2024-04-20 South Padre Island

Friday, I extended my stay at Andy Bowie Park for another two days. If the storms come in this weekend, it may bring the high-flying migrating warblers down to our level for a few days. I have seen it here in the past, and it is quite an experience.

I checked the weather predictions, and it says that rain is expected late Saturday, all day Sunday, and part of Monday. Tuesday promises partly cloudy weather. With these factors in mind, I booked yet one more night, and I will leave Wednesday.

With my time here nearing its end, I have been trying to make the most of my time in south Texas. It comes at the cost of falling behind in my story-telling.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at the SPI Birding and Nature Center (SPI-BNC). But I inspected the Convention Centre earlier. Most of us here who enjoy chasing birds have been hoping the migrating birds would take a break from their high-flying passage northward, and pay us a visit. There have been only a few individuals spending time with us. During my visit to the SPI-BNC, I enjoyed meeting an American White Ibis, a Blue Grosbeak, a Mangrove Warbler, Tricolored Herons, Tropical Kingbirds, and a Worm-Eating Warbler.

When the wind blows from the south, as it has been for weeks, migrating birds ride its current as long as they can. But when those winds change direction, it causes these high-flyers to surrender to the earth until conditions are good enough to resume their long-distance trip to their spring breeding grounds. Birders call these events “fallouts”. When it happens, the impression it makes is indelible.

Saturday night’s promised storm front didn’t result in much rain. The wind, however, had reversed. This gave me hope for an improvement in the birding opportunities.