Early in February, the border town of Laredo held a birding festival. As these things usually start on Thursdays and I have a full-time job, birding festivals are hard for me to get to. However, I always try to keep up with what's being seen, because you never know what rarities will pop up with so many eyes in so many places. For example, during last year's Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival, a gentleman (whose name escapes me) found the second ABA/Texas record Amazon Kingfisher. We were able to drive down the next weekend and get good looks through a scope (owned by Steve Gross, who sadly passed away a week or two later). Anyway, back to Laredo. I didn't see anything interesting until Sunday. That's when word of a Slaty-backed Gull at Lake Casa Blanca International State Park started to trickle out. Long story short, the bird had first been seen on Thursday (OF COURSE!), but not believed until Sunday, when pictures and other birders made it out there to see (just one reason I always carry my camera...regardless of judgement from other birders who say bins are good enough).
I had been trying to convince my partner in crime/birding that we should go down to Laredo to get a glimpse of this bird since it's really rare for our area and we probably won't be going to AK anytime soon. It's hard to convince someone who's not a hardcore birder that they really do want to go look at a seagull on the border. The bird was still being seen for weeks afterward and I finally was able to talk my way into a trip south.
We set out early Saturday (March 1) for Laredo. There weren't too many birds at all on the way down there because it was so foggy, but as we got closer to Laredo, the fog lifted and a nice Pyrrhuloxia was seen perched on a telephone line. I love these guys! Once we got to the park around 10:30 AM we didn't see any gulls at all, but we headed to the boat ramp area anyway since that's where the bird had generally been seen from. There were no other birders until we pulled out the scope and started scanning the lake. One couple drove by and asked if we'd seen the bird. We said no and they said to keep looking because they saw it there yesterday. I was relieved because there hadn't been any reported sightings on the sites I check since Thursday (what is it about Thursdays?), so I figured the bird had to be around somewhere.
After a little while scoping, I started to get frustrated at the general lack of gulls and we decided to drive around the park. Up near a house, we saw a medium-sized bird on a fence. Cactus Wren! Beautiful bird, gave great looks, sweet lifer, but not what we came for. We drove a bit more, saw a few more cool birds (none new for the year though) and decided to try scoping again. Another birder came up again with words of encouragement and a thought to try the other side of the park. We drove to the other side to try scoping from there, and of course I saw a huge raft of gulls...visible from the spot we just left. We drove back to the original side, set up the scope, and finally had success. Slaty-backed Gull (lifer!), hanging out with a number of Ring-billed and Herring Gulls (neither new), and a Lesser Black-backed Gull (new for the year).
With joy in our hearts and sunburn on my arms (it was 91 degrees), we departed from Laredo. On the way out of town, we got one last new year bird, Northern Rough-winged Swallows. I had been hoping to bird other locations in Laredo since it was our first time birding there, but it was so hot and we were so drained that we made a promise to ourselves to come back another day.
Texas year list as of 3/1/14: 193
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Nueces County 2/15/14
One of my favorite birding locales is Nueces County along the South Texas Coast. This is about a 2.5 hour drive away from our home, so I enjoy seeing what I can spot along the highway driving down. There are the typical hawks, sparrows, doves, vultures, etc, but as we're doing a Texas Big Year, I was on the lookout for something new. Two flocks flying overhead added two new year birds, Snow Goose and Sandhill Crane.
Once we got to Corpus Christi, we stopped at Labonte Park. This was our first time at this location and while we saw some good birds, including Anhinga (a first in the county for me), there was nothing new for the year. So we moved onward to Blucher Park. This is a huge migrant trap in the county and is truly one of the birdiest parks in America. We haven't hit the stride of Spring Migration, so there weren't a ton of new birds, but we managed to add Great Kiskadee and Brown Thrasher to the year list. Come March/April, the number of warblers there will be fantastic! Not to mention Indigo and Painted Buntings and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks...I can't wait!
