A Duck...A Duck...My Kingdom for a Duck [long]

Duck Call

The Whistling Ducks do not typically sound like a duck you're expecting. No quacking in other words. Tho they are of the duck family, they are heard 'whistling' instead. You can listen by clicking on the link above "Duck Call". There are two species in North America [and migrating south to Mexico, Central America, and South America]....The Black Bellied Whistling Duck and the Fulvous Tree Duck. The latter is pronounced FUL vus - the "FUL" as in the ful in beautiful. According to all my bird guides and online searching, the Fulvous Whistling Duck is common but rarely seen. Why you wonder? Because they are normally nocturnal feeders. Active at night. On my record chart for Texas Coastal Birds, where I keep track of birds I've photographed, it shows the Fulvous as "U" throughout all twelve months of the year. U being Uncommon. Patience, I'm getting to the whistling duck in just a bit...

This past Sunday, July 27th, Bud and I drove to Indian Point Park. Mainly just to get some walking in. We expected the tidal pools and ponds to be quite dry with the drought and we were correct in assuming. Some water around, but a lot of the shallow ponds were dried up or muddy. As we drove through the winding road first, stopping at the fishing wharf, we spotted a tagged oystercatcher. I took a photo...

Tagged Oystercatcher

...birding protocol tells me I am to report this sighting. Haven't yet. Will have to make a note to myself to report the tagged bird and where it was.

Then, we drove to the other side a couple of miles away, where there is a large parking lot. We got out and walked. Along the path, we spotted the usual water birds. Herons, Terns, Willets, sandpipers, egrets, stilts and a couple of American Avocets.

American Avocet

We walked about a mile one way before the scorching sun started burning our shoulders and we headed back to the car. It was still early so we decided to drive Navigation Highway that goes 'behind' the ship channel, the Harbor Bridge and the city. Driving we could view the backside of the ship channel where all cargo ships were moored. Further along the highway, to the left we can see the back side of all the oil refineries and train traffic. To the right...Nueces River that empties into Corpus Christi's North Bay near the park we just left earlier.

The highway becomes the Joe Fulton Corridor as it winds around the country to eventually adjoin the interstate highway connection toward San Antonio, Texas. Just as you 'round the last curve before the interstate interchange, there is a large marshy area of trees, reed and a pond. We pulled off the road onto the shoulder and got out to see what birds we could see here. Again, mostly the same...mostly egrets and a few ducks ---grackles and one lone green heron that flew away as we got out. I was taking photos of the egrets in the trees off on the other side, and I spotted what I thought were four Black Bellied Whistling Ducks. I didn't have my binoculars with me and they were about a quarter mile away from where we stood. I took a couple of photos of the ducks. When I got home and started uploading off the camera card to the computer, I realized I had spotted the elusive Fulvous Ducks instead!!!

And the photos were all quite blurry.

First light on Monday morning, I told Bud

"I'm gonna drive back to the corridor in hopes of seeing the ducks so I can get a GOOD photo".

Snowy & Great Egrets

Arriving, the egrets greeted me and left quickly for the security on the other side in the trees. I walked along the highway with my camera readied and turned to look at the hidden alcove where I had seen the Fulvous Ducks the day before. Not four, but only two remained. I had to walk back, along the road's shoulder...quite a distance, to a rutted old road and then walked back into the reed and muddy fields, where a Great Blue Heron was actually LAYING down in the bush...it scared me more than I scared it I think.

Startled G B Heron

Getting to the area where the ducks were, I got better pictures without disturbing them!! But, I did get quite a few chigger mite bites before returning to the car. It was worth it.

Fulvous Whistling Duck

Use of zoom lens...Fulvous Whistling Duck

FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCK - GREAT BLUE HERON - EGRETS - AVOCET - OYSTERCATCHER
photos taken: Indian Point Park - Portland, Texas and Fulton Corridor - Corpus Christi, Texas
habitat range: Fulvous - Heron - Egrets - Avocet - Oystercatcher


TRIVIA:
Unlike many other ducks which have elaborate courtship displays, whistling-ducks appear to have none.

I'D RATHER B BIRDIN' WAS LISTED THIS WEEK ON 'SITES TO SEE' ONLINE.
Thank you, Jerry.

Now, share your birding experiences: