Wednesday 20 April 2016

Mixed feelings...

As already stated my current strategy (as they say Stateside) is to be back in Blighty for migration. Trouble is you can't foresee the weather or bird movements and you definitely can't be in two places at one time.  I got stung badly April 1st 2005 when the joke was on me as a BELTED KINGFISHER turned up in Staffs at the aptly named Tixall! I was watching one at Anahuac when I got the MEGA alert on my phone!!! I've got a long memory. Don't get me wrong I wouldn't swap my Birding adventures for anything but a little planning can sometimes help. Sometimes.
 
I've been following the Texas migration on eBird as we don't seem to have much/any at the moment?
 
So, another couple of examples...
 
I still need Cape May Warbler for my Texas list. It's a scarce migrant throughout the State as the majority pass through Florida further East. It's also a late migrant usually passing in late April/early May hence the reason I haven't connected. Couple this with it being my number 1 British tick, I have a special affinity with this species. The pictures and dates give mixed feelings. I might have to re-consider. Only joking...I think?
 
 
Secondly, here's a day list from Galveston Island...yes ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY NINE SPECIES!!!
 
 
Mon Apr 18, 2016 8:00 AM
9
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
2
Fulvous Whistling-Duck
1
Mallard
6
Mottled Duck
15
Blue-winged Teal
11
Redhead
in pond at lafittes
25
Common Loon
6
Pied-billed Grebe
4
Neotropic Cormorant
26
Double-crested Cormorant
25
Brown Pelican
2
Great Blue Heron
10
Great Egret
15
Snowy Egret
12
Tricolored Heron
3
Reddish Egret
100
Cattle Egret
5
Green Heron
7
Black-crowned Night-Heron
9
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
5
White Ibis
1
Roseate Spoonbill
1
Osprey
4
White-tailed Kite
1
Swallow-tailed Kite
1
Cooper's Hawk
7
Clapper Rail
1
Sora
2
Common Gallinule
20
American Coot
35
Black-necked Stilt
450
American Avocet
7
American Oystercatcher
25
Black-bellied Plover
2
American Golden-Plover
4
Snowy Plover
4
Wilson's Plover
25
Semipalmated Plover
2
Piping Plover
15
Killdeer
1
Spotted Sandpiper
3
Solitary Sandpiper
5
Greater Yellowlegs
45
Willet
10
Lesser Yellowlegs
19
Whimbrel
25
Marbled Godwit
75
Ruddy Turnstone
6
Stilt Sandpiper
15
Sanderling
25
Dunlin
5
Least Sandpiper
1
White-rumped Sandpiper
1
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
1
Pectoral Sandpiper
2
Semipalmated Sandpiper
35
Western Sandpiper
200
Short-billed Dowitcher
25
Long-billed Dowitcher
250
Laughing Gull
2
Franklin's Gull
25
Ring-billed Gull
5
Herring Gull
45
Least Tern
2
Gull-billed Tern
5
Caspian Tern
10
Black Tern
1
Common Tern
45
Forster's Tern
35
Royal Tern
35
Sandwich Tern
100
Black Skimmer
X
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
3
Eurasian Collared-Dove
5
White-winged Dove
11
Mourning Dove
1
Black-billed Cuckoo
3
Common Nighthawk
4
Chimney Swift
7
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
2
Belted Kingfisher
3
Eastern Wood-Pewee
1
Acadian Flycatcher
1
Least Flycatcher
17
Eastern Kingbird
2
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
4
Loggerhead Shrike
2
White-eyed Vireo
2
Yellow-throated Vireo
1
Warbling Vireo
3
Red-eyed Vireo
2
Blue Jay
5
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
35
Purple Martin
75
Barn Swallow
X
Cliff Swallow
X
Cave Swallow
5
Marsh Wren
3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
2
Gray-cheeked Thrush
5
Swainson's Thrush
15
Wood Thrush
12
Gray Catbird
2
Brown Thrasher
8
Northern Mockingbird
100
European Starling
3
Ovenbird
1
Worm-eating Warbler
2
Louisiana Waterthrush
3
Northern Waterthrush
1
Golden-winged Warbler
4
Blue-winged Warbler
9
Black-and-white Warbler
2
Prothonotary Warbler
5
Tennessee Warbler
11
Kentucky Warbler
7
Common Yellowthroat
23
Hooded Warbler
3
American Redstart
1
Bay-breasted Warbler
1
Blackburnian Warbler
12
Yellow Warbler
2 seen at ft travis, at least 10 in corps woods had 6 present in one flock.
6
Chestnut-sided Warbler
3
Palm Warbler
1
Yellow-rumped Warbler
1
Wilson's Warbler
1
Yellow-breasted Chat
2
Lark Sparrow
2
Lincoln's Sparrow
2
Swamp Sparrow
15
Summer Tanager
20
Scarlet Tanager
3
Northern Cardinal
17
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
20
Blue Grosbeak
350
Indigo Bunting
11
Painted Bunting
9
Dickcissel
7
Bobolink
35
Red-winged Blackbird
11
Eastern Meadowlark
10
Common Grackle
45
Great-tailed Grackle
1
Bronzed Cowbird
25
Brown-headed Cowbird
25
Orchard Oriole
10
Baltimore Oriole
1
House Finch
X
House Sparrow
 Goodnight...

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