DOROTHY AND I SHORTLY BEFORE WE BOARDED "THE SKIMMER" ON THE MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 16, 2022.

Three Days in Hummingbird Heaven

Prologue

In March of 2020, Dorothy and I took a little trip to Rockport, Texas to celebrate our 46th Anniversary.   We enjoyed our time on that trip and, while there, learned they had a celebration each year to mark the fall migration of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.  It seems that thousands of these beautiful little hummingbirds stop in the Rockport area each September to “fuel up” for their exhausting flight across the Gulf of Mexico to their wintering grounds in Central and South America.  Dorothy and I decided we needed to experience this celebration, so, earlier this year, I planned and booked a little trip down to Rockport to attend the “34th Annual HummerBird Celebration” to be held September 15-18, 2022.  The following blog recounts our trip to Rockport to attend this festival.

But first, a little sidenote.  Since I took up bird watching, I have placed several hummingbird feeders in our yard.  I have started to become aware of the times I can expect hummingbirds and the numbers I can expect.  I look forward to seeing Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, especially during their fall migration when they spend about a week feeding and increasing their body weight for the long migration trip that lays ahead.  This year, they showed up right on time.  The bird that was the most frequent and faithful visitor to my feeders happened to have a deformed beak, so I was able to positively identify it daily as it visited and watched guard over my feeders.  This little bird was quite aggressive, and I have spent many hours watching him dive-bomb other hummingbirds that dared encroach on his territory.  One afternoon, I saw a Spotted Sandpiper on my bulkhead down by the lake, and, much to my amazement, my little ruby-throated friend promptly flew down there and chased him off!  Anyway, I thought you might enjoy a photo of my favorite 2022 Ruby-throated Hummingbird.  

THE LITTLE RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD THAT HAS ENTERTAINED ME THESE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. i DO NOT KNOW IF THE BILL DEFORMITY IS NATURAL, OR THE RESULT OF AN INJURY, BUT IT MAKES THIS BIRD VERY DISTINCTIVE AND EASY TO IDENTIFY.

Thursday, September 15, 2022:  A Mission & A Banquet

We left the lake about 10:00 a.m. on Thursday morning.  To break up the drive down to Rockport, we decided to stop in Goliad and visit the Goliad State Park & Historic Site.  We spent about an hour leisurely exploring the Mission Espíritu Santo and the adjoining museum.

THE ENTRANCE TO GOLIAD STATE PARK AND THE MISSION.
THE SIGNAGE AS YOU ENTER THE WALLS SURROUNDING THE MISSION.
THE MAIN BUILDING AT THE Mission Espíritu Santo WAS MUCH LARGER THAN I EXPECTED.
DOROTHY LIT A CANDLE FOR HER MOM, AND WE SAID A PRAYER FOR HER.
DOROTHY CHECKING OUT ONE OF THE EXHIBITS IN THE SMALL MUSEUM AT THE MISSION.
YOURS TRULY, AT THE MUSEUM.

After touring the State Park and Mission, we had a bite to eat (grilled snapper for Dorothy, gumbo for me), then headed to Rockport.  We checked into the LaQuinta Inn and rested for a while before heading to the Saltwater Pavilion at Rockport Beach for dinner and the keynote speaker. 

THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER WAS CISSY BEASLEY, A LOCAL NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER. HER PRESENTATION WAS ENTITLED "THE BEAUTY AROUND US -- A CELEBRATION OF NATURE".

Friday, September 16, 2022: A Boat Ride and A  Hummingbird Banding Demonstration

First up on Friday morning was a boat ride with Captain Tommy Moore aboard his boat “The Skimmer”.  The boat ride lasted for two hours, and we covered about twenty miles as we rode over to San Jose Island, then looped back around to Fulton Harbor.  We passed a number of very small “islands”, which were basically exposed areas of shell reef.  We saw a large number of Pelicans (mostly brown, but a few whites), Egrets, Herons, Gulls, an Osprey, and other assorted shore birds.  We saw nothing rare or unusual but it was a beautiful morning for a boat ride!

