I'd Rather B Birdin': Bonaparte's GULL

Showing posts with label Bonaparte's GULL. Show all posts

§ Local Sightings...

Not much traveling around the county or on the islands this week. These photos were taken just minutes away from home...

Top to bottom [with habitat maps]:

Cooper's Hawk

Ruddy Turnstone

Three Gulls [ring billed, herring, and laughing]

Bonaparte's Gull

White Ibis [laughing gull robbed it of its catch]

Long Billed Curlew

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This past week has been a phenomenal experience for birding! I've seen and photographed four 'rare' birds for South Texas. Finally, seeing the reported ebird birds in our vicinity!! The Iceland Gull, the Glaucous Gull, the Little Gull, a more common Bonaparte's Gull, and the fourth time around to the islands finally paid off....I spotted the elusive Harlequin Duck!! Three times previously, no luck. Altho, this last time I vowed I'd walk the entire distance of the ship channel's jetty to find 'em. On my way back after getting to the end of the jetty [link to my blog showing what I had to climb over to get there!! Am I crazy?] where the channel water meets the sea, I spied them on a mossy knoll, sunning! I had the opportunity to get a few photos before they dropped down into the gulf waters and swam away.

Spring has arrived. The temps are warming up nicely, and I noticed that some of the bird population is now 'coming into' breeding plumage! My favorites to see are the Roseate Spoonbill [so colorful!] and the Brown Pelican. Without any further chit-chat, I will share a few this week, and conclude next week if I can. I will begin by sharing two of the more common residents of the coastal bend seen on the Day of the Duck...

WILLET
Habitat map: Willet

BROWN PELICAN
Habitat map: Pelican

BONAPARTE'S GULL
Habitat map: Gull

LITTLE GULL [smallest gull in the world]
Habitat map: Gull

...and the elusive duo!

HARLEQUIN DUCK [two females]
Habitat map: Duck

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§ Gulls Galore!

All the birders I have talked with around the coastline; about seagulls and the differences, I am still in the learning mode for the most part...since there are so many similarities in markings. But, as I say, I'm learning. And, more than likely it will take a bit MORE learning until I can easily identify them. I can see the differing traits/colors/hear calls of the Laughing Gull and the Herring Gull. Mainly 'cause they are the most abundant gulls seen here along the Gulf of Mexico. The Bonaparte's Gull [link to my photo] is easily identified also...they're tiny compared to most...and the spot marking around the jawline is a vital feature.

Now, a few days past, there were two RARE seagulls reported. Actually, I had seen one just the day BEFORE the sighting was reported on Ebird. The other one listed as seen nearby on Mustang Island was one I hoped to find. Well, when I arrived at the tidal pool along the jetty, it was feeding. And there were a few birders with cameras .... the gull was not bothered at all by our intrusion. In fact, it's a western coast seagull, and one birder mentioned that it had to be from Los Angeles!! Why? He said you could shoot in the air twice and it probably wouldn't budge. I thought it was funny. Guess not, 'cause he and I were the only two that laughed. Maybe the other birders have never been in the crime-ridden city before and didn't understand.

I'll begin with the more common ones:

The Herring Gull:

HERRING GULL
photos taken: Ocean Drive - Oso Bay
habitat map: Herring

The Laughing Gull [immature]

LAUGHING GULL
photo taken: Port A
habitat map: Laughing

The Ring-Billed Gull

RING BILLED GULL
photo taken: Packery Channel Beach
habitat map: Ring Billed

A 'semi' rare gull, the Lesser Black Backed Gull

[usually found in the Atlantic coastal areas but in the past decades a FEW have been seen along the Texas coast.]

Dark, nearly black back with light, flesh-colored pink feet. Large

LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL or Great Black Backed Gull?
photos taken: Port A Jetty
habitat map: Lesser Black Backed

And, the RARE gull...
The Western Gull
[normally along the Pacific coast]

WESTERN GULL
photos taken: Port A Jetty
habitat map: Western Gull

...the last photo I took on purpose to make comparison of size...Laughing vs. Western

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§ From Town to Goose Island

Another post with several different species sighted around town and over to Copano Bay...

LADDER BACKED WOODPECKER
photo taken: Paradise Pond - Port Aransas, Texas
habitat map: Woodpecker

RED WINGED BLACKBIRD [female]
photo taken: Leonabelle Turnbull Refuge - Port Aransas, Texas
habitat map: Blackbird

WHITE FACED IBIS
photo taken: Leonabelle Turnbull Refuge - Port Aransas, Texas
habitat map: Ibis

BONAPARTE'S GULL
photo taken: Lydia Ann Channel Jetty - Port Aransas, Texas
habitat map: Gull

WOOD THRUSH
photo taken: Blucher Park - Corpus Christi, Texas
habitat map: Thrush

COOPER'S HAWK
photo taken: Paradise Pond - Port Aransas, Texas
habitat map: Hawk

WILSON'S WARBLER
photo taken: Paradise Pond - Port Aransas, Texas
habitat map: Warbler

GOLDEN FRONTED WOODPECKER
photo taken: Rose Hill Cemetery - Corpus Christi, Texas
habitat map: Woodpecker

WHOOPING CRANE
photo taken: Goose Island - Lamar/Rockport/Fulton Texas Area
habitat map: Crane

ps...if I'm tardy getting around to visiting on Sunday, I hope you'll understand...Go Broncos!!!

Now share your birding experiences:

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§ Local Sightings...

§ The Day of the Duck!!

§ Gulls Galore!

§ From Town to Goose Island

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