Evil clowns to the left of me, horrific jokers to the right, here I am stuck in the middle of haunt season! Technically, Halloween is around 67 days away, but here at Intrigued the spook comes early. We hold our annual Haunted Trail event the last weekend of September which translates to “where the hell did the year go already!!”. We pretty much work on this event 352 days a year taking off only 2 days for the event itself and 5 days to tear it all down and get it back into storage..capping it off with 2 days of badly needed rest before the 50 mile ultra race a few days later. That doesn’t even count all the work Linda does to prepare and put on the party itself (house decor, food, drinks etc.) and the invaluable Haunt Squad who must have something mentally wrong with them as they keep signing up to help out every year (must be the free beer … and root beer ha!). Guessing needless to say, but I am nose down trying to get ready knowing full well I’ll still be putting the finishing touches on the trail as the guests start arriving. Apologies for being out of pocket lately, especially on reading all your great posts – will probably let Brad handle the posts once he and Jan returns from assignment. To hold you over until then, going with a featured feathered friend that also has its nose down.
Hit the jump to read more about this uniquely billed creature.
In my last post on the Piping Plover we were hanging out on the Bolivar Flats. This area is located just off the Ferry from Galveston Island and a MUST birding hotspot if you are in the area. Bolivar Flats is also the location of the Audubon Shorebird Sanctuary. It is a bit unclear to me which part is actually the sanctuary as there is a fenced off area starting at the dunes which goes quite a ways back from the water. That area explicitly has signage indicating that is the bird sanctuary. There appears to be no way to walk in that part as there are no paths to be seen nor any indication where that might be allowed.
From the dunes to the water is open area. You can drive out on the beach here until you come to a line of posts where you can park and explore the rest of the shores as it follows the Gulf. Note, at low tide, you can technically get around the posts and I have seen several vehicles way out on the flats likely fishing the accessible waters. With that said, two years ago I saw a vehicle out there only to look back as I was leaving and noticed the car was standing in water up to its door thanks to the tide coming in. Passed a tow truck heading out there as I was leaving.
Special note, if you want to “park” on the sand you are required to have a pass. This can be purchased at local places or request via mail – $10 per vehicle/year with early bird pricing in Jan/Feb at $5. Their mail option only takes checks which is rather annoying. We switched up our snowbird plans this year and went to Arizona in January and then went back to Texas for the month of April. Have to say, the Flats were hopping at this later time with thousands (and thousands) of shorebirds massed for the migration including all the Plover varieties – one of my best birding experiences ever!
Now that you are a bit more informed about the Bolivar Flats area, time to mention that these shots were not taken at the official Bolivar Flats area. A bit of a bait and switch, but the flats are more widely known and gets more press than the nearby areas. Theses shots of the Long-Billed Curlew were taken while visiting the Bolivar North Jetty.
Also called the Galveston North Jetty, this very long jetty was initiated back in 1874 to protect the Ports of Galveston, Texas City and the various ports in Houston. The work was not completed until 24 years later. This jetty is about 1.5 miles from the Bolivar Ferry Landing. Turn right once you come to 17th Street. Your destination will be at the end of that road – look for the small bait shop that marks the start of the jetty. Going to put it out there, this is not the “prettiest” place to bird – at least on the shore side. There is a lot of trash and port-a-potties you should pray you never have to use.
This jetty is LONG – it might must be the longest one I have ever been on and I have yet to make it to the end. I thought this was a pretty good drone video of the area – it starts with a view of the Bolivar Flats – Bolivar Peninsula Tourism and Visitor Center (link here). Do not be deceived by the flat concrete start of jetty. If you plan to walk beyond that short section, you need to wear shoes with a firm grip. Like all of these protective barriers, it is made up of large slabs of granite that can become slick with the water spray and vegetation. There are also significant gaps between the slabs. I fell on the South Padre Island Jetty and my knee still remembers the pain (sacrificed the body to save The Beast). Being as we visit in January (and now April), there hasn’t been a lot of congestion either here or on the flats – maybe one or two fishermen on the Jetty and a few more including a birder or two on the flats. You choose how far you want to go out…just be confident in our own survival skills as you head out further and further into the Gulf.
The good news is there are PLENTY of birding targets closer to the shore. Last two times we have been to the Jetty there have been American Avocets in the multiple thousands. Reminded me of the Snow Geese flocks we’ve photographed in the past. In the midst of this horde are shorebirds of every species mingling with Gulls, Clapper Rails, Peeps, Black-Bellied Plovers, Pelicans, Willets and Spoonbills to name just a few. As you can tell, the Long-Billed Curlews are present as well.
For some reason I’ve struggled to keep the Long-Billed Curlews and the Marbled Godwits distinguished (link here). Both are similar in size (larger than peeps, smaller than say a Goose or Spoonbill). They are adorned in similar earth tones and their noses would put Cyrano de Bergerac at ease. There is one very glaring distinction that shouldn’t trip me up, but..it does. The Long-Billed bill curves down, where the Marbled Godwit’s has an upward bend to it. To get over my bill dyslexia I use a saying in the field – “The upward bill points to the gods”. There are several options in the Godwit family, but really only two to distinguish with the down-turned bill – the Whimbrel (significantly shorter bill) and the Bristle-Thighed Curlew (if you’re feet are not touching Alaskan soil, don’t worry about it).
A little background on this shorebird before I let you go. Their non-breeding region encompasses the southern coastline of the US and a large swath through Central America. When they get frisky, they head up to the interior of the northwest and small jaunts into Canada. According to Cornell’s website, this shorebird’s genus name, Numenius means “of the new moon” in reference to the curve of the bill. Wait, I already checked the Limosa name for the Godwits doesn’t stand for old moon rather the much more obvious characteristic of it being Muddy – yeah, I frowned at that as well – sticking with my pointing to the heavens reference.
The “things that go bump in the night” are calling me back to the lab. Take care everyone and again, apologies for delayed responses as I look back in fondness at those times when sleep was abundant.
Here is a preview of just one of the props that is currently under construction.
Life Intrigued 