[texbirds] Reddish Egret @ Windy Point (Travis County)
- From: Arman Moreno <armanmoreno@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2014 23:43:53 -0500
This was the third day in a row I visited Windy Point on Lake Travis. It
has not been as productive this year as compared to 2013, when amazing
birds were found almost daily during migration (Pacific Loon, Piping
Plover, Marbled Godwit, Royal Tern, Nelson's Sparrow to name a few).
However with the lack of rain and decreasing lake levels, I figure
something good is bound to touch down.
The lake is about as low as it was last year, so the habitat is looking
good. However the past two days were absolutely abysmal. Yesterday in
particular, I saw 6 species of birds, the lowest I've ever tallied at this
location. The only shorebirds were Killdeer and Spotted Sandpiper. I was
not up to enduring the same amount of slowness so when I got off of work
today, I decided I had enough light to hit up a different nearby spot. But
it is fall migration after all and we did have a light rain come through
the area. I headed out for a third straight day to Windy. And the third
time was the charm...
I started at my usual spot, taking the first left as you drive down the
boat ramp and heading towards the water. There is an exposed island
starting to form due to the decreasing lake level and this is where I
noticed a Reddish Egret in the company of a Great Blue Heron.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/armanmoreno/15141043071/
This is the second year in a row I've found this species here, and around
the same time as well. Last year's egret appeared to be a hatch-year bird,
but this one doesn't have the long reddish neck plumes of an adult so I'm
guessing this is a 2nd year bird (maybe the same individual?). I watched
the bird for about 10 minutes, then moved on to see what else was around.
The only other birds of note were 4 Western Sandpipers and an Osprey. As I
was leaving, two Least Sandpipers flew in. It was still very slow but the
egret made my day. Sometimes persistence can pay off.
Arman Moreno
Austin, TX
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- » [texbirds] Reddish Egret @ Windy Point (Travis County) - Arman Moreno
