Bird the Bend

Get Out and Enjoy the Spring Migration

2010-03-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

By Phyllis Yochem
Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Some words are enhancements to the pleasure of birdwatching.

On a chilly morning of early spring, one such word comes to mind: zugunruhe, a German word meaning pre-migratory restlessness. This state is brought on by the increased action of the bird’s pituitary gland.

I think perhaps a similar phenomenon occurs in humans around spring break, although the goal is somewhat different. In some species, migration is an act that ensures the survival of the species. But then, don’t vacations help to ensure survival?

Where we live, on the central flyway beside the Gulf of Mexico, we are geographically placed to observe many birds on their migratory travel route. Wood warblers stop here for rest and recovery before the final lap of their journey toward their nesting areas. We have more than 30 species of warbler on our checklist. Some are seen regularly, others reliably or only rarely.

Places to see warblers include Blucher Park, directly behind the Corpus Christi Public Library, in the 100 block of Carrizo Street. Throughout April, guided bird walks are conducted by members of the Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi. Walks begin at 7:30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, except Easter. Wear comfortable shoes and bring binoculars.

Outdoor Club members also tend paths, pick up trash, and escort vandals or campers out of the area. This fall, the club contributed to the placing of a kiosk at the front corner of the park. Part of this structure is a chimney in which, it is hoped, chimney swifts will nest.

Another good place to look for spring migrants is Packery Channel County Park. This park is reached by cautiously turning left, immediately after leaving the JFK Causeway, coming on to Padre Island. A sanctuary, donated by Dr. Beverly Held, is located in the residential section, to the right of the park entrance, beyond the Visitor’s Center.

A small pond there can be a good place to observe birds. The oak mott, on a sand dune on the left of the entrance road, is also good. Expect grebes there and a pair of greater kiskadee flycatchers nested last year.

Any day, soon, service wires at Packery will be filled with scissor-tailed flycatchers, Eastern kingbirds, and swallows and purple martins. On the ground, look for painted and indigo buntings in small groups. Along with warblers, look for white-eyed, blue-headed, yellow-throated, and Philadelphia vireos.

Early arriving warblers can include hooded warblers, black and white warblers, and Nashville warblers. Northern parulas seem to like the newly budded foliage on live oak trees, so listen for them, and look for them high up. They are small, bluish warblers with yellow throats and breasts, and a distinctive song, a buzzy trill that “climbs the scale and snaps over at the end” as Roger Tory Peterson describes it. This is one of a few warblers that sing while they are here.

A good guide for local birders is “Birding Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend,” by Jamie Ritter, published by Falcon Guides.

Phyllis Yochem, a Corpus Christi resident, has studied birds in Texas since 1960.

14th Annual Great Texas Birding Classic Set For April 24-May 2

2010-03-15T07:41:00.000-07:00

The Great Texas Birding Classic (GTBC) is coming up April 24-May 2, coinciding with the annual spectacle of spring bird migration in Texas. This friendly competition has a serious conservation purpose. Adult teams who record the most bird species win the privilege of choosing which bird conservation projects receive grant money.

To date, the GTBC has contributed $686,000 directly to avian habitat conservation along the Texas gulf coast. Each year, organizations submit conservation project proposals for prize funding consideration. The tournament’s mission is to increase appreciation, understanding and conservation of birds along the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail through education, recreation, nature tourism and conservation fundraising. The event is sponsored by the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The tournament addresses a growing problem that could undermine the multi-million dollar birding tourism business in Texas. Currently, 633 species of birds have been documented in Texas. Over 400 species can be found along the Texas coast during spring migration. This rich biodiversity of birds is due to the highly diverse habitats along the Texas coast.

However, each year more and more habitat are significantly altered. Forty years of bird population data from Christmas Bird Counts and Breeding Bird Surveys were recently analyzed by National Audubon. Since 1967 the average population of the common birds in steepest decline has fallen by 68 percent; some individual species nose-dived as much as 80 percent. All 20 birds on the national Common Birds in Decline list lost at least half their populations in just four decades.

These findings point to serious problems with both local habitats and national environmental trends. Ultimately, citizen action is vital to make a difference for the birds and our ecological future. But projects like the Birding Classic help by bringing conservation organizations, corporations, and local communities together to preserve habitat.

For additional information, including how to register a team in competition, or learn about Texas spring birding opportunities for casual birders, visit the Web sites of Gulf Coast Bird Observatory or Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, or contact GTBC Tournament Coordinator Carol Jones at cjones@gcbo.org or (979) 480-0999.

Whooping Cranes

2010-03-08T12:06:00.001-08:00

Whooping Cranes feeding on Razor Clams in St. Charles' Bay at Goose Island State Park on Wednesday, March 03, 2010. It was a sunny day without wind. They were feeding along St. Charles' Bay Road between 12th Street and 8th Street.

From a Visiting Birder...

2010-03-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

We spent about 3 hours Saturday, February 27, looking for the Townsend's Warbler without any luck…2 hours around lunch and another hour before sundown. On Monday, March 1, on the way from Port Aransas back to Belton we stopped by the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge to look again. After about 2 hours we were starting to get really frustrated when all of a sudden my wife said "there it is." We were able to get some really good looks at it and a few good pics too.

Last Thursday, February 26, we got a few glimpses of the Wheatear. On Friday, we birded Paradise Pond, Port Aransas Birding Center, and Charlies' Pasture Nature Preserve. On Saturday, we saw the 2 Whooping Crane's in the field in Lamar on Eight street by the bay, then went to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Sunday afternoon we spent about 3 hours at Pollywog Pond in Corpus Christi. Saw enough Couch's Kingbirds there to last us a lifetime.

A great 4 days of birding in the Corpus Christi, Port Aransas, Goose Island, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge areas.

Steve & Teri Snyder
Lake Belton, Texas

Birding Report-January 20, 2010

2010-01-25T07:20:00.000-08:00

As reported by Billy Sandifer:

I scouted the entire beachfront of the Padre Island National Seashore on January 18, 2010 and it was a high quality day as long as you weren't interested in fishing, as there were no fish. Very large staging flocks of Willets and Sanderlings along the beach and all the usuals; Black-bellied Plover, Ruddy Turn Stones, Dunlin, Long Billed Curlews, Royal and Forester's Terns and a few gulls but some good birds as well. Between the 32 and 35 mile beach I had 153 sub adult Northern Gannets. WOW…All going North. Some in groups of 15 and quite nearshore. On the remaining 57 miles of beach I only had 3 other Northern Gannets. Sure something going on. 12 Red Knots were at the 34 mile beach in the morning, none had tags. 2 Scoters were in the surf at the 42 mile but they swam offshore before I could get positive species id. 1 Peregrine at the 22 mile. 3 Reddish Egrets. 3 flocks of small ducks overshore flying North. 8 Savannah Sparrows, 2 Northern Pipits and 4 Horned Larks were also observed. Red-breasted Mergansers, Redhead Ducks and 16 Black Skimmers were at the Port Mansfield jetties. Osprey, Caracara, White-tailed hawks and Turkey and Black Vultures were also seen. I've had close to 300 Northern Gannets along the entire 60 mile beach front a time or two over the years but never this many concentrated in such a small area. Life's Good; Live it. Capt. Billy

Coastal Bend Birds 12/1-12/11

2009-12-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

Birding in the coastal bend this winter keeps getting better by the day. Most of our winter residents are back in good numbers and lots of "rare" birds have been seen. Huge numbers or sandhill cranes and geese are finally back, most are North of the Rockport area. The majority of the whooping cranes are back at their winter homes in the Aransas NWR. I saw 3 whooping cranes along hwy. 35 just North of Rockport last week as well. Here are some of the rarer birds that I've seen in the past 10 days.

A extremely rare RUDDY GROUND-DOVE was seen on CR360 near the town of Sandia on 12/10. This is one of the Northernmost records of the eastern subspecies.

LARK BUNTINGS (see photo) are in huge numbers this winter. I had 300+ birds near Sandia on 12/10. I have heard reports of 1000's of birds west of Corpus Christi in Duval county.

A rare YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was on hwy. 35 between Rockport and Tivoli on 12/7. The bird was mixed in with thousands of Red-Winged Blackbirds, Brown-Headed Cowbirds, Great-Tailed Grackles, and Boat-Tailed Grackles.

The FERRUGINOUS HAWK near Sandia on CR360 continues this winter, I last saw the bird on 12/10. I also found another FERRUGINOUS HAWK on 43 near Chapman Ranch on 12/6.

A GREEN KINGFISHER continues at the Port Aransas Birding Center. I saw the bird last on 12/6.

An adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL has returned for the 6th winter in the town of Port O'Connor. I saw the bird on 12/3.

A single HORNED GREBE was seen at the Aransas NWR across from the picnic area on 12/3.

Up to 8 STILT SANDPIPERS have been seen at the Port Aransas Birding Center all winter. I also had a single bird at the pond in Hazel Bazemore Park in Corpus Christi on 12/10.

SPRAGUE'S PIPITS are present in good numbers in proper habitat throughout the coastal bend. My last sighting of one was 12/3.

Up to 4 BURROWING OWLS continue on private property in Refugio and Nueces counties.

RED KNOTS continue up and down the gulf beaches this winter. I had 5 near marker 27 on 12/6. They are more common further south on the National Seashore.

A single AMERICAN BITTERN was seen on the Rail Trail at the Aransas NWR on 12/3.

