Through August and November the annual hawk watch takes place daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the little town of Calallen, TX [part of the Corpus Christi annexation]. It takes place at Hazel Bazemore Park...the Nueces River, two ponds and the elevated platform for hawk watching. Daily, they have someone there; they're counters with their binoculars and little tickers...counting over the hours and recording the volumes during migration of hawks, osprey, egrets, anhingas, kites [bird], eagles, etc. - By the numbers at the end of the season, they are given grants for resarch through the following year. Also, keeping track of the smaller migrants such as warblers, titmouses, many many kinds of sparrows, etc. and with luck, any vagrants that may fly over or decide to stop-over.
But, I get there earlier! First, if I wait 'til the counters arrive at 9 a.m., it's too hot this time of year. 2nd...I don't like crowds [they talk too much and too loudly for my birding experience]....Once it turns autumn-like with cooler mornings, I may stick around a while and see what flies over on their migration path. On Wednesday of this week, I was greeted at 7 a.m. with a lot of ground fog---
...as I observed the watering drip systems utilized to attract birds and wildlife, I saw a few birds...cardinals [in molting season and not very attractive] a yellow warbler, a blue-gray gnatcatcher, several white winged doves, hummingbirds, starlings, a cotton-tailed rabbit, and a green jay. The green jay is not rare but can be quite scarce in our area [more seen the closer you get to Brownsville, TX and Old Mexico].
Stepping off the platform to walk around the trails, I spotted a family of three white-tailed deer on the golf course fairway that is on the other side of the park's road...
By this time, the fog was lifting and I headed toward the river. As I rounded the bend, I thought I noticed an owl perched near a deer feeder [a long, long, way away from me!!] I lifted my binoculars to get a better view and sure 'nough...an owl!! [perched on the 'white' box in the field] I was thrilled!!! I don't see them much. I used the zoom lens and took a few photos, knowing all too well, the pictures wouldn't be clear 'cause so far, far away. As I snapped the shutter over and over, I realized something was amiss! The owl wasn't moving...
...I'd been had!!! A decoy!!!
- - - - -
It was time to leave. I took another way home from Alice/Robstown highway. Here's another time, I'd been had [it just wasn't my morning!] ...this highway edges the international airport just outside Corpus. And, I hit the area just as Vice President's motorcade was leaving to go and visit the town of Rockport...a year after he came for support of those residents in the town that was hit so hard by the hurricane. Snipers on the air terminal's roof...security high...we had to wait. Oh lordy!! And, the worst part of the whole scenario, I HAD READ HE WAS COMING HERE. I shoulda known better than to come home that way.