By Brandt Mannchen
In December, the Houston Sierra Club met at San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge (SBNWR) to enjoy birding and the beauty of coastal ecosystems. Before driving to the SBNWR, I met my buddy, Michael at the Meyerland Plaza Starbucks so that we could carpool together. I got a hot chocolate and Michael got his choice of early morning brews and off we went.
Michael is a great birder and I had invited him so that he could add his knowledgeable commentary to our trip. He’s also a great guy and it’s fun to drive with him.
As we drove to SBNWR, as is our habit, we talked about and resolved the world’s problems. If only the G7 would invite Michael and I to their next meeting we could get some things straightened out about climate change, equity, and biodiversity protection. But that’s another story.
As we drove a county road to the SBNWR entrance, we discussed birds we saw perching on the powerline wires we passed. There were Kestrels (beautiful, small, falcons), Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks, Black and Turkey Vultures (we saw many of these important scavengers during our outing), Red-winged Blackbirds, and others. Just as we approached the entrance to the SBNWR, across the road strode four White-tailed Deer, graceful and beautiful in their poise and caution.
At about 9:02 am we turned into the parking lot for Bobcat Woods in the SBNWR. I saw one car which turned out to be driven by Xiuli, a very enthusiastic beginning birder. I got a call from Solida and Paula and soon they arrived. We all said hello, went to the bathroom, and then performed the ritual of putting on the mosquito repellent.
To say that the mosquitoes were bad, would have been an understatement. We moved our cars to another location, closer to the lake we were going to visit, and then jumped out of our cars and moved quickly to the observation platform while yelping about our large, flying, attackers.
When we got to the platform, there was a slight breeze which reduced the attacks and we scanned waters and wetland vegetation for birds. We saw many vultures flying overhead, a Mockingbird (laughing at our mosquito discomfort), Common Gallinules and American Coots scooting along the surface of the lake, and count them, about a dozen American Alligators, all floating in the water soaking up the sun’s rays.
Out in the distance we noticed a solitary white bird. I thought it would be a type of egret but to my surprise it turned out to be a Roseate Spoonbill that was white, not pink. Apparently, this bird had not eaten enough crustaceans to turn its’ feathers pink. Fascinating.
Then as I looked at the spoonbill, several large, gray, birds walked into view from cattail curtains. I thought they might be herons but to my delight they were Sandhill Cranes!
These birds are musical in their call and often are seen rising up in lazy circles before they fly wherever they wish. They stand 4 feet tall and have an over 6-foot wingspan. They are graceful as they bugle, sound off, and fly away.
Michael pointed out a large flock of white birds in the distance and as we watched we realized they were White Pelicans. These large, white, birds are very social and fish together.
We then fled back to our cars, avoiding as many mosquitoes as possible, and then took the auto tour in SBNWR. It was remarkable how few birds we saw. This was unusual for this time of year. Then I thought about one of the reasons for this paucity of birds. Due to climate change, we are 10 days into December, 80 degrees, with no winter weather in sight. Many birds migrate south to the Texas Coast because the weather gets so cold that food can’t be found in sufficient quantities for their survival. Not this year!
Still, we persevered, and saw Crested Caracaras (Mexican Eagles) flying across marsh and coastal prairie along with Northern Harriers. We spotted some Snow Geese in the distance, along with White-faced Ibis, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Song Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows, and Great-Tailed Grackles.
We were hungry, but the mosquitoes were insistent, so with everyone’s agreement, we left SBNWR (with a hundred White Pelicans flying overhead) and headed to the beach in Freeport.
We arrived, noticed many shorebirds, and parked our cars. The wind blew, keeping mosquitoes more at bay, and we walked, ate lunch, and enjoyed the incessant Gulf of Mexico tides and the freedom of beach life.
We did our best to identify the birds we saw on the beach which resulted in sightings of Boat-tailed Grackles, Ring-billed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Laughing Gulls, Sanderlings, Brown Pelicans, Royal Terns, Caspian Terns, Forster’s Terns, and Willets.
Finally, it was time to go. Xiuli, Paula, Solida, Michael, and I hugged and wished each other well and went our separate ways back home. Michael and I saw one more bird as we drove toward Freeport, through chemical plants. Just before we drove on the bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway there was a Loggerhead Shrike, a disappearing prairie bird, perched on a powerline, that seemed to see us off.
The heat and mosquitoes hadn’t kept the Sierra Club from enjoying a great day on the coast, seeing birds in prairie, marsh, and beach ecosystems. Thank you Nature, for filling us up with hope and happiness. See you next time!