One good tern deserves another...
Today we were guiding again, this time in a different area to the east of Corpus Christi. Our slightly earlier start meant it was still pretty dark as we scanned the shoreline at Packery Channel Park. That didn't stop us kick-starting the day with Long-billed Curlew and Marbled Godwit on the sandbank, while Short-billed Dowitcher and Spotted Sandpiper were right on the beach in front of us. It was a great spot for tern comparison as we saw Least, Caspian, Common, Black, Forsters, Royal and Sandwich Terns either on the sandbanks providing great scope looks or flying close to our viewing point.
The wind still wasn't our friend however. Cloudless skies and strong southerly winds helped migrants on their way high and fast, and made birding conditions challenging as our scopes quivered in the wind.
At Padre Balle we added Piping Plover to our list, an excellent record for this area. As we moved on to the area of the mouth of the Osso, even before we got off the bus we were enjoying looks at Whimbrel and Snowy Plover, while a Crested Caracara flew low over the saltmarsh. The wind seemed even stronger at this exposed place but that didn't deter our local bird expert and routemaster, Mel Cooksey. Wilson's Plover scurried across the exposed mudflats and a Black Skimmer showed off its skills as it skimmed the water of a protected pool right in front of us. A small flock of White-rumped Sandpipers flew in, and landed briefly, and then flew on again, right on cue for their anticipated arrival at this time of May.
On to our last stop of Hans and Pat Suter Park where we walked along the boardwalk beside a narrow creek through another area of saltmarsh A Purple Gallinule picked its way through the reeds, another great bird for here and a lifer for many in the group. On a sandbank we scoped American White Pelican mixed in with their more common Brown cousins. To complete the full set of terns possible around here, three Gull-billed Terns quartered the saltmarsh close to the boardwalk, so we had incredibly good looks at these birds.
Tough birding in the windy conditions but some excellent birds nonetheless.