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| I see them all the time and I'm still not used to seeing alligators. I never saw them in Dallas growing up and I'll never get sick of seeing them. |
I left a little late and arrived to the refuge around 9:00. I forgot how humid the Texas coast can get. But a good omen arrived. A Black Tern flew overhead, marking the beginning of a fantastic birding day. Black-bellied Whistling-ducks were calling, bullfrogs were croaking, and an assortment of wading birds were flying overhead. This was what I had been missing for so long. I walked down the Big Slough trail for a little bit, only to turn around due to insanely high grass and a close encounter with an unknown species of snake. I did get Red-bellied Woodpecker and an immature female Common Yellowthroat, which I otherwise would not have seen.
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| White Ibis |
My three goal birds for the day were Wood Stork, Least Bittern, and Black Tern in that order. I chatted with a fellow birder and he said he had seen them all week, except for today. Funny how that always seems to happen. Normally I try to walk the auto tour at refuges, but the Brazoria trail is perfect for driving and stopping to get out.
My first pond stop would keep me for about an hour. Tons of waders were out, and migrating shorebirds were refueling. Mottled Ducks swam around, probably annoyed at all the company. I got my scope out and starting scanning the waders, which I had seriously been slacking on this year. I started checking them off quickly. Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Green Heron, Wood Stork, White Ib- WOOD STORK?! Towering above everything else was a Wood Stork, and for a brief moment I stopped sweating, stopped being insanely hot, and I soaked it in. Wood Stork is not a lifer for me, but I only saw one as it flew off in the distance. This was close, still, and the great looks it offered made me appreciate it that much more.
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| Wood Stork in the middle with Roseate Spoonbills and a White-faced Ibis |
Feeling pretty good I moved on to the shorebirds, the bane of my existence. I can't ID them to save my life, especially when they aren't in breeding plumage anymore. I got "The Shorebird Guide" and it's been a ton of help, but it's insane how difficult it is to get a good ID. They are all kinds of sizes, different shades, and bill length is hard to determine when you don't have the other species to compare (looking at you, dowitchers and yellowlegs). Luckily I got incredible views so I was able to get some pictures that would allow me to ID at my apartment.
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| Took this at Brazos Bend last year, but there were plenty of Anhingas at Brazoria |
As I scoped the shorebirds I saw something lurking in the reeds. It wasn't a gator, those were everywhere and not shy at all, and it was too big to be a rail. I quickly ruled out Green Heron as well. That left one thing: Least Bittern! I nailed all my target birds, everything else at this point was gravy. And there was still some gravy left.
I continued on to the next pond, a massive one that got me really up close to the birds that didn't seem to mind me at all. This is the best part about Brazoria. Much like Brazos Bend State Park, you get really close to the birds you want to see. And it just so happens that waders in my experience tend to be way more comfortable around people, so you get to to really appreciate the pink Roseate Spoonbill, the sleek Little Blue Heron, and the matted Tricolored Herons all at once. But what really added to today was the eye popping Black-necked Stilts and the alligators that slowly swam through the crowd of birds. I even got see a gator catching what looked like a massive catfish. With shorebird migration in full swing there were birds everywhere. I was going to get a lot of practice with IDing them.
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| Lesser Yellowlegs with a Western Sandpiper in the back |
Western Sandpipers and Least Sandpipers were abundant. I also got a few Semipalmated Sandpipers. Short and Long-billed Dowitchers were all over the place as well. A flock of American Avocets chased around invisible fish through the water as well. But the star of the show was an unexpected one. Wilson's Phalaropes were dancing and spinning in circles in the pond! While certainly not rare at all, I hadn't seen them pop up when I was doing my research before setting out. I'll take it! I had to turn around pretty quickly because a storm was coming in hot. I left at the perfect time, as I left the refuge rain started falling HARD.
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| Wilson's Phalaropes |
The rest of today has been a breeze. Birding has this calming effect on me and I can't wait to get back again. Part of that excitement comes from an incredible morning of 46 species, including about 14 year birds. The only real miss of the day was Gull-billed Tern, and while I may have to work for that one I should be able to easily get the other misses: Least Tern, Reddish Egret, and Fulvous Whistling-duck, which is quickly becoming a nemesis bird.
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| White Ibis, White-faced Ibis, Greater Yellowlegs, Tricolored Heron, and what I think is a Snowy Egret and Boat-tailed Grackle |
I'm sitting at 237 year birds now, and that number should grow very quickly. I should clean up the Houston area's summer birds in two weeks at the Texas City Dike where I'll hopefully get my nemesis American Oystercatcher, Magnificent Frigatebird, Reddish Egret, Black Skimmer, and Least Tern.
But the real thing to get hyped about is coming in October. It looks like Anthony and I are going to Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns. You know what that means. We're gonna do The Bowl, where we'll literally be birding the top of Texas. Who knows what we'll get. I'm holding out hope for a Lewis's Woodpecker or Hermit Warbler, but even getting what should be the easy Pygmy Nuthatch or Sage Thrasher has me all sorts of excited.
I'm really just happy that the weather is cooling down and birding/football is back.
