Also at Anahuac

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Herons were comparatively scarce around Shovelers' Pond. We had a brief glimpse of a Green Heron in flight and a partial view of a Great Blue Heron grooming.

This Tricolored Heron was one of only three we spotted.

If Herons were scarce, Egrets were present in numbers. Cattle Egrets were particularly numerous and we probably saw well over a hundred.

White-faced and White Ibis (below) were common also.

I was half-hoping for my first Wood Storks of 2015 and was rewarded when two flew over in the distance.

Apart from Gallinules and Pied-billed Grebes, there were few birds on the water. A handful of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks were too far away for photos but two Fulvous Whistling Ducks were much nearer.

Orchard Orioles and Eastern Kingbirds popped up in several places around Shovelers' including at the Willows.

We had our picnic lunch in the old Visitor Center. The refuge staff have taken measures to prevent Barn and Cliff Swallows from nesting inside the old VC building. They seem to have largely succeeded as far as Barn Swallows go but a dozen or more pairs of Cliff Swallows had still managed to construct nests.

After lunch we drove a short way down the road towards Frozen Point, as I wanted to look for Common Nighthawks and Dickcissels.

The fence posts had six Common Nighthawks, as well as many Red-winged Blackbirds.

We hadn't gone far before we also turned up a couple of Dickcissels, my first of the year.

Our final sighting was of a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on a utility wire. 

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