Spring migration: A trip to the coast. - 04/27/13
The Texas Gulf Coast is a bird watcher's paradise each spring. Second half April, first half of May about 40 million a night cross the Gulf of Mexico from the Yucatan, others fly up the not a whole lot more hospitable arid Mexican/Texas coastline.
Thursday when a strong cold front went through was the best time to be there. Most of them are doing good if they can manage a sustained 30 mph, meaning about a 24 hour flight to cross the Gulf. A 15mph or more headwind from a front can double that or, worse yet, stop 'em dead in their tracks over open water.
Likely millions went down, those that did make landfall were so exhausted they were sitting around on the ground everywhere in droves Friday morning. Still, they disperse inland pretty quick and things were back to normal today, which still means pretty darn spectacular.
Port Aransas, having some trees and a fresh water drip pipe set out in a wooded pocket of land attracts many songbirds working their way up the arid 100 mile-plus Padre Island/Barrier Island strip.
OK, in approximate order seen, most cases so close binoculars are superfluous, so anxious are the birds to feed and refuel at that time. In a perfect world for them they'd be another 150-300 miles inland by tomorrow morning.
These pics not mine but lifted off of the 'net.
Magnolia Warbler: On their way to the spruce/fir North Woods, always odd to see species like this out on the Island...
Catbird. Droves, all over the place...
Approximate order from South to North, Wood Thrush breeding in broadleaf hardwoods, Veery northern hardwoods mixed coniferous, Swainson's Thrush in spruce/fir and Gray-cheeks way the heck up along the Tundra treeline....
Blue-winged Warbler: Second growth and forest edges, from the Southeast all the way up to Upstate New York...
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v148/Sharpshin/birds/blue-wing_zps83610e61.jpg [/img]
More later....
Thursday when a strong cold front went through was the best time to be there. Most of them are doing good if they can manage a sustained 30 mph, meaning about a 24 hour flight to cross the Gulf. A 15mph or more headwind from a front can double that or, worse yet, stop 'em dead in their tracks over open water.
Likely millions went down, those that did make landfall were so exhausted they were sitting around on the ground everywhere in droves Friday morning. Still, they disperse inland pretty quick and things were back to normal today, which still means pretty darn spectacular.
Port Aransas, having some trees and a fresh water drip pipe set out in a wooded pocket of land attracts many songbirds working their way up the arid 100 mile-plus Padre Island/Barrier Island strip.
OK, in approximate order seen, most cases so close binoculars are superfluous, so anxious are the birds to feed and refuel at that time. In a perfect world for them they'd be another 150-300 miles inland by tomorrow morning.
These pics not mine but lifted off of the 'net.
Magnolia Warbler: On their way to the spruce/fir North Woods, always odd to see species like this out on the Island...
Catbird. Droves, all over the place...
Approximate order from South to North, Wood Thrush breeding in broadleaf hardwoods, Veery northern hardwoods mixed coniferous, Swainson's Thrush in spruce/fir and Gray-cheeks way the heck up along the Tundra treeline....
Blue-winged Warbler: Second growth and forest edges, from the Southeast all the way up to Upstate New York...
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More later....