Jon McIntyre
www.mcintyrebirdingtours.com
(361) 549-5677

December 5, 2009-Birding Update

2009-12-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

As reported by Billy Sandifer

Red Knots are present in numbers of over 100 per day on the Padre Island National Seashore beachfront.
Good numbers of Sandwich Terns remain along with the Forester's, Royal and Caspian but the other tern species have moved on for the winter. Good numbers of Dunlin are being observed and Franklin's Gulls are mixed in with the flocks of Laughing Gulls. Large numbers of Brown Pelicans are seen daily and Long-billed Curlew are in good supply with at least 30 seen daily.
N. Harrier and White-tailed Hawks are observed regularly as are one or two Peregrine Falcons and Caracara. We had a stray female hummingbird in the yard on the last day of November.

Picture is of Black-necked Stilts on the beach.

Good Birding,
Capt. Billy

Coastal Bend Birds 11/16-11/30

2009-11-30T22:07:00.000-08:00

Birding in the coastal bend had picked up considerably in the past 2 weeks. Most of our winter residents are back in good numbers and many rare birds have been seen.

Some of the rarer birds I've seen in the past 2 weeks include a male Greater Scaup near the picnic area at the Aransas NWR.

Pomarine Jaegers have been common 30+ miles offshore of Port Aransas the past few weeks, up to 9 individuals have been seen in one day.

A single Franklin's Gull was seen at Pollywog Ponds on 11/21 and another at Indian Point Park on 11/18.

Red Knots continue up and down the coastal bend beaches. I had 8 Red Knots at marker 24 on 11/29 and multiple knots at scattered locations on 11/21.

Up to about 15 Mountain Plovers continue near Chapman Ranch on CR14A. They have been in this location for over a month. I last saw the birds on 11/19.

Up to 2 Ferruginous Hawks have been seen on CR360 near Sandia this month, this is the 6th year for the adult bird at this location.

A single Say's Phoebe has been present on CR360 near Sandia since 11/18.

Lark Buntings are in very good numbers this year. I had 20+ near Sandia on 11/19 and 11/18 and another person had 50+ a few days after.

Stilt Sandpipers are at multiple locations. The most reliable birds are at Hazel Bazemore Park, were 2 are usually seen. I also had 5 at the Port Aransas Birding Center on 11/27.

A very late Pectoral Sandpiper was seen near Sandia on 11/18.

Burrowing Owls continue at multiple private locations in Nueces and Refugio counties. I have had up to 4 individuals in a single day.

On 11/18, I had EIGHT Horned Grebes at the Aransas NWR, the highest count I've ever had in the coastal bend. I also had a single Horned Grebe at Goose Island State Park on 11/30.

Sprague's Pipits continue in good numbers in proper habitat throughout the coastal bend. My last sightings were 11/18 and 11/16.

A single Clay-Colored Sparrow was seen on 11/18 near the Aransas NWR.

Jon McIntyre
www.mcintyrebirdingtours.com

Audubon Texas Welcomes Delisting of Brown Pelican as Endangered Species

2009-11-20T08:10:00.000-08:00

AUSTIN, TX – 13 November 2009 ---Audubon Texas welcomes the delisting of Brown Pelican from the Endangered Species List but say challenges continue. According to Audubon's annual Christmas Bird Count, Brown Pelican population trends have risen in Texas for the past 40-50 years. Hurricane Katrina took a toll on the Gulf Coast populations but prospects remain good provided coastal recovery stays on track. The health of local waters is an issue for birds as is it for humans; a young pelican consumes about 150 pounds of fish the first 9 weeks of its life.

The species once decimated by DDT and habitat loss has sufficiently recovered to be removed from the list of endangered species this week. However, additional federal laws, such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Lacey Act, will continue to protect the brown pelican, its nests and its eggs.

“Thanks to years of collaboration with federal, state, and local entities, we can celebrate the hard work that has lead to this announcement,” said Bob Benson, executive director of Audubon Texas. He emphasized, “The Audubon Texas Coastal Stewardship Program relies on seasonal wardens to manage more than 13,000 acres on 80 islands for the benefit of our Texas coastal ecosystem and the birds and other wildlife that depend on it. Increasing the number of breeding birds from 12 to 12,000 since 1973 is a huge achievement, and was accomplished by a host of part-time wardens, volunteers, and conservation partners over several decades.”

“This is a real win for the Endangered Species Act,” said David Newstead, president of the Coastal Bend Audubon Chapter. “Now we just need to maintain this great momentum and continue our vigilance to ensure other species do not become endangered.”

Continued monitoring of Brown Pelicans is essential to detect any unexpected future population declines. Conservationists also caution that proper site selection, operational guidelines and vigilance will be needed to ensure that proposed wind power projects don’t threaten recovery in Texas and other areas. Other potential threats include increasing levels of human disturbance on rookery islands and climate change.

Audubon Texas’ director of conservation and education, Iliana Pena, said, “Audubon wardens are a big part of the success of this announcement. For generations these front line conservationists have patrolled and monitored by boat during nesting season. They also organize volunteers, educate citizens, and work with anglers. This community-based stewardship has sustained one of the most effective bird conservation programs in the country.”

Audubon Texas, the state program of the National Audubon Society, is working to restore over 3 million acres of grasslands, oversee 13,000 acres of critical coastal habitat, and educate 50,000 students on an annual basis. www.tx.audubon.org

Birding Report--November 16, 2009

2009-11-18T07:40:00.000-08:00

As Reported by Billy Sandifer

165 Red Knots were observed on the Padre Island National Seashore beachfront on a trip to the Port Mansfield jetties on Sunday, November 15, 2009.

1 Peregrine was observed at the 32 mile beach. North Harriers, White-tailed Hawks and Caracara were also observed. Approximately 60 Long-billed Curlews were observed as well more than 300 Brown Pelicans and more than 100 Double-crested Cormorants. Ring-billed, Herring and Laughing Gulls were observed as were Caspian, Royal, Forester's and Sandwich Terns. Our typical winter shorebirds were all present.

A recent trip inland showed Pollywog Pond to be the most productive area with numerous Red-shouldered Hawks, 2 Anhingas, 8 Least Grebes, Pied-billed Grebes and a variety of duck species present. Farther West Cassin's Kingbirds were common as were Lark Sparrows and one Green Jay was observed along with an occasional Red-tailed Hawk and several Scissor Tailed Flycatchers that remain.

Pictures are the resident Tri-Colored Heron at the Birding Center in Port Aransas and 2 Least Grebes at Pollywog Pond.

Good Birding,

Capt. Billy

Gulf Coast fishing guide pushes for more conservation

2009-11-17T07:09:00.000-08:00

By ART CHAPMAN
From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Capt. Billy Sandifer is probably the only fishing guide on the Texas Gulf Coast who’s as proud of his conservation efforts as he is of his fish stories.

He hosts a Web site that brags on his sightings of "Brown Boobies, Brown Noodies, Black-legged Kittawake and Aztec Thrush," to name a few rare birds, and he’s the driving force for an annual beach cleanup campaign.

He needs new customers to grow his guide business, but he’s aware of the dangers involved when hoards of people invade his beloved Padre Island National Seashore.

It’s a delicate dance; bring in new business, but don’t overrun nature’s bounty.

"The Hill Country has come to the beach," he said in a telephone interview this week. "There are a lot more people down here than ever before." And they don’t care about the old rules and courtesies that go along with fishing on the remote, open beaches.

"We used to say, if you could see the color of a man’s shirt, you were too close to him," Sandifer said. "You never pulled up between two men with bended rods. You went on down the beach. The fish would come to you eventually, any way."

But those subtle considerations seem to have blown away with the salt spray, he said. The more populated part of Padre Island National Seashore, or PINS as it’s referred to by the locals, covers the first 20 miles of the beach and Sandifer said it reminds him of "suburbia."

The kayak traffic on the back bays, he said, looks like a "shopping center parking lot." On weekends, the open bays are streaked with high-powered, shallow-water boats crisscrossing the sand and grass flats, and it seems that every other boat is piloted by a weekend guide.

Sandifer has a bay boat, and he offers guided trips on the bays, and on the open waters of the gulf.

But his reputation ties him to the surf on Padre Island and it’s there that most of his business takes place. It is his home in many ways, certainly his refuge.

At 62, he’s been fishing most of his life on the surf. He is a Vietnam veteran and when he returned from the war, he came back angry and full of hate, he said. He didn’t know what to make of his life, especially the cold, ungrateful reception he received in the United States.

"I bought a four-wheel drive vehicle and took off for the beach," he said. "It was a year and a half before I came out."

During that time, his face hardened to the sun and his fishing took on an almost Zen-like importance. He learned to catch sharks — all manner of sharks — and in the end, mostly big ones.

Over the years his reputation as a shark hunter grew. He began taking others with him and a business was built. He is a writer who contributes to a number of publications and he’s been the subject of innumerable stories himself.

Last month, he was honored as one of Field & Stream’s "Heroes of Conservation."

He explained in the magazine article what changed him from a shark hunter to a conservationist: "I’d catch sharks and kill many of them. But then I caught an 8 1/2 -foot, 340-pound pregnant bull shark. She was probably 30 years old. All I wanted to do was get her back into the water alive. That changed me."

He also began to look around at the seashore and he became angry at the piles and piles of debris that were piling. He organized a cleanup that continues to this day. The "Big Shell Cleanup" has removed an estimated 1.8 million pounds of trash from the 60-mile strip of coastline.

Now, he’s fighting another blight on the beach. For the past month, a red tide has scooted along the shoreline killing an incalculable number of fish.

Red tide is an algae bloom that creates toxins that attack the nervous system of some fish and paralyzes them and stops them from breathing. As they have piled along the beach, Sandifer’s business has come to a standstill.

"This is the time of year where we make our stash for the entire season," he said of the guide business. "We’ve had 37 days of the red tide and I’ve had to cancel all my trips. There are fish out there, in pockets, and we could catch them, but I don’t want to take my customers out in those conditions."

