[texbirds] Re: Poert O'Connor myth buster
- From: Dan Smith <dan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: brushfreeman@xxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2012 20:33:40 -0500
Last year very early in the Watch I observed two Swallow-tailed Kites crossing
Galveston Bay from Smith point at fairly wide points in the Bay. They were not
streaming from the top of a thermal, but just powered flight coming fairly low
down the peninsula and going straight across. They didn't seem to be at all
intimidated by the Bay and did not hesitate. I would estimate height at about
50-75 feet the whole way.
Dan Smith
dan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
512-451-2632
http://www.wordsmithofaustin.com
On Sep 13, 2012, at 8:22 PM, Brush Freeman <brushfreeman@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> So we are sitting on the Balcony just being lazy and watching a couple of
> adult male Frigatebirds jostle larids for a late snack when we see something
> out there flying directly toward the house in profile that had an unusual
> flight for a water bird or gull. As it got closer and closer we realized
> that we were looking at a Swallow-tailed Kite coming across the bay.
> Beautiful .....It flew directly over us, providing me a new "sq. mile bird"
> and the Hockeys a new yard bird.....A bird I have been told will not cross
> over large bodies of water.
> Now depending on where you measure from here on the front beach, the bay
> is 13 to 34 miles across. And unless the kite flew down the peninsula, then
> left that to fly north before coming in from the NE, that bird crossed a
> bunch of water, Even had if flown in from the peninsula, it had to cross
> 3-5 miles of open water coming in from the direction it did. Migrant
> raptors other than accipiters , Ospreys and falcons are rare in POC.
>
> Godwits and willets are really flowing by. Hordes of Swallows.
>
> --
> Brush Freeman
> Independent and affiliated Field Biologist
> 361-655-7641
> http://texasnaturenotes.blogspot.com/
> Finca Alacranes., Utley,Texas
> The greatest musician of all time is mother nature.
>
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