Last Thursday I drove beaches from Brazos Mouth to Texas City with lots of
good birds along the way.
The highlight of the trip were numbers of merlins looking for shorebirds
which may have reduced the number of shorebirds out there. One bird had
eaten early in the morning based on the fresh blood on its feathers.
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039908
It watched flocks of American pipits moving along the beach but was not
interested.
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039902
But mostly just sat and enjoyed the sunshine
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039903
High water levels at Xeriscape Park had Wilson's snipe
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039883
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039881
Lots of sanderlings
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039872
and ruddy turnstones were feeding on the jetty
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039870
Four common terns were feeding by swimming and dipping rather than diving
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039869
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039868
And American avocets were doing the same with the same prey
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039866
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039867
The small plovers on the beach make use of logs, debris and tire tracks for
shelter when the wind is blowing and the sand starts moving
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039861
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039862
Crab Street in Surfside had no sparrows sitting up but a reddish egret was
in the roadside ditch
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039858
Two banded piping plovers were on the Follet's Island beach
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039856
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039853
All of the forster's terns were in winter plumage. Note the long legs
compared to the squat legs of the common tern
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039784
A couple of weeks ago the back of the head on some forster's were still
black but all now are basically white
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039783
The common tern has much shorter legs and is a great field mark for sitting
birds
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039778
Note that the back feathers stick out over the wing much of the time on
common terns but the same feathers are usually smooth on forster's terns.
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039780
Forster's terns can squat and fluff their feathers but the marks are good
to id birds to give a second look. Last year common terns were largely not
present but have lingered this year
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039779
The only sandwich tern for the day was a bait stealer on the dike that was
too successful at stealing bait. They are caught more often than royal
terns as they like shrimp better than the larger birds.
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039762
The dike has become a good spot for wintering Wilson's plovers
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039764
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039763
Unless a peregrine or other predator comes by and flushes all of the birds.
I never saw the bird overhead but the shorebirds and skimmers sure did and
the sleeping black skimmers were up for a long series of loops over the
water
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039756
Sanderlings can be confused with other birds especially when molting
between summer and winter plumages but when you get a good look, they are
the only shorebird without a back toe.
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039761
Most of the young terns of the year have stopped begging for food from the
parents except for the young Caspian terns which will be whining for
another month or so. This young royal tern begged for a long time without
any luck as an exception to the rule
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039759
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/162039758
Lots more merlin, snipe and etc pictures can be browsed at
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/inbox
--
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx
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