| LATEST BREAKING NEWS BY COLLEEN ‘The Bird Lady’ CLAYBOURN, Email me at windrush@skynet.net • 972-2270
 Feathered Fridays, our monthly birding bonanza at The Nature Conservancy’s Mad Island Marsh, took place this past Friday. Although we didn’t observe a large number of species, we did get excited about some of them.In the rice field adjacent to Mad Island Slough, we saw a Northern harrier scouting for prey. Two other raptors we observed were an American kestrel and an osprey with a fish in his talons. A Black vulture was chasing the Osprey, in an apparent attempt to cause him to drop his catch. We did see a large number of juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-herons on the south side of Mad Island Slough, while we were scouting for the American bittern, which we’ve seen at that location numerous times. We also briefly got a glimpse of a Yellow-throated warbler and a Red-bellied woodpecker along the north side of the slough. Just like last month, we saw few Eastern meadowlarks but lots of Cattle egrets, Red-winged blackbirds, Boat-tailed and Great-tailed grackles. Pintail pond, a created wetland, was full of water. Many birds were taking advantage of feeding/bathing/preening and fussing in the wetland. These included White and White-faced ibis, Black-bellied whistling ducks, Fulvous tree ducks, and many Black-necked stilts. While we saw no American coots, we observed many Common moorhens, as well as a few juveniles. Scissor-tailed flycatchers were seen on the high lines as well as Loggerhead shrikes. A seasoned birder, who accompanied us, heard a Lesser yellowlegs. It is migration season. While I haven’t observed many shorebirds except a pair of Spotted sandpipers that hang out on my bulkhead, twittering up and down on the rocks, (and many Killdeer), neighbors and friends have reported seeing Baltimore orioles, some in flocks of twenty, more American kestrels, Arizona woodpeckers, and many Ruby-throated humming birds, some of whom will probably winter in our region. Sara Murphy reported seeing a hummingbird that remains unidentified. It had a blue back, and purple underside. The next Feathered Fridays event will take place October 16th, 2009. For more information call Cathy Wakefield, 361-404-1198. |
TEXAS COASTAL FISHING REPORT
 EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair for drifters on live shrimp over humps and scattered shell. Trout and flounder are fair to good on muddy shorelines on soft plastics.
WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair on sand and grass humps on soft plastics and topwaters. Redfish are fair on live shrimp at Shell Island and Mad Island.
PORT O’CONNOR: Redfish are best in the back lakes on shrimp and mullet. Bull redfish are good at the jetty on crabs, mullet and shad. Trout are fair to good on the reefs in San Antonio Bay.
EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout and large Gulf trout are good for drifters working deep shell on plastics and fresh shrimp. Redfish and flounder are fair to good in the marsh around drains on shrimp.
WEST GALVESTON BAY: Bull redfish and flounder are good at San Luis Pass on shrimp and shad. Sheepshead, redfish and black drum are good at the jetty on shrimp and crabs.
TEXAS CITY: Redfish are fair to good in Moses Lake on crabs and shrimp. Gulf trout are good in the channel on fresh shrimp. A few birds are beginning to work on the outgoing tide.
FREEPORT: Redfish are fair to good on the reefs in Christmas Bay. Bull redfish are good around Surfside and at the Quintana jetty on crabs, shrimp and mullet.
ROCKPORT: Redfish are good in Redfish Bay on mullet and crabs. Bull redfish are good in the Shrimpboat Channel on shrimp and crabs.
PORT ARANSAS: Redfish are fair at Shamrock Cove and Pelican Island on topwaters and Gulps. Bull redfish are good at the jetty and on the beachfront on natural baits. Offshore is good for tuna.
CORPUS CHRISTI: Bull redfish are good in the surf on mullet and shrimp. Trout are fair for waders working mud and grass on small topwaters and Corkies. Redfish and black drum are good in the Humble Channel on live bait.
BAFFIN BAY: Trout are good on topwaters and plum plastics around rocks and grass on the King Ranch shoreline. Redfish are fair to good in the Land Cut on shrimp and crabs.
PORT MANSFIELD: Redfish are fair to good while drifting pot holes on topwaters and soft plastics under a popping cork. Trout and redfish are fair to good on the spoils in West Bay. |
Click here for area Marine forecast and Tidal information
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STILL TIME TO RESERVE CENTENNIAL PICTORIAL BOOK; PICTURE DEADLINE AUG. 11
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The one and only pictorial history book of Palacios’ first 100 years will be going to the printer in late August. Photographs to be considered for publication in the 128-page Centennial reflections book will be accepted by the Palacios Beacon thru Aug. 11.
Only a limited number of books will be printed and the only way to be certain that you can get a copy is to place your order before the presses begin running.
By reserving your book in advance you will save more than $10 from what the books will cost when they arrive from the printer, when they will be sold on a first come basis as long as the supply lasts.
The keepsake standard edition, with some 350 pictures printed on library quality archival paper that will last for generations and bound with a beautiful pictorial cover, can be ordered now for $32.42, including sales tax. If you can’t make the full payment at this time, a $15 deposit per book will reserve your order, with the $17.42 balance due when the book is picked up.
When the book arrives from the printer, the price will be $43.25 per book.
For a real family heirloom, there is also the limited and exclusive leather-covered edition, with a numbered gold-colored nameplate, available for $81.19, including sales tax. Only 50 of the leather-covered books will be printed. Because of the established number of the leather-covered books being printed, the full payment is due at the time of order.
Either of the books can be mailed to any address in the country for an additional charge of $6.50 per book. To order your book(s), mail your check to: Palacios Beacon, 453 Commerce, Palacios, Tx 77465.
As stated, pictures for the book will be accepted thru Aug. 11.
“The real story of Palacios and the local area, including Blessing, Collegeport, Deutschburg, Caranachua, Ashby, Pheasant Switch, etc., is out there. It’s in scrapbooks, photo albums, stored away boxes and trunks,” says book editor Bert West. “We are looking for photos that show people, places and things that will get people talking about how things have changed or how they have remained the same. Every family has a story to tell and we want to tell that story through pictures.”
A large number of pictures from the early 1900s through 2000 have been received, but more, including recent years, are welcome.
Each photograph submitted must have the contributor’s name, address and phone number on the back and be attached with as much identification of what and/or whom is pictured, plus the year or approximate year photo was taken. Informational sheets are available at the Beacon office.
For those who cannot drop off their photographs at the Beacon, they can be mailed to the above 453 Commerce address. All pictures will be returned, undamaged, after the books are printed.
TEXANA REAL ESTATE (PDF...requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
RE/MAX COSTAL PROPERTIES (PDF requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
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