Sometimes this is the best way to bird in August |
So what does all that mean for me!? Er… you!? I know I had a
whole blog about reading
books and staying inside last month… well that was then! August is whole
new month, full of plenty of new things to see!
1. Purple Martin migration
In case you’ve not heard, RBAS has been keeping track of the
Purple Martin roost
at the corner of Southwest Pkwy and Texas Ave in College Station. We have
another Roost Party planned for Sunday 27JULY from 8:15PM until dark!
As a quick run through about what’s going on, most (if not
all) Purple
Martins nest in man made structures primarily in central and eastern US
and Canada. When all of this productive nesting and brood rearing
concludes, the birds start to head south to Central and South America for our
winter. Now, they just don’t go in ones or twos. They flock in migration
staging areas along the Gulf coast and southeast US before making the big leap
south.
There have been large flocks (several hundred thousand
birds!) reported in Houston and Austin the past several years, as well as in
College Station (but not consistently noticed). This year we found it! While
our roost is only a couple thousand strong (estimate), it’s an entertaining
site and unique birding experience.
If you’d like to be a Purple Martin landlord next year, come
talk with us- we’ve got a number of members with experience being a Martin
landlord and can help in figuring out the who, what, and whens. Also, the Purple Martin Conservation
Association has a lot of excellent information.
2. Shorebirds!!!! Don’t you roll your eyes! I saw that! Shorebirds are great!
And they start their way back from the Arctic (or points
north) in August. All of the Peeps, with their muddy legs and bill, indistinct or
misleading plumage, and frenetic, spontaneous rapid flights make… well ok.
Maybe Peeps are a pain. But the Sandpipers are… um. They’re good too. Well, you
know at least the Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs are easy to… distinguish from
most of the other shorebirds.
But hey, you may get lucky and come across a group of Wood
Storks or a Roseatte Spoonbill! Maybe an Ibis?! So it’s not all glare and
frustration with shorebirds! At least you’re out! Right?
I’m not sure what the story is with Country
Club Lake and the availability of shoreline. That’s been our most
productive (and convenient) spot for shorebirds in town. Some other places that
have been favorable lately is the marsh
north of Calvert on Highway 6, Lake
Bryan, Gibbons
Creek Reservoir, Wilcox
Sod Farms, and the Allen
Farms area.
This Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron was a nice surprise, although the view was a little disappointing |
3. Hatch-year birds and miscellaneous surprises
It’s a little hard to predict what else will show up this
time of year. Ebird
has a number of things for the county listed in August, but honestly it’s going
to come down to a little luck. Rufous Hummingbirds start showing back up, as do
some of our more prominent winter residents like Loggerhead Shrikes and
American Kestrels. And you may even find a few other surprises!
Funny looking Turkey! |
Bobwhite! I don't care if it probably came from a ranch... still neat to see! |
And finally, if you can’t bear to be out during the day
(which is completely understandable), there’s still plenty to see at sunset! Both of these critters were seen on a dusk walk at Lick Creek Park.
Chatter box |
Bird-sized moth! Wowzah! |
Speaking of dusk walks at Lick Creek Park, I’m in
highest-level negotiations with Texas Master Naturalist Brazos Valley Chapter
about coordinating an evening stroll through Lick Creek Park during the next
full moon time (09August). We’ll have an update/plans in the near future.
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