Rice-Houston Audubon bird survey, Apr 30, 2019

 

 

Rice-Houston Audubon bird survey report for 4/30/2019.  Alan Mutt, Stuart Nelson, Mark Kulstad, Mary Grace Hamill, Dennis Hamill, Charles Fischer, Amy Roush, Pedro Bando and I started at Harris Gully (the Rice prairie) at 7 AM. It started off slow.  Our wintering Sedge Wren appears to have finally departed north for its breeding grounds as we didn't hear it singing this time.  We walked around the prairie to the large fruiting mulberry tree.  Several dozen Cedar Waxwings were still busy feeding on the berries. A Baltimore Oriole sang from the top of the mulberry but we try as we might, we never could see the bird. We then walked over to the weedy area of the prairie, where finally we started to see some migrants.  Several Indigo Buntings popped up and another oriole flew over. A Gray Catbird was singing its head off from within the bushes, showing itself well several times. 

After the prairie, we usually walk over to the Main St/Sunset entrance by Huff house. Birds were low en route, but Mary Hamill kept things interesting by giving us historical tidbits of Rice. The first bird we saw as we stepped into the oak grove (near Cohen House) was a female American Redstart, flashing its tail as it flitted through the canopy.  Next came an Eastern Wood Pewee, followed by a small flock of Baltimore Orioles, descending from the skies, and dancing through the canopy before hurrying north.  In late April and early May, the birds are always in much more of rush to get back north!  The excitement continued after the orioles with not one but two Summer Tanagers and a brief look of a Wood Thrush behind Huff house.

We are at the peak of migration, but we are also at the peak of breeding for our local birds. Yellow-crowned Night Herons were sitting on their nests in the oaks in front of Huff House.  The Blue Jays were feeding recently fledged young. 

It is on days like this I remember how special it is that we can bear witness each year to one of the great animal migrations on this planet. Like clockwork, the birds come back each year, in the most beautiful struggle of life. And it is a struggle. After we all parted our ways, two Rose-breasted Grosbeaks lay lifeless beneath the windows.  There are hazards ahead for our migrating birds.

We will resume again next Tuesday. Hope to see you here.

best

Cin-Ty

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck  4
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  20
White-winged Dove  40
Mourning Dove  2
Chimney Swift  7
Red-tailed Hawk  2
Downy Woodpecker  2
Eastern Wood-Pewee  1
Blue Jay  10
Barn Swallow  3
Wood Thrush  1
American Robin  20
Gray Catbird  2
Northern Mockingbird  10
European Starling  15
Cedar Waxwing  30
House Finch  10
Baltimore Oriole  8
Great-tailed Grackle  30
American Redstart  1
warbler sp. (Parulidae sp.)  1
Summer Tanager  2
Northern Cardinal  2
Indigo Bunting  8
Dickcissel  1
House Sparrow  10