Last Week at CyFair

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Based on sightings in previous years, last week should have been a very good week for spring migrants on the campus. It wasn't! The only migrant sightings I had were very brief ones of a few Baltimore Orioles and Indigo Buntings.

BTW, it isn't just our campus that has seen few birds this spring. Sightings at other sites in southeast Texas have been poor also. A typical day was Saturday. A wet front brought down some birds in Houston on Friday afternoon and so local birders rushed out to see them on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, the wind had changed and most birds had already left. I birded Russ Pitman Park and Edith L Moore Nature Center and saw only three species of warblers (Magnolia, American Redstart and Chestnut-sided) and one thrush (Gray-cheeked).

Of course, there have been other birds to look at on the campus.

A Black Vulture enjoys perching on the library building and admiring its reflection in the windows.

One of our resident Great Egrets has taken to fishing right between the cafeteria building and the library. It doesn't seem to be bothered by the hundreds of people who walk past it every hour.

Great-tailed Grackles like to drink and bathe in the same area.

A Green Heron has been only a little more secretive.

The Purple Martin apartment complex continues to be extremely busy.

I'm not sure how many of our Western Kingbirds have returned this year but I seem to run across pairs wherever I go on the campus. I assume they've started nesting but I haven't actually seen any signs of this yet.

We are supposed to have rain for the next few days and perhaps that will bring in some more migrants and save what has been a dismal migration season here. I certainly hope so.
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