June 2 - Colorado River at Matagorda

We got up around 7:30 and again ate at the motel’s breakfast nook.  After we got our things together, we returned to Matagorda Bay to take another kayak trip, this time in the river.

Eurasian Collared-Doves were at the kayak rental

 . . . and Barn Swallows were building nests in the rafters

At the kayak rental, I asked Sammy about the little burrows and mini-“chimneys”.  He noted that they were mud crabs Panopeus obesus, which live in burrows, under shells or among the sea grasses in salt marshes and all along the Texas Coast.

Thousands of these holes were in the lawns and shoreline

We launched straight into the river and paddled down to the jetty at the mouth first, where there was a nice flock of Pelicans rooting.

We turned back upstream toward the north end of Tiger Island, and checked out some of the side channels.  There is little to no current in the Colorado River here, and we were more influenced by tide and breeze than the force of the river.

Marty

There were the usual gulls, egrets, grackles and Willets to see.

I was surprised to see a single Whimbrel tucked in along a tidal channel, working little crabs out of the mud.

It was getting hot,

so we returned to the Park after about 2 ½ hours, and returned the kayaks.

I had noticed yesterday that there was a little wetland between the east jetty and the beach, which attracted a number of terns and gulls, and thought that I should scope it out today.

The flock had Royal, Sandwich, and Least Terns, and Laughing Gulls

As Marty and ‘Becca went down to the beach, I set up my spotting scope to scan through the birds.

Then, away from the madding crowd of terns and gulls, I noticed a shorebird staring at me.  It was a Wilson’s Plover, which was my ABA Life Bird No. 611.

The Wilson’s Plover is a fairly common, although declining, species that nests along the U.S. Atlantic coast from Virginia south, and along the Gulf Coast all the way to South America.

This bird is banded.  I'll report the band to the Bird Banding Lab and let folks know about it

There’s a Pacific coast population, however they don’t get much north of Baja California, so I’d never seen one before.  Kind of like a big-billed Killdeer, but pretty distinctive.

We headed back toward Houston - Clear Lake, and checked back into the Candlewood Suites.  Marty and Becca are attending the North American Prairie Conference tomorrow, so we had supper and went to bed fairly early.

Colorado River eBird Checklist is Here

Matagorda Bay Nature Park beach eBird Checklist is Here

June 1 - Kayaking Matagorda Bay

We slept in again, until around 7 a.m., and ate a leisurely breakfast at the Motel, of omelets, bacon & sausage, and weak motel coffee.  The women decided they’d like to go down to Matagorda Island and do some kayaking, so we drove down through Matagorda

Matagorda Masonic Lodge No. 7 A.F. & A.M.

and out to the mouth of the Colorado River, pulling into the Matagorda Bay Nature Center.

This is a 1,600-acre park and preserve at the mouth of the Colorado River on the Matagorda Peninsula.  They have about two miles of Gulf of Mexico beach front, two miles of river frontage, and hundreds of acres of coastal marshes and dunes.

Marty at the paddles

We stopped at the office, paid our $5 each for the entrance fee, and rented three kayaks, which cost $115, and went over to the campground to have Sammy get them out for us.  We thought we’d like to tour the marsh, so drove back up the road to put into the marsh.  My goal here was to see some Seaside Sparrows, and to have a great day with Marty & Becca.

From where we parked, the open water led along the road where we watched folks fishing and casting their “th’ow nets”.

I was never any good with a throw net . . .

 . . . but this gentleman had the technique down!

We made it out into the marshlands and the open waters of East Matagorda Bay, and checked out the birds, flowers, and marsh, before turning about and re-tracing our path.

The Willets are very noisy when you're in their territory

We stopped at a sand bar and checked out the marsh birds and plants.

Fun folks to kayak with

Snowy Egret

I was intrigued with the Dodder in the marsh.  The species appears to be the salt-marsh dodder Cuscuta salina that 'infests' the pickleweed, saltwort and sea-oxeye.  The dodder species in Puget Sound was separated as C. pacifica several years ago.  This thread-like plant doesn't make its own food - it has no chlorophyll - so is parasitic on other marsh plants, sending its tendrils (haustoria) into the host plant's tissues and sucking out the nutrients.

We chatted for a bit with a man and his son who were bringing in crabs for a gumbo supper, before arriving back at the landing.

Filling the cooler

It was hot and humid, but I'd found the Seaside Sparrows, which were relatively common in the marsh.

We dropped off the kayaks, and went back into town for supper.  ‘Becca wasn’t feeling up to it, so Marty & I went to supper by ourselves at the Fat Grass restaurant.  Mart had a Water Buffalo burger and I ordered the grilled Red Fish (at “market price”).  This is a pretty nice place with good food.

Matagorda Bay Nature Park a.m. eBird Checklist is Here

Matagorda Bay Nature Park p.m. eBird Checklist is Here

Neotropic Cormorant