Blue Day in High Island (Texas): 30 April

My day begun late with a trip down to Frenchtown Road on the Bolivar Peninsula at noon. Thick mist and bouts of rain dogged viewing as I made my way down there. This was meant to be a shorebird walk, and indeed it did end up being one, eventually. However, just a short way down Frenchtown, a large flock of Dickcissels flushed out of the scrub and our thoughts quickly turned from shorebirds to what other songbirds were lurking having just crossed the Gulf? The answer was lots! We were out of the car quickly and soon after warbler names were flying this way and that: as we found this choice birds clinging to the vaguest of vegetation present in the area. The main component of this Gulf wave was Yellow Warblers, although a very brief Mourning Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Chestnut-sided Warblers, multiple Tennessees, Baltimore Orioles, and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Every so often another large crowd of Dickcissels passed over indicating more "Mexmigrants" were on the way.

With a brief respite from the activity, we switched back to what we had come for: shorebirds. A quick sweep of the fast diminishing pool at Frenchtown revealed a large shape feeding prominently in the nearest pool: female Hudosnian Godwit, 2 Stilt Sandpipers, and at least three White-rumped Sandpipers were the headliners today. After a brief check of Rollover Pass to add a pack of skimmers and a hearty amount of Black Terns (some of which had now "blacked-up" nicely), we were back on the "dome": High Island, where warbler numbers were on the rise. I stopped in at the photo blind where a Blackburnian only flirted with the idea of coming down to the drip, and a Bay-breasted Warbler repeatedly visited the grandstand drip. However, in this superb 30 minute spell in the blind a male Cerulean Warbler dazzled the few of us present...magic!

Day of the Chat...(High Island, Texas): 28 April

The morning walk in Boy Scout Woods was packed with birds, although a markedly different mix from yesterday. Gone were many of the warblers, although masses of thrushes were in attendance. It seemed every step we took brought up a flurry of Swainson's Thrushes. Tanagers too were loaded into the lot, both Scarlet and Summer. The one notable exception to that warbler statement were the Yellow-breasted Chats, that were simply everywhere. In just over an hour we had racked up a minimum of 30 different birds with no effort at all. Some even posed in the sunlight for us too. A remarkable chat event for sure, the likes of which no one I spoke to today seems to have seen before, ever.

In the afternoon things changed with warblers once again flitting around the woods, and a brief stint in the photo blind saw me get this Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Northern Parula, and immature bicolored Summer Tanager, before I tried to click the shutter and realized with horror (and birds teaming all around) my car was full!!!

Drip Fest...(Boy Scout Woods, High Island, Texas): 27 April

High Island was pumping today, lots of warblers, tanagers, grosbeaks. thrushes. In the morning hearing the woods were pumping I headed out to Smith Oaks where huge numbers of Black-throated Green Warblers, Blue-headed Vireos dominated proceedings and a few Blackburnians and Canada Warblers thrown in.

In the afternoon I sneaked into the photo blind at Boy Scout Woods, for some top quality migrant action. Gulf migrants were coming in, non-stop with regulars commenting this was the biggest flurry of the spring so far. I sat glued for some time before I had to pull myself away. In that short half hour spell Nashville Warbler, Canada Warbler, Blue-headed & Warbling Vireos, Yellow-breasted Chat, and others coming in. In the end I had to drag myself from this and head over to Smith Oaks, where the woods were loaded with warblers, including a single Magnolia Warbler among the horde.

Restroom Rainbow!...(High Island, Texas): 27 April

I casually wandered into our restroom this morning (in the Tropical Birding High Island Information Center), glanced out the window and saw this beautiful male Painted Bunting munching seeds outside (photo). People have started to call them Painted Trash over the last few days as they have become so, so common. I for one though am still into them big time!

High Island Report...(Texas): 26 April

My morning amble around the woods at Boy Scout, saw me alerted to an ashy gray form sitting quietly in a tree behind the Houston Audubon kiosk: Mississipi Kite, (bottom photo), my first of the spring season, and not a bad opener to our walk. A bounty of buntings graced the woods with some prominent mulberry bushes attracting the usual assortment of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Scarlet Tanagers, Cedar Waxwings, and a bunch of Painted Buntings too, with a mix of females and males competing for these juicy fruits. A Black-throated Green Warbler was found gleaning in an oak, and a Warbling Vireo was seen perched in a pecan tree. Most outstanding performance by a warbler this morning could have been Chestnut-sided Warbler, as it flitted around just in front of us (top photo), although was beaten to the punch 10 minutes later when Charley (Hesse) spotted a Swainson's Warbler trying to sneak into the drip in front of the Grandstand. It may have only been there for a few minutes but the looks were stellar as it surveyed the scene from a dead branch giving full scope views! An exciting few hours in the field.

Fiendish Fork-tailed...(High Island, Texas): 25 April

After yesterday's rarity, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, the parking lot at Smith Oaks began filling before dawn in anticipation of catching up with it. A morning went by, with no sightings at all in spite of many patrols on the prowl. I searched several times and came up blank, although late in the afternoon several independent groups had brief sightings, although each time the bird managed to slip away before the masses could get satisfaction. Although much of yesterdays mini-fallout had moved on, a healthy batch of warblers were still in the woods, and Painted Bunting numbers received a bounce today, with mulberries frequently quivering from them. Indeed red mulberries are now prominent in Smith, andwere receiving Swainson's Thrushes, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and gaudy Baltimore Orioles (photo) to name a few. I also encountered a striking Yellow-breasted Chat in the same stand of mulberries as one of these rainbow buntings, and my FOS Bay-breasted Warbler fell in Smith today too. Black-throated Green Warblers were especially conspicuous today, and what with a few Blackburnians thrown in for me too, it was an enjoyable day in the woods, despite the Fork-tailed frustration!

High Island MEGA: Fork-tailed Flycatcher (High Island, Texas): 24 April

Quick shot of this afternoon's mega: FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER that we found this afternoon in Smith Oaks on High Island. After a magical few minutes the bird lifted off laround 17.30) leaving us with a truly memorable experience. Lets hope someone re-finds this distinctive bird and we can soak it up one more time...