After leaving Blucher, we drove out to South Padre Island. Along the bridges, we were able to add Black-bellied Plover and Sanderling. Those are about the easiest shorebirds for me to pick out. Once on the island, we stopped at a small migrant trap called Packery Channel Park. The main target was American Oystercatcher (but no such luck today). Only new year bird was Willet, but he did have some company with a lot of other birds (none new unfortunately).
We continued down to Port Aransas and made our first stop at Paradise Pond. It was neat to add Cedar Waxwings to my county list, but the only new year bird was a very personable Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. He just would not stop flying around us. ;) There were also Winter Texans...not a species of bird, but a type of birder from the North who like to escape their terrible weather and enjoy all that South Texas has to offer.
Next stop was the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. I love this place because it always has good birds, good birders, and giant alligators. And we found all three today. For the year list, we were able to add Cinnamon Teal (there was only one and thankfully another birder helped us find it), Least Bittern, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, White-faced Ibis, Sora, and American Avocet. I was happy to be able to help other birders see and identify the Least Bitter and White-faced Ibis and thankful for the eyes of others to get the Cinnamon Teal and Green Heron.
Finally, we thought we'd try a new spot for us, the Port Aransas Jetty. Driving down the beach towards the jetty, we added Forster's, Royal, and Sandwich Terns, while the walk along the jetty brought Ruddy Turnstone and Bonaparte's Gull. I'm excited to come back here and add more terns and gulls!
On the way off the island, we spotted a Long-billed Curlew working hear near a bridge. The honor of "Last Bird of the Day" goes to a pair of White-tailed Kites hovering over the highway on the way out of Corpus.
All in all a FANTASTIC day of birding with 84 total species, 21 new species for Nueces County, and 21 new year birds, bringing the 2014 total to 180!
Brown Pelican
Laughing Gull
Ruddy Turnstone
Royal Tern with funny hair!
Once we got to Corpus Christi, we stopped at Labonte Park. This was our first time at this location and while we saw some good birds, including Anhinga (a first in the county for me), there was nothing new for the year. So we moved onward to Blucher Park. This is a huge migrant trap in the county and is truly one of the birdiest parks in America. We haven't hit the stride of Spring Migration, so there weren't a ton of new birds, but we managed to add Great Kiskadee and Brown Thrasher to the year list. Come March/April, the number of warblers there will be fantastic! Not to mention Indigo and Painted Buntings and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks...I can't wait!
After leaving Blucher, we drove out to South Padre Island. Along the bridges, we were able to add Black-bellied Plover and Sanderling. Those are about the easiest shorebirds for me to pick out. Once on the island, we stopped at a small migrant trap called Packery Channel Park. The main target was American Oystercatcher (but no such luck today). Only new year bird was Willet, but he did have some company with a lot of other birds (none new unfortunately).
We continued down to Port Aransas and made our first stop at Paradise Pond. It was neat to add Cedar Waxwings to my county list, but the only new year bird was a very personable Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. He just would not stop flying around us. ;) There were also Winter Texans...not a species of bird, but a type of birder from the North who like to escape their terrible weather and enjoy all that South Texas has to offer.
Next stop was the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. I love this place because it always has good birds, good birders, and giant alligators. And we found all three today. For the year list, we were able to add Cinnamon Teal (there was only one and thankfully another birder helped us find it), Least Bittern, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, White-faced Ibis, Sora, and American Avocet. I was happy to be able to help other birders see and identify the Least Bitter and White-faced Ibis and thankful for the eyes of others to get the Cinnamon Teal and Green Heron.
Finally, we thought we'd try a new spot for us, the Port Aransas Jetty. Driving down the beach towards the jetty, we added Forster's, Royal, and Sandwich Terns, while the walk along the jetty brought Ruddy Turnstone and Bonaparte's Gull. I'm excited to come back here and add more terns and gulls!
