After a couple of surprisingly poor birding days at Dauphin Island, Alabama and High Island, Texas, the Lone Star State has been delivering as expected. The birds simply weren't stopping at the coast. The local experts figured the birds were riding the strong south winds straight to Arkansas, Tennessee and other points north of the gulf coast.
The Lost Maples area west of San Antonio is an ecological oddity where east meets west from a flora and fauna perspective. In addition to picking up species from both the east and west, the area also boasts unique species including the Black-capped Vireo. This was a lifer for me.
Another lifer came on the drive from Uvalde to Corpus Christi. The speed limit on the backroads in Texas is typically 70 MPH. Spotting this bird, a Bullock's Oriole, on a fence post and then finding it in a tree after a very quick U-turn was nothing less than fortuitous. This was another lifer for me.
One of my favorite birds to photograph is the Long-billed Curlew. I spotted this one in downtown Corpus Christi.
Other than helping a fellow push his F-150 pick-up backwards about 20 feet in a gravel parking lot so he could leave the parking area, a major highlight of the trip so far was finding the Cattle Tyrant in downtown Corpus Christi. This bird is a long way from its normal range in South America. It has taken up residence at a seafood restaurant, feasting on whatever is left in the oyster shells. This was the 9th lifer in the past 2 days putting my lifetime total at 485 species. (BTW, the F-150 guy said he didn't have his reverse gear. I hope it all works out well for him.)
I'll be working the hot spots around Galveston during the next couple of days. The YTD species total has grown to 283.
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