The red tide can create an "aerosol" condition that can cause eye and throat irritation in humans.

Sandifer has seen it all happen before, but he believes it comes with more regularity now. And no one knows when this tide will end. The water temperature is still in the low 70s and it needs to get to the high 50s for the tide to subside. "This could last until Christmas," he said.

But it will end, he promises. "I got $6,000 for the Field & Stream award," he said. "And if it wasn’t for that, I don’t know what I’d do. But when the red tide does disappear, the fish will be back within two hours. I don’t want anyone to think this is in any way Armageddon."

Somehow, with Sandifer’s help. The fishing will pick up, the beaches will get cleaned, the birds sighted, and Padre Island will absorb an increased number of admirers.

http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/story/1762938.html

Coastal Bend Birds 10/22-11/1

2009-11-01T08:02:00.000-08:00

Birding in the coastal bend has been very good this past week. Many of our winter residents are back in good numbers and there are still a few migrants around. Sandhill Cranes, geese, our winter ducks, and a few sparrows have been showing up in good numbers.

On 10/24 we saw an adult Bald Eagle building a nest at the Fennessey Ranch near Refugio. Several others have reported multiple eagles 2 weeks prior to my sighting.

On 10/25 I had about 40 Mountain Plovers near Chapman Ranch. They were at the intersection of CR67 and CR14A. Mel Cooksey found them the day before.

On 10/28 Craig and Connie McIntyre saw and photographed a rare Black-Tailed Gnatcatcher at their house in Rockport. Also at their house was a young male Rufous Hummingbird last seen on 10/30.

On 10/30 while birding the Aransas NWR I had a juv. Bald Eagle (see photo) fly over the picnic area. Also at the refuge was Pine Warblers, Carolina Chickadee, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Sandhill Cranes, and we had a single Sprague's Pipit on the way to the refuge. Also, the EXCELLENT birding area of oak trees next to the visitor's center is apparently off limits to the public now. We were told by the refuge law enforcement officer that nobody is allowed back there anymore. This is a great birding area, 2 years ago a Red-Headed Woodpecker stayed the winter there and one year I had a Tropical Parula there. Something must be done to keep this area open to the public.

On 11/1 I birded the Port Aransas Birding Center getting lots of ducks, several Marsh Wrens, Clapper Rails, Soras, Least Flycatcher, Blue-Headed Vireo, Peregrine Falcon, and all the other regulars.

Jon McIntyre
http://www.mcintyrebirdingtours.com/

Birding Update 10/12/09

2009-10-13T07:15:00.000-07:00

As reported by Billy Sandifer

In this picture is a Lesser Black Backed Gull presumed to be of the intermediate or Fuscus race seen for several days in the 18 mile area of Padre Island National Seashore. Our typical Lesser Black Backed Gull is the lighter race; graellsii.

Up to 9 Peregrines are seen daily with an average of 4 individuals per day on the Padre Island National Seashore beachfront. 1,300 Brown Pelicans were present between the 54 and 59 mile markers on October 11, 2009. Red Knots are still present but numbers are down. Many Common Terns are being seen. Ospreys, White-tailed Hawks, Caracara, Long-billed Curlews and occasional wimbrels are seen daily. Few Black Terns remain and it appears Least Terns have migrated for the year.

Sandwich, Royal and Caspian Terns are in good numbers as are Ring-billed, Herring and Laughing Gulls and a variety of Plovers. We still have 20 plus hummingbirds in the yard and I have seen both Grey Catbirds and a female Scarlett Tanager this morning. As of October 11^th, the aerosol effect of red tide was present along the beachfront although no dead fish were observed.

Good Birding.

Capt. Billy

Port Aransas Birds 10/5-10/7

2009-10-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

The last 3 days I birded Paradise Pond, the Port Aransas Birding Center, and the beach between Port Aransas and Corpus Christi. I tallied a total of 97 species in the last 3 days, all within the Port Aransas city limits. The biggest surprise was a female Black-Throated Blue Warbler at Paradise Pond on 10/5. The bird was found by Larry Jordan earlier in the day and I saw the bird twice between 4:30 and 5pm. The bird was seen again the next day by several others. Another rare bird for the fall was a Swainson's Warbler seen by Connie and Craig McIntyre at Paradise Pond on 10/6. Paradise Pond is still alive with migrants. In the last 3 days I had Nashville Warblers, Northern Parula, Yellow Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Black-and-White Warblers, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler, Canada Warbler, Summer Tanager, Scarlet Tanager, Indigo Bunting, Swainson's Thrush, Empids, and Red-Eyed Vireo. Good numbers of Red Knots still remain on the beach, I counted 39 on a 2 mile stretch on 10/6. Piping Plovers are also present in good numbers and huge numbers of Common Terns are on the beach as well. A Green Kingfisher is still present at the Port Aransas Birding Center. Soras are also beginning to show up in good numbers and I had a Clapper Rail at the birding center on 10/7.

Jon McIntyre
www.mcintyrebirdingtours.com

2009-10-01T11:52:00.000-07:00

And Then – There Were Hawks
By: Nan Dietert

It was Friday, about 12 o’clock, noon, and we were at Indian Point Park on the edge of Corpus Christi Bay showing a few birds to a friend. We had already loaded up and we were driving out of the park. Our friend was “quite taken” with the Great Blue Herons, so we stopped to observe a young second year bird who was putting on quite a show. Realizing that he could “push” four White Ibis off of his hunting grounds by crouching, flaring out his wings, lofting all his feathers to become larger than life, and walking toward his unwelcome neighbors in a threatening manner, he managed to control an entire small peninsula of land. Full of pride, he suddenly came to a halt, craned his head over to one side – and turning an eye skyward – froze. “What is he looking at?” I exclaimed. I couldn’t see over the roof of the car, but finally I got my head out of the window far enough to see a large kettle of hawks above us. “Out of the car, out of the car, everyone get out of the car as fast as you can!” I hollered. Our friend was hopelessly trapped in her seat belt, but finally managed a fairly graceful exit. Directly above us, was a kettle of a hundred and twenty Broad-winged Hawks and about twenty-four Anhingas. They were kettling, as hawk watchers call it – swirling around in a thermal or a rising column of hot air – trying to gain height. They were too far to the south. They had ridden a slightly unfavorable current too long and now they were caught on the edge of the bay. There are no thermals over large bodies of water and most hawks avoid the water by seeking routes that steer them well clear of it. But these had misjudged. They were seeking altitude and an upper air stream with a more westerly or northwesterly course. When they got further inland, they would seek another thermal and find another stream of air heading south again. We were the recipients of their miscalculation. Usually you must travel farther inland yourself, to have a good chance of seeing migrating raptors and that’s precisely what was scheduled for the next day.
Saturday, September 26 was the annual Hawk Migration Trip on the Fennessey Ranch. Located just six miles south of Refugio and situated along the Mission River, it is on the main flyway for migrating raptors.
Saturday’s weather seemed favorable; we were still on the heels of a cold-front. We started the morning off in a wetland and quickly spotted an adult Bald Eagle only a few hundred feet away. It was the first one seen on the ranch since our successful breeding pair left in early April. It was a good beginning and I hoped a good omen. By 9 AM the thermals were beginning to rise and we headed towards the river. As we drove, we began to discover roosting Broad-winged Hawks. Just a few at first, and then swarms of them began to lift-off and rise. They formed kettles and began to stream-out as they found their train rides south. They were all around us. Which way to look was the question? To stop or to move to more open ground was the problem. “How to estimate…?” I asked myself. Less than a thousand – would be my gut feeling. That Saturday, somewhere between five to eight hundred Broad-winged Hawks had spent the night along the Mission River on the Fennessey Ranch and lifted-off on top of us! Folks, it doesn’t get much better than that! Go birding!

Hazel Bazemore Park Hawk Watch

2009-10-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

On Friday, September 25: Broad-winged Hawks: 13,159 (GBHeron day)

On Sat. Sept. 26: Broad-winged Hawks: 57,102 (including one dark). (Fennessey day)

On Sunday, Sept. 27: Broad-winged Hawks: 35,373 (including 7 dark).

On Monday, September 28: Broad-winged Hawks: 92,572 (including 2 dark).

Season Totals of Broad-winged Hawks: 262,393 .....Broad-winged hawks passed over Hazel Bazemore Park -- since August 15th (this summer).

Suter Wildlife Refuge Report

2009-09-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

As reported by Mary Mauel...

Location: Suter Wildlife Refuge
Observation date: 9/8/09
Notes: The weather was overcast from rains the night before. The sun did not come out until 10:30am. The trails were muddy from the good rain and there was water in the creek where the bridge one crosses before entering the board walk. That is where the Louisiana Waterthrushes were observed. More rain is expected here at this site during September 9-12, 2009. A possible female American Wigeon was spotted today. However someone else and I will have to verify it because I could not see it clear enough with my binoculars. It was mixed in with the Mottled Ducks on the shore line to the right of the end of the board walk. Good birding!
It was cooler on this morning and probably about 75 degress F. Butterfly species observed were 7 Western Pygmy Blue, and 1 male Pipevine Swallowtail. The butterflies were observed from entering the South Entrance to the park. The Western Pygmy Blue is only observed along the shore line by entering at the South Entrance to the park and walking down to the shore line and observing them on their larval host plant. There were some Sea Oxeye Daisy still blooming which they do like to nectar on also.
Number of species: 44

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: 12— Flew over head while on the board walk.
Mottled Duck: 20
Pied-billed Grebe: 7— Swmimming and diving in the bay.
American White Pelican: 100
Brown Pelican: 6
Neotropic Cormorant: 8
Least Bittern: 1
Great Blue Heron: 25
Great Egret: 15
Snowy Egret: 5
Little Blue Heron: 1
Tricolored Heron: 3
Reddish Egret: 2—Observed 1 as the white morph feeding in the bay near the shore line and the
dark morph perched on top of a tree like shrub near the lagoon.
Green Heron: 2—Feeding for fish along the lagoon.
Black-crowned Night-Heron: 1— Observed the adult standing in the lagoon at 7 am.
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron: 2—Observed the adult in the bay and the immature in the lagoon.
White Ibis: 1—Feeding by the end of the board walk along the shore line.
Roseate Spoonbill: 7
Sora: 3—Juvenile was feeding on the dry land picking up washed up small fish and other items of interest right where the water meets the dirt. He was flicking up his beigy brown tail for about 10 minutes having a good time feeding after the good rains filled up the lagoon and the Oso Bay on Monday night, September 7, 2009. The waters in the bay were high along all the shores. The adults were feeding along the lagoon. Both adults were observed for about 3 hours. It was a good day for herons and rails.
Common Moorhen: 2
American Coot: 4
Black-necked Stilt: 19
American Avocet: 3
Willet: 1—Was in his winter plumage.
Sanderling: 5
Semipalmated Sandpiper: 1
Western Sandpiper: 1
Laughing Gull: 50
Caspian Tern: 2
Forster's Tern: 1
Mourning Dove: 5
Black-chinned Hummingbird: 1
Golden-fronted Woodpecker: 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee: 2
Eastern Phoebe: 1
Couch's Kingbird: 2
Loggerhead Shrike: 2
Nashville Warbler: 1
Yellow Warbler: 2
Louisiana Waterthrush: 3
Northern Cardinal: 2
Red-winged Blackbird: 6
Great-tailed Grackle: 10

Location: Suter Wildlife Refuge
Observation date: 9/3/09
Notes: Sunny, clear, skies; very humid, probably about 77 degrees F. This was the temperature at the beginning of the birding time at 8am and was probably around 87-90 degrees by the end because of the humidity factored in for the day time heating already. Good birding!
Number of species: 34

Mottled Duck: 10—Swimming in the lagoon.
American White Pelican: 75
Brown Pelican: 5
Neotropic Cormorant: 4—In the lagoon.
Least Bittern: 1—Fishing in the lagoon.
Great Blue Heron: 20
Great Egret: 4
Tricolored Heron: 1—Fishing in the lagoon.
Green Heron: 3—The immature and the 2 adults were fishing in the lagoon.
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron: 1—in the lagoon
White Ibis: 1—Only had the brown on the neck remaining as a juvenile.
Roseate Spoonbill: 25
Purple Gallinule: 3—Juveniles foraging with the adult in the lagoon.
Common Moorhen: 2—Foraging in the lagoon.
American Coot: 2—Swimming in the lagoon.
Wilson's Plover: 1—Full breeding plumage.
Black-necked Stilt :15
American Avocet: 1—in breeding plumage in the bay.
Willet: 5
Marbled Godwit: 4
Ruddy Turnstone: 2—Molting between breeding and winter plumage.
Sanderling: 10
Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher: 5
Laughing Gull: 50
Black Skimmer: 3
Black-chinned Hummingbird: 3—Nectaring and perching at times by the flowers and shrubs at the Butterfly Garden.
Loggerhead Shrike : 2
Tennessee Warbler: 2
Yellow-throated Warbler: 1—Observed him to be the Interior East with the white lores and had just caught a dragonfly and was working on eating it along the trail.
Northern Cardinal: 2—Coming the sprinkler along the beginning of the trail at the parking lot.
Red-winged Blackbird: 10
Great-tailed Grackle: 6

Join us for the Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony and Grand Opening of Blucher Park

2009-09-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

Blucher Park Enhancements to be unveiled at September 17 Grand Opening

Blucher Park, a well-known park popular with birders, has undergone a transformation receiving about $86,000 worth of improvements, which will benefit both the birds and the birders who enjoy them.

The Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau and the City of Corpus Christi will host a Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony and Grand Opening of the Blucher Park Enhancement Project during a press conference at 11 a.m. September 17, 2009 at the park located at the corner of Carrizo and Blucher streets.

Blucher Park is one of the major "Fall Out" or resting stops along the migratory pathway. The park is known worldwide among the birding community. The goal of the project is to enhance the visitor experience in Blucher Park through a defined trail system and educational signage with the protection of bird habitat at the forefront.

The improvements include a trail system mulched with native wood chips, a pedestrian bridge, eight individual seating units, 12 way-finding markers, removal of invasive plants and the addition of two chimney swift towers within an interpretive kiosk. The Chimney Swift kiosks will serve as nesting and roosting sites for the birds. Improvements will be completed in time for fall migration.

Chimney Swifts are sleek birds with crescent-shaped wings and acrobatic flight patterns. They migrate to North America from the Amazon River Basin each spring to breed and raise their young. They can be seen arriving in Corpus Christi in March and usually make the city their home thru the summer months to roost and nest, leaving the area with the first major cold-front. Large flocks of Chimney Swifts will roost in a single chimney or tower, however only one nesting pair will nest in a chimney at a time. To help conserve the Chimney Swift the CVB partnered with local birders and architects to design the two chimneys.

The CVB spearheaded the Blucher Park Enhancement Project and challenged the public and private sector to fund the $86,000 project with matching funds provided by the CVB. Funding was secured by in-kind services, grants and sponsorships from: Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program, American Birding Association, AEP Texas and the City of Corpus Christi Parks & Recreation Department. The project was generated from the Coastal Bend Nature Tourism Initiative, a project of the CVB.

The Coastal Bend Nature Tourism Initiative fund-raising effort allows stakeholders the ability to improve several sites throughout the area that can draw significantly more visitors when improved, interpreted and packaged for marketing. Blucher Park is the first of three planned park improvements, which have been initiated and organized by the CVB.

It is the goal of the CVB to be a nationally recognized Nature Tourism Destination within five years and internationally renowned in 10 years.

The Coastal Bend alone has an impressive 153 nature & birding sites in the area available to birders and nature lovers year round. For more information on Blucher Park and other birding sites in the Coastal Bend, visit http://www.birdthebend.com/

Bird Sighting Update

2009-09-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

As reported by Billy Sandifer

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

I drove the entire length of the Padre Island National Seashore beachfront September 8, 2009. Approximately 20,000 Black Terns showed up in the first 15 miles late in the day…The most seen in some time. Anchovies must be nearshore in that area. A total of 28 Red Knots were observed in small scattered bunches. Lesser numbers of Little Blue Herons, Yellow-crowned Night Herons and Snowy Egrets were observed migrating. At 2:35 p.m. at the 59 mile beach I observed an adult Sabine's Gull steadily headed South about 100 yards offshore. No brown was visable in the wing which leads me to call this individual an adult. I tried in vain to get a picture but the distance was too far away by the time I could get to the camera. Mel Cooksey reports the 2 Brown Noddies are still on the bouy at the Port A. jetties and that a black backed type gull was reported from the 5 mile on the Padre Island National Seashore yesterday afternoon. I never saw the bird and no photo was taken by the observer. Keep your eyes open, it could be a Kelp Gull. Had a Mourning Warbler in the yard this morning and my wife is now tending 17 hummingbird feeders. Numbers seemed down today. One Allens/Rufous first year bird remained among the regulars.

Friday, September 11, 2009

72 Red Knots total, which is the highest count in some time. What is unusual is they are quite scattered instead of in the usual area—7 were at the 43 mile, 17 were at the 58 mile and 4 were at the 59 mile. This is unusual indeed.

Good Birding, Capt. Billy

Old Friends and New Journeys

2009-09-08T07:23:00.000-07:00

As reported by Nan Dietert

Old friends wear well and lately old friends have been responsible for my well-being, both physically and spiritually. These friends have come in two forms; both human and non-human.

Late in the summer I was in need of some knee repair. I needed two good knees for the fall migration and I needed some time for healing, but I was beginning to run out of time. My friends began to offer help on every level. Friends from Austin, where I wished to have the surgery done, took care of me and offered their homes, their support, and home delivery – if needed. And while I took care of our parrot, Lyndon, my friend and husband, took care of all my responsibilities at home, our remarkable Scottish-fold cat, and my beloved willow trees; increasing the amount of water carried to them, from 11 to 17 gallons each evening! My friends in Port Aransas offered anything and everything to speed my recovery. And the birds from Central Texas to the Coastal Bend – filled my inner reservoirs and brought me peace and strength. All of these friends make up my world. These things are my world.

A birder’s world expands though, with the coming of any migration and the fall migration has now begun in earnest. Like birders everywhere, I’ve been waiting for the fall migration since the spring migration ended. The birds are now coming through in numbers large enough that almost everyone is experiencing migrants in their backyards and our birding sites are teaming with birds from a large variety of species.

“Firsts”, of all kinds are showing up on everyone’s check list: the first Northern Harrier, first Peregrine Falcon, first large groups of Blue-winged Teal, first Mississippi Kites, first Sora rail and so on.

Many songbirds came in with last Saturday’s front. When the wind shifted, it was an easy “freight-train” for any migrants that were fattening up and staging to our north. Baltimore Orioles now joined their Orchard Oriole-cousins, and begged to compete in shear numbers for the most numerous beauties in the garden. Many vireos and too many flycatchers to mention came in along with warblers, buntings, tanagers, kingbirds, Dickcissals, and Lark Sparrows! What a sight for a birder’s eyes. There have been so many Yellow-breasted Chats, Mourning Warblers, and Canada Warblers in the Joan and Scott Holt Paradise Pond, that I am truly unable to estimate their numbers. They are at every turn and they are flying across your field of view as you count the birds in front of you!

