Fabulous Day in the Galveston Area

We were up early enough to catch an early ferry to the Bolivar Peninsula.  Dick Peake took us to a spot he had birded last weekend as a part of a spring count.  The Hudsonian Godwit (web photo) was still there as were a couple of White-rumped Sandpipers and a bunch of Semi-palmated Sandpipers.  All around us were calling Dickcissels and nearby were singing Nelson's Sparrows.  Across the highway on the beach was a Red Knot.  A Barn Owl in a nest box was peaking out.  After picking up a round of senior coffees at McDonalds, we drove north of Winnie to an area with rice fields in a variety of conditions.  One had a large group of Fulvous Whistling-Ducks and a pair of Wilson's Phalaropes and another contained several Buff-breasted Sandpipers (web photo), a few Pectoral Sandpipers, and some American Golden Plovers.  We celebrated those nice birds with a lunch at a grill in High Island which caters to birders.  After lunch we birded various of the woodsy patches that have made High Island famous.  I learned that local birders start birding the woods in the middle of the day for the new birds that have dropped in from their flight across the Caribbean.  Those birds seen first thing in the morning are leftovers from the previous day.  Our new birds included Philadelphia Vireo, Cerulean, Wilson's, Bay-breasted, Blackburnian, and Magnolia Warblers, and Yellow-breasted Chat.  We also had plenty of thrushes, orioles, grosbeaks, and tanagers.  Before heading back across to Galveston on the ferry, we checked the spot where we had stopped in the morning and found a female Wilson's Phalarope and a Baird's Sandpiper.  The fifteen new birds brings the total to 532 for the year.  Tomorrow we go west to bird around Austin.

Back into Texas

We couldn't find the MiFi so my postings may not be quite as regular as in the past.  We left Tellahassee early and headed west with John driving.  Out of Florida, through Alabama, and into Mississippi.  We stopped at the welcome center to eat the lunch John had fixed and what should be singing but a Swainson's Warbler, a bird John needed.  On across Louisiana where I picked up a Bank Swallow winging across the road, and into Texas with enough time to do a little birding on the Bolivar Peninsula.  Looking through shorebirds and terns we added Black Tern (tons of them) (web photo) and a few Common Terns.  We took the ferry to Galveston where we were reunited with Dick Peake.  We're staying with Dick and Martha tonight and tomorrow we'll look for some rice fields.  The three new birds brought the total to 517.

Almost Out of Florida

The last day in Florida began with John putting Nancy on a plane home from Key West. He and I then motored on up the keys stopping at No Name Key within the Key Deer NWR for a little birding. We did see quite a few key deer (web photo), but didn’t record any new year birds. On Big Pine Key we had breakfast at the Cracked Egg, a spot where locals gather and the service is slow. Lots of fish stories being heard all around. The rest of the drive up the keys was somewhat agonizingly slow since it’s at best a two-lane road and currently has many patches of construction. Back on the mainland we made one more attempt to see the Red-footed Booby at the rehab place, but no booby appeared. I made a peanut butter and honey sandwich and John had a Blimpy. That gave us the energy for the long haul up the turnpike. At Orlando there was a massive tie-up from an accident we never saw. After the better part of an hour, we exited the turnpike and re-entered it after passing through Winter Park. The delay cost us well over an hour of travel time. John phoned ahead and arranged for us to stay with his daughter in Tallahassee. Along the way we listened to the Phils/Cards game through the computer. Finally the battery on the MiFi was exahausted and we were forced to wonder how the game ended. We later found out that the Cards won it. However, a strange tragedy befill the MiFi. Somehow it slipped away and got lost somewhere inside John’s Prius. It couldn’t be found. We’ll look again tomorrow. When we got to Tallahassee we had a chat with John’s daughter and her two girls and hit the hay. No new birds.

