Feathered Fallout
by Dina Arevalo, Editor of the Port Isabel-South Padre Island Press
We had a bit of
a cold front pass
through the area
this past weekend.
Now, for you and
I, the temperature
drop was fairly
mild. It wasn’t
even worth grabbing
a sweater,
but the drop in
humidity sure did
feel nice.
And though
the slight dip in the mercury
may have meant little to us,
it meant a lot to various species
of songbirds that had
been traveling northwards
from their winter homes in
Central and South America.
When the air got colder and
the winds flipped and began
to blow from the north, it
was just too much for these
little guys to keep going.
Seeing the green spaces
around South Padre Island,
Port Isabel and Laguna Vista
must have looked like an oasis
mirage in the desert for
these exhausted birds who
suddenly found themselves
flying directly into a headwind.
By the dozens they began
practically falling out of
the sky to take shelter from
the strong winds, rest a while
and hopefully find some
nourishment before continuing
on their way.
It’s not the first time an
event like this has happened.
These birds travel for hundreds,
even thousands of
miles, during their annual migration.
Usually, they make
the trip with the wind at their
backs, but when a weather
system moves in and causes
the wind to change direction,
causing the birds to momentarily
suspend their travels,
it’s called a fallout.
 |
| painted bunting |
The last really good one
I can remember was around
2013. I remember heading
down to the South Padre Island
Convention Centre and
seeing my very first painted
bunting. With its rainbow
color scheme, it quickly
became one of my favorite
species. This weekend’s
fallout wasn’t as big as that
one, but it sure didn’t disappoint,
either.
Just as I did back then, I
made my way down to the
Convention Centre,
this time after
work. I was
a little worried
that going so late
in the day meant
I’d miss most of
the action since
I knew the birds
would be settling
down to roost
near sunset. But,
when I finally got
to the north end of
the Island, the driveway by
the Whaling Wall was chock
full of cars — a definite sign
that other birders were still
around.
I found a parking spot and
made my way to the little gazebo
that overlooks a small
waterfall where birds often
bathe. Sure enough, there
was a crowd all around.
Folks holding cameras, binoculars
and high powered
scopes stood around, chins
upturned, their focus on the
trees and shrubs that make
up the garden. Everywhere
was the sound of birdsong.
I wasn’t too late.
Not even a minute after
I got there I heard someone
calling my name. Turns
out it was one the rangers
from our very own Laguna
Atascosa National Wildlife
Refuge, Marion Mason. She
and some volunteers from
the refuge had come to behold
the spectacle, as well.
 |
| lazuli bunting |
Up near the Whaling Wall
a flock of indigo buntings
and a pair of painted buntings
stood pecking at some
birdseed someone had scattered
along the ground. A
lazuli bunting, uncommon
in Texas, had been seen flitting
in and out among them,
Mason told me. The little
bird was far from its normal
migratory route and news
of its presence had attracted
lots of local birders trying
to add a unique find to their
“life lists.”
I stood around hoping
he’d peek back out again,
but I must’ve missed him by
just minutes. Nonetheless,
I enjoyed seeing the indigo
and painted buntings, some
tanagers, a black and white
warbler, Altamira orioles,
and one of my very favorite
birds, a hooded warbler.
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