A few days ago, our first Chuck-will’s-widow of the season came into Paradise Pond and began to hunt while we were watering the small willow trees. Their hunting techniques had been described to me but I’d never seen them before. Like all of birding, it was an experience to remember for a lifetime.

The shear numbers of Black Terns that have recently stacked-up in our area have been remarkable. Look up any time of the day and they are traversing our island – everyday – all day long, and they have been for months.

These birds, that we share our existence with, move into and through our area twice each year. They have sensed “the fall promise” – a promise of food, rest, and survival – if they will travel south across parts of the globe, unknown to them many of them, and led by instincts we are still studying and learning to appreciate. Follow them on their epic journey south and wait for their return in the spring. If you wish, make them a part of your world. Go birding.

Chitter Chatter...

2009-09-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

Bird Sightings around town!

From Linda Lanoue on Hwy 188 west of bypass Hwy 35:

August 31, 2009

We went to the Corpus Christi Library today & when we were finished went for a walk in Blucher Park. It was teeming with hummingbirds; they were everywhere. Also warblers: Black-and-white, Yellow, Oven Birds, huge numbers of Mourning & quite a few Chats, along with Baltimore & Orchard Orioles, Great Crested Flycatchers & Empids. Hummers outnumbered everything else, though, by far.

At home we still have most of the birds from 2 days ago & they've been joined by Mourning & Black-and-white Warblers, an Eastern Wood Pewee & a Summer Tanager. As voracious as these birds are, I'm not sure there will be any berries left for the next group.

We have a mature male cardinal that is more orange than red. Not as bright as an Oriole, but orange enough that I do a double-take every time I get a glimpse of him.

From Lee Hutchins in Sinton:

This may be of some interest…Last Friday, August 28th, in San Diego, TX while watching the football game I looked up and saw this bird and thought it was a Nighthawk. On its second pass over the field I found that it was a Rock Dove. This Rock Dove was catching insects in the lights. This went on for half the game or longer. I've never seen anything like this before. That Rock Dove must have been mighty short on food.

Scott Holt in Port Aransas reports a 'yard full' of Orchard and Baltimore Orioles after he mowed and turned on the sprinklers. He also reports seeing three Chuck-Will's Widows, an Oven Bird, and a Bell's Vireo among others.

From Bron Rorex in Country Club:
September 1, 2009
Banding was insane Tuesday morning. I didn’t even get inside till almost 1:30pm. Think we banded about 60 ruby-throats, many great-crested Flycatchers & chats, a handful of empids, a Prothonatory warbler, a northern Waterthrush, & a hatch-year mocker. The first net run this morning had 39 ruby-throats plus assorted passerines; started the morning off with a bang. The self-capturing trap does grab some birds; I need to find time to make some more of them; mend my torn net & make more hummer bands

From Mary Mauel at the South Texas Botanical Gardens:

September 1, 2009

This is the beginning of the fall migration. It was overcast. It was thundering in the southwest away from the gardens. The temperature was probably 85 degrees Fahrenheit , and probably winds from the south. Butterfly species observed were 2 Cloudless Sulphur in the Butterfly House, 1 female Queen nectaring on Mistflower, 1 female Pipevine Swallowtail nectaring on Lantana, 2 male Fiery Skipper, 2 Little Yellow, and 1 Sachem. Good birding!

Great Egret:1—Fishing in Oso Creek.

Turkey Vulture:3—Flying over head.

Killdeer:1— Heard over head.

Laughing Gull:2

White-winged Dove:2

Mourning Dove:5

Inca Dove:3—Heard behind the Hummingbird Garden.

Chimney Swift:2

Ruby-throated Hummingbird:10—Observed at the hummingbird feeders.

Western Kingbird:1—Observed at the bird blind by the Tree…Demonstration Area in full breeding plumage.

White-eyed Vireo:1—Heard along the Bird and Butterfly Trail.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher:1—Observed in full breeding plumage.

Northern Mockingbird:2

Yellow-breasted Chat:1—Observed in the Sensory Garden on the Olive Tree.

Northern Cardinal:3—Observed the male juvenile feeding at the bird blind. The female adults were at the beginning of the Wetlands Trail.

Dickcissel:2—Observed 2 first winter females at the entrance to the Wetlands Trail. They were calling to one another.

Red-winged Blackbird:50—Observed and heard on the grounds of the gardens. Thirty three of them were flying over head.

Baltimore Oriole:2—Both were feeding on Root Beer Berries of the Root Beer Plant in the Sensory Garden. The female was a first year female and the male was in full adult breeding plumage.

House Sparrow:5—At the bird blind.

Successful Birding Weekend

2009-08-31T10:14:00.000-07:00

As reported by Joan Holt in Port Aransas:

On Saturday morning, my yard was hopping with flycatchers, orioles and warblers so I called Ann Vaughan and headed to Paradise Pond. We were rewarded with many birds coming to the water drips and feeding in the willows and the chance to bird with Ron Weeks. The birds we saw and heard were Inca dove, upland sandpipers (h), least, yellow bellied and willow/alder flycatchers, eastern wood pewee, great-crested flycatcher, white- eyed vireo, Bell’s vireo (which was a first for me at Paradise Pond), warbling vireo, red-eyed vireo, Wilson’s, yellow, black and white, mourning, and Canada warblers, Common yellowthroat, yellow-breasted chat, Northern mockingbird, orchard and Baltimore orioles, and Northern cardinals. Later in my yard I added green heron, chuck-wills widow, ruby-throated hummingbirds, eastern kingbird, orange-crowned warbler, painted buntings and dickcissels to the list. A truly great day in Port Aransas even though we missed the brown noddy at the jetty. We will try again on Monday.

As reported by Ernie Edmundson at the Preserve off Hwy 1781

Have seen a Lesser Goldfinch two days in a row coming to the birdbath.

We had a pair of Baltimore Orioles and Yellow Breasted Chat competing with the Mockingbirds for American beautyberries. There aren’t many berries this year with the drought, but they managed to find the ones in my yard that have gotten enough water to bear fruit.

I've seen a Yellow Warbler along with many Ruby-throated hummers and our Buff Bellied hummers.

Update on Bird Sightings

2009-08-26T10:48:00.000-07:00

As reported by Billy Sandifer, Tuesday, August 25, 2009

LOTS going on in the bird world for those willing to get out without A.C.

Mel Cooksey reports 2 Brown Noddies being seen at the end of the Port Aransas jetties at once. To my knowledge that is the first time 2 of this species have ever been seen in Texas at one time. Red-necked Phalarope has been seen at Port Aransas as well. The Curlew Sandpiper has been seen once again on the mud flats of the West side of the Oso, Yellow-breasted Chats are moving through in large numbers; especially at Pollywog Pond and will continue through early September. 100 Buff-bellied Sandpipers are being seen at the sod farm South of highway 664 across from Hazel Bazemore Park. This sod farm is going to be invaluable as a birding resource. It's the first habitat of it's kind in the Coastal Bend and as folks frequent it more and more there are going to be some really great sightings. The Ruby-throated and Black-chinned Hummingbirds are beginning their migration through our area in ever increasing numbers and I have a beautiful adult Rufous Male Humingbird in my yard the past 3 days as well as the resident Buff-bellied.

I've also had Orchard Orioles, Yellow-breasted Chat and female Canada Warbler here in the yard. I've been fishing offshore lately and large numbers of Black Terns are everywhere. I did see one lone Sooty Tern 6 miles offshore of the Padre Island National Seashore on Saturday, August 22nd.

Awful cool stuff. Get out and see some of it.

Capt. Billy Sandifer

Hawkwatch Celebrates Flight Nationwide

2009-08-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

Birders descend on Hazel Bazemore Park for 3-month-long event

CORPUS CHRISTI - Birders are descending on Hazel Bazemore County Park in Calallen for Corpus Christi Hawkwatch, which began Saturday, August 15 and will run through November 15.

Hawkwatch is the largest and most diverse raptor migration count conducted in the United States and averages more than 730,000 raptors each fall.

A "Celebration of Flight", which is a three-day festival, will be held September 25 to 27. The celebration is scheduled during the peak of raptor migration over the Coastal Bend when daily raptor flights of more than 100,000 have been experienced.

During the festival, representatives with HawkWatch International will host morning bird walks and lectures about these majestic raptors.Also, at 10 a.m. each Saturday at Hazel Bazemore County Park during the three-month long event, there will be lectures given about raptors, their conservation and why it is so important that migration counts, such as in Corpus Christi, continue.

Last year, some 800 avid and beginning birders participated in Hawkwatch.

Hazel Bazemore Park is one of the parks operated by the Nueces County Parks and Recreation Department. The 77.6-acre park is located on the Nueces River in Calallen, just off of Farm Road 624 and County Road 6.

Info: www.ccbirding.com/thw

Curlew Sandpiper Spotted- RARE SIGHTING

2009-08-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

As Reported by Mel Cooksey:

A post-breeding Curlew Sandpiper was spotted, apparently a female, in the flats at the mouth of the Cayo del Oso in Corpus Christi. Mel spotted the bird about 7:30 PM on Monday, August 17th, and worked frantically with the remaining light to get digiscope photos, but could not.

Directions: Go to the intersection of Ennis Joslin and Ocean Drive. Park in the parking lot of the closed restaurant on the north side of the intersection. Walk down into the flats about ¼ mile or so, to the edge of the water in the very center of the flats. The flats are dusty dry, maybe slightly damp in the morning. Walk to the waters edge, and scan the shallow pools, around the short vegetation and small mangroves. There are LOTS of shorebirds here, with hundreds of Western Sandpipers as the main species, so it may take awhile to find the bird if it is still there.

