October is an exciting time at the coastal sanctuaries as it brings not only migrants, but also some new faces to the team as we begin our restoration season in earnest. Grace Yaros and Rachel Myers will be our Conservation Technicians through spring. Both are recent graduates in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology; Grace from the University of Vermont, and Rachel from Clemson University. We look forward to having them on the team and hope you get a chance to meet them the next time you visit the coastal sanctuaries.
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We are still in the height of shorebird migration, with many of our wintering species beginning to settle in. This ought to be a good opportunity to study the many species of waders that stop-over and over-winter within our sanctuaries.
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The avian highlight last month was a group of five American Flamingos (2 adult and 3 immature) that spent a day in the saltmarshes of Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary adjacent the 17th Street Jetty. These birds were displaced by Hurricane Idalia and are just a fraction of the 100+ individuals that have been found throughout the Eastern U.S. in the weeks that have followed. We’re hopeful we’ll receive more of these neotropical vagrants on the Texas Coast as those displaced birds make their way back to the Yucatan.
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We finally received some measurable rainfall in September after having received virtually none since May. While this has allowed the mosquitos to hatch-out in earnest, it is good news for the drought-stressed trees in our sanctuaries.
