Started off with the pomarine jaeger on east beach in between the times he
played with the nice doggy. He is growing new feathers in his wing coverts
and scapulars
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813636
And has already replaced 2 wing primaries and a tail feather is starting to
show
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813637
Nearby, a young of the year white phase reddish egret was catching minnows;
and there are lots of them both here and at bolivar
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813638
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813639
And further down a snowy egret was doing its foot trembling thing to get
minnows
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813640
And not a breeze was stirring on the bay
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813641
A locally banded Wilson's plover was there too
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813642
The molting dunlin was the bird of the day; wonder where he has been all
summer
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813679
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813675
Greater yellowlegs were hollering for the first time this fall
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813681
And are in heavy molt
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813682
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813684
The long-billed curlews are eating big on the abundant crabs
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813685
The whimbrels are eating well to but seem a little hot
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813691
The roseate spoonbills are molting out of breeding plumage and have lost
their orange tails
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813687
And have been joined by youngsters who catch as many fish and worms as the
parents
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813688
Most of the sanderlings arriving have lost their red feathers
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813690
The magnificent frigatebirds made a couple of passes over the flats; the
shorebirds were very wary and kept an eye up at them
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813764
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813766
One dove at a tern with a ribbonfish heading inland but gave up without
much of a chase
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813760
First of the fall peep and a western sandpiper as most of the peeps so far
are westerns
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813901
Had 8 banded plovers for the day with 5 new birds compared to 19 birds last
week. Some bands are easy to read
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813903
but other birds make it hard to see a number
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813904
This is a locally banded bird from a couple of years ago
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813905
And this bird comes from the family lake in south Dakota
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813906
Ruddy turnstones are slower to molt and molt slower than some of the other
arriving species
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813911
Another first of the fall youngster was this semipalmated plover that I
found at home when checking the computer. Note that it has a big headed
appearance like the Wilson's plover
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813913
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813914
And another first of the fall youngster was this western willet that
photo-bombed a picture of a banded piping plover
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813686
Anahuac refuge was teeming with youngsters with broods of mostly grown
black-bellied whistling ducks
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813917
As well as broods just hatched
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813915
Two big groups of fulvous whistling ducks were crèches rather than family
groups as multiple parents were in the groups
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813919
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813925
Parents necks stick up higher
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813925
The second group was much bigger
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813929
and kept the parents much busier too
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813931
One of the parents
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813930
When they all start flying and calling in a bit it will really make a great
day
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813932
Purple gallinules are out feeding
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813937
The youngsters in a single brood are different ages and can try to appear
taller than the others
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813936
and get in each others way
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813940
And some are a little less ungainly
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813941
The large rookery is starting to produce fledged youngsters with two cattle
egret chicks fledged. No white ibis youngsters are out yet though
The white-faced ibis are starting to get out and about
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813945
I have never seen them before with the multi-colored bills and white
patches here and there
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813943
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813948
None were doing much feeding yet but there will be a lot more out during
the next fewer days
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/163813943
You can browse all the pictures with lots more of the baby ducks etc at
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/inbox
--
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx
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