I spent a good bit of time at a drying puddle watching a small group of birds catch small fish and tadpoles from the last water in a ditch. much of the time, the birds were too close for pictures but they all were eating the same things. A solitary sandpiper was the most steadfast feeder. http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557855 That big eye shows up even from the rear http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557853 A pair of king rails was feeding at least 3 chicks. They would catch a tadpole and take it back to the edge of the vegetation, whack it a couple of times and a youngster would come out for breakfast http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557730 Hard to get pictures of bigger birds when they are close http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557731 One chick was larger than the others and came out a little further http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557732 A lesser yellowlegs flushed out each time a car passed but would come back http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557729 A green heron arrived and stayed through the traffic http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557728 A male Wilson's phalarope was wandering out where the ruff had been http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557726 And did a pose with a reflection. A very active bird that was feeding on some sort of hatching gnats. Needs a lot of them to make a meal. A group of males and females was further back feeding with 2 teal in the more normal phalarope manner http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557725 the stilt sandpipers were the noisiest http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557721 A breeding plumage golden plover was the first I have seen in a long time and was feeding on black worms in the grass http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557719 http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557718 The ruddy turnstone migration is peaking with every fish carcass or sandwich attended by breeding plumage birds http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557713 http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557710 Even dried up pieces were worth pecking http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557707 Spent some time with the sanderlings on the texas city dike trying to find the reddest bird http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557671 None of this years birds makes it to the top of the list http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557669 http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557667 A black-bellied plover feeding on black worms in the short grass at the end of the dike looked very brownish in the afternoon glare and required a bit to make sure it was not a golden plover. I always end up taking pictures of birds like this before they spread a tail or wing http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557665 3 American oystercatchers on the dike were my first in several trips. This bird was unbanded so there are still unmarked birds on the UTC http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557663 However if you give a bird a little bling it becomes very impolite like a movie star http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557658 But its friend or mate was more polite http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/155557660 Great day out even though most spots had zero land bird migrants. The 10 inch shortfall of rain since the drought ended really understates how dry it is out there. Places that had water last summer when the hawk watch started are already dry. But I have had .0001 inches or so on my deck today and there was a wet spot for a while. -- 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