Description: You are looking for a Dunlin-sized bird, although not as "squat", a bit more delicate, and longer-legged, although not as long-legged as Stilt Sandpiper. The main feature is some remnant blotchy rufous feathers on the belly. These show up well. The bird is in pretty advanced molt, well on its way to full basic. The back feathers appear to be a combination of black/white/gray mostly old feathers. There are some cold gray new feathers mixed in, maybe mostly around the scapulars. The belly appears to be mainly whitish, with some black spotting. I noticed no rufous feathers around the head or throat; they were whitish gray and appeared to be very lightly streaked. If you are chasing this bird, just look for the rufous markings on the belly. If you have The Shorebird Guide by O'Brien et. al., check the molting female at photo 5 on page 297. This is very close to our Oso bird. I noticed a whitish area at the lower back, and don't know if this was feather wear, or the white rump exposed below primaries.

A key feature is the bill shape. It is all black, very thin and gradually decurved throughout its length, with a thin tip. Dunlin has a slightly heavier bill, with a more abrupt droop at the tip. Here is a photo of Dunlin and Curlew Sandiper together, to illustrate bill shape.

http://www.birdphoto.fi/lajikuvat/kuvahtml/3calfer316.html

It is really too early for Dunlins, although I did see one in full basic plumage at this location on Saturday. There are numerous Stilt Sandpipers present. Be advised there is also a Red Knot present, which would likely be the only other bird with reddish blotches on the underparts. There are lots of dowitchers, mainly Short-billed.

I was able to see the bird fly for a short distance, and clearly observed the white rump with NO central line, and gray upper tail feathers. My total observation time was about 20 minutes, at about 70-80 feet. The bird probed and picked at the surface, and was quite active. There is lots of scattered short vegetation which makes photography rather difficult. Especially when you're a lousy photographer like me. Will try again on Tuesday, August 18th, in the morning for photos.

Mel Cooksey

Beach Birding Update

2009-08-17T07:11:00.000-07:00

By Billy Sandifer

On August 17th, Mel Cooksey reported 700 Buff-bellied Sandpipers at the sod farm off Highway 664, a Zone-tailed hawk and Least Grebes being regular at Pollywog Pond and an unusually high number of shorebirds on the mud flats on the West side of Oso Bay. We saw our first Orchard Oriole of the season on July 22nd, and the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are beginning to move though in small numbers. This will increase dramatically in September. By the third week of September, we usually have over 70 Ruby-thoated and Black-chinned Hummingbirds in our yard here in Flour Bluff daily.

There are LOTS of birds on the beach. I observed 2 Hudsonian Gobwits on July 20th. These birds are typically not seen here this time of year. I'm seeing more than 20,000 Black Terns daily as well as good numbers of Tri-colored, Little Blue and Great White Herons, Snowy and Cattle Egrets, Yellow-crowned Night-Herons and occasional Reddish Egrets migrating daily. Some Red Knots are usually seen daily in the area between the 15 1/2 and 20 mile beach although numbers are small. Piping, Semi-palmated, Snowy and Wilson's Plover are seen daily as are RuddyTurnstones, Sanderlings, Willets, Long-billed Curlews, Ring-billed and Laughing Gulls, Brown Pelicans and all of the resident and migrating Tern species. Occasional "peep' and Spotted Sandpipers are seen as are Turkey Vultures, Caracaras and White-tailed hawks. September is THE month to see a Sabine's Gull in Texas, and the Padre Island National Seashore is the most reliable place to see this bird in TX. I have 1-3 sightings every September. The tremendous numbers of birds on the beaches of the Padre Island National Seashore this time of year is genuinely spectacular and one of the most overlooked wonders in the Natural World of Texas. Enjoy.

Capt. Billy

2009-08-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

The hummingbirds are coming!

(Rockport-Fulton, Texas – August 3,2009) What bird is known as the

acrobat of the air? This same bird can cruise at 25 miles per hour and dive at more than three times this speed. It can hover at a standstill and even fly upside down. Of course, we’re talking about the tiny gem of the bird species, the hummingbird. They will come through Rockport and Fulton in waves by the thousands beginning mid-August.

This is the time to give our feathered friends a little extra help to fuel their continued migration south so get those feeders out.

Remember to always start with clean feeders. Any time you see or suspect mildew or mold you may clean them with a bottle brush and a mixture of one part bleach to ten parts water, but rinse very thoroughly. To refill the feeder, use a sugar solution of one part sugar (no sugar substitutes or honey) to four parts water. Do not vary this formula. If the sugar solution is more concentrated, there is a possibility of it being harmful to the birds by dehydrating them. Heat the water to a slight boil, remove from heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Fill feeders with the solution after it cools. Adding color is absolutely unnecessary, and may even be injurious. The red color of the feeder attracts the birds. Unused sugar water can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks (a covered container). Feeders should be cleaned and refilled with sugar water every two to three days or immediately at the first sign of mold. To make your yard even more inviting to hummingbirds, plant some hummingbird attractant plants.

Hummingbirds are bullies, always have been, always will be. And there isn’t just one bully; they’re all combative. Hanging feeders in a cluster can ease some of the competition but not all. The hummingbirds rarely hurt each other so just enjoy the show.

We may not want the hummingbirds to leave but leave they will. Let’s all help them out and send them on their way with a good store of energy for their journey and look for their return in spring.

Your chance to view these fascinating birds will be at the 21^st Annual Hummer/Bird Celebration in Rockport and Fulton, Texas which is set for the peak of the migration Sept. 17-20, 2009. The event will feature keynote speakers daily, bus and boat birding trips, workshops, over 80 exhibitors, and much more. Brochures are available at the Chamber office or go online at www.rockporthummingbird.com.

Billy Sandifer nominated for Heroes of Conservation Award

2009-06-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

By: Michelle Horine

Nicknamed the "Padre of Padre Island", local fishing guide, birder, & conservationist Billy Sandifer received a shocking phone call from Field & Stream Magazine recently. The magazine's editor and chief informed Sandifer that he had been nominated for their "Heroes of Conservation Award". Sandifer was selected for the August Edition "Heroes of Conservation" which pays $1,000 and a an all expense paid trip to Washington D.C. in October for the semi-finals. If selected for the overall award, Sandifer has a chance at winning $4,000 and a brand new Toyota Tundra. "I don't feel as if I've done anything to justify all of this, says Sandifer. It has been the back breaking work of volunteers that has caused all of this to transpire."

For years, the humbled Captain has been recognized locally for his work as the recipient of a Conservation & Environmental Stewardship Award given by the Coastal Bend Bays Foundation as well as the organizer of the "The Big Shell Beach Clean Up" for the past 14 years. This year's clean-up was featured on the Texas Country Reporter with Bob Phillips where more than 500 volunteers cleaned up 800,000 pounds of debris from the Padre Island National Seashore.

Without fail, Sandifer hand writes his daily fishing and birding reports with intent detail. At the end of each quarter he types up those reports and turns them into the Padre Island National Seashore and the Texas Bird Records Committee for research and conservation purposes. He does this, not because he has to, but because he wants to. This type of documentation is a tremendous resource in evaluating and protecting each and every species that can and has been spotted in the area.

"You are a Texas Icon and a Texas Treasure" replied, Dr. Ray Emerson, friend and supporter of Sandifer after hearing of the news.

Corpus Christi Wins 'America's Birdiest City'

2009-06-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

Birding Title Awarded to

Corpus Christi for the 7th year in a Row!

Corpus Christi- The results are in and Corpus Christi once again celebrates the title of 'America's Birdiest City'. Corpus Christi has held the title consecutively each year since 2003.

The annual nationwide contest determines the best city for birding after hundreds of avid birders from around the country count the number of species seen betweetn April 1 and May 31. Within the two-month span of the contest, participating cities and counties selected a 72-hour window to count birds, making it a fast-paced competition somewhat like a scavenger hunt.

Local birders united again this year and counted a total of 217 species of birds in our city. The team was made of members from the Audubon Outdoor Club, Coastal Bend Audubon Society and many other birders. San Diego, California came in second with 198 species of birds.

"The win for our area was bigger than it might appear, because of the weather conditions," said Keith Arnold, CEO of the Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau. "In spite of the gale force wind, we were able to regain the 'America's Birdiest City' title while the American Birding Association was holding its national convention in Corpus Christi. This distincting continues to embellish the CVB's nature tourism marketing for the region."

The 2009 results released the morning of Monday, June 15, 2009 declared Corpus Christi the overall winner as 'America's Birdiest City'. Nueces County was named the Birdiest Coastal County along the Gulf Coast with 238 birds.

Avid Birder and this year's local competition organizer Larry Jordan said the competition was intense not just becasue of the wind, but also the drought and high tides forcing the participants to overcome obstacles not typically present.

Link to Corpus Christi Caller Times Article: http://caller.com/news/2009/jun/15/corpus_christi_is_birdiest_city/

Announcing Bird the Bend

2009-04-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

CVB Launches New Interactive Web site Aimed at Birders

Press conference to announce BirdtheBend.com

(Corpus Christi, TX - April 13, 2009) The launch of a new interactive Web site, BirdtheBend.com, aimed at attracting birders from the area, nation and world will be announced at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 15, 2009 during a press conference in the Antigua Room of the Radisson Beach Hotel North Beach, 3200 E. Surfside Blvd.

The Web site, Birdthebend.com created by the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitor's Bureau, will be one of the most technologically advanced birding sites available worldwide featuring tools such as E-bird, which allows birders to post the birds they spot throughout the Corpus Christi area and an interactive blog allowing them to "tweet" using Twitter.

BirdtheBend.com is the model Web site for future nature tourism sites, each focused on our unique outdoor experiences. The next sites will be developed in the following order: Fishing and Hunting, Kayaking, Windsurfing, Surfing, Sailing & Kiteboarding, and Wildlife Photography. Once all of the components are designed the sites will be grouped together in a convenient portal to serve as a one-stop-shop for the ultimate outdoor experience in the Coastal Bend.