DOROTHY, SHORTLY BEFORE WE BOARED THE "SKIMMER" IN FULTON HABOR. I AM BLESSED TO HAVE A WIFE WHO IS NOT ONLY BEAUTIFUL, BUT ADVENTURESOME AS WELL!
THE SKIMMER HAD COMFORTABLE SEATING ACCESSED FROM THE LOWER DECK, AS WELL AS AN OPEN UPPER DECK.
"BIRD ISLAND" WAS THE FIRST SHELL REEF ISLAND WE PASSED. IT WAS MOSTLY POPULATED WITH BROWN PELICANS.
A COUPLE OF THE SMALL ISLANDS WE PASSED HAD A FEW WHITE PELICANS MIXED IN WITH THE BROWN PELICANS.
WE SAW A NUMBER OF HERONS AND EGRETS AS WE CRUISED ALONG SAN JOSE ISLAND, A PRIVATELY OWNED BARRIER ISLAND.
THE BEAUTIFUL OSPREY THAT WE SAW ON OUR CRUISE.

As we cruised across the open bay on the way back to Fulton Harbor, we were joined by a small pod of Dolphins, who used our wake to do some surfing.  Here is a photo and a short video of our Dolphin friends.

THE DOLPHINS PUT ON QUITE A SHOW!

After our cruise on the Skimmer, we stopped and had lunch at Hu Dat, a Chinese/Vietnamese food restaurant in Fulton Harbor.  After lunch, we headed over to a couple of private homes on Live Oak Street in Copano Village to watch some hummingbirds.  There are over twenty private homes in the Rockport area that graciously allow visitors to the Hummer festival to enjoy their gardens and bird feeders.  Some of these homes have wonderful plants and spectacular arrays of hummingbird feeders to help the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds fuel up for their fall migration flight south across the Gulf of Mexico.  It is incredible that these tiny birds will fly some 800 plus miles across the Gulf to reach their winter homes in Mexico and beyond.  The two homes we visited were attracting an amazing number of hummingbirds, and they were fun to watch!

DOROTHY WATCHING HUMMERS AT THE LOYD/HOWARD "HUMMER HOME". THREE GENERATIONS OF THE SAME FAMILY HAVE NURTURED MIGRATING HUMMINGBIRDS FOR OVER 40 YEARS AT THIS LOCATION.
IT WAS NOT UNCOMMON TO SEE MULTIPLE BIRDS AT EACH FEEDER.
A MALE AND TWO FEMALE RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS AT A FEEDER, WHILE ANOTHER MALE HOVERS OVERHEAD.
A CLOSER LOOK AT ONE OF THE MALE RUBY-THROATED HUMMERS. MATURE MALES CAN BE EASILY IDENITIFED BY THEIR BRIGHT RUBY RED GORGET (THROAT).

The shear volume of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds that we saw on our visits to the private homes was amazing.  I shot this little video to give you some idea of what the activity was like.

After spending time at two of the private homes, we headed over to Lamar (across the bridge over Copano Bay) to check out a Hummingbird Banding operation.  I had always wondered how the process of banding birds was accomplished and I was excited to see it done in person.  There was a fairly large crowd of people who were also there to watch.  The pictures and video below should give you a good idea of how the process works.  

