Seawind RV December 27

Left Goose Island SP yesterday morning about 10 AM in a drizzly rain with 13 MPH winds. Drove about 100 miles to Seawind RV located near Riviera, TX in Kleberg County on the shores of Baffin Bay.  The park, county owned and managed, has 184 sites and attracts many snowbirds. We chose to spend 2 nights hoping the weather would improve by Saturday.

Thousands of Sandhill Crane flew over the park headed toward the bay just before sunset. Not sure where they spend the night here, I guess they like to stand in the water overnight like they do up on the plains.

Rained slowly all night long, and the thirsty ground soaks it up pretty quickly. With an  average rainfall of 25 inches, every drop of rain is precious but sure makes for lousy birding.

I put a pot of butter-beans on in the crockpot yesterday with a hunk of ham left from Thanksgiving. so that was breakfast this morning.

Not much on the bay, a cormorant and Great Blue, a few Laughing Gulls, no shorebirds nor ducks. Didn’t seem to deter the fishermen, though.

We decided to try the legendary King’s Inn, serving seafood family style since 1935. They don’t have a menu so the staff explains the choices. We opted for Avocado Salad, a house specialty. Our server shared the house dressing with me, lemon and oil. Onion Rings and house-made tarter sauce are other specialties King’s Inn is famous for. A huge serving of fries and ½ order of Onion Rings topped off our pound of catfish. Beautiful wood interior and elegant table setting of white table cloth and blue cloth napkins make for unique atmosphere. Dinner reservations a must, and the phone never stopped ringing.

Rain still falling so we decided on the 7 mile drive to Sarita to check out the Kenedy Ranch Museum.  Best 4 dollars ever spent! Located in the former home of Kenedy Pasture Company, it’s a true gem. The walls are covered with murals created by Daniel Lechon, a Mexican artist influenced by Diego Rivira. Each section of the mural has tags to cue the handheld audio player for a personal guided tour. The complete history of 3 generations of ranching, plus the vaqueros and the Catholic Church makes for a full afternoon of information. The brain can’t absorb everything, some of us reaching a saturation point much earlier than other. This could be a month long learning experience - or more.

The small town of Sarita is quite a wonder, too. Named for Mifflin Kenedy's granddaughter, Sarah, the town consists of the museum, a court house, sheriff's office, elementary school, Catholic church, plus a few dozen houses for ranch employees. There is no convenience store, gas station, or cafe. The only venue that sells soft drinks is a vending machine in the court house. 

Driving back to Seawind took us by Dairy Queen, so an ice cream cone was necessary for the rest of the drive. By the time we arrived back home, the rain had ceased and the birds were becoming active. A walk around the loop produced Golden-fronted and Ladder-backed Woodpecker, American Pipit 30+, Lark Sparrow 20+, Green Jay, Great Kiskadee, Yellow-rump, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet. The fishing pond  sported Ruddy Duck 25+, Black-necked Stilt, and Killdeer.

Pipit

Lark Sparrow