On the way off the island, we spotted a Long-billed Curlew working hear near a bridge. The honor of "Last Bird of the Day" goes to a pair of White-tailed Kites hovering over the highway on the way out of Corpus.
All in all a FANTASTIC day of birding with 84 total species, 21 new species for Nueces County, and 21 new year birds, bringing the 2014 total to 180!
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Baby Texas Big Year - Birding Brownsville
We've decided to do a Baby Texas Big Year. All that means is we are aiming to get 350 species in Texas in 2014. Shouldn't be too terribly difficult and hopefully will be a lot of fun. :) After a mini-big day on New Year's and a bird count in Boerne, we were up to 96 by 01/03. A couple of extra bird walks got us to 105 by 01/17...then it was time for some fun! We decided to head down to Brownsville on the evening of the 17th in order to bump up our count a little bit. On the way down, we ended up spotting a Great-horned Owl on the side of the highway. Normally owls are pretty difficult for us, so it was quite a surprise that this was so easy.
The first birding stop in Brownsville was Sabal Palm Sanctuary. They've recently remodeled the old house and moved the Visitors' Center into that building. Fortunately, they still maintain the feeding station at the old center. :) At the time of our visit (01/18), there was a Great-horned Owl nesting in a tree just outside the new Visitors' Center. Two owls in two days will very little effort. If only all birding was so easy! An Osprey flew over, marking the first new bird of the trip. We went to the feeding station and added White-tipped Dove, Green Jay, Clay-colored Thrush (lifer), Gray Catbird, Olive Sparrow, and Hooded Oriole to the year list. Then, we walked down to the lake and had Mottled Duck, Least Grebe, and Green Kingfisher. On the way back we picked up Plain Chachalaca in the underbrush. We were able to help another pair of birders get their eyes on the Chachalaca as well. It's always fun to see someone's eyes light up when they find a bird they were looking for! :) 
Clay-colored Thrush 
Green Jay
Just outside Sabal Palm, we spied a Chihuahuan Raven (thanks to the wind which exposed the white feathers!). Near the intersection of University at 77, we had a falcon on the telephone wires...Aplomado Falcon (lifer)! Always fun to see birds in unexpected places. We had a Northern Harrier fly over an empty field, bringing the bird list to 120 at the end of the morning.
After a nap, we went to Harlingen Arroyo Colorado to pick up some more birds. At the feeding station we spied Common Ground-Dove and Buff-bellied Hummingbird. We walked down to the river and were able to see Harri's Hawk, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and Curve-billed Thrasher. That evening, we drove a resaca and added Anhinga and White Ibis. At the end of the day, we got to 127. Not bad for a few hours of birding!
Sunday, the 19th, we drove out to the South Padre Island Birding and Convention Center. Walking the trails, we were able to add Northern Pintail, Redhead, Red-breasted Merganser, Brown Pelican, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Reddish Egret, Roseate Spoonbill, Clapper Rail, Common Gallinue, Spotted Sandpiper, Marbled Godwit (lifer), Laughing Gull, Herring Gull, Caspian Tern, Black Skimmer and Common Yellowthroat. I love this area! The trails go right through the marsh and make it very easy to pick up birds like rails that are sometimes really difficult to spot. After walking the trails, we walked up to the Convention Center to look for a female American Redstart which has been seen near the water feature. Another birder already had eyes on the Redstart and she kindly pointed it out to us. On our way back to San Antonio, we picked up Tropical Kingbird, White-tailed Hawk, and Brewer's Blackbird.
Clapper Rail
American Redstart
Two day trip added 3 lifers and 42 year birds...up to 148 already!
The first birding stop in Brownsville was Sabal Palm Sanctuary. They've recently remodeled the old house and moved the Visitors' Center into that building. Fortunately, they still maintain the feeding station at the old center. :) At the time of our visit (01/18), there was a Great-horned Owl nesting in a tree just outside the new Visitors' Center. Two owls in two days will very little effort. If only all birding was so easy! An Osprey flew over, marking the first new bird of the trip. We went to the feeding station and added White-tipped Dove, Green Jay, Clay-colored Thrush (lifer), Gray Catbird, Olive Sparrow, and Hooded Oriole to the year list. Then, we walked down to the lake and had Mottled Duck, Least Grebe, and Green Kingfisher. On the way back we picked up Plain Chachalaca in the underbrush. We were able to help another pair of birders get their eyes on the Chachalaca as well. It's always fun to see someone's eyes light up when they find a bird they were looking for! :)
Just outside Sabal Palm, we spied a Chihuahuan Raven (thanks to the wind which exposed the white feathers!). Near the intersection of University at 77, we had a falcon on the telephone wires...Aplomado Falcon (lifer)! Always fun to see birds in unexpected places. We had a Northern Harrier fly over an empty field, bringing the bird list to 120 at the end of the morning.
After a nap, we went to Harlingen Arroyo Colorado to pick up some more birds. At the feeding station we spied Common Ground-Dove and Buff-bellied Hummingbird. We walked down to the river and were able to see Harri's Hawk, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and Curve-billed Thrasher. That evening, we drove a resaca and added Anhinga and White Ibis. At the end of the day, we got to 127. Not bad for a few hours of birding!
Sunday, the 19th, we drove out to the South Padre Island Birding and Convention Center. Walking the trails, we were able to add Northern Pintail, Redhead, Red-breasted Merganser, Brown Pelican, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Reddish Egret, Roseate Spoonbill, Clapper Rail, Common Gallinue, Spotted Sandpiper, Marbled Godwit (lifer), Laughing Gull, Herring Gull, Caspian Tern, Black Skimmer and Common Yellowthroat. I love this area! The trails go right through the marsh and make it very easy to pick up birds like rails that are sometimes really difficult to spot. After walking the trails, we walked up to the Convention Center to look for a female American Redstart which has been seen near the water feature. Another birder already had eyes on the Redstart and she kindly pointed it out to us. On our way back to San Antonio, we picked up Tropical Kingbird, White-tailed Hawk, and Brewer's Blackbird.
Two day trip added 3 lifers and 42 year birds...up to 148 already!
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Christmas Count…part deux
We did our second CBC on Friday, January 3rd. We bit the bullet and decided to go owling before the rest of the count started. Owling started at 5 AM in 25 degree weather. It was cold. And windy. And miserable. And unsuccessful for the most part. We have one Eastern Screech-Owl respond to us, along with a bunch of chickens. But you know what? It was totally worth it. What a blast listening to a skilled birder with years of experience make awesome calls.
The rest of the CBC started at 730 AM. For the most part, we had the same crew for our route as we did for the previous circle. The two new folks were fun to meet, and after grabbing a cup of coffee, we were ready to head out. We didn't have high expectations because it was so cold and windy.
Our first stop didn't yield much, except a grouchy landowner and a local deputy, until we were getting ready to leave. Out of the east came a Cattle Egret (an early bird for this county). We made the original finder fill out the rare bird sheet…no one likes doing that. We then broke into two groups. Our group headed to the local water treatment plant. On the way, we had some Eastern Bluebirds, Red-winged Blackbirds, Great-tailed Grackles, White-winged Doves and European Starlings. When we got to the plant, we had American Kestrels, American Coots, Bufflehead, Ruddy Ducks, Mallards, Pied-billed and Eared Grebes, Double-crested Cormorants, and Killdeer.
The water treatment plant was one of the first places we really noticed that there was a definite lacking in numbers of birds. We had decent diversity of species, but not in the numbers we would have expected. We were also missing some expected species like Osprey, Canvasback, and Redhead. After scoping the lake, we walked a field that had normally been very good for sparrows. We had exactly 2 Vesper Sparrows.
