[texbirds] Smith Point Hawk Watch today
- From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2013 18:29:23 -0500
I spent the day at the hawk watch tower and actually had some hawks after a
very slow start. No birds at all until 10 then rather dead spots during the
rest of the day.
Weather in the morning and early pm was great for watching hawks with good
clouds mixed with blue skies. Early on good south type winds kept birds
down but once they dropped, the birds showed up and again vanished when the
winds came up again. Some were very high and when the clouds vanished made
it hard to see. In any event the official count was
broad-winged hawk 8
cooper's hawk 2
osprey 2
night 4
All these birds migrated over the bay or way out Hawkins camp and were not
seen again. Both vultures were around and passed by many times.
On the way down, found the shorebird pond dry as were most of the usual wet
spots and the gator pond at the tower. The pond by the abandoned red
restaurant had a good bunch of black-crowned night heron young, spoonbills,
white ibis and 3 large broods of almost grown black-bellied whistling ducks.
The scavenging flock of shorebirds out by Robbins Park had about 100 ruddy
turnstones and least sandpipers each along with a few sanderlings, western
willets and black-bellied plover.
There were 19 American oystercatchers there including 2 young of the year
with none banded.
Lots of swallows went past with over 500 each barn and cliff concentrated
in the am but present all day joined by some purple martins, mainly males
later in the day.
The only other land bird migrants seen were 2 groups of orchard orioles (7
and 9) and after mid-morning maybe a dozen blue-gray gnatcatchers.
The skies were empty until a bit after 10am when the first large kettle of
the fall appear which was 125 or so wood storks. They attracted a couple of
broad-winged hawks, an osprey and a frigatebird along with both vultures.
The storks and vultures went up into a cloud and were not seen again but
the hawks etc headed out. The 2nd osprey came in high and went over the bay
about half way to the bolivar water tower and then came back, sat awhile
and left for Galveston.
The rare birds of the day were a couple of house sparrows in the parking
lot. Had a total of 6 dragonflies for the day which will not feed many
kites but there were no kites so the dragonflies were safe. One broad-wing
set up territory in the northeast motte for a couple of hours and hunted
doves and ran off 2 other broad-wings before departing.
The other kettle for the day was one of 27 white pelicans. About 75 white
ibis were in a line but did cross the bay so several of the non-hawk
migrants of the point were moving.
I did not have time to check any of the mottes before counting and with it
almost 100 did not really feel like walking around late in the pm. But I
also saw no mosquito and only 1 fly all day at the tower and while
exploring. Of course no water offsets the lack of bugs.
Mockingbirds have lots of just fledged striped youngsters and there was a
fresh scissor-tail brood out Hawkins camp. The mockers were really upset
with the shrikes. Bobwhite were calling. While checking around on the way
home, had a quick look at a greenish-backed kingbird way out Hawkins camp
but it ducked into cover and never called or came out. Seaside sparrows in
the Hawkins camp marsh a bit before the turn to the park.
Really expected kites for the day but then last year my first day had 0
hawks.
--
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx
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