Started off at dawn as seems to be usual lately and found that the
caracaras or others had moved almost all the gulls/terns away from the
resting area and the jetty base. They had gone way down to the end of the
ship channel sand and gradually moved back which gave a chance to check
them as they flew by. Lots of lesser black-backed gulls including this
group of adult yellow-footed birds.
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139673
The wind change and water/sand mix resulted in lots of small plovers all
along the way using little pieces of debris for cover from the wind.
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139675
A fisherman with a cast net disturbed many of the birds at the jetty but
the summering pomarine jaeger stayed put.
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139676
As I was watching the feeding terns, I found a jaeger harassing them but it
had full tail feathers and my friend was still sitting there. The second
jaeger may have been flushed but I only saw it flying out near the jetty.
The ferry ride had a magnificent frigatebird fly along using the updraft
from the boat
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139680
Often it was too close to photograph or only get parts
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139679
The area around Frenchtown road still has high water but a few
black-bellied plovers use it to rest
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139686
The wires at fort travis had cave swallows among the barn swallows
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139689
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139690
The area inside the fort had large flocks of marbled godwits and
short-billed dowitchers. They were joined by cowbirds and starlings. The
young of the year starlings have molted into winter plumage except for the
head
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139691
They were finding lots of caterpillars
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139693
Out on Bolivar flats, it looked like a winter beach with wide sand flats
bared for the first time and full of food. A feeding frenzy of pelicans and
terns just offshore appeared to be eating small mullet and fishermen could
get lots of bait fish with no effort. This attracted frigatebirds until the
action died down.
The young of the year sanderlings are heavily marked compared to the all
gray adults
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139719
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139720
Piping and snowy plover feed in the same manner
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139721
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139726
Normally, the small plovers coexist and feed together or at least close to
each other in mixed flocks but occasionally one bird acts out and claims
large territories
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139725
There were lots of shrimp and small fish trapped in the tidal pools and
larger shrimp were fought over by willets and snowy egrets while piping
plovers had to do with small prey
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139737
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139741
Up at rollover pass, the beach west of the pass was covered in small fish
providing food for gulls and shorebirds and even brown pelicans. Note that
more than one car had trouble in the area which has soft sand patches.
Nearby an osprey was on the pole one has used for years
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139751
Up at the texas city dike, I had a chance to watch the iridescent plumage
of the rock pigeons
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139754
There is a lot of food there for them and any migrants which might land
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139758
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139756
Lots of black skimmers, laughing gulls and royal terns were resting. Only a
very few young of the year black skimmers so the birds using this area did
not do well in the young producing department
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139764
This youngster was very active and repeatedly ran up to and then bit
laughing gulls sometimes with a warning
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139766
And other times just charge and bite
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139767
Note that the young bird has yellower legs than the adults. After biting it
would stand around a bit looking innocent and then bite again.
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139769
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139768
A group of sanderlings cleaned up after the skimmers. They did not clean up
after the gulls so the digestive product of skimmers apparently tastes
better
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139770
Several adult herring gulls have arrived on the dike although I have only
seen brown birds on the coast
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139775
http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/164139773
Still waiting on the big influx of ring-billed gulls on both sites although
a few more are around. But another great day out there.
--
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx
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