[texbirds] Tropical Kingbirds in Corpus Christi
- From: <jkestner@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2014 21:04:30 +0000
Today I took a quick drive through my CBC area in western Corpus Christi and
decided to check out a couple of places where we don't normally go. I'm really
glad I did!
First big surprise was at Hudson Park on Main Drive (Corpus Christians are
scratching their heads and saying, "where??"). It is a park on the list of
those that the city wants to sell or turn over to volunteers to maintain, and
it's a small place -- mowed grass and a tree or two with a bit of playground
equipment and a concrete basketball court - pretty generic. On the east edge
is an older residential area and on the other four sides are agricultural
fields.
There were lots of black birds on the wires, in the trees and in the grass, and
it was really quiet and peaceful, so I sat looking at starlings and doves
(reminiscent of my recent trip to Estero Llano Grande where Susan Foster and I
watched House Sparrows for 6 hours) when a familiar call rang out: Monk
Parakeets!
There were two on the utility wire, and then a third joined them. As I sat
there I heard another in the distance. The three flew down to a puddle on the
basketball court to drink and fuss, then back to the wire, then down to the
grass to forage. As I sat there it went from 3 to 5 to 7 to 13 to, at last
count, 15 birds in the grass! This is the farthest west in the city limits
I've seen them, I believe.
Feeling really joyful, I decided to check out the parking lot at Tuloso-Midway
Middle School. I've had Lesser Nighthawks there a lot and though I didn't
expect to see one, I thought, what the hell. At the stop sign I saw two
kingbirds fly into a tree in the parking lot, pulled around the corner and
opened my car window to hear them calling: Tropical Kingbirds! Also the
farthest west I've seen them in the city proper.
Come on, December 20!! That's our CBC date. Maybe it'll be a really, really
good one.
Judy Kestner
Corpus Christi
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