[texbirds] Smith Point, 20 Sep
- From: Tony leukering <greatgrayowl@xxxxxxx>
- To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 20 Sep 2013 19:18:10 -0500
H all:
With the numerous rain cells passing over and by, I conducted just one hour of
hawk watch (I certainly did not count any) from the tower today. I have not
posted anything to the blog as yet.
The highlight of today was the most incredible frigatebird show that I have
ever seen! Early in the AM when I went to feed the hummers, there were 22
Magnificents hanging right offshore by the tower. That number was sufficient
for the eBird filter to get indigestion.
Upon my return home from running errands in town, about 11:30 am, there were 22
frigates hanging over the yard. When I got to the tower around 12:20 pm, there
were 22 frigates east of the tower. I gave the hawk count an hour's time, but
decided that 37 mph wind with gusts to 45 from the south were not conducive to
southward raptor migration, so gave up the hawk count as lost for the day.
However, during that hour, the number of frigates crept upward as small flocks
came from the W or NW to join the bunch hanging by me: 28, 29, 35, 48, 54, 72!
Yowzer! I tore myself away from the tower once the number seemed to stabilize
at 72 and started home. But, I had thoroughly enjoyed photographing frigates
at eye level as they passed the tower.
I got to the main road and noticed another bunch heading for the tower from
Trinity Bay. So I turned around and hauled buns back to the tower to photo
some more; the count climbed over 100! In fact, to 114! But I'm not done!
Flock after flock came around the corner to the west to join my birds as they
drifted slowly east up the East Bay shore and the tally climbed past 150! Then
175! I finally left the tower with a tally of 213!!!
Because there was a bunch hanging over the very end of the main road, I turned
left out of the WMA and got right under them; it was hard not to cut wingtips
off while photographing them, they were so low overhead. But, they kept
coming! By the time that I got to the little community at Ouisa Rd, my count
was 313!!!!!!! I headed out Hawkins Camp Rd to go to the point to see if
frigates were elsewhere in addition to the hordes that I'd already counted.
When I could see Smith Point Island (the island on which the frigates roost), I
could see a bunch hanging over the E side of the island; 59 of 'em, bringing
the total to 372!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
While doing 'normal' birding at the Point, I saw the frigates hanging off the
island, so photographed the scene. When I got my 800+ photos gone through just
now, I counted 76 frigates by the island, so my end count of 372 may very well
be LOW!
I'll be posting a selection of photos to my Flickr site, hopefully tomorrow,
and will let this venue know.
As an aside, the weather gods have greatly changed the forecast, so tomorrow
looks like another wash here, while Sunday looks nowhere near as good as it was
looking. It might be Monday before things clear -- 'boo' to occluded fronts!
Tony
Tony Leukering
Smith Point, TX
http://smithpointhawkwatch.wordpress.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tony_leukering/
http://www.aba.org/photoquiz/
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