Got down to the beach at dawn on Tuesday and had to slosh through pools on
the road. They were still removing sand from Delta. Looking out over the
formerly fenced off area where snowy and wilson's plovers sparred for
ownership, the area is flat and most of the rainwater wet area is filled
with sand
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133109
The lagoon up the ship channel is now connected to the channel
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133108
While is was walking down that way and back, a sandwich tern injured a wing
and was dazed and could not fly. 2 harriers
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133103
2 crested caracara and a peregrine falcon were patrolling and I think the
peregrine paused to chase a caracara and then returned
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133106
The falcon was then harassed by northern harrier
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133104
Who attacked from below and all 5 landed out near the tern and a dead royal
tern to pick the beach clean
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133105
Over on the bolivar side, there is lots more sand as the vegetation has
been pushed way back and the sand smoothed to even out the former ledge
Here looking from the bollars
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133111
And from further down the beach
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133313
I only found one old friend among the piping plovers
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133294
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133293
Most were feeding east of Retillon or a few way down the way
Was able to read the band and confirm the id of the beach old timer
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133330
The really large numbers of black-bellied plovers showed lots of variation
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133310
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133307
I miss birds out there concentrating on the plovers and did not notice the
banded red knot in the background. A knot had walked up to a person sitting
on the sand a week earlier until noticing that the lump was alive.
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133308
The couple of dunlin out there could well be the summering birds
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133327
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133328
I did find a large flock of caspian terns out there alone and estimated
that another 10 or so were in the gull/tern flocks. That number was low as
this shot of the 2 lesser black-backed gulls has 8 caspians.
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133315
A good number of semipalmated plovers was out there but most were sleeping
in a roost among uprooted vegetation way back from the water
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133331
The bird of the day on the flats was the large flock of franklin's gull
sitting behind the other resting gulls and terns
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133435
I had estimated maybe 400 birds but counting birds in pictures it was more
likely 800
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133437
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133439
Most just sat and it was hard to get a good shot of the wings
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133429
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133440
Some swam
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133431
The only time they and all the other birds moved was when an osprey came
over low
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133292
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133291
When the osprey returned lated higher up they ignored it
After lunch on the texas city dike another flock of franklin's gulls
allowed much closer looks. Some show a little red in the bill
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133467
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133470
Preening birds showed all the field marks
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133471
Same with young of the year birds
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133472
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133474
Lots of good looks
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133475
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133465
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133466
Some common terns were the only ones for the day
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133340
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133338
The lesser black-backed gull numbers on the dike are increasing. I can
remember coming to the dike back in the 1960's to see old pegleg on his
piling on the dike for my first look. Now they are the commonest large gull
there at least at this time of the year.
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133343
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133347
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133348
Piping plovers are not common on the dike
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133351
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/171133352
And one with a single snowy plover was all of the usual good flock of small
winter plovers
Great day out there and lots more franklin's and other gull pictures at
https://pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/inbox
Click the first picture and browse the rest the right (or left arrow keys)
--
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx
