South Padre Island

  

There aren't many people here at the RV Park.

 

Except in the section for SpaceX workers.

 

There are a lot of them here at the Tropical Trails RV Park, maybe a hundred.  SpaceX has ramped up activity at Boca Chica and we're within a 30 minute commuting distance.

 

 

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1i1ghZQRmo3b2WUt9JklqoA7SRC1suPRF&ll=28.48164861681098%2C-97.55574371598706&z=7

 

There are three points marked on the map: The RV Park where we're staying, the SpaceX Launch Facility, and the Whataburger on South Padre Island.  While enjoying an evening of fine dining on the island, we heard a rumbling.  It sounded like a heavy jet taking off, but there isn't an airport on the island.  I thought maybe a big helicopter right overhead.  The sound didn't pass by, it just kept roaring.  I got up and looked outside.  The wind was blowing.  Our window was shaking.  We thought maybe the whole building was shaking from the wind.  We were wrong, we found out later.  We were feeling the Space X rocket launch, eighteen miles due south.  Cool.

 

 

 

They say she’s like a ghost

  

They say she’s like a ghost, up and down that Texas coast.  That’s us.  Guy Clark wrote a song about us back in 1976. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BoiKi1FytA

 

There’s no home port painted on our stern.  We just reappeared at South Padre.

 

April migration trip map

 

 

 

And Henry loves his cave.

 

 

 

Port Aransas Marina

 

The biggest shrimp boat in the fleet; the Polly Anna.

 

And a visitor.

 

It's a dolphin, not a shark.

 

And today's star of the show.

 

Magnificent Frigatebird.

 

Year Bird!

 

Number 370.  Only 30 birds to go.

 

 

 

 

But there aren't many more birds to get from migration.  So now what we've done is define the scope of the challenge.  We can find all the normal birds near our home, spot a few winter birds in the northern part of the state, find as many birds as we can during migration, and we'll still need another 30 birds during the rest of the year.  30 birds in 8 months.  How hard could that be?

 

 

 

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood

  

 

The water table is a little high after two days of rain though.

 

An oak Motte makes a perfect migrant trap during migration.  They stop to rest and refuel.

It is currently full of warblers and flycatchers.  Nothing new for us though.

 

Another nice beach house.

 

And an osprey glides in heavy.

 

 

It’s F1 season again.  We’re watching the Portuguese Grand Prix on tape delay tonight.  Two races down and 21 to go!

 

 

 

While we were at High Island last week,

  

…we went to the heron/egret/cormorant/spoonbill rookery.  It was loaded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More rain today.  Went out looking for the Bay-breasted Warbler.  Found a lot of birds knocked down by this stormy weather, among them Baird's Sandpiper, Willow Flycatcher, and Olive-sided Flycatcher.  Year birds!  369!

 

It helped a lot that I birded with Jon today.  (Judy stayed home and rested.)  Never found the Bay-breasted Warbler though.  Jon saw one briefly that I missed today, and saw another just after we parted ways tonight.  I know where to look first thing tomorrow anyway, hoping the birds stay overnight.

 

 

 

 

Matthew

  

Our son Matt has decided how we should spend our senior years.  He'll put the bus in his back yard.  We can sleep out there, and every morning he'll ask "Dad.  Where do you want to go today?"  Then he'll play a video tape of a highway on a screen in front of the windshield, and I can sit in the driver's chair with the steering wheel.

 

Charming son, that Matt.

 

 

A dark and stormy day.  Snowy Plover!

 

Finally!

 

  366!

 

 

 

 

Judy’s idea

  

When she takes the dogs out for a walk at the beach, they get sand burrs in their feet and coats.  Either dog will get a flat and stop cold.  Judy has to find the sticker and pull it out before they can go on their way.  Stickers can happen anywhere, but they’re almost unavoidable near the beach.  There seems to be no easy solution.  Until now.

 

She went to Lowe’s and bought a couple squares of sod.  We put that on the side patio of the RV site.  The dogs can go outside, pee and poop on real grass, but not have to venture out into the stickers.

 

 

Brilliant!  When it’s time to go, we’ll just leave $5 of sod here.

 

 

Western Tanager.

 

 

Bird number 365!