Birding Texas

Neches River Field Trip

2009-05-27T09:56:00.000-07:00

On Memorial Day Weekend Shelia and I joined Gina Donovan and the Houston Audubon Society for a field trip to float the Neches River. Although the field trip was planned for the participants to stay at a hotel in Lufkin, we had made arrangements to camp and meet up with the rest of the group on Saturday morning for the field trip. We camped at Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area, the same place we camped for Christmas 2008, and even the same campsite.

We brougnt our own kayaks and were really glad that we had. There were some "technical" spots on the river that they made really easy to navigate.

After the Neches River part of the weekend, we birded around the campground, especially the Big Slough area. It's beautiful and really fun to see and hear all of the birds there.

Chimney Swift Roost

2009-04-30T06:46:00.000-07:00

Shelia was driving to work yesterday after dropping me off and observed many Chimney Swifts exiting a smokestack in downtown Austin. This morning we went to the location and marked the GPS location for the Kyles. Shelia sent me this map with the chimney pointed out.
The birds were exiting the stack within 5 minutes of sunrise and we observed them for approx. 5 minutes without any slacking. So cool!

South Padre Pelagic

2008-08-27T13:33:00.000-07:00

Let me back up now. All the way to July of this year if you don't mind. Shelia and I bought a new travel trailer - a Chalet Arrowhead. It's an A-frame hard-sided pop-up trailer. Cute, huh? We have been talking about getting one for a while, and the situation finally presented itself and we bought it. With all of the birding we do it really opens up a lot of opportunities for us.
It goes up really easily.

First we put up the roof, then it only takes one of us to put of both walls. The whole process only takes a couple of minutes. Then we hook up the water and the gray-water hose, chuck the wheels, uncouple the truck and we're in business. We store most of our stuff under the bed while we're in transit so we take that out as we need it. We were done so quickly this first time we really surprised ourselves! And it's fun too. The air conditioner works great and we were cooled down and enjoying a cold glass of water before we really knew what hit us.

The next day was our Pelagic trip. Eric Carpenter arranged the trip and people attended from all over Texas. The seas were calm and the sky was clear. This was my first Gulf pelagic and it was really fun. We were out a long time, and we didn't see large numbers of birds but we still had a great time. No one got seasick and no one got crabby. Amazing!

Shorebird Class Field Trip

2008-08-18T07:06:00.000-07:00

Shorebird Class

Last weekend we went on the Upper Texas Coast field trip with our Travis Audubon Shorebirds class. Led by Tim Fennell, our group of 16 traveled from Austin to Winnie and Bolivar with many stops in-between. The goal - see as many shorebirds as we could while not ignoring the avian diversity along the way.

Tim Fennell

We left Hornsby Bend as a group at 7:00a.m. on Saturday morning in 4 cars. Our first stop was Shipp Lake, a pull-over stop along Hwy 71 where we started out strong with several shorebird species including Stilt, Solitary, Pectoral, Least, Spotted and others.
Our next stop was Attwater Prairie Chicken NWR. This was my first time to visit that refuge, and it's beautiful. At a couple of "pull-over" stops on the way there we added Upland Sandpiper but missed our expected Buff-breasted's. At Attwater we had excellent viewing at a low pond, adding new species as well as having close views of some we'd already seen.
When we left there we immediately pulled over to check out a recently-mown field and saw perhaps hundreds of Buff-breasted Sandpipers. Wonderful!
We drove through Houston in a traffic jam and in the rain. Fortunately, on the entire trip we managed to be in vehicles when it rained!
Our time on the coast was well spent. After checking into our hotel we went out to Bolivar and traveled around the inland roads and Rollover Pass. We spent sundown at Rollover Pass and it was a beautiful sight. That and the alternate plumage Black-bellied Plover and Ruddy Turnstone capped our birding just fine. Dinner at Al-T's was a quick one, and then we fell in bed at 10:30.
Early Sunday we were at Boy Scout Woods which was very quiet except for the buzzing of the mosquitos - they were fierce! We left there pretty quickly and went right to Bolivar Flats. The shorebirding was fantastic. Our first birds on the beach were Piping Plovers and it just got better from there.

One of our best birds of the day was this Lesser Black-Backed Gull

Early Morning on Bolivar

We went from Bolivar to Smith Point where we visited the Hawk Watch tower - not much happening there. We finished our birding day at White Memorial Park where we added Red-headed Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse and Eastern Wood-pewee to our list.
A wonderful trip - thanks especially to Tim Fennell for leading a fun trip to the coast.

Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection

2006-08-23T16:09:00.000-07:00

Accipiters

On Saturday, Aug. 19th our Intermediate Birding Class went on a field trip to the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection at Texas A&M Univ. in College Station. We went there to take advantage of their extensive collection of bird skins. The skins we studied were all birds we studied in class, and were notable for their ID challenges. The collection is curated by Dr. Keith Arnold, a retired professor from the college. He met us there and opened the collection for us on a day when the museum is usually closed.
What an astounding and unexpected experience! Our class was able to hold and compare around 80 skins. From accipiters to terns, finches to vireos and more.
I feel so fortunate to have had this experience, one that I suppose very few hobbyist birders have the opportunity to do.

Our instructor, Cliff Shackelford, did a very good thing for some very lucky birders.Orioles

Loggerhead Shrike

2006-08-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

I said I would tell you more about the Loggerhead Shrike, and this seems like as good a time as any. It is the bird that is responsible for my interest in all birds and in birding as a life-long pursuit.
In high school I had a biology teacher, Al Schwan, who was interested in birds. He was my favorite teacher, and when I had taken all of the classes from him that were available, he made up a research assistant position for me so I could spend more time with him. During that time, while I was growing bacteria in agur and learning about mutations, he gave me a bird field guide. It was the Birds of North America, A Guide to Field Identification and I devoured it as soon as he gave it to me.
For some reason, the Loggerhead Shrike just seemed to jump off the page at me. I have no explanation for it. I was obsessed with seeing that bird. The book called them uncommon and declining. They stored food for the winter, for heaven's sake! Birds do that? What else didn't I know about birds? What do you mean they migrate? How do they know to do that? They sing too? Different songs in different places and at different times of the day? I need to know more!
Shortly after I got the book, a flock of Pine Grosbeaks settled in a cemetary next to my school. I was able to identify them! And they were migrating - I read about them in my new book. This was like magic. A new world opened to me when I found out that there were so many beautiful birds all around me and I could know them.
Since then I have always been aware of the birds around me, even when I couldn't "go birding". Now that I can be a devoted birder again, I have fallen in love with the birds all over again.
And my first Loggerhead Shrike? I have Camille to thank for that. I saw him on my birthday field trip to Pace Bend Park on April 24, 2004.

Monthly Fieldtrip at Hornsby Bend

2006-07-24T17:26:00.000-07:00

On July 15th I participated in the monthly Birding Field Trip at Hornsby Bend. This is a great way to meet other birders and to get some help learning birds that are challenging to me. This month's fieldtrip was led by Mikael Behrens and it was really well attended. I had been contacted by a woman from Dallas who was coming to Austin and especially wanted to attend the fieldtrip. All of us had a blast together, and saw some great birds. One of the highlights was this aerial flyover of several "whirly-birds" which got the egrets airborn. It was quite a sight to see!

Roseate Spoonbills

2006-07-10T16:51:00.000-07:00

On Saturday July 8 I decided to head over to Hornsby Bend to help out with the monthly bird count. This is held the second Saturday of every month and has been since 2000. It's a great way to help out at my favorite birding location.
Since I was getting there after the group had already left the gathering point, I thought I could be the most help by counting the Egrets on pond 1W since there are so many there. Boy was I surprised to find 4 Roseate Spoonbills there! They must have been migrating and stopped to catch their breath.

By Sunday morning they were gone. What a thrill though!

White-winged Doves

2006-06-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

Camille spotted a White-winged Dove nesting in the tree in our front yard. By the time we saw her, the eggs must have hatched, because by last week we already saw little heads popping up, and by Friday they had fledged and were perched next to the nest. It turns out that they fledged just in the nick of time, because the nest quickly fell apart and by Saturday it was completely gone!

We watched them through the storms on Friday and Saturday night, and they did just fine.
Sunday morning they were still perched near where their nest had been, and by the time we got home from church they were gone.

Good luck little guys!

If at first you don't succeed.....

2006-06-12T16:08:00.000-07:00

The Commons Ford trip had a target bird - the Blue Grosbeak. And although we saw a female on Friday evening, we were still hot to see a male. We decided to give it another go on Saturday morning, and arrived at the park around 9am.

At the bottom of the hill, where signage directs visitors to the picnic area, I heard a sound that caused me to stop and listen. "I know that sound" I said, and listened more. "That's a bird, and I know that bird" was my next whispered comment. My mind worked over the problem until I realized I was hearing a Northern Parula. But should I have been hearing one? Aren't warblers migratory? What was this bird doing here in the summer? I looked through my Travis County Birds checklist, and sure enough, they are here all year. I confirmed what I was hearing with a recording I had with me on my Treo. Yes, that was the bird! And since we knew what we were looking for, we spotted the little guy and confirmed the ID. Very satisfying!

