[texbirds-freelists] [texbirds] High Island Bird News April 9
- From: Sam Woods <sam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2012 22:10:22 -0700
APRIL 9, 2012
Early April is not generally known for its
diversity of warblers, but clearly no one had told the warblers. At the
end of the day, the list was long, _23 SPECIES LONG (BEST SO FAR THIS
YEAR)_, and even at this time warblers were still streaming into the
woods. Among this set of warblers were some prize species, including the
much sought after SWAINSON'S WARBLER, which graced both Houston
Audubon's Boy Scout Woods, and Texas Ornithological Society's Hooks
Woods today, and made life easy for most birders. Instead of having to
scout the deep, dark leaf litter for signs of this furtive southern bird
"shivering" in the litter with their distinctive feeding style, they
could be enjoyed from the comfort of the benches, as they visited the
drips and lingered for many to add this to their burgeoning warbler
lists.
The day dawned with the traditional spring walks around HAS Boy
Scout Woods. It was very clear early on there had been an overnight
change in the guard with plentiful INDIGO BUNTINGS roaming the woods.
There was not a mulberry in High Island that was not twitching today
from the buntings rummaging within. The fickle birders of spring, whom
just days ago yearned for their first "blue bullet" of spring, were now
treating them with something close to disdain, so common had they
become. And, they were not the only buntings in town. Both HAS Boy Scout
Woods and TOS Hooks Woods brought joy to many with their first widely
available PAINTED BUNTINGS of the year, the true flagship bird for
spring migration in this part of the US. Other notable finds during the
morning Boy Scout forays included BLUE-WINGED, WORM-EATING,
YELLOW-THROATED, AND BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLERS, along with
YELLOW-THROATED AND RED-EYED VIREOS, the latter two of which both
enjoyed a strong day today. Other undisputed trends today were a huge
bump in TENNESSEE WARBLERS, with healthy numbers in the morning, and
mammoth arrivals noted in the afternoon. Somewhat appropriate that
Houston Audubon's 2012 patch bird should be enjoying a bumper spring
this year. There was little doubt that TENNESSEES were the dominant
warblers roaming the woods by mid-afternoon, but it was also clear by
then they had crossed the Gulf with plenty of colorful
company…Furthermore, HOODED WARBLERS enjoyed a much discussed bounce
today, with heady numbers in the woods not enjoyed for a few years at
least in this part of Texas. Furthermore, while thrushes are surely to
peak much later this month, the late afternoon flurry of WOOD THRUSHES,
excitedly gathering at the drips showed they had arrived in town
en-masse very recently.
Down on the shore over lunch for the
traditional "shorebird showdown", Houston Audubon volunteers and an
eager group were looking for key lifebirds and yearbirds, and both were
satisfied: Rollover Pass was worked hard for the tern-tastic viewing
opportunities, with 8 species of tern, including Black, added before the
walk was over, while it did not take long to add GULL-BILLED TERN down
on HAS Bolivar Flats, to complete a remarkable _NINE SPECIES OF REGULAR
TERN_ on offer right now in the area, a diversity of species in this
group that few places can attest to. Highlights from our beachcombing
activities at Houston Audubon's Bolivar Flats included a trio of RED
KNOTS, which involved one with clear hints of brick on the breast,
although was more of a standout bird because it was clearly limping, and
therefore could be easily picked out of the group for more tragic
reasons. After a significant time scouring the upper sands we hit
success with a notable cluster of small plovers, which yielded a
solitary WILSON'S, a huddle of half a dozen PIPING PLOVERS, and a lone,
much-seeked SNOWY PLOVER to satisfy the hopes of the group.
Returning
to the coastal lots in High Island, news came through that TOS Hooks
Woods was "hopping", with SWAINSON'S WARBLER headlining at their drip,
and that HAS Boy Scout was pulling in some substantial migrant fare of
its own, with the early afternoon "Grandstanders" telling tales of a
male CERULEAN WARBLER that had seduced them earlier. HAS Smith Oaks
required a little more effort and walking than the other High Island
lots, although more than justified the exercise required when a male
CERULEAN WARBLER flitted around the edges of the parking lot, while one
of a handful of YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS fed nearby. There was also
rarely a moment in Smith when a TENNESSEE was not in view. After the
traditional "Spoonbill flybys" at a packed rookery at Claybottom Pond,
some returned to HAS Boy Scout for the final flurries of the afternoon,
which were still going just prior to dusk that provided memorable
moments when SWAINSON'S WARBLER dropped into the drip while BLUE-WINGED
WARBLER, LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, KENTUCKY, and PROTHONOTARY WARBLER stood
very closeby, and a pair of WORM-EATING WARBLERS shared the same angled
branch above the drip, while surrounded by a variety of other celebrity
warblers. There was a constant bustle around this vital water supply,
and the warblers were happy to show off their vibrant colors alongside
one another, decorating the shallow pool with the proverbial "Christmas
Lights" that only American Warblers can provide to the US spring
migration scene. It was early in the spring to be enjoying such heady
days, which left photographers in the photo blinds beaming at the
abundant photo opps, and birders equally satiated with the lifebirds
popping up all them. We just have to temper our excitement, but know
that plenty more days like this are to come. The spring has been sprung,
but it has not yet peaked!
TODAY'S WARBLER TALLY:
Blue-winged
Tennessee (LOTS!)
Nashville
Northern Parula
Chestnut-sided (FOS)
Yellow-throated
Yellow-rumped
Black-throated Green
Blackburnian (TOS
Hooks Woods)
Yellow (FOS)
Cerulean (multiple)
Black-and-white
American Redstart
Prothonotary
Worm-eating
Swainson's
Ovenbird
Louisiana Waterthrush
Kentucky
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
(LOTS)
Wilson's
Yellow-breasted Chat
Sam Woods
High Island
TEXBIRDS help file and Texas birding links at:
http://moonmountaingroup.com/texbirds
Edit your Freelists account settings for TEXBIRDS at
//www.freelists.org/list/texbirds
Other related posts:
- » [texbirds-freelists] [texbirds] High Island Bird News April 9 - Sam Woods