We met up with the rest of the group and left the water treatment plant. Fortunately, not all landowners are grouchy, and we were granted access to a very large private ranch that again did not have much. The sun had finally come out, but the temperature just didn't get very high (by South Texas standards). We left the ranch and drove down to one of the lakeside neighborhoods. Again, we had some nice species by the water (including a Swamp Sparrow), but the numbers were very low.
As we were leaving, we had a couple of unknowns on a wire. We got out, scoped them, and had our first unexpected birds of the day: Black Phoebe! On our high, we headed to the main part of the lake to do our last bit of birding. We pulled in and had a bunch of American Pipit near the restrooms. There was a gorgeous Vermillion Flycatcher on the volleyball net which provided another highlight to a fairly mediocre day of birding. Our proximity to the first clean restroom in hours prompted us to take a bathroom break. While I was washing my hands, I heard "Caracara!", so I hit the dryer because I wanted to get out and see our first Caracara of the day. The rest of the group was still watching the bird and telling our complier Ray to hurry up and get out of the bathroom. I watched the bird fly west into the sun and didn't understand why everyone was so excited. The shape didn't look like a Caracara at all. The bird was soaring and much larger than a Caracara. The group was then shouting "Bald Eagle! Bald Eagle!" I thought they were pulling my and Ray's legs. I had told them a story about how when I first started birding, I was always trying to turn Caracaras into Bald Eagles, so I thought they were doing the same to me. They were so insistent that we all hopped in the cars and drive to the end of the park where we saw the bird fly. We got out and heard Ray call out that he had the bird. It was a freaking Bald Eagle! Best bird of the count, by far! The day started out slowly, but the last hour of birding really made up for it.
I would highly recommend a CBC to anyone, beginner to advanced. You can always learn something new from the count and have a great time hanging out with other birders.
The rest of the CBC started at 730 AM. For the most part, we had the same crew for our route as we did for the previous circle. The two new folks were fun to meet, and after grabbing a cup of coffee, we were ready to head out. We didn't have high expectations because it was so cold and windy.
Our first stop didn't yield much, except a grouchy landowner and a local deputy, until we were getting ready to leave. Out of the east came a Cattle Egret (an early bird for this county). We made the original finder fill out the rare bird sheet…no one likes doing that. We then broke into two groups. Our group headed to the local water treatment plant. On the way, we had some Eastern Bluebirds, Red-winged Blackbirds, Great-tailed Grackles, White-winged Doves and European Starlings. When we got to the plant, we had American Kestrels, American Coots, Bufflehead, Ruddy Ducks, Mallards, Pied-billed and Eared Grebes, Double-crested Cormorants, and Killdeer.
The water treatment plant was one of the first places we really noticed that there was a definite lacking in numbers of birds. We had decent diversity of species, but not in the numbers we would have expected. We were also missing some expected species like Osprey, Canvasback, and Redhead. After scoping the lake, we walked a field that had normally been very good for sparrows. We had exactly 2 Vesper Sparrows.
We met up with the rest of the group and left the water treatment plant. Fortunately, not all landowners are grouchy, and we were granted access to a very large private ranch that again did not have much. The sun had finally come out, but the temperature just didn't get very high (by South Texas standards). We left the ranch and drove down to one of the lakeside neighborhoods. Again, we had some nice species by the water (including a Swamp Sparrow), but the numbers were very low.
