I'd Rather B Birdin': Whimbrel

Showing posts with label Whimbrel. Show all posts

§ Ranch Birding...

Recently I took a drive through the ranch land southwest of Corpus Christi. Chapman Ranch to be exact...between my home and Kingsville, Texas. Here there are cotton fields, oil fields, cattle ranches, sorghum farms and wind farms. From season to season, the landscape continually changes and so do the different species of birds at times. It's always a fair chance of seeing something different. Early in the morning hours, the area is abundant most times with raptors and birds that frequent crops and open pastures. Occasionally a Burrowing Owl may be spotted, but even tho other birders have reported seeing them, I haven't this Spring. Maybe if I keep going to the area, I might get lucky. It's all about timing. I did happen to see a Crested Caracara couple courting [the male was carrying nesting material while taking a "come hither" stance and chortling to his mate]. Then, while all this was going on, and the female wasn't all that impressed, a juvenile Caracara flew in to break up the romance! If there was any. :-) Off another county road several Whimbrels were in the ditches flying off in front of the car. ...the Whimbrel has a dark eye line. Whimbrels usually flock and migrate in groups during the early Spring/late winter months. With my experiences, the curlews, which are similar, are not much seen in large flocks; loners or VERY few in one area. Now, when it comes to getting an ID for the field sparrows, that's a whole 'nother story for me [see below]. Oh, and juvenile hawks. They both continue to be a challenge and more times than none, I'm wrong. Thanks to Ken, last week, when he helped me with the hawk ID.

After the dense fog lifted [I posted the fiery sunrise, ranchland and fog photos HERE], as the sun appeared to the east, I spotted some birds busying with finding their catch of the day; their breakfast. I'll share a few:

YELLOW RUMPED WARBLER [Myrtle]
Habitat map: Warbler

MEADOWLARK [eastern with lack of yellow farther on the cheek]
Habitat map: Meadowlark

RED-TAILED HAWK [when it flew the red tail was visible]
Habitat map: Hawk

WHIMBREL?
Habitat map: Whimbrel

SAVANNAH SPARROW? BAIRD'S SPARROW?
[Id help is appreciated!] For use of graphic link in your post, copy text in gray text area below and paste into your blog post:

or use text linking only copy text in gray text area below and paste into your blog post:

Linking tool is now closed!

§ At the Ranch....

There were dozens of Crested Caracaras [and vultures] in a barrow ditch...cleaning up road kill.
CRESTED CARACARA
photos taken: Chapman Ranch
habitat map: Caracara
length: 22-24 inches
wingspan: 50 inches

One lone Harrier landed and quickly flew off as I slowed down to get a photo
NORTHERN HARRIER
photo taken: Chapman Ranch
habitat map: Harrier
length: 18-22 inches
wingspan: 40-48 inches

A Red Tailed Hawk perched in a cropping of trees, soon to take off and fly away...

...and a 2nd one was watching, nearby

RED TAILED HAWK
photos taken: Chapman Ranch
habitat map: Hawk
length: 19-25 inches
wingspan: 46-58 inches

One plowed field was crawling with meadowlarks. I believe they are WESTERN meadowlarks being that the back feathers are such a lighter brown than Eastern. Coloration is best ID because the two, Eastern and Western reside in the state.

MEADOWLARK
photos taken: Chapman Ranch
habitat map: Meadowlark
length: 10 inches
wingspan: 14-16 inches

Whimbrels have a pale center stripe and brown stripes on each side of the center stripe on the head. Most often this bird is seen along the coastline, but these cotton fields were flooded in areas from heavy rainfall, and one section of land, they were feasting as has been noted before in Texas [also noted in past years around this area were Hudsonian Godwits -with upcurved bills- in flooded fields]....

In comparing, the whimbrel is smaller than, and shorter beak than the curlew. Lighter and more gray/white in plumage also.

