Headed out to shoveler pond for sunrise. Not a whole lot of variety around
but over 90 of birds by weight were gallinules, eagle food and
black-bellied whistling ducks. One coot raft had lots of ring-necked ducks
and there was a good scattering of shovelers and blue-winged teal and
fulvous whistling ducks.
Surprisingly, there was no exodus of roosting herons or blackbirds for the
first time in many years. Only a couple of red-tailed hawks along the entry
road and none elsewhere. Lots of harriers passing through and merlin and
white-tailed kite down near the bay.
Rough-winged swallows roosted on the wires by the old restroom
The rice paddies at the southeast corner of 1985 are flooded with shallow
water and had lots of sleeping shorebirds, most of which seemed to be
long-billed dowitchers and willets. This should attract lots of birds but
light will be better later in the day.
Down at the hawk watch it was the last day but still good numbers of hawks.
Several broad-winged hawks, a stream of northern harriers and good variety
of red-tailed hawks plus others.
The forecast for the day was for northwest winds and when I got home the
weatherman said that the wind was actually north all day. However the tower
wind was southwest when I arrived and only wandered around to the north on
a few occasions. And all the flags on the way home along I-10 showed a due
north wind and stronger than at smith point. That makes more than one time
this fall that Smith point wind is different than the rest of the area and
kept more hawks away or far out from the tower.
A harrier really went after a red-tailed hawk several times. I watched it
through the scope hit the larger bird several times and the hawk already
had a damaged and bent wing feather from the first pass? Really a
persistent dislike by the young harrier who was lucky since it went just
below the red-tail on one pass.
The formal end of the hawk watch was today but with lots of birds still
moving, the strong front forecast for the weekend could provide more birds
especially since many species are moving later than normal this year.
--
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx
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