As we were leaving, we had a couple of unknowns on a wire. We got out, scoped them, and had our first unexpected birds of the day: Black Phoebe! On our high, we headed to the main part of the lake to do our last bit of birding. We pulled in and had a bunch of American Pipit near the restrooms. There was a gorgeous Vermillion Flycatcher on the volleyball net which provided another highlight to a fairly mediocre day of birding. Our proximity to the first clean restroom in hours prompted us to take a bathroom break. While I was washing my hands, I heard "Caracara!", so I hit the dryer because I wanted to get out and see our first Caracara of the day. The rest of the group was still watching the bird and telling our complier Ray to hurry up and get out of the bathroom. I watched the bird fly west into the sun and didn't understand why everyone was so excited. The shape didn't look like a Caracara at all. The bird was soaring and much larger than a Caracara. The group was then shouting "Bald Eagle! Bald Eagle!" I thought they were pulling my and Ray's legs. I had told them a story about how when I first started birding, I was always trying to turn Caracaras into Bald Eagles, so I thought they were doing the same to me. They were so insistent that we all hopped in the cars and drive to the end of the park where we saw the bird fly. We got out and heard Ray call out that he had the bird. It was a freaking Bald Eagle! Best bird of the count, by far! The day started out slowly, but the last hour of birding really made up for it.
I would highly recommend a CBC to anyone, beginner to advanced. You can always learn something new from the count and have a great time hanging out with other birders.
Bald Eagle
Vermillion Flycatcher
American Pipit
Monday, December 30, 2013
Bexar County Birding
After a fun Christmas count, we decided to go out on Friday (the 27th) and re-bird the area, plus a little extra, just for kicks. We started at Evans Rd. Lake where we had Gadwall, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Canvasback, American White Pelican, Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, American Coot, Long-billed Dowitcher, Vesper Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, and Song Sparrow. We drove a little down the way to check out a flock of Great-tailed Grackles (looking for Commons or blackbirds mixed in, when this Pyrrhuloxia jumped right in front of us.
Driving along much of the same route, we saw many of the same birds from the CBC. One highlight though was a Greater Roadrunner. He was in the road (as his name implies) and then ran off the side into the wooded area. As it was raining, we didn't stop and get out much, but we did manage a few shots from the windows. :D
We usually call this one Pyrex, because let's be real, Pyrrhuloxia is hard to say
Driving along much of the same route, we saw many of the same birds from the CBC. One highlight though was a Greater Roadrunner. He was in the road (as his name implies) and then ran off the side into the wooded area. As it was raining, we didn't stop and get out much, but we did manage a few shots from the windows. :D
Savannah Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Wild Turkeys
Finally, we left the CBC area and headed back towards the house up the loop. We decided to cruise down some side roads to see what else was around. We lucked out with a few Crows, a couple of Kestrels, and a bunch of Western Meadowlarks.
Western Meadowlark
All in all, a wonderful day of birding!
Oh by the way
So this is actually my second birding blog. My previous blog is here, but since I can't access Tumblr at work (because lots of people post naughty things there), I thought I'd start a different blog on a site that isn't blocked...at least isn't blocked yet. :P
Christmas Bird Count 2013
The San Antonio Christmas Bird Count was held December 22. I did my first count last year and it was a total blast, so of course when I got the email about this year's count, I had to RSVP. We bird Sector 4, which is in southern Bexar County, near the town of Somerset. Last year I had a few new life birds, but more importantly, I learned a lot from the folks in the group. I hoped this year would be a repeat of last, and it was. I was very pleased with how everything turned out.
We started promptly at 7 AM, where we had Great-tailed Grackles, European Starlings, Eurasian Collared Doves, White-winged Doves, Mourning Doves, House Sparrows, House Finches, and Golden-fronted Woodpeckers. In short, nothing extraordinary. ;) We drove down the main road to our first field and added Crested Caracara, Northern Shoveler, and some Ibises. Unfortunately, the Ibises were flying directly into the sun, so calling a species was out. That was a bummer because it turned out we were the only group with Ibises.
