Coastal Texas: Whooping Cranes and Black Rails!

March 17 

I made my way from my home in Mission, Texas, up the coast, with the primary purpose of finding Whooping Cranes and Black Rails. 

First stop was Rockport Beach Park, where a Sooty Tern has sometimes been roosting for the last several springs. I had brought my pup along for this trip, and the park didn't allow dogs, so I parked outside the park, left the windows halfway down (it was a cool morning with ocean breeze), and walked the mile in to the area where all the Laughing Gulls were roosting - the Sooty Tern had been hanging with them whenever it was present. 

I was unable to turn up a Sooty Tern, but I did find several Common Terns as well as a lone Gull-billed Tern, picking items off the surface of the water, rather than plunging headfirst into the water as most terns do. 

I made my way northward to Goose Island State Park's Big Tree area - an almost surefire place to see Whooping Cranes from land at the right time of year (there are some really fun boat tours that leave out of Rockport if you're wanting to enjoy great looks at the birds feeding in the tidal marshes!), and sure enough, there were six Whooping Cranes feeding with a dozen and a half Sandhills Cranes. 

Whooping Cranes AND Sandhill Cranes near Goose Island State Park, Rockport TX 

My dog, Puppet, had no idea she was about to get Whooping Crane for her life list! (Note: If you're birding with your pup, please please please be sure to keep your distance as to not disrupt any birds! The Whooping Cranes were enjoyed from far away with scope views.) 

Year List: 476

March 18

Next stop was Red-vented Bulbul. Only recently added to the American Birding Association's list of birds in 2017, Houston is the only place in the Lower 48 states this bird is considered countable. Navigating to a recent sighting in eBird, and wandering around about two city blocks, a pair was perched in a medium-sized tree right near the sidewalk. I'm not much into introduced species, but this is a pretty bird indeed! 

Red-vented Bulbul in Houston 

Onward to my very first experience at High Island, the Smith Oaks Sanctuary had built a canopy walk that opened last year, and had to be closed almost immediately due to covid. It was still early, so the migrants present were few, but Hooded Warbler was a new bird for the year! The nesting heron colonies there are quite the sight. I cannot imagine how incredible this place will be with the treetop views filled with warblers a month from now! 

Hooded Warbler at Smith Oaks, High Island 

Sunset at Bolivar Flats was also amazing. Thousands of breeding plumage American Avocets stole the show! New birds included a few Black Terns and nearly two dozen Piping Plovers. 

Piping Plovers at Bolivar Flats 

Year List: 480 

March 19 

Galveston Island State Park was the morning agenda; Assistant Superintendent Kyle posted on Facebook last week that Black Rails have been calling all around the park all the way into mid-morning. I  heard them from the car as I was driving up. Seaside Sparrows sang their hearts out along the trail edges, and a few Nelson's Sparrows flushed from along some vegetation skirting a trail. 

Seaside Sparrow at Galveston State Park 

The next stop was the famous Lafitte's Cove for some more song birding. A Yellow-throated Vireo was foraging near the ground not far into the park entrance, and a Brown Thrasher was not much farther. The park was riddled with sporadic Hooded Warblers and tons of White-eyed Vireos, a sign of much more migration soon to come. A few Northern Parulas and Black-and-white Warblers (aka "flying barcodes"), also flitted throughout the park. 

A quick stop at Bryan Beach was made for a disheveled Long-tailed Duck and great looks at a continuing Chestnut-collared Longspur.

Finishing out the day at Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, there were lots of shorebirds I still didn't have for the year. Semipalmated Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper and American Golden-Plover were all new. The whole day had included searching for American Bitterns wherever we were, and my friend Simon picked one out along the marsh reeds just before sunset. After watching it for about two minutes, as the sun was setting, it flew, presumably to roost somewhere, followed by seven others that appeared out of the marsh from various locations. Birds are cool! 

Long-tailed Duck at Bryan Beach 

Pectoral Sandpipers at Brazoria NWR 

American Bittern at Brazoria NWR 

Year List: 490