It was a gorgeous day out today, so when I woke up I decided to do the weekly waterbird count. I’ll be busy tomorrow and Friday, and who knows what the weather will be by Saturday.
A pair of Crested Caracaras on a brush pile.
I mixed up the order that I normally use to count the seven sites since I knew I would have to stop at 11:00 for a break in the action. It was the day for the farewell luncheon for seven of us volunteers that will be pulling out this month.
Resting Avocets and Dowitchers.
We not only get treated to lunch, but we also receive some parting gifts to thank us for our service. This latest stint of mine at Anahuac brought my total hours of volunteering for the US Fish and Wildlife Service to over 6000. That was a milestone for me.
Green Heron.
The lunch was tasty, and my parting gift was interesting. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow after I figure out how to use it.
After lunch, I went back to the refuge to finish off the count areas. One of my favorite birds to watch are Black-necked Stilts. You can certainly see how they got their name…astoundingly long red legs! As I’ve mentioned before, the birds I’m counting now have certainly changed from the winter. Thousands upon thousands of various shorebirds are now using the refuge as a place to refuel for their further migration travels.
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.
Some local nesters have also returned. It’s an exciting time of the year. Tomorrow morning I’ll open the VIS while the others handle the 100 first graders. Then I’ll take fellow volunteers Colin and Denise to the Houston airport so they can make their way home to England. We’re all doing our migrating one way or the other this month…
Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy
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