We arrive at the Dike and are greeted by a Monk Parakeet instead of a shore bird.
A stately Oyster Catcher walks away from us ...
... turns to assess us ...
... and finally stops to look for food.
A trio of Royal Terns
Carol and Susan are windblown.
Five Gulls and five Royal Terns
Now we find Black Skimmers mixing in with theGulls.
A pretty Black-Bellied Plover (without its black breeding plumage) ...
... wades in a shallow shore puddle. (It's called a Grey Plover in Europe.)
A Black Skimmer takes flight ...
... and wheels out seaward.
A Marbled Godwit stands on one leg.
Gulls, Gulls, Gulls ... and a few Black Skimmers
A group of American Avocets forages in a large temporary pond.
Five Avocets, bills in the water ...
... until two come up for air.
At the edge of camera range, a TowBoat service looks for stalled boats.
A lovely Ruddy Turnstone, probably a female
The closest we got to a Dolphin today. They stayed pretty far out.
The 19,728-dead-weight-ton chemical tanker, Nordic Maya
A long double barge, inbound
What liquid do the tanks on this barge hold?
A Marbled Godwit forages in the shallow tidewater.
Unlike the similar Long-Billed Curlew, the Marbled Godwit's bill curves upward.
More American Avocets foraging
Texas City panorama. Blow this up to full size -- about 8 feet long.
The Black Skimmers like to mix in among Gulls.
A Snowy Egret on old rip-rap rocks, along the Dike's northern shore.
In the distance to the south: The Galveston Causeway
