By Amanda Anderson Bryan Beach was pretty quiet until two weeks ago when 3 Wilson’s Plovers breeding pairs got a second wind and laid 3 new nests! It appeared the nesting season was coming to an end at Bryan Beach after I observed Wilson’s Plovers beginning to flock up and the only chick had disappeared. As usual, these Wilson’s Plovers … Read More
Oystercatcher Diaries 2016: Field Week 10
By Susan Heath Tim Long, Alan Wilde, and I went out on the 16th to check on the oystercatchers and found some surprises. One piece of good news is that the tide is finally down to a reasonable level. It’s still higher than it’s supposed to be but at least it’s not two feet higher! Now it’s only one foot … Read More
Oystercatcher Diaries 2016: Field Week 9
By Susan Heath We had to split our field day between two days because of the weather. We were originally scheduled to go out on Friday, June 3rd but with a weather forecast of 90% chance of rain for most of the day, we moved it back to Wednesday, June 1st. Even with that switch we had to run from … Read More
Beach Nesting Birds Project 2016: Update 5
By Amanda Anderson There has been a chickpalooza happening at Matagorda Bay Nature Park the last two weeks! Since the last blog, we have resighted 15 chicks. Just this past week, we banded 8 chicks! Below is a montage of cute Wilson’s Plovers chicks. I was even more pleased that a nest located within the main beach area survived to … Read More
Beach Nesting Birds Project 2016: Update 4
By Amanda Anderson It has been an exciting week at Matagorda Bay Nature Park! Two nests hatched with a total of 3 chicks. Two chicks hatched from a nest that I had not found, so it took me by surprise. Pictured below are the surprise chicks. As you will see from the second picture, the chicks are very well camouflaged. … Read More
Oystercatcher Diaries 2016: Field Week 8
By Susan Heath Finally some good news! But…. You’ll have to read the blog to find out what it is! We moved our survey from Wednesday back to Tuesday in response to the weather report. When Tim, Alan, and I started the day it was beautiful. Slight wind, blue sky, calm waters. It was the kind of day that makes … Read More
Oystercatcher Diaries 2016: Field Week 7
By Susan Heath I was joined by Susan Long and Alan Wilde with boat captain Tim Long for our oystercatcher survey on Tuesday, May 10th. Unfortunately, it is a sad story to tell with only a few high points. We did our route in reverse because the wind was supposed to build in the morning and we wanted to get … Read More
Beach Nesting Birds Project 2016: Update 3
By Amanda Anderson Over the last two weeks we finished putting up the symbolic fencing and area closures at Matagorda Bay Nature Park. We closed off the remaining side roads to provide protection for birds nesting around the ephemeral wetlands and among the dunes. There are now 97 signs at the nature park thanks to the muscle power of several … Read More
Oystercatcher Diaries 2016: Field Week 5 & 6
By Susan Heath We weren’t able to make our scheduled trip on Monday, April 18 because of the weather and the first time we could get out was Friday, April 22. John Wright escorted us on his boat and I was joined by Alan Wilde, Amanda Anderson, and Shelly Fisher. If you’ve been reading this blog for a couple of … Read More
Beach Nesting Birds Project 2016: Update 2
by Amanda Anderson The nesting season for Wilson’s Plovers has officially begun at Bryan Beach and the Matagorda Bay Nature Park! The breeding habitat at Bryan Beach is located behind the primary dunes and consists of predominantly mudflats and ephemeral wetlands with some upland/dune areas along the edges. This nesting habitat is preferred because it provides abundant food resources. I … Read More
Oystercatcher Diaries 2016: Field Week 4
By Susan Heath I made another round of West Galveston Bay on Wednesday, April 6th. I was joined by John Wright who chauffeured us in his boat along with Scott Buckel and Debbie Repasz. We started in Jones Bay checking on the two pairs that have chicks there. The wind was really blowing so the chicks were all hidden in … Read More
Beach Nesting Birds Project 2016: Update 1
By Susan Heath We kicked off our Beach Nesting Birds project this week! This year we are fortunate to be joining Houston Audubon and the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program monitoring nesting Wilson’s Plovers through an American Bird Conservancy grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Our shorebird technician, Amanda Anderson, will be monitoring nesting Wilson’s Plovers at … Read More