CORPUS CHRISTI’S'S FEATHERED CAP

Living in this “Birdiest” of regions not only offers much daily satisfaction, but enhances my appreciation for those who worked to understand - and salvage - the natural world. Without their assistance, my family and friends could not enjoy the many birds gliding over the sand dunes at sunrise. The once threatened Brown Pelicans proceed in ‘V’ formed squadrons starting the day. My mid-day beauty takes flight as Roseate Spoonbills appear. Once they were the assigned species to be rescue by Robert Porter Allen before he and Larry Walkinshaw studied the Whooping Cranes, America’s Symbol of Conservation. Together they searched Canada and studied at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Austwell, Texas to save those majestic icons. Across the day Humming Birds, Grackles, Doves and Laughing Gulls cheerfully fill the air. Yet the signature songs of Whistling Duicks at dusk seem special when orchestrated by rapid wing beats in yet another ‘V’ formation taking them somewhere. Where? Why? What’s their hurry?

Walkinshaw always claimed their were “Human stories to be told…” if we could understand bird behavior.