WHIMBREL
photo taken: Chapman Ranch
habitat map: Whimbrel
length: 18 inches
wingspan: 32 inches

LONG BILLED CURLEW
note the longer bill and the browner/rusty belly
photo taken: Chapman Ranch
habitat map: Curlew
length: 22 inches
wingspan: 36 inches

EUROPEAN STARLING
photo taken: Chapman Ranch
habitat map: Starling
length: 8.5 inches
wingspan: 15 inches

Recently, there were two 'rare' birds reported being sighted on Chapman's Ranch. Altho the reports do not have specific coordinates or accurate mapping, and the ranch is over 20,000 acres with many county roads intersecting [and some roads impassable], I took a chance once again to drive out and see if I could find the two birds. More than likely seen in daylight, the rare [slowly becoming more populated species after fear of near extinction in the 1930s]...the White Tailed Kite. As I saw and photographed all the others, above, I was heading out to the main highway to get back home, and off to my right, I saw this. Could it be?

YES!!! A new bird for me.

I zoomed in...

WHITE TAILED KITE
photos taken: Chapman Ranch
habitat map: Kite
length: 16 inches
wingspan: 40 inches

....The other reported bird was the short eared owl....I went at dusk on another day, and no luck.

This Week's Participants:

Travels With Birds
Linda, Virginia USA
Lavender Dreams
Eileen
Sallie [Full Time Life]
Phil UK
Rosyfinch Ramblings
Lea's Menagerie
Cranium Bolts
Birds Seen in Africa and Europe

For use of graphic link in your post, copy text in gray text area below and paste into your blog post:

or use text linking only copy text in gray text area below and paste into your blog post:

§ Close Encounter of the "RARE" Kind?

TODAY is our 51st wedding anniversary!!!

Over the last two months, since mid-March, I've been doing a bit of research now and then, off and on, since I saw this bird in ARK [a facility in Port A for injured bird rehab]. I do know it's a booby, but I think it's NOT a brown booby. I've read and searched numerous sites that tell me the brown booby [both male, female AND immature] has nearly identical colors and markings. And that includes YELLOW feet. This booby has speckling on the head and a bit of the throat [brown booby doesn't] and blue-gray feet!!! I was confused. Especially since I had it in my head when I saw it...blue footed. But, the young college student that was feeding the caged birds, said she thought it was a brown. So, I kept her words in mind as I drove home, and then brought out the laptop and my books. Now, watching PBS Nature programs, I have seen the Blue Footed from the Pacific side of our country. Their feet are nearly turquoise. But, upon further reading, the Blue Footed Booby from the Galapogos Islands "blue" is much grayer in hue [and Peruvian?]. So...perhaps my first assumption is correct. I know for sure it's not a brown, nor a red footed...I think blue footed is all that is left to conclude the ID. What do you think?

§ Cowbird, Whimbrel, Curlew and Godwit

First, these birds...especially the male, can look quite sinister with the coal black plumage and the devilish red eyes. But, they're quite harmless of course. And, during their mating ritual, they're even comical when they're all poofed up and strutting their stuff. lol - shown here in this post [the female always seems to not give a darn what he's up to...she saunters off and continues to feed]

BRONZED COWBIRD
photos taken: Blucher Park
habitat map: Cowbird

One bird that seems to be more scarce each year here in South Texas is this one. They don't show up on the endangered list, but for some reason I see very few compared to about a decade ago...

WHIMBREL
photos taken: Ocean drive NAS [near naval air station]
habitat map: Whimbrel

I must admit when I am out birding, I kinda get excited when I see a long legged shorebird along the beach/coastal areas; always hoping it's a Whimbrel, but once I get my binoculars in focus, they're always too long a beak, or a straight beak...but markings and colors are SO SIMILAR. Here's what I mean:

MARBLED GODWIT
photo taken: Hans Suter Refuge
habitat map: Godwit

2-

LONG BILLED CURLEW
photo taken: NAS
habitat map: Curlew

For use of graphic link in your post, copy text in lavender text area below and paste into your blog post:

or use text linking only copy text in lavender text area below and paste into your blog post:

§ Ranch Birding...

§ At the Ranch....

§ Close Encounter of the "RARE" Kind?

§ Cowbird, Whimbrel, Curlew and Godwit

Table of Contents