[texbirds] Thursday kiting kites, scavenging eagles, sitting hawks and more in pictures

  • From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2014 09:01:42 -0600

Last Thursday I started out looking for an early golden plover in their
favorite haunts on Fairview road with no luck. None on 1985 or Bolivar
either. Then a few were found on Friday and they were all over by the
weekend.
Going through the wooded part of 562, near the church, a young bald eagle
returned to the roost area accompanied by several crows who saw him off.
Then on the entrance road to Anahuac, another young eagle was prospecting
for carrion by traplining from pole to pole

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653890

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653889

It would move several poles and scan again
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653887

Never really found anything
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653884

At one point, it thought to land on the wires but gave that up as a bad deal
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653882

The bird finally headed off toward the roost area.

3 young cooper's hawks have been resident around the refuge all winter.
Usually they fly off but this bird decided to sit for a picture
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653871

Lots of scanning for little birds but they were staying down and quiet in
the area
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653872

And who knew that cooper's hawks could wink at the camera
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653874

Out on 1985 but in the refuge a young white-tailed hawk was sunning on a
fence post
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653859

For a change, it only took a while and a look at the white face patches to
figure out what the bird was in contrast to my usual mis-iod's. But from
the back they can still be confusing
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653859

But the face says it all

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653861

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653862

Another point to check on birds like this is the toes. The white-tail has
fatter and wartier toes than a red-tail, perhaps related to its snake
eating habits

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653864

The bird was very polite and did turn around to unload prior to moving to a
new post
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653863

The tree swallow roost was still in business when I went around shoveler
pond
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653825

Apparently, 36 degrees lets swallows stay in bed late
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653823

They would circle up and then back down
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653824

There were a good number of collisions in the sudden swarms, sometimes with
3 birds
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653821

Seaside sparrows were up but not very high in the wind and singing
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653814

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653815

A king rail was out sunning
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653809

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653811

The book says that savannah sparrows can have a central breast spot like a
song sparrow and some do
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653840

The new grass seed comes in very handy at this time of year with the
ragweed etc from last fall all washed away
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653841

There is a lot of plumage variation in the birds with several subspecies
wintering in the area but some flocks contain similar birds
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653838

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653843

There were still a few geese out in the fields who already knew that the
hunting season was over. Almost all of the northern ducks were gone with
mainly teal and shovelers remaining.

The trip down bolivar was rather sparse birding with no good water areas.
There were no fishermen at rollover or the jetty and the mud at rollover
pass was almost out to Anahuac as were the birds. There were 2 laughing
gulls in the parking lot. Many birds at the jetty but way out and the light
was still bad so I passed.

Both the ferry and the Texas City dike had several hundred forster's terns
feeding and sitting. Most would be arriving birds as the number was many
times more than the wintering population. They are starting to get dark
heads and several had their tail streamers fully grown
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653930

There is lots of molt going on with new feathers growing rapidly
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653928

A spotted sandpiper on the jetty was one of the few I have seen this
winter. It was catching very small things by sneaking up on them and
pouncing
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653932

I never could see what was being grabbed but it was small
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653931

A young of last year white-tailed kite was kiting out at the end of the
jetty in the breeze
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653955

And showed off its white tail
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653958

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653957

It would then move to another spot
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653960

It wanted to go over to pelican island but gave up at the waters edge and
eventually went back down the dike

But really showed how to kite before leaving
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653965

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653963

Note the remaining brown stripes on the youngsters belly
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653964

http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154653966

A great day out with no ice or other more recent weather fun. All the
pictures and more can be browsed at
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/inbox


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


Edit your Freelists account settings for TEXBIRDS at 
//www.freelists.org/list/texbirds

Reposting of traffic from TEXBIRDS is prohibited without seeking permission 
from the List Owner


Other related posts:

  • » [texbirds] Thursday kiting kites, scavenging eagles, sitting hawks and more in pictures - Joseph Kennedy