Back to Key West

We took a brief walk around Fort Jefferson, but there didn't appear to be any new arrivals.  So after breakfast we weighed anchor and headed for the Gulf Stream passing Hospital Key for a final view of the Masked Boobies.  The weather was not particularly inviting with winds that made the trip a rough one.  We did pass a couple of Brown Boobies and saw a few Bridled Terns.  The only new bird for the list was Audubon's Shearwater (web photo).  We saw four of them.  It eventually became rough enough that we had to come down from the upper level.  I spent most of the remainder of the trip in my bunk.  At present we're back in Key West.  Tomorrow Nancy Spahr will fly home from here and John and I will get on the road.  We have a couple of stops in south Florida and then the pedal goes to the metal as we motor toward Texas.  The one new bird brings the list to 514.

More Dry Tortugas

Awaking to the sound of over 100,000 Sooty Terns (web photo) is better than any alarm clock. After a pancake breakfast with good coffee, we moved the boat (The Tiburon) around to the other side of Loggerhead Key where there is an operating lighthouse. Using the inflatable Dutch put us on the beach from where we walked the whole island looking for migrants. Finding only a few birds, we had lunch and moved over to Fort Jefferson where I took up a position at the water fountain to see what would come in to drink or bathe. The mix of birds was about the same as yesterday which is reasonable since no weather systems had come though. However, we did get a Warbling Vireo which is apparently a very good bird for Florida. Adrian and I made a strong effort to find a Black Noddy among all those dark terns but with no success. Before returning to the Tiburon , we motored in the inflatable past the tern colonies. It was news to me that both Sooty Terns and Brown Noddies drink the salt water. But then if you’re at sea as much as those birds are, what else should I have expected. We also saw several Nurse Sharks swimming along just below the water’s surface. We also visited a Magnificent Frigatebird colony where a couple of males had their red pouches inflated. Tomorrow we will return to Key West. We hope the route will be out into the Gulf weather permitting. The total is now 513.

Dry Tortugas

Last night we boarded the Tiburon, the ship that will take us to the Dry Tortugas. After some safety instructions and introductory remarks, we went to bed. All the participants had a shared cabin with bunk beds. The plan was to defer our departure until 6:00am rather than starting immediately since the weather was a bit iffy. I got a great night’s sleep and got up in time to see our boat depart the harbor. The weather was less than good, so we set a course that would take us through Florida Bay instead of via the Gulf Stream. That meant we were not likely to see pelagic birds, but the ride would be a whole lot smoother. We did see a lot of Northern Gannets and Magnificent Frigatebirds, and eventually some Brown Boobies (web photo) and a Bridled Tern. When we got near Fort Jefferson, we finally got to see Brown Noddies and Sooty Terns. We passed close to Hospital Key where at least 50 Masked Boobies were attempting to nest. After anchoring the Tiburon, we took an inflatable that we had towed from Key West to the Fort. Over the next few hours we combed all the trees and bushes for migrants finding about a dozen warblers one of which, Chestnut-sided, was new for the year. The Fort was hopping with other birds as well including over a dozen Yellow-billed Cuckoos. We scoped out the coal piers for Black Noddy without success. We returned to the boat, did the checklist, and had a great dinner. The hoped-for green flash didn’t appear. Tomorrow we go to Loggerhead Key. The species total for the year is now 512.

A Few More New Ones and off to the Dry Tortugas

I'm writing this posting while sitting under an awning on the streets of Key West, Florida.  John's wife Nancy has arrived and in a few short hours the three of us will depart this southernmost US city and head west to the Dry Tortugas.  While we're in the Tortugas, I won't be able to post any blogs because of the lack of connectivity.  We'll be back in civilization Sunday night and I'll get the missing blogs posted then.  So hang in there.  Bobsbirds will return.
Today we started at the Naval yard watching Roseate Terns (web photo).  These are probably the most beautiful of the Sterna terns, being white with a striking black bill and a pink blush to their breast.  Apparently they nest on the roofs of buildings, but we didn't see any interest by them in doing so today.  They were in love and you know how that goes.  We also birded Fort Zachary and picked up some migrants including Tennessee Warbler, our first.  A couple other migrant traps produced Northern and Orchard Orioles.  Those four new birds brings the total thus far to 506.  So long for a while.