Tired
Well-known member
I was at High Island on the Texas coast earlier this year, during the tail end of the spring migration. There were an utterly horrendous number of mosquitoes that kept me from having much luck with any migratory birds, but the beaches, and a high boardwalk near a rookery, were clear. I happened to meet someone who works with one of the bird sanctuaries there, and asked him if he knew where I could potentially get a close look at a Magnificent Frigatebird. He recommended the Galveston-Bolivar ferry, which crosses about two miles (roughly 3km) of water.
I can now strongly recommend ferries for seeing seabirds.
Gulls are nothing unusual, of course, but these were flying all around the ship, 3-5m away in most spots, coming close enough to the stern that (if they wouldn't have avoided me) I could have walked over and touched them. A good number kept pace with the ship, meaning that photographing them was almost as easy as if they had been standing still. Also note the entertainingly misplaced pigeon; these hitched a ride mostly perched on the ship.
Three species of tern, all closer to me than I've ever seen terns, were another nice thing to encounter. One of these is even a lifer.
And here's our goal! She didn't come nearly as close to the ship as the other birds, but she did drift leisurely over to follow. When I mentioned what I was here looking for, one of the ferry workers showed me a video he'd taken of a frigatebird flying within arm's reach of the elevated cabin, so they do evidently come very close at times. I'll have to remember to do this again the next time I'm near a ferry- I'd known that birds will follow ships, but I hadn't realized that multiple species will come so close.
I wonder if I could see a Black Tern up close this way. I learned about those on this trip; I'll confess, I hadn't known that terns come in any colorations other than "white with small black markings and perhaps an orange or yellow beak", and was therefore rather surprised to see what looked almost like very large swallows mixed in with a flock of perched terns. I'd love to see them near enough to properly appreciate them, as those were quite far away.
I can now strongly recommend ferries for seeing seabirds.
Gulls are nothing unusual, of course, but these were flying all around the ship, 3-5m away in most spots, coming close enough to the stern that (if they wouldn't have avoided me) I could have walked over and touched them. A good number kept pace with the ship, meaning that photographing them was almost as easy as if they had been standing still. Also note the entertainingly misplaced pigeon; these hitched a ride mostly perched on the ship.
Three species of tern, all closer to me than I've ever seen terns, were another nice thing to encounter. One of these is even a lifer.
And here's our goal! She didn't come nearly as close to the ship as the other birds, but she did drift leisurely over to follow. When I mentioned what I was here looking for, one of the ferry workers showed me a video he'd taken of a frigatebird flying within arm's reach of the elevated cabin, so they do evidently come very close at times. I'll have to remember to do this again the next time I'm near a ferry- I'd known that birds will follow ships, but I hadn't realized that multiple species will come so close.
I wonder if I could see a Black Tern up close this way. I learned about those on this trip; I'll confess, I hadn't known that terns come in any colorations other than "white with small black markings and perhaps an orange or yellow beak", and was therefore rather surprised to see what looked almost like very large swallows mixed in with a flock of perched terns. I'd love to see them near enough to properly appreciate them, as those were quite far away.