Northern Parula (Jim deVries)
As we continued on, we encountered Isaac and Patty who are frequent visitors to the park and who had shown us where the Blue Grosbeak could be found. It wasn't long after stopping and chatting that Camille followed her ears to a singing male Blue Grosbeak! "I've got him!" she said. We all had great looks at a beautiful bird very close by. Wow!
In all, we had 23 species in two hours. Great day birding!

Commons Ford Ranch Park

2006-06-04T05:50:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning I birded Commons Ford Ranch Park. This park is in Austin and is accessed by driving from Bee Caves Rd and turning right on Cuernavaca. Take the first left on Commons Ford Rd. and the park is a few miles later on the left.
I got to the park around 7am and jumped the gate to get in. A Northern Mockingbird followed my progress down the hill until I got to the picnic area. I had originally planned to follow the road past the picnic area to the barn, but the allure of the water was just too great. I wanted to try for the Ringed Kingfisher, and early morning before the boats got busy seemed like the best time.
Unfortunately, I didn't get the Ringed Kingfisher that day, but I did get a very good ID on a Golden-fronted Woodpecker. I spent the whole morning walking around the park with brief rest periods on my little camp stool. That has been a welcome addition to my birding gear!
26 birds for a summer morning is not too bad. I know there were more birds there that I didn't ID, but I was happy for the ones I did get.

So I saw this bird....

2006-06-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

My Office Window

I get questions at work every day from someone wondering if I can ID a bird they saw from their description.
"I saw this bird, it was red and had black on its face and long feathers on top if its head" - Cardinal
"I saw this bird that was black and white and red, and looked like it had spot on its back. The red was on the chest". - Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Everyone I work with must know by now that I'm crazy about birds. When I went on vacation recently, I posted a note on my door that said "gone birding", and every meeting I chair that uses a PowerPoint presentation starts with a "bird of the week" photo.
I feel like I've accomplished something just knowing that a few more people are aware of the birds around them.

Have you been to Hornsby Bend?

2006-06-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

Pond 3 at Hornsby Bend

Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory is my favorite place to bird in Austin, and maybe in Texas. It is located east of the airport along CR973. The facility processes waste-water and produces Dillo-Dirt from it.
The first and most obvious birding opportunity is accessed from the main entrance by following the sign to the left indicating "Public Entrance". This takes you to two sludge ponds and the beginning of the River Trail. The ponds have a wealth of bird activity at all times of the year, from thousands of ducks in the fall and winter to shorebirds and waders in the spring and summer. At all times of the year a nice variety of perching birds can be found in the trees that line the ponds. I've seen everything from warblers and vireos to flycatchers and hawks.
Last winter I walked around the ponds at least once week for a month and saw many of the same birds in the same places over and over. They came to feel like old friends! There were two immature Vermillion Flycatchers hanging out and they were very predictable, as was a beautiful male Kestrel. The Loggerhead Shrike never dissappointed either.
These ponds are 1East, 1West and Pond 2. I joke about sunset over the sludge ponds being a thing of beauty, but it's not really a joke. I think it's stupendous.

My Favorite Birding Buddy

2006-06-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

On my birthday in 2004 I was treated to a surprise birding weekend by my partner Camille. She knew nothing about birding at that time, but was resourceful enough to know who to call to get information. She hooked up with Charles Stephens of Wild Birds Unlimited and the Travis Audubon Assoc. who both gave her great tips on where to bird.
We started at Blunn Creek (a wonderful little city park near St. Edward's University) where we saw my first ever Black-and-White Warbler. We went to Hornsby Bend next and were introduced to that wonderful place for the very first time.
The next day we joined a TAS field trip to Pace Bend State Park - in the rain no less! It was on this trip that I saw my first ever Loggerhead Shrike (more on this bird in a future post).
Camille has become a terrific birder since that time, and is able to ID many of the birds in Texas now. She didn't have to love birding, but she does. She's my favorite birding buddy!

Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory 5/29/06

2006-05-31T13:50:00.000-07:00

We birded the River Trail at Hornsby Bend on Memorial Day. In hot and humid conditions it's hard to see many birds, but we managed 36 species. Not a bad total for a tough birding day. The bugs weren't as bad as I expected except for the flies. At one point there must have been a dozen flies in our truck!
We had a great look at Snowy Egrets on pond 1W.

High Island, April 27, 2006

2006-05-31T10:37:00.000-07:00

Smith Oaks is a magical place. We were there the last week of April and the wading birds were in full swing with their nestlings. We saw Roseate Spoonbills (pictured), Great Egrets, Tricolored Herons, Cormorants, Snowy Egrets, Yellow-crowned Night Herons to name a few.

Introduction

2005-08-23T06:07:00.000-07:00

Change is inevitable, blogs are optional. So here goes. Tuesday, August 23rd and something new to try.
Austin, TX is where this is happening. I'll use this forum to post pictures, communicate with friends, and whatever else comes up.