By: CHARLES STEWARD, Staff Writer
Published:
Wednesday, January 16, 2013 1:06 AM CST
The drought affecting South Texas during the
past two years has had an impact on area bird populations according to numbers
from the Dec. 28 Christmas Bird Count. According to Rockport Christmas Bird
County compiler Claudia Dorn, 31 adults and 11 young people participated in the
all-day count. This year, 150 different species were counted, down from last
year’s total of 172.
“We had a good turnout with participants,” said Dorn. “A couple of years ago we
had a hard time getting enough participants so it was nice to see so many
people helping. We had fourth and fifth graders helping in Area B under the
tutelage of Bron Rorex and Martha McLeod.”
With the good participation numbers the count area was divided into seven
sectors. “We covered the area from Newcomb Point in Lamar to FM 188 and into
Bayside,” said Dorn
Dorn recalled best birds by area as follows:
• Area A (from Newcomb Point, both sides of
Copano Bay to Myrtle Street in Fulton): Common Goldeneye, Ring necked
Duck, Kiskadee, Coopers Hawk, and Seaside Sparrow.
• Area B (Including Little Bay and Rockport Beach): Mallard,
Merlin, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Black-chinned Hummingbird, eight Couch’s Kingbirds,
Great Horned Owl, and Pine Warbler.
• Area C (South of Rockport Beach Park to Shell Ridge Road and across to
the Country Club area): 14 Common Loons, Eared Grebe, Anhinga, more than
2,000 Pintails, more than 10,000 Redheads, Ruddy Duck, Clapper Rail, eight
Belted Kingfishers.
• Area D (including Salt Lake and Cape Valero): Harris’ Sparrow.
• Area E (from Cape Valero and FM 188 to the Port Bay Bridge):
Widgeon, Bufflehead, 55 Green wing teal, nine Little Blue Heron, 12 White-faced
Ibis, Common Paraque, Yellow–bellied Sapsucker, Brown Thrasher, White crowned
Sparrow.
• Area F (from Port Bay north of 188 to Bayside) : 13 Red-breasted Mergansers,
White-tailed Hawk, Merlin, Peregrine, Western and Least Sandpipers, Gull billed
tern, Roadrunner, Tree Swallow, American Pipit, 80 Savannah Sparrows.
Continued:
http://www.rockportpilot.com/articles/2013/01/16/people/doc50f5a0c1b3540328115124.txt