Moving farther south, we came to what I like to call Sparrow Field. This is private propery (as is much of this sector) on which we are fortunately allowed to bird. Here we added Pyrrhuloxia, Northern Cardinal, tons of Meadowlarks (of the strong and silent type), flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds and Brown-headed Cowbirds, Lesser and American Goldfinches, oh and sparrows. Chipping, Field, Vesper, Savannah, Grasshopper, Song, Lincoln's, White-throated, White-crowned, and Le Conte's (my first lifer of this trip!). In the field, we talked about how they have Northern Bobwhite about 50% of the time they bird there and as we were leaving, we joked that they may need to update that percentage since we hadn't had any 2 years in a row. Right then, we got a huge scare as 11 Bobwhite burst out of the grass (about thigh high...and I'm 6 feet tall) and settled down just outside the field. I guess 50% is still an accurate estimate. As we were getting back in the car, I spied a large brush pile which yield Bewick's and Carolina Wrens and the first Verdin of the day.
Driving along, we stopped periodically to check various fields and were able to add Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks, Black and Turkey Vultures, Carolina Chickadees, Black-crested Titmice, Eastern Phoebes, Loggerhead Shrikes, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, and Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers. One one stretch of road, we chanced up 5 Wild Turkey and a field full of American Pipits (which I tried my hardest to turn into at least one Sprague's). Here, we also encountered the rudest person I've ever come across while birding. I'll leave it at that, but he sure put us in a foul (fowl? lol) mood for a bit.
We had luck at some ponds where we had a Solitary Sandpiper, Gadwall and Blue-winged Teal, along with a couple of Great Blue Herons and a Great Egret. One pond also yielded my second lifer, 2 Curve-billed Thrashers. I'm always excited about birding, but getting a lifer after dealing with the aforementioned jerk really lifted my spirits.
After lunch, we continued on in much the same way and saw many of the same birds. Our last stop was another piece of private property with two large ponds. We lucked out and had American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, and Canvasback, along with a grouchy Belted Kingfisher (though when are they not grouchy?). On the way back to the car, we heard the tell-tale sound of Killdeer. I was asked how many I thought there were, so I listened carefully and came up with "at least 3". And then the whole lot of them flew overhead...more like "at least 33".
All in all, a great day birding. I know I left some species off this list, so I'm attaching the full eBird list at the bottom. I didn't go owling (my partner and I decided not to wake up that early), but I always wish I had. They had 8 Great Horned and 1 Eastern-screech Owl before the rest of us managed to wake up. Maybe next year...or maybe not...
CBC Sector 4, Bexar, US-TX
Dec 22, 2013 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
45.0 mile(s)
62 species (+1 other taxa)
Gadwall (Anas strepera) 15
American Wigeon (Anas americana) 27
Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) 2
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) 7
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 13
Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) 2
Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) 11
Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) 5
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) 27
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 2
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 1
Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) 35
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 7
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) 1
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 6
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 38
Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria) 1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia (Domestic type)) 11
Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) 4
White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) 200
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 53
Inca Dove (Columbina inca) 14
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) 8
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) 1
Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons) 13
Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris) 4
Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway) 10
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 1
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) 12
Say's Phoebe (Sayornis saya) 1
Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) 10
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 1
Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) 8
Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus) 6
Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps) 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) 9
Curve-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre) 2
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) 41
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 107
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens) 56
Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata) 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) (Setophaga coronata coronata) 2
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) 13
Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) 2
Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus) 89
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) 156
Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) 4
Le Conte's Sparrow (Ammodramus leconteii) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 1
Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) 7
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) 1
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) 9
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 26
Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus) 10
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 282
Eastern/Western Meadowlark (Sturnella magna/neglecta) 272
Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus) 6
Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) 182
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 245
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 5
Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) 2
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 18
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) 85
We started promptly at 7 AM, where we had Great-tailed Grackles, European Starlings, Eurasian Collared Doves, White-winged Doves, Mourning Doves, House Sparrows, House Finches, and Golden-fronted Woodpeckers. In short, nothing extraordinary. ;) We drove down the main road to our first field and added Crested Caracara, Northern Shoveler, and some Ibises. Unfortunately, the Ibises were flying directly into the sun, so calling a species was out. That was a bummer because it turned out we were the only group with Ibises.
