Oystercatcher Diaries 2022: Week of March 7, 2022

By Susan Heath Another exciting week with the oystercatchers! I had planned to go out to the Brazoria Bays on Tuesday with Taylor Bennett (GCBO Coastal Biologist) and our excellent intern Kenlynn Volz but the weather was too bad so we delayed until Wednesday afternoon. We had to wait out a thunderstorm complete with small hail at the boat ramp … Read More

Oystercatcher Diaries 2022: Week of February 28, 2022

By Susan Heath The weather was wonderful this week. When people think about what its like for us out there on the boat, the weather this week is what they imagine. Sunny, little wind, not too cold and not too hot. We seldom get days like people imagine but this week we did! Because there wasn’t much wind and we … Read More

Oystercatcher Diaries 2022: Week of February 21, 2022

By Susan Heath Alan and I were joined by one of GCBO’s RV volunteers, Bill Rose, this week. We needed some extra muscle to handle reinstalling a sign on Struve Luci. The truck thermometer read 49 when I backed the boat trailer into the water. For me that is a big BRRRRR! It wasn’t too windy though so not too … Read More

Oystercatcher Diaries 2022: Week of February 14, 2022

By Susan Heath Alan and I went back out to check on the oystercatchers on Tuesday this week. We had planned to go Wednesday but the weather had other ideas so Tuesday it was. It’s still pretty slow out there but all the pairs are on territory and many are scraping so things should pick up soon. Amazingly all the … Read More

Oystercatcher Diaries 2022: Week of January 31, 2022

By Susan Heath It’s time! They oystercatchers have begun to nest and we’ve checked on them a couple of times. We went out the West Galveston Bay on January 13 to see if any pairs had changed. Amazingly they were all the same for the ones that were present. Then on January 27, we went back and found the first … Read More

Smith Point Hawk Watch 11/30/21 (33 raptors)

Bob reports 33 migrating raptors today. Turkey Vulture 20 Osprey 1 Northern Harrier 5 Cooper’s Hawk 1 Broad-winged Hawk 3 Red-tailed Hawk 2 Merlin 1 It was a great last day at the hawk watch today. Blue skies with lots of clouds made looking for birds easy. Amid the scores of Turkey Vultures we found a few raptors still making … Read More

Smith Point Hawk Watch 11/29/21 (74 raptors)

Bob reports 74 migrating raptors today. Turkey Vulture 65 Northern Harrier 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 Bald Eagle 2 Broad-winged Hawk 5 North winds all day! 460 Greater White-fronted Geese were outdone by 480 Snow Geese!

Smith Point Hawk Watch 11/28/21 (34 raptors)

Bob reports 34 migrating raptors today. Turkey Vulture 30 Northern Harrier 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 Cooper’s Hawk 1 Bald Eagle 1 Winds were moderate out of the north but it was low overcast. There was some clearing in the 10:00 hour which brought a few birds but it clouded up again and all flight stopped. A feeding flock of about … Read More

Smith Point Hawk Watch 11/26/21 (253 raptors)

Bob reports 253 migrating raptors today. Black Vulture 29 Turkey Vulture 170 Northern Harrier 3 Sharp-shinned Hawk 12 Cooper’s Hawk 7 Bald Eagle 2 Broad-winged Hawk 20 Red-tailed Hawk 8 Peregrine Falcon 2 North winds all day brought more birds! 280 Red-breasted Mergansers, 3 Ross’s Goose, 200 Greater White-fronted Goose, 2 Marbled Godwit and a dark Broad-winged Hawk. Winnie Burkett, … Read More