THIS WAS THE STANDARD SIGN USED BY THE FESTIVAL TO HELP GUIDE YOU TO THE HUMMER HOMES AND OTHER EXHIBITS. THIS ONE WAS AT THE PRIVATE HOME WHERE THE BANDING EXHIBIT WAS TAKING PLACE.
DOROTHY IN FRONT OF THE HOME WHERE THE BANDING OF HUMMINGBIRDS WAS TAKING PLACE.
COVERS ARE PLACED OVER FEEDERS NOT BEING USED TO CATCH BIRDS FOR BANDING, SO THAT THE HUMMERS WILL FEED AT FEEDERS INSIDE OF A CAGE WITH A REMOTE-CONTROLLED DOOR.
A MEMBER OF THE BANDING TEAM RETRIEVING A BIRD THAT HE CAUGHT BY CLOSING A REMOTE-CONTROLLED DOOR (ONCE THE BIRD HAS ENTERED THE CAGE WHERE THE FEEDER IS LOCATED). AFTER CATCHING THE BIRD, HE PUTS THEM INTO A SMALL MESH BAG AND TAKES THEM OVER TO THE BANDING STATION.
MASTER HUMMINGBIRD BANDER KELLY BRYAN AT WORK. HE MEASURES THE LENGTH OF THE BIRD, THE LENGTH OF THE BEAK, AND WEIGHS THE BIRD BEFORE HE PLACES THE BAND ON THE BIRD'S LEG. EACH OF THE WHITE MESH BAGS CONTAINS A BIRD THAT HAS BEEN CAUGHT AND IS AWAITING BANDING.

Here is a short video I made of Master Hummingbird Bander Kelly Bryan at work banding Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. 

After each bird has been processed and banded, a team member takes them out in the open to release them.  They invited people to participate, and, as you can see from the video below, Dorothy was one of the lucky ones chosen to assist in releasing a bird.  

THIS LADY WAS THE MEMBER OF THE BANDING TEAM THAT TOOK EACH BIRD THAT HAD BEEN BANDED AND RELEASED THEM. IN THE VIDEO BELOW, DOROTHY HELPS HER RELEASE A NEWLY BANDED BIRD!

After an enjoyable visit to the banding operation, we drove back to Rockport, picked up a couple of salads to go, and returned to our hotel where we called it a day.

 

Saturday, September 17, 2022: More Hummer Homes and a Rescue Operation

Saturday morning, we packed and checked out of the hotel before heading over to watch birds at two homes near Rockport Country Club.  Once again, we enjoyed the antics of the swarms of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at the feeders.  

DOROTHY RELAXING IN THE YARD OF ONE OF THE ROCKPORT COUNTRY CLUB HUMMER HOMES.
THE BIRD ON THE LEFT IS AN IMMATURE MALE, AS EVIDENCED BY THE GORGET STARTING TO SHOW.
A BEAUTIFUL RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD AT ONE OF THE ROCKPORT COUNTRY CLUB HOMES.

Before heading for home, we made one final stop at the Wings Rescue Center, a volunteer organization in Rockport that provides rehabilitation for injured and orphaned wild birds in Aransas County.  It was an enjoyable and educational visit, and a perfect ending to our little trip!

DOROTHY IN FRONT OF THE WINGS RESCUE CENTER LOCATED AT 324 W 3RD ST., IN ROCKPORT.
ONE OF THE VOLUNTEERS AT THE RESCUE CENTER SHOWS OFF A RED-SHOULDERED HAWK THAT IS BLIND IN ONE EYE AND LIVES AT THE CENTER.
THIS GRAYLAG GOOSE PLAYS AN IMPORTANT FUNCTION AT THE CENTER -- SHE MOTHERS YOUNG DUCKLINGS THAT COME IN TO BE REHABILITATED.
DOROTHY IN FRONT OF THE ENCLOSURE THAT HOUSES PELICANS.
SOME OF THE RESIDENTS OF THE PELICAN CAGE AT THE RESCUE CENTER.
DOROTHY MADE A GENEROUS DONATION JUST BEFORE WE LEFT THE RESCUE CENTER.
THERE WERE SOME HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS AT THE RESCUE CENTER WHERE I NOTICED THIS MALE RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, DILIGENTLY STANDING GUARD.

Early Saturday afternoon, we made the trip back to the lake with no problems.  We enjoyed this little trip.  It was just the right combination of relaxation, education, and adventure.  If you like friendly people and lots of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, check out the Rockport Hummer Festival, held each year during fall migration.