Sept., 1922 ee ese aae 169 
NOTES ON THE SUMMER AVIFAUNA OF BIRD ISLAND, TEXAS, 
AND VICINITY 
By ALVIN R. CAHN 
WITH SEVEN ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR 
OME THIRTY miles south of Corpus Christi, Texas, and about four 
miles off the coast, there rise out of the Laguna de la Madre two tiny, 
sun-baked shell reefs, known locally as Big and Little (also South and 
North) Bird Islands. So small are these spots that they appear on but very 
few maps, and so unimportant are they that they are known only to a few 
well-informed ornithologists, local Mexican fishermen who raid them periodi- 
eally for birds’ eggs, and an occasional adventurous picnic party. Even the 
local game warden stationed at Corpus Christi has never visited the islands in 
the course of his long local service. In spite of which, the Bird Islands are to- 
day among the most interesting spots, ornithologically, in all Texas. 
The Laguna Madre is a long, very narrow strip of water that is almost 
eut off from the Gulf of Mexico by the equally long, sandy ridge of Padre 
Island, which extends from opposite Corpus Christi southward, paralleling the 
coast, to Point Isabel near the mouth of the Rio Grande, a distance of about 
one hundred miles. Padre Island acts as a protective barrier to this section 
of the coast of Texas, receiving the brunt of the attack of the waters of the 
Gulf of Mexico. Yet even this protection is insufficient when the furious 
storms characteristic of the region sweep shoreward. At such times the wat- 
ers, whipped into mountainous waves by a terrific gale, rise in their fury, 
completely overwhelm Padre Island, and rush madly on the coast, which then 
may be submerged beneath twenty or more feet of turbulent water. When 
this occurs (the last big storm was in September, 1919), the Bird Islands, 
which rise above the water a scant two or three feet at the highest point, sink 
completely from sight, to reappear again days after the storm is over. Such 
storms play havoc with the fauna of the islands, and, when they occur during 
the breeding period of the thousands of birds nesting upon them, a terrific loss 
of life results. Since the islands are so low, their shape and size are constantly 
changing to a greater or less extent, which accounts for the difficulty the 
writer had in getting any idea of the size of the islands prior to his visit. 
Bird Island (in order to simplify matters we shall refer to Big Bird Isl- 
and, where the writer did most of his work, simply as Bird Island) is com- 
posed mainly of crushed shells, with occasional patches of a black, mucky ma- 
terial, and a sprinkling of sand. The central portion is covered with a low, 
creeping, succulent vegetation which fairly covers the ground, but which 
fails to conceal even a brooding gull. A few prickly-pear cacti occur locally, 
and two scraggly clumps of sunflowers are the only plants that break the 
otherwise monotonous uniformity of the vegetation. There is no shade any- 
where for anything larger than an insect, and the entire island lies gasping 
under a semi-tropical sun. The surrounding waters teem with fish and other 
aquatic life which afford an abundant food supply to the birds. As to the isl- 
and, except for a few insects that are blown out from the shore, and a few 
crustaceans, notably the fiddler crab, which burrow into the wet beach, it is 
practically lifeless—except, of course, for the thousands of wheeling, seream- 
ing sea-birds that breed upon it. On this island, less than half a mile in length 
