sad part was seeing these lovely
little creatures, fresh from their arduous passage from (probably) southern
South America, apparently finding nothing either to eat or drink at this
site. One of them stopped and looked repeatedly up into the sky, and, given
that we saw no raptors around, we wondered if it might have been scanning
for its own kind passing overhead, perhaps a group that might be on its way
to something to eat or water to drink. These birds looked to us decidedly
forlorn, and we wondered if they might have visited the site a previous year
(or more) and now were sorely frustrated that the grass was gone. At any
rate, they did not have what they surely needed, and shortly thereafter they
took to the air, our well wishes going with them.
RESACA ON RANGERVILLE ROAD (FM-1479) IMMEDIATELY SOUTH OF JIMENEZ ROAD: The
resaca has a side west and a side east of FM-1479. The west side has
regularly had water, but recently it had begun to drop, but most recently
had brimmed with water to the degree that the site had become relatively
unfavorable for shorebirds, especially for the small calidris sandpipers.
For many months the east side, thanks to the drought, had been entirely
devoid of water and had started to grow some quite rank vegetation. Today,
to our great surprise and delight, the east side now had water, the water
level seemed excellent for shorebirds, and there were some good marsh-like
areas, unlike on the west side. We first birded, quickly, the west side
(1:10-1:20 PM and then eagerly turned about to study the east side
(1:20-1:45 PM, but we returned there later in the day and will combine
results here for those times). The west side yielded 110-120 WILSON'S
PHALAROPES sprinkled over virtually the whole pond. A huge majority were
swimming linearly and only a very few seemed to be spinning. Some sported
high breeding plumage, the females of this species, of course, being the
most handsomely plumaged. AMERICAN AVOCET (2) filled out the shorebird
contingent at this pond.
The east-side pond brought one of our most sought-for species--first of
season for us--WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER (3, possibly 4, which constantly moved
about in or near a marsh-grass area). Very handsome they were, crisp and
healthy looking and full of feeding fervor! On our early visit here 5
L0NG-BILLED DOWITCHERS with high degrees of breeding plumage decorated the
place with their crisp, freshly acquired ornately breeding-plumage topsides,
thrilling to study and admire in the clear sunlight. Substantially more of
this species had moved in before our later visit today, bringing the
late-day total to 10-12 mostly splendidly plumaged individuals. The STILT
SANDPIPERS (ultimately 15-20 by late day) were very fleet-footed, active
feeders all over the east end of the pond. WILSON'S PHALAROPES (est. 20 by
late day) were in various degrees of breeding plumage and some of them (the
females, of course, given the nature of this species) were dazzling in their
spiffy plumage. GREATER YELLOWLEGS (2), stood out by their size and stature,
compensating for their relatively drab coloration. An AMERICAN AVOCET (1)
also stood out by its unique size and purely black and white plumage. The
small calidris sandpipers were represented by LEAST SANDPIPER (2) and
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER (3, 1 with considerable breeding coloration). No pond
at this time would be complete without KILLDEER (1) and BLACK-NECKED STILT
(several). A difficult to find, but nice, finding was an attractive,
appropriately spotted SPOTTED SANDPIPER that dashed about amidst the tall
marsh grass.
LAKE TIO CANO (mid-afternoon): For the first time in a long time we found
the potentially marshy area east of the traversal road to contain water.
Shorebird species were not numerous, but we felt our time and effort well
compensated by an estimated 20-24 STILT SANDPIPERS in some very attractive
breeding plumage, hanging out around several grassy tussocks emerging from
the water and in the company of LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER (4), WILSON'S
PHALAROPE (1), and LEAST SANDPIPER (2). The latter were in quite dramatic
and lovely breeding plumage, a wonderful sight to see and a potential big
surprise for anyone who views these of these diminutive shorebirds as drab
little brown things! Our regret was that the north end of the area (to the
west of the traversal road) continued to have no water, for when holding
some water it can be one of the best locations for close-up study of diverse
shorebird species in the valley. The area, alas, was some time ago refigured
with machinery, and we are not sure we are likely to see such as that again.
LA FERIA SOD FIELD: We had passed by this site early in the day, but found
no shorebirds there, although both of us looked for them using binoculars.
It should be explained that this area is fast becoming, by design, a
non-sod-field farm and that only one sod field remains, but that,
thankfully, is beside the highway (FM-3067) that passes south of the fields
and allows study of the birds in this remaining sod field (from the side, of
course, of this sometimes quite busy highway). Recognizing that the avian
status of any site can change with dramatic rapidity during migration, we
decided on a final try to find shorebirds there, hoping, especially, for a
handsome species that we had seen there in some previous years, the
Hudsonian Godwit. We visited this site, viewing from the highway in late
afternoon (5:00-5:15 PM) and found, first, a single PECTORAL SANDPIPER (our
first and only for today) near the road and, farther back, almost to the
back of the remaining grass field, HUDSONIAN GODWIT (3), which we studied
from beside the road with our scope, a wondrous sight to see, these large,
graceful birds fresh off their long journey from South America. We felt
fortunate because so few places in our drought-scorched area hold the kind
of watery habitat favored by this species. It was a deeply gratifying way to
end what was for us a particularly rewarding day of shorebirding that had
brought all three of our especially sought shorebird species, Buff-breasted
Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, and Hudsonian Godwit.
Wishing everyone continued rewarding spring-migration birding,
Rex and Birgit Stanford
McAllen, TX
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