BirdtheBend.com was created as part of the Corpus Christi CVB's Nature Tourism Initiative which is currently in Phase II of the project with the assistance of Fermata, Inc., a Houston-based nature consulting firm. The Coastal Bend alone has an impressive 153 nature & birding sites in the area available to bird watchers and nature lovers year round. The CVB believes BirdtheBend.com will propel Corpus Christi and the surrounding areas into the nature tourism spotlight making it the premiere destination.

Before the press conference about 30 area birders will receive hands-on training to learn how to fully interact with BirdtheBend.com thus preparing them for the annual American Birding Association's 2009 conference being held April 27 to May 3 in Corpus Christi.

The Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau's mission is "to drive overnight visitor$ to the Corpus Christi Area". For more information about the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau or to plan your next trip to Corpus Christi, visit www.corpuschristicvb.com or call 1-800-678-6232.

Blucher Park Improvements Press Release

2009-02-22T13:44:00.000-08:00

Blucher Park Improvements are for the BIRDS...
Birders and Nature Lovers will benefit too!

(Corpus Christi, TX - February 20, 2009) Almost half of the seven million visitors that flock to Corpus Christi each year are bird watchers and nature lovers. The Coastal Bend is the perfect place to view birds and is one of the top birding destinations in the world located at the point where two migration 'super highways' converge. Hundreds of different bird species stop to rest and fuel during spring and fall migrations. And Blucher Park is one of the major "Fall Out" or resting stops along the way.

Blucher Park provides a green space in the heart of downtown Corpus Christi. Several footpaths have been created throughout the park to allow visitors a chance to explore the natural surroundings of the park. Known worldwide the park attracts bird watchers year round in search of flycatchers, thrushes, vireos, warblers, chimney swifts and dozens more species. This densely wooded park with a small creek flowing through its center contributes to the coveted title, "America's Birdiest City" claimed by our city six years in a row.

Just a little over 4 acres in size, Blucher Park was donated to the city by the Blucher family in 1914. In 1990 a small group of birders raised $5,000 from Conoco Phillips and committed to the creation of a richly diverse bird habitat in Blucher Park. To this day, some of those same birders meet at the Park every Monday afternoon during daylight savings time to clean and maintain it. They call themselves the "Blucher Bunch" and can tell you where nearly every plant in the park originated. Their passion and knowledge of Blucher Park is priceless.

The Blucher Park Enhancement Project was generated from the Coastal Bend Nature Tourism Initiative, a project of the Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau. Keith Arnold, President/CEO of the CVB, believes "Growing and marketing nature tourism in the Coastal Bend is the answer to gaining new business from leisure travelers. Birding, hunting, wind surfing and kite boarding, wildlife photography, fishing, kayaking, etc. are exceptional in the Corpus Christi region. As we work to package these products to increase essential visitor spending, it is equally important that the CVB serve as a catalyst and a facilitator to improving our nature sites and experiences. Blucher Park was selected as a model project for enhancement of an existing site that draws international nature tourists, but with meaningful, thoughtful improvements can migrate from a good attraction to a great attraction."

The improvements will include a defined trail system mulched with native wood chips, pedestrian bridge, seating stones, way-finding markers, removal of invasive plants and a chimney swift tower kiosk. The Chimney Swift (a cigar shaped bird with slender wings) is believed to be declining in numbers, partly due to the disappearance of many old chimneys. To help conserve the Chimney Swift the CVB is designing a chimney shaped tower above the kiosk to provide the much needed habitat for the birds to roost and nest. The project will also include signage, graffiti removal, improved park maintenance, and increased bike patrols. The total expenses for the enhancement project including in-kinds services totals $85,710.

The CVB has committed a dollar for dollar match up to $50,000 to support this and several other park improvement projects in the city. In addition the American Birding Association (ABA) has granted $2,500 to the project as part of their Convention Conservation Project. Richard Payne, President of ABA commented, "We are very proud to join the Corpus Christi CVB as well as the City of Corpus Christi in recognizing the value of such a remarkable urban oasis and sharing that desire to enhance its habitat value for the birds that reside and visit there." ABA will be hosting their convention in Corpus Christi this spring. The support of financial partners and grants will help the CVB and its Coastal Bend Nature Tourism Initiative stakeholders the ability to improve several sites throughout the area that can draw significantly more visitors when improved, interpreted and packaged for aggressive marketing.

The Nature Tourism Initiative is currently in Phase II of the planning stages for an interactive website, informational kiosks and marketing collateral with the assistance of Fermata, Inc., a Houston-based nature consultant firm. The Coastal Bend alone has an impressive 153 nature & birding sites in the area available to bird watchers and nature lovers year round.

Contact:

Michelle Horine
Communications Director
Corpus Christi CVB
361-881-1818 office
361-446-4152 cell
361-888-4998 fax
mhorine@cctexas.org

Coastal Bend Shines in Great Backyard Bird Count

2009-02-17T07:46:00.001-08:00

The 2009 Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) has finished its four-day run (the last day being Monday, President's Day) and Coastal Bend communities lead the nation! Corpus Christi reported the most species in the nation (176). Rockport is third (160), Aransas Pass is tied for fifth (152), and Kingsville is in ninth with 146.

The GBBC is an annual four-day event when birders count the birds they see in the backyard, at their feeders, at a neighborhood park, even at a local wildlife refuge. Participants count birds anywhere for as little or as long as they wish during the four-day period. They tally the highest number of birds of each species seen together at any one time. To report their counts, they fill out an online checklist at the Great Backyard Bird Count web site.

The GBBC engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event.

According to count organizers (Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, National Audubon Society), as the count progresses anyone with Internet access can explore what is being reported from their own towns or anywhere in the United States and Canada. They can also see how this year's numbers compare with those from previous years. Participants may also send in photographs of the birds they see. A selection of images is posted in the online photo gallery.

Check the GBBC website to see a current list of the top cities. For 2009, though, the Coastal Bend has hold on four of the top ten spots!

The Martians Are Back! The Martians Are Back!

2009-01-24T04:43:00.000-08:00

Years ago, while jogging on a trail near my home, a young woman came running toward me, shrieking "the martians are back, the martians are back!" Honestly, I did not expect to be confronted with Tim Burton's melon-headed green men. In fact, she even had the bird species wrong (the Barn Swallows had returned to nest under our bridge over our jogging trail; the Purple Martins had come back weeks before).

January is when we expect to see the first Purple Martins return to the Texas coast. These are the risk takers, the adult "scouts" who have forsaken the comforts of South America (such as Brazil) to risk a late cold snap here in Texas. The Purple Martin Conservation Association's scout arrival study has already received reports of 74 returning martins this 2009 season.

Interestingly, these early arriving "scouts" are not scouts at all. These are older adult males that have successfully nested in the past and are returning to the same nesting sites where they raised young the previous year. The scouts (unpaired birds without traditional nesting sites) will return weeks later.

The Purple Martin is a portal species, one that allows us easy entry into the natural world. Martins readily take to nest boxes (although martins in the west still primarily nest in natural cavities). Even Native Americans attracted martins to their habitations by providing empty gourds as nesting cavities. Once birds are attracted to a "martin house," people are able to watch and experience the entire breeding cycle of the birds from the comfort of their own yards. These Purple Martins become "their" Purple Martins.

Why do people go to such great lengths to attract martins to their yards? A new study from the University of Alberta reports that volunteers who take part in such conservation efforts (providing nesting habitat) may do it more for themselves than the wildlife they are trying to protect.

A study of purple martin landlords revealed that they were more motivated to take part in the conservation project for egoistic rather than altruistic reasons.

"Though there were areas of overlap, we found that common motivations for self-benefit included interaction with the birds, a sense of achievement, social interaction, personal stimulation and enjoyment," said Glen Hvenegaard, a co-author on the qualitative study and a professor of geography and environmental studies at the University of Alberta's Augustana campus in Canada.

Whatever the reason, ego or generosity, the martins are back!

Ted Eubanks

For more information about Purple Martins, consult the following websites:

The Purple Martin Conservation Society

The Purple Martin Society of North America

All About Birds (Purple Martin)

Jon McIntyre's Winter Swainson's Thrush

2009-01-15T19:37:00.000-08:00

Today (15 Jan 2009) Jon McIntyre found and photographed a Swainson's Thrush at Joan and Scott Holt Paradise Pond in Port Aransas. To the best of our knowledge this is the first documented record of this migrant species in winter in our state. Although this species has been reported on a number of occasions in winter (such as from the CBCs), this is the first time that similar species (such as western Hermit) can be definitively ruled out. Also of interest was a Yellow Warbler seen by Jon at the Port Aransas Turnbull Birding Center.

Jon has given us permission to publish this photograph of the bird along with this note. Thanks, Jon, and congratulations on the great find!

Goose Island State Park January Activities

2009-01-15T05:13:00.000-08:00

Mike Mullenweg, park interpreter at Goose Island State Park, sent the following description of activities for the park this January. An activities calendar is available on this website. Thanks, Mike!

Happy New Year!!! I hope everyone survived the holiday without gaining too much weight. Come on out to the park and join us for some interpretive hikes and walk off a few of those holiday pounds.

Every Wednesday through Saturday – Spend the morning with our birding experts as they lead a walk through the park identifying the birds of the Gulf Coastal Bend. Walks will take place in the Wooded Area or on the Bayfront. Bring your field glasses and comfortable shoes. Call for meeting locations.

