Back to Galveston Island

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Dee and I usually only visit Galveston a couple of times a year but we were back there on Friday-Saturday just two weeks after our last visit.

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Friday afternoon we drove to the end of 8 Mile Road and had nice views of Ruddy Turnstones, Great and Snowy Egrets, Reddish Egret, Great Blue Heron and Willets.

Ruddy Turnstone

We then went slowly along Sportsmen's Road, an area that we've never birded before. Many of the houses on the north side of the road had been destroyed by Hurricane Ike but the wetlands on the south were thriving and were full of birds. Great and Reddish Egrets were matched in numbers by White Ibis, Tricolored Herons, Roseate Spoonbills and other large wading birds.

Reddish Egret

We ended the day with a quick look-in at East Beach, another site we've never visited before. I was hoping for shorebirds but the beach had mainly Laughing Gulls and Terns. However, there were also some Sanderlings and Willets, and a single Red Knot. (Bird #261 on my year list.)

Three Sanderlings in Different Plumage

And, as normal on Galveston, there were constant flyovers by Brown Pelicans.