Moving farther south, we came to what I like to call Sparrow Field. This is private propery (as is much of this sector) on which we are fortunately allowed to bird. Here we added Pyrrhuloxia, Northern Cardinal, tons of Meadowlarks (of the strong and silent type), flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds and Brown-headed Cowbirds, Lesser and American Goldfinches, oh and sparrows. Chipping, Field, Vesper, Savannah, Grasshopper, Song, Lincoln's, White-throated, White-crowned, and Le Conte's (my first lifer of this trip!). In the field, we talked about how they have Northern Bobwhite about 50% of the time they bird there and as we were leaving, we joked that they may need to update that percentage since we hadn't had any 2 years in a row. Right then, we got a huge scare as 11 Bobwhite burst out of the grass (about thigh high...and I'm 6 feet tall) and settled down just outside the field. I guess 50% is still an accurate estimate. As we were getting back in the car, I spied a large brush pile which yield Bewick's and Carolina Wrens and the first Verdin of the day.
Driving along, we stopped periodically to check various fields and were able to add Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks, Black and Turkey Vultures, Carolina Chickadees, Black-crested Titmice, Eastern Phoebes, Loggerhead Shrikes, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, and Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers. One one stretch of road, we chanced up 5 Wild Turkey and a field full of American Pipits (which I tried my hardest to turn into at least one Sprague's). Here, we also encountered the rudest person I've ever come across while birding. I'll leave it at that, but he sure put us in a foul (fowl? lol) mood for a bit.
We had luck at some ponds where we had a Solitary Sandpiper, Gadwall and Blue-winged Teal, along with a couple of Great Blue Herons and a Great Egret. One pond also yielded my second lifer, 2 Curve-billed Thrashers. I'm always excited about birding, but getting a lifer after dealing with the aforementioned jerk really lifted my spirits.
After lunch, we continued on in much the same way and saw many of the same birds. Our last stop was another piece of private property with two large ponds. We lucked out and had American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, and Canvasback, along with a grouchy Belted Kingfisher (though when are they not grouchy?). On the way back to the car, we heard the tell-tale sound of Killdeer. I was asked how many I thought there were, so I listened carefully and came up with "at least 3". And then the whole lot of them flew overhead...more like "at least 33".
All in all, a great day birding. I know I left some species off this list, so I'm attaching the full eBird list at the bottom. I didn't go owling (my partner and I decided not to wake up that early), but I always wish I had. They had 8 Great Horned and 1 Eastern-screech Owl before the rest of us managed to wake up. Maybe next year...or maybe not...
CBC Sector 4, Bexar, US-TX
Dec 22, 2013 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
45.0 mile(s)
62 species (+1 other taxa)
Gadwall (Anas strepera) 15
American Wigeon (Anas americana) 27
Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) 2
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) 7
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 13
Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) 2
Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) 11
Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) 5
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) 27
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 2
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 1
Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) 35
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 7
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) 1
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 6
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 38
Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria) 1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia (Domestic type)) 11
Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) 4
White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) 200
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 53
Inca Dove (Columbina inca) 14
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) 8
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) 1
Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons) 13
Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris) 4
Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway) 10
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 1
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) 12
Say's Phoebe (Sayornis saya) 1
Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) 10
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 1
Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) 8
Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus) 6
Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps) 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) 9
Curve-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre) 2
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) 41
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 107
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens) 56
Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata) 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) (Setophaga coronata coronata) 2
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) 13
Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) 2
Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus) 89
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) 156
Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) 4
Le Conte's Sparrow (Ammodramus leconteii) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 1
Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) 7
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) 1
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) 9
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 26
Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus) 10
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 282
Eastern/Western Meadowlark (Sturnella magna/neglecta) 272
Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus) 6
Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) 182
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 245
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 5
Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) 2
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 18
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) 85
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