On Saturday, January 3rd join us at 7 pm when volunteers from the Corpus Christi Astronomical Society will lead a tour of the night skies. Learn about the constellations and see the moon, planets, stars and galaxies through the telescope. Bring your lawn chairs and your binoculars and meets us at the Recreation Hall for an informative and fun night.

On Saturday, January 24th Doris Mager, founder of Save Our American Raptors (SOAR), will be making a presentation involving three live birds of prey including an American Kestrel, Great-horned Owl, and a Crested Caracara. Come join her as she relates her experiences of spending the last 35 years dedicated to the preservation of American birds of prey. Show starts at 7 pm in the Rec Hall.

On Saturday 10th, 17th and 31st join us at the Recreation Hall for an evening of learning about nature. Topics include birding, history, plant ID, astrology and more. Programs change weekly. Call to inquire about this week’s topic (361) 729-2858.

On Sunday January 18th meet at the Rec Hall for “The C.C.C. in the Park”. The Recreation Hall at Goose Island was made by the Civilian Conservation Corps from the natural resources found nearby. Come join our park ranger as he talks about the role of the CCC in Texas State Parks and “shellcrete”, a type of concrete made from oyster shells.

Mike Mullenweg, Park Interpreter
Goose Island State Park
202 S. Palmetto (Lamar)
Rockport, TX 78382
361-729-2858 Office
361-729-1041 Fax

American Birding Association Continental Convention Comes To The Bend!

2009-01-14T08:45:00.001-08:00

The recent buzz surrounding Choke Canyon State Park is but a taste of the spectacular birding that comes with spring in the Bend. Therefore it is no surprise that the American Birding Association (ABA) will convene its continental convention in Corpus Christi 27 April through 3 May 2009. There will be field trips to all of the area's hotspots (such as Choke Canyon), and a myriad of speakers (such as Kenn Kaufmann) and workshops about bird, birding, and the tools of the trade.

This year marks the ABA's 40th anniversary (founded in Texas, by the way), and what better a way to celebrate than to come home! Corpus Christi has been named "America's Birdiest City" many times over, and even the convention hotel, the Omni Corpus Christi Bayfront Tower, is within walking distance of one of America's best known migrant traps - Blucher Park. There will be daily fields trips to the breathtaking variety of sites (such as the Port Aransas Turnbull Birding Center) and habitats accessible in the Coastal Bend (coastal bays and marshes, thorn-scrub brushland, eastern woodlands, coastal prairies and mottes, to name a few). Conventioneers will likely see more species of birds at this event than any in ABA's storied past.

The ways in which birders can participate are flexible. The convention offers a full package (all field trips and events), a partial package for nonbirding companions, and even an ala carte package for those wanting to attend a single event. In other words, there is simply no excuse for not attending! Corpus Christi is within a few hour's drive of San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Houston. What a fantastic opportunity for Texas birders to gather and celebrate the remarkable birdlife of the great state!

To find out more about the convention, as well as to register, go to the ABA website. We at Bird the Bend look forward to seeing you this spring!

Birders Converge in Choke Canyon State Park

2009-01-14T05:13:00.000-08:00

One inevitable result of the presence of a rare bird is the crowd that appears. Birders will converge on the least likely of spots as long as there is a rarity to be ticked off the list (think Brownsville Dump and the Mexican Crows). The possible Pine Flycatcher is no exception, and Bob Rasa generously shared this photo of the Pine Flycatcher watchers as they huddled in the park in early January.

Pine Flycatcher - To Be Or Not To Be

2009-01-13T04:14:00.000-08:00

The Continuing Saga
13 Jan 09

Ted Lee Eubanks

On 13 December (and later on 27 December) Willie Sekula reported a western-type Empidonax flycatcher at Choke Canyon State Park Calliham Unit. Birders (Martin Reid, Sheridan Coffey, Derek Muschalek, Willie Sekula) relocated the bird on New Year's Day, and began to suspect that the bird in question might be a Pine Flycatcher (Empidonax affinis). This species of Empidonax is native to the high mountain forests of Mexico and southwestern Guatemala, and had not been previously seen in the U.S.

With the public announcement of the bird's presence and possible identification posted to TEXBIRDS, the rush began. Birders from around the world converged on the park to see this rarity. Articles about this "dinky bird" were published as far afield as Great Britain.

As photos (this one by Carlton Collier) and recordings were posted to the web, experts began to offer their opinions about the identification. Doubts were expressed, and counter arguments were given. As of today the debate continues.

From our perspective, this incident demonstrates the degree to which technology has advanced birding over the past decade. Already there are numerous digital photographs of the bird available on the web, as well as digital recordings and spectrograms of its call. The fact that birders would even attempt to identify such a challenging species (the Empidonax are famously difficult) is evidence of how far field birding has progressed. It was not that long ago that most small flycatchers of this type were left unidentified. Our hats are off to those who have been willing to risk such an identification and to include the world in their efforts.

Where To Go

From San Antonio (north) or Corpus Christi (south) travel I-37 to Three Rivers. From Three Rivers continue north to the Calliham Unit of Choke Canyon State Park. According to Martin Reid, "after the entrance road take a left at the stop sign, going towards the boat ramp. After about 400 yards you will see a sign on the right pointing to the ball field, There is a service road with a vehicle barrier by the sign on the right side of the road. You can park opposite the sign in a parking lot and walk in along the service road about 70 yards where you will see some water on the road. There is a small water treatment plant on the left behind a fence. The bird frequents this area. It seems to prefer the two live oaks on the left side of the road."

Whooping Crane Report

2009-01-12T16:39:00.000-08:00

Whooping Crane Winter Update

The following report is forwarded with permission from Tom Stehn, USFWS biologist and US Whooping Crane Coordinator.

Whooping Crane Census Flight
January 8, 2009

The fifth aerial census of the 2008-09 crane season was conducted January 8, 2009 in a Cessna 210 piloted by Gary Ritchey of Air Transit Solutions of Castroville, Texas with USFWS observers Tom Stehn and Felipe Prieto. Weather conditions were excellent for the census. However, a complete census was not conducted due to smoke from a prescribed burn on San Jose Island and limitations on allowable flight time.

Whooping Crane Numbers

The estimated peak flock size remains at 232 adults + 38 juveniles = 270 total. One subadult crane has died at Aransas, and the South Sundown Island juvenile has been missing on two consecutive flights and is considered dead, leaving the flock at an estimated 268. With every crane sighted on the flight plus 33 cranes known to be wintering in a part of San Jose Island not flown, we tallied 267 cranes. However, eight cranes may have been counted twice due to movements. Numerous crane movements to upland areas and water holes made it very difficult to determine exact numbers. Future flights will continue to attempt to pin down the exact number of family groups wintering on Matagorda Island.

Sightings near Aransas

Whooping cranes are showing up in unusual places presumably related to food shortages and the need to seek fresh water to drink. On today's flight, 2 adults were in a former fish farm impoundment on the Bauer property south of Austwell along FM 774. The subadult and juvenile seen at that location on the December 29th flight were not located on today's flight and presumably were overlooked, but could possibly have been on Lamar in a group of 14 cranes. However, tourists reported the juvenile again in the farm fields on Jan. 10th.

Habitat use

With food shortages continuing in the salt marsh, crane use of uplands as well as a notable shift to open bay habitat has cranes staying off their territories. This makes it very difficult to determine the identity of pairs and family groups and leads to much uncertainty during the census count. Cranes on the flight included 27 observed at fresh water sources, 6 on burned uplands, 25 on unburned uplands including shell roads, and 79 in open bay habitat. On the flight, 6 whooping cranes were next to wild game feeders on the Lamar Peninsula. Food sources for whooping cranes continue to be very low this winter, primarily due to the summer drought. Although the Tour Boat Captains occasionally see cranes catching a crab, many of the birds have switched to eating razor clams in open bay habitat. The increased amount of crane use in open bay habitat on the flight (n=79) is indicative of the food stress the population is facing. Twenty-one of the 79 were foraging along the edges of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. On last week's flight, 24 were in open bay habitat. Although the whooping cranes will fill up on clams, previous research shows they are actually using up fat reserves when feeding on a food so low in protein.

Items of interest

On December 29th, Aransas staff sighted a solitary whooping crane juvenile at the refuge boat ramp. This single juvenile was photographed by tourists on the V3 burn on 1-31-08. It has continued to feed daily along the edge of the paved road as well as on the V3 burn and in the upper end of Redfish Slough. It is not afraid of cars and people can drive to within 15 yards of it. However, it is alert and flies normally. This is not the solitary juvenile that has been in the farm fields south of Austwell. It is also not the lone juvenile seen in migration in Nebraska since that juvenile would not know how to find Aransas. On the census flight, the Mustang Slough family was confirmed for the second flight in a row without their chick. One possibility is that the lone juvenile utilizing the refuge tour loop is the Mustang Slough juvenile.

On December 31st, a family group of 2 adults and 2 chicks was photographed on the refuge tour loop by a visitor. I have no explanation or confirmation of this potential second twin family at Aransas this winter. This grouping was not located on today's census flight. Did it arrive from migration in late December? If so, where was it on January 8th? Was it a twin family, or had the solitary juvenile on the refuge tour loop temporarily joined up with a family group?

The search area has been expanded this winter since the cranes are showing up in unusual places. A group of 12 adults and 2 juveniles was sighted in the interior of the Lamar Peninsula in a location I have never flown over before. The group was in a large clearing near a waterhole and windmill west of the Big Tree Marsh. This sighting put 4 chicks on the Lamar Peninsula instead of the usual distribution of 3. Where had this extra family come from? Could it be connected with the solitary juvenile that has been in the farm fields north of Aransas, or somehow related to the twin family group sighted January 31st? The total of 20 cranes observed on the Lamar peninsula set an all-time record.

Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane Coordinator
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Aransas NWR