[texbirds] South Padre Island massive fallout

From: "Rex Stanford" <calidris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "TEXBIRDS" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2013 23:50:41 -0500
Today (04/25/13) we, joined by Erik Breden, birded South Padre Island (SPI), 
both the Convention Center (CC) and the Sheepshead Property of the Valley 
Land Fund (Sheepshead). This is brief report is intended to convey some of 
the highlights of the most memorable day of springtime birding that the 
undersigned have ever experienced. Birds of dozens of species and virtually 
every imaginable color were virtually everywhere at hand. Witnessing this 
spectacle of previous unimagined magnitude elicited joy at the sight of so 
many species and individuals who had lived through a life-and-death struggle 
with the kind of weather that creates such fallouts. It brought a keen sense 
of wonder at and appreciation of the incredible stamina of the individuals, 
often tiny, who had braved and survived this ordeal of brute wind, cold, 
mist, rain, hunger, and the threat of menacing ocean waves. It also brought 
a deep sadness in the knowledge that many had perished in making the effort 
and concern about the state of not a few who had made it to land. We heard a 
report that many lay dead along the shoreline, but we had no desire to check 
on that. We knew from just watching these tired, hungry, and, often, very 
wet (and presumably cold) creatures that it might be difficult for some to 
survive, even having reached land. Grackles were a major threat and we saw 
several survivors of the dreadful ordeal have their celebration of victory 
ruthlessly ended in the beak of a Great-tailed Grackle. As concerns 
vanquishing their hunger, it was relatively easy for those who ate fruit and 
seed because of the kindness of those who had supplied and put out fruit 
and/or seeds. Those who ate insects might have found the going considerably 
more difficult due to a cold, damp, misty, and, at times, rainy (drizzle) 
day that would not have encouraged the flight or movement of insects. But 
the thousands of birds were a wonder to see and sometimes to hear sing, even 
if they were tired, hungry, and sometimes sleeping,  a source of beauty and 
inspiration, considering the wonder of what they had accomplished.

Our party of three found a total of 26 species of warbler on the SPI CC 
property alone (not in any special order):

1.Hooded
2.Tennessee
3.Magnolia
4.Black-and-White
5.Blackpoll
6.Nashville
7.Prairie
8.Swainson's
9.Northern Yellowthroat
10.Blackburnian
11.Ovenbird
12.Northern Waterthrush
13.Blue-winged Warbler
14.Cerulean
15.Northern Parula
16.Golden-winged
17.Bay-breasted
18.Prothonotary
19.Kentucky
20.Wilson's
21.Chestnut-sided
22.Yellow-rumped
23.Worm-eating
24.American Redstart
25.Black-throated Green
26.Yellow

The numbers of some of these species was remarkable, with credit for 
greatest abundance, by our reckoning going to Hooded Warbler, which seemed 
to be everywhere, including, occasionally, walking across our shoes. 
Kentucky Warblers, a very handsome treat, also seemed to be most everywhere 
one looked. Tennessee Warblers were also present in remarkable numbers. The 
often hard to spot Ovenbird wandered about in understory seemingly wherever 
it was available. That natural work of rich and subtle beauty, the 
Bay-breasted Warbler, was a special delight and appeared, at least in the 
morning hours, in several locations, to our great delight. Orioles, 
particularly Baltimore, seemed to be everywhere, and the unexpected Bobolink 
brought a special kind of excitement. Both Indigo and Painted Bunting 
brought special brightness to a scene bathed in a leaden sky. Both of the 
cuckoo species, the locally rare Black-billed and the Yellow-billed, put in 
an appearance that underscored the breadth of avian coverage of this 
exceptional day.

Sheepshead held a number of the species found at SPI CC, but the total 
number species found there was much less, not surprising due to the smaller 
area and reduced variety of habitats. The highlights there perhaps were the 
dozens of Dickcissels, along with many Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Indigo 
Buntings.

Rex and Birgit Stanford
McAllen, TX



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[texbirds] South Padre Island massive fallout

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