Central Texas Coast Birding Workshop Mar 10—14, 2010
Posted by Michael O'Brien
Michael O'Brien
Michael O'Brien is a freelance artist, author, and environmental consultant living in Cape May, New Jersey. He has a passionate interest in bird vocalizations and field...Related Trips
Our first Central Texas Coast Birding Workshop was a fun trip based at an outstandingly comfortable lodge, and conveniently located near some fine birding spots. The focus of this tour was to have a relaxed birding experience, seizing whatever learning opportunities came our way. And those opportunities were many, in the form of waterfowl, cormorants, raptors, shorebirds, terns, kingbirds, sparrows, meadowlarks, grackles, and many others, including numerous Texas bird songs. No identification challenges were overlooked! Falcon Point Lodge was not only extremely comfortable, with excellent food and a friendly staff, but there were also plenty of birds right there!
On our first day, after gathering at the Corpus Christi Airport, we immediately went to Tule Lake where we started things off with a nice mixed flock of shorebirds, including good comparisons of Western and Least sandpipers. Our drive to Falcon Point Lodge was highlighted by a fly-over Anhinga and our first of several instructive views of Red-tailed and White-tailed hawks.
The next morning we headed to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge and, along the way, worked on identifying shrikes and other roadside birds along the highway—I think we counted at least 15 shrikes! We also found a stunning Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and a long-billed Couch's Kingbird whose identity was not confirmed until we heard it call. At the refuge, the highlight was seeing our first Whooping Cranes of the tour, albeit at a great distance. Momentary distractions came in the form of several butterfly species, a large alligator walking down the road, and a couple of wild boars wallowing in the mud. On our afternoon tour of Falcon Point Ranch we saw numerous raptors including a "Krider's" Red-tailed Hawk and an immature Bald Eagle chasing down an Osprey to steal its fish. We also saw both species of meadowlarks, numerous shorebirds, and a variety of waterfowl including a bizarre hybrid Bufflehead x Hooded Merganser. And to make things even more interesting, we had frequent encounters with exotic game animals like zebra and wildebeest.
The next day was spent mostly along the coast to the south. A big surprise was seeing a group of three adult Whooping Cranes right by the roadside, apparently attracted to some sort of grain feeder. At nearby Goose Island State Park we saw a couple more distant Whooping Cranes and had a good study of a feeding Gull-billed Tern as it dipped to pick food off the water's surface. Down in Rockport, a real highlight was a large flock of shorebirds including many Marbled Godwits and American Avocets, as well as a flock of Long-billed Dowitchers accompanied by a single Short-billed. At Port Aransas, we enjoyed several mixed tern flocks, instructive comparisons of female Blue-winged and Green-winged teal, and also saw a lovely white morph Reddish Egret.
On our last full day we went inland to visit the riparian woodlands at Goliad State Park. In addition to such species as Red-shouldered Hawk, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Bluebird, and Carolina Chickadee, we also saw several hybrid Tufted x Black-crested Titmice, all looking appropriately intermediate. We also enjoyed watching a large colony of Cliff Swallows, apparently on their first day back for the season. On our return to the lodge, we encountered a mixed flock of meadowlarks offering excellent comparison and providing a perfect "final exam."
With a little time to bird on our final morning, we headed to Swan Point, right near the lodge, where we enjoyed close Reddish Egrets, American Oystercatchers, Black-bellied Plovers, and other shorebirds. Then on to Corpus Christi and Blucher Park, a little migrant trap right in town. There we saw several Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, as well as a Blue-headed Vireo and a stunning male Vermilion Flycatcher. Then one more quick stop at Hans & Pat Suter Park which was teeming with shorebirds, waterfowl, herons, and pelicans. A noisy fly-over flock of Sandhill Cranes bid us farewell as we left.