Coast II

Black Skimmers in with the terns...

This is where I left off with my last post on a day trip to the coast...this shallow pool up by the shore bird breeding area.  

Once I got down to the lower part beyond that grass was a small group of Willets, with Short Billed Dowitcher and one Greater Yellow Legs.  Two of these willets had one leg! They were hopping around

Up on the sign this willet seems to have a healed broken leg...

 the Western Sandpiper I saw was rare, but honestly it just has not been reported...like Jen pointed out no green bars in the bar graph basically for the last 2 weeks of June and the first 2 weeks of July, but I think that is only because its hot and no one has turned in a checklist so anyway here it is! 

 the Western Sandpiper..

I didn't see anybody list the American Oystercatcher so I guess I got lucky and saw these two..

I hoped to see the Whimbrel, but it was no where in sight...some areas were closed.  I had been up there 3 hrs and 45 minutes and I took one break but it was getting hot now and I was tired and ready to get back to the parking lot where I had my lunch waiting so I headed back...toward the jetty.  

I passed by the sand spit area now under water as the tide is coming in and earlier I had seen one female Black Scoter and now there was more...

The black male and females...there was about 19 all total most were on the beach...

And this ONE Surf Scoter was with them...

I had seen both on the Oregon coast but not these good looks from the high cliffs so this was good to see!  Also rare birds! My list ended up with 3 rare birds!   So  I head for the jetty and there's some Snowy Egret hunting along the rocks...

Some toes missing there...

The Great Blue Heron in the marsh grass blends in so well...

Brown Pelican 

The walk back along the dunes has signs like this one and is roped off to protect shore bird and loggerhead turtle nesting areas...

Dogs are not allowed in this area...the high tide was occurring on my walk back so I made a brisk walk and was pretty done when I finally arrived...I had my lunch under one of the picnic shelters...

there's a crab hiding in there...here is one just peeping out of his hole..

This bush is decorated by seashells!  The tide is doing the decorating...

It was so neat!!  

Lunch!

Then I went to the boardwalk, but with the high tide in, I saw more waders but I had hoped for rails and  sandpipers and other shore birds...I did see many Great Egrets, Double Crested Cormorants, and Anhinga's

One Tri-colored Heron, 

On the way off the boardwalk spotted some Wood Stork in the trees...

then it was time to head back home...the weather was quite different when I left at 5 pm, and much hotter inland...

On the way home I saw a cloud with a silver lining!!

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

San Padre Island and Points South

No I didn't get lost or kidnapped and whisked over the border to Mehico...I've been way off the grid.  I was so braggy about having internet and wham! Gone. So today Im back in Civilization...I will try to catch up one day. Im still on the road...driving and sightseeing, but this is my last week out...

I stopped in Fulton to mail out some postcards, and saw this White Winged Dove up in the tree they are plentiful here,,,I thought it was a new bird for me, but  when I checked my book, I have seen it before on another trip to TX in 1994...but it was so long ago I forgot..

                           On this day I traveled to San Padre National Seashore. It's a long narrow spit of an island, and highways only go so far and then you have to access it by boat. 

                                               Wilma hard at work giving me directions.  

Hwy 35 past Corpus Christi, and then 358, to the park road 22. I found this little spot to stop for a leg stretch, 

...people were camping under that bridge but how can they stand the traffic noise?

Lots of water, that bridge is going to and around Corpus Christi.  

Just before crossing the bridge over to C-C there is a small island like only 100 ft long it was covered in Roseate Spoonbills But driving was impossible to get a photo, the ones I saw in FL last yr did not have this awesome pink breeding plumage at the shoulder this is the best shot I got...

I did see some others on South Padre with better shots...

Then finally I arrived at the San Padre National Seashore.  It is run by the National Parks Service, and so I got a nice stamp for my Passport booklet, and a coin for my collection! They did not have a penny turner much to my disappointment!

This is the Malaquite Visitors Center.  The road going in is under heavy construction....took forever, but finally I made it, the camping area lacks a lot: privacy, shade, and no charm what so ever.  But I found a spot, right across from Chris who got up and came over to introduce himself before I even got out of my van.  He polished off what looked to be a bottle of pretty good Scotch while he got his wind burn.  

I said windburn because the wind howled at about a good steady 40 mph the entire time I was there...I did take a couple beach walks but mostly I was hunkered down against the wind.  Check the white caps...

Had this Bob White Quail surprise me right behind the van...

There was a Sanderling convention going on, they were having a hard time staying on the ground...

There is another campground on the bay side the wind was getting them pretty hard too...saw this interesting young Brown Pelican resting, and some white pelicans out in the water...

Next day the wind was still howling so I left...made my way back to Robstown, and took Hwy 77 south that eventually becomes I-69E, and then Hwy 2 west to Westlaco where I found a motel for 2 nights due to the extreme heat.  It was in the triple digits when I arrived but before that I had a blast at one of the Hwy 77 rest stops...one near Sarita. 

cool tile mural in the ladies room

It was an amazing place just a tree filled spot in the middle of 4 busy lanes of traffic but a haven for the birds!!  

The Hooded Oriole...male and female, lifers,  I think they were nesting across the south bound lanes they would fly over get a worm and take off across the road..at first I was jumping for joy thinking this was the Altamira Oriole but finally I realized it is the Hooded, I was happy with that!

Another surprise was seeing this Tropical Parula  (no white on the eye) up high singing away...the Northern Parula migrates to SC, but not these...another new bird!!

Awesome!!

My plan was to stay in the Lower Rio Grande area for 2 nights and 3 days but the first day I got there late so I jumped in the pool and just relaxed....it was already too hot to try and do any birding or hiking.   I lined up my next couple days of adventure.  At the Motel  the next morning I got up early and found this amazingly huge Ringed Kingfisher on the wire.  What a way to start the day. 

His head is soooo much bigger than his body!

and more also seen's just cause they are so cool...

black bellied whistling ducks

black bellied plover

Laughing gulls

It's just not Texas without a Long Horn...even if he is napping!

Next up World Birding Center Estero Llano Grande State Park. 

ebird list here 

and here

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.