Following a couple of travel days the dog and I landed on the Texas Gulf Coast south of Houston where we are spending a week in the small coastal town (village?) of Quintana. We are settled in at Quintana Beach County Park, a site on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail and a visit to the beach this morning turned up a couple of flocks of Snowy Plovers. One of my target species for this week, I hope to also find Gull-billed Terns and White-faced Ibis (which I saw today today but on a grocery shopping trip and had no camera . . .) among others.
It is interesting to note the difference in plumage between the two birds pictured. The first still in nonbreeding plumage while the second has almost completed its molt to breeding plumage. This isn't all that unusual and, in fact, the some of the Laughing Gulls I saw today were at or near full breeding color while others were just beginning to molt.
I'd like to thank Bill at the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory for recommending the campground as well as pointing me to this particular beach to look for the plovers. In addition to their website (which includes a bird quiz), GCBO has a fairly new but very informative and educational blog that is worth a look.
Hey there, Kevin...
I was told you were in Texas this week. ("There are no secrets.")
I was wondering if you were planning on participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count this weekend?
I was told recently that it was ashame you weren't here now...20 baldies were spotted in Venice (that's the little town northwest of us). They were perched in one tree near the river. The person who mentioned this to me is one of my colleagues at school.
Well, take care. And watch out for debris in the road from now on.
See you soon.
Cindy
Here's hoping you enjoy birding in Texas as much as we locals do.
Hey Cin - Yeah, I know about the "no secrets" - a little bird we know tells all. For 2/3 of the GBBC I was on the road and then ran over some debris trying to count birds and drive so I gave up.
Just tell those white-headed birds to hang around until I get there.
B.A. - Thanks! Would like to have a few more photos from this leg of my trip but the birding has been good. The little birds are tough when the branch they are on sways back and forth in 25 mph winds. But I still have a couple of weeks left on the Gulf Coast and the RG Valley so who knows . . .