[texbirds] Smith Point Hawk Watch

From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2023 14:48:19 -0500

Have already spent 3 days at the tower, 2 as a volunteer and last Tuesday
as the counter. Not many birds on the first 2 days but last Saturday had
good numbers of water birds for a few hours.

There have been changes made at smith point. A series of rock breakwaters
have been installed a short ways off the shoreline to reduce erosion. They
are already attracting birds and when there is more growth they will draw
in rock loving birds like harlequin ducks. They already had a dolphin
partly out of the water rooting out goodies on the land side.

Many of the dead branches and stubs used by birds since Ike and the great
drought have fallen but the current drought may create new ones.

Most important for adventurous birders is that the are basically no flies
or mosquitoes in one of the bug capitals of texas. And they have mowed
which combined with the drought makes the mottes readily accessible if you
do not mind wandering around in the sun and 115 feel like temperatures.

Birds are different. I have found no meadowlarks, flycatchers on hawkins
camp, painted buntings, lark sparrows, seaside sparrows. Very few regular
migrants like orioles, dickcissels etc. Until Saturday very few landbirds
or signs of fish or fishing people.

Very very dry and the area missed the rain houston got just after the 4th
of July but the pond by the old restaurant in town had water but it was
going saturday.

The restauant is gone so there is nowhere to eat, get gas or other needs
for about 25 miles.

Saturday had a count of 32 hawks including 8 swallow-tailed and 13
mississippi kites and fewer swainson's, broad-winged, cooper's hawks and an
osprey. The bald eagle is not back yet.

Water birds were more interesting and I counted 239 anhingas, 240 wood
storks, and 240 white ibis. Land birds included 117 gnatcatchers which
needed a clicker during a morning surge. Hummingbirds numbers built up to
7. At one moment at least 4 groups of 2 white-eyed vireos called and sang
for a few minutes and then stayed unheard.

[image: wood stork_BRD6060.JPG]

Swallows were relatively scarce on my first 2 trips with most being cliff
swallows. Saturday I estimated/guessed about 2500 birds with 400+ feeding
in an updraft over the tower at one point. Maybe 75% cliff, most of the
rest barn but 2 bank swallows and a couple of rough-winged swallows in the
pm plus a few purple martins.

My count last tuesday had 7 hawks plus a few local birds. My first
swallow-tailed kites of the year

[image: swallow-tailed kite_BRD6032.JPG]

2 swainson's hawks had a light and dark bird The light bird dove and ate as
it later had a fat crop

[image: swainson's hawk_BRD6016.JPG]

Hawkins camp road has lots of shrikes with 2 family groups and a total of
13 or 14 birds. One early bird was feeding on a yesterdays mouse. A second
bird took the mouse off the wire and went up the road and hooked it to
another wire across the road

[image: loggerhead shrike_BRD5998.JPG]

Frigatebirds numbers were low until saturday when the fish, shrimp boats,
and fishermen also had19 frigatebirds on poles

[image: magnificent frigatebird_BRD6008.JPG]

Tuesday the storm had the end of hawkins camp underwater and so no access
to the park but there were lots of birds there on saturday. Smith Point
Island also is looking well and has lots of roosting birds.

[image: black-necked stilt_BRD6039.JPG][image: western willet_BRD6043.JPG]

One can always watch turkey vultures at the point when most else is scarce.
This summer and last summer they fledged youngsters much earlier than in
most past years and I had young of the year birds well before the old hawk
watch start date of August 1 when we could watch the fledging process of
both turkey and black vultures. The black vultures apparently nested in the
east motte again and the adults have returned and a number of young turkey
vultures are regular.

[image: turkey vulture_BRD6048.JPG]

Lots of hawks to come if the heat dome ever moves out of the way and good
cold fronts push in. Bob had good kites and some peregrines today with the
piddly front that arrived overnight.

--
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx

[texbirds] Smith Point Hawk Watch

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