Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher

The scissor-tailed flycatcher is inarguably our most flamboyant kingbird -- a long tail like that of a bird of paradise; peach flanks and crimson "wingpits". Its range in the US is restricted -- centered around Texas and adjoining states (esp. Oklahoma) but in the winter it can be seen as far away as Southwest Florida.

This handsome flycatcher was seen in October at the Attwater Prairie Chicken Sanctuary in Texas. The namesake of the sanctuary (a grouse) is in steep decline and was not seen.

What was seen instead, however, was an American Bittern who fooled no one except itself into believing it was invisible.

Despite poor weather conditions [and probably the "wrong" season for watching lekking grouse], a nevertheless fruitful breeze-through with several good sightings of the "Texas bird of paradise".

American Avocets at Bolivar Flats

Of the 4 species of avocets, perhaps the American is the most colorful. However, in basic plumage, when their rufous color is absent, the monochromatic elegance of this distinctive shorebird is most evident.

American Avocets breed in the North and Western regions of our continent and overwinter in Florida, California, Central America and also Texas -- where this photograph was taken at Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary (Galveston, TX).

The female's bill is more up-turned than the male's -- other than that, the sexes are virtually indistinguishable.

Other birds seen included western sandpiper [left], white-morph reddish egret [center] and the humble sanderling [right].

Also seen were Caspian [lower left] and Forster's terns [upper left] -- and plovers were well represented with snowy [middle] as well as piping [right].

Finally, marbled godwit [upper left] together with long-billed curlew rounded out the morning's fine birding at this important shorebird sanctuary.

Our Largest Shorebird: The Long-Billed Curlew

Recently downlisted to "Least Concern", the Long-billed curlew has made a remarkable comeback after being shot to extirpation in many parts of the US. This curlew is an awesome shorebird -- tall, endowed with a huge, sickle-like bill, and colorfully distinctive in its cinnamon plumage.

This huge shorebird was seen in October at Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary (a world renown hotspot in Texas). Fresh from its alternate plumage, the cinnamon hues in the plumage are still prominent.

Farley Mowat's "Sea of Slaughter" (copyright Stackpole Books 2004) eloquently describes the wanton destruction of the curlews in North America in the 1800's (with devastating consequences for the now extinct Eskimo Curlew):

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Most abundant of the three curlews found in eastern North America was the Eskimo, but the most individually impressive was the sicklebird, now known as the long-billed curlew. Although its major breeding grounds were on the western prairies, it migrated along the Atlantic coastal flyway in considerable numbers.

Standing two feet tall on pipe-stem legs, it swung a curving bill six inches in length. its great size and piercing cries gave it pride of place among the shorebird kind. Unfortunately, these very characteristics, plus the fact that it was excellent eating, made it a prime target as a pot bird. Although in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it seems still to have been an abundant migrant from the Gulf of St. Lawrence region south along the coast to Florida, by the eighteenth century it had become scarce and by the latter part of the nineteenth century it had been virtually eliminated from eastern North America.>>

At Bolivar Flats, I was happy to see two curlews where they are reliably seen. However, In Southwest Florida's premier shorebird hotspot "Bunche Beach", they are regular but certainly not common.

The curlew's bill can measure up to eight and a half inches and is perfect for digging out crabs and other critters buried in the sand. In it's breeding grounds, it prefers insects and worms. The long-billed curlew has the longest bill of any shorebird (except perhaps that of the larger Far Eastern Curlew).

This delightful shorebird is the star attraction of the mud flats and its narrow escape from the same fate as that of the eskimo curlew is cause for great celebration among conservationists and birders alike.

Coastal Plovers of SW Florida

Last month, it was no small fortune to have observed American Golden Plover, Black Bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover and "Meadow Plover" (killdeer) at Lake St. Clair Metropark (the "other" great lake). These large plovers are quite distinctive and, excepting, the black-bellied not frequently seen coastally.

In coastal Southwest Florida, however, a different mix of plovers can be found.  Resident plovers such as Wilson's and Snowy's are joined by Piping and Semipalmated in the winter. All four small plovers (perhaps the Wilson's is more medium than small) can be seen well from Fall to Spring on the Florida Gulf Coast (the photographs here were taken at Little Estero Lagoon and Bunche Beach).

Each of the four small plovers is readily distinguished by leg color, bill size, and plumage coloration as follows.

First -- Wilson's Plover [picture above taken at Little Estero, Florida]: this plover is medium sized with dull pinkish legs, a large bill, and a single neck band (more prominent in the male). Brown upper parts contrast with white elsewhere. The large bill comes in handy for larger prey like fiddler crabs. In the breeding season, they will nest on the beach and rear their young very attentively. The female does a credible job of the broken wing display (see below in collage) when luring away threats to her brood.

Unlike the Wilson's, Semipalmated Plover breeds in the Northern regions of the American continent. It is a widespread migrant and a common over-winterer in Florida. It has orange legs and, in breeding plumage, shows both a black band and a mask [see collage below]. It is classified as "Least Concern".

The Snowy Plover [above] has silvery legs, a broken neck band and a small forehead arc [in breeding plumage, like the Piping]. It has grey upper parts and blends perfectly in the sand.

The Piping Plover's plumage is pale like the Snowy's but has legs and bill like the semipalmated. it is perhaps the most distinctive of the four. It is classified as "Near Threatened" due to pressures related to lakeshore disturbance in the summer where it breeds.

This quartet of delightful plovers add color and variety to the drab greys of wintering peeps on the mudflats and will enthrall the discerning observer every time!