BIRD & NATURE NEWS 2017
Notes without location cited are in or from yard which is a couple
miles south of town at edge of the river habitat corridor.
If it doesn't say where it was, it was in or from the yard.
Often a few daily yard notes is all the drivel you get.
Ready, steady, go!
Yellow-breasted Chat, a bird that perhaps has defied taxonomic understanding
as well as any breeding North American species. Classified with warblers
for some time, but it is not one. I wondered why it was in with them when
I was 5 years old. A fairly common breeder locally, heard more easily than seen,
and often sings (or makes loud chattering noises and whistles) at night,
for which more often than not the Mockingbird takes the heat.
Just to have this handy again for reference, recent prior updates:
May 12, 5, April 28, 21, 14, 7, March 31, 24, 17, 10, 3, February 24, 17, 10, 3
You may want to scroll down to last prior update (marked) and scroll
up to read in chrono order day to day.
**!! HEY!!! SPECIAL NOTE: There is again a NEW page, this of photos from 2016!
2016 pix
A dozen more new pix were added Sept. 22.
And now for something completely different... I will probably
make some changes yet, I was looking for some more pix, but
anyway meanwhile at least the basics are up... Here is a new
page with some photos and discussion of hybrid Cliff x Cave Swallows:
Clave Swallows
~ ~ ~ finally, current bird news from the greater and lesser Utopia area ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ June summary ~ ~ ~
It was a hot one, often 10dF above averages for the dates.
There was 5" of rain at our place but totals around the
area vary a couple inches either side of what we got. It
all fell on a couple days at start of month and one day at
end of month, mostly it was bone dry. Water table is still
way low. Flowers dialed back quite a bit compared to March,
April and May.
Butterflies were a very weak 38 species. Only once in the last
9 years did I do worse, and that was 2011 at the peak of the
drought. It was mostly just the sundry stuff too. Best thing were
some Amblyscrites Roadside-Skippers that are not Celia's and
are probably Bronze (ph.). I have to get expert ID confirmation
on the photos yet though. A couple that got away as probables
(not counted in total) were two Great Purple Hairstreak and an
Ornythion Swallowtail. Saw a few Northern (Common) Mestra.
Odes were fair, with 12 species of Zygops (damselflies) and
19 species of Anisops (dragonflies) for 31 species total.
Not bad. Great was a male Ivory-striped Sylph that floated
right past the front porch whilst I was on it wishing something
would fly by. Blue eyes, white headlights, an awesome beast.
A Black-shouldered Spinyleg was my first in 7-8 years or more.
It was promptly dispatched by a Summer Tanager. Overall numbers
are way down though, like other insects since the drought.
Birds have a big diversity drop from the roar of migration
of course, but the full roar of breeding season peaks. It was
about 96 species for me locally in the upper Sabinal drainage
this month. Big letdown from the 125 or so in April and May.
But not bad considering that was all either from the yard,
at the park or in town, or on one hike through Lost Maples.
That is, from just a few spots along the Sabinal River. And almost
all with just a very few exceptions, are breeding locally.
Probably 90+ species of upper Sabinal River drainage breeders.
It is remarkable breeding species diversity. I missed a few
things, there could be a hundred species nesting locally!
The earliest migratory returnees finish up and are leaving nesting
territory in June. Golden-cheeked Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,
and Black-and-white Warbler are the big 3 migratory breeders
that finish first, returning in March, and most are done and
departing in June. It is over so fast I can't believe it.
Many resident species have fledged two sets of young already
and are on their third.
In raries, the best thing was a male Lucifer Hummingbird at a
flowering Century Plant Agave a couple miles south of town on
June 23. Checked it a few times since and didn't see it again.
A late warbler was a Chestnut-sided singing on June 2. Nearish
was a male Prothonotary singing between Camp Wood and
Chalk Bluff mid-June (Mary Gustafson), a great find.
For our yard a singing Black-throated Sparrow the 16th was new,
and of interest at edge of river corridor habitat. My first local
June Catbird was great at our birdbath on the 8th. A yard Long-billed
Thrasher on the 29th was the first in yard in over a year. Besides
the vagrant hummingbird, the best thing of the month was finally
seeing a begging streaky juvenile Olive Sparrow at Lost Maples, which
was outstanding. Probably a first Bandera Co. known nesting, and
now a new dot must be placed for the furthest north known nesting
of the species. No juv. White-tipped Doves yet, but looking, they
are to be expected. The male Varied Bunting singing there June 18
was likely the one seen May 21, so it has trolled quite a while.
~ ~ end June summary ~ ~
~ ~ ~ the regularly scheduled drivel continues below ~ ~ ~
I think this is a velvet worm. They look like a slug,
but are dry with no mucous, except a scant trail, and
they look remarkably like velvet.
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
June 30 ~ Only 75dF for a low is not very, when you wake up
to that, you know it will be a drippy day. I had two
Black-and-white Warbler chasing each other around the yard
in the a.m., and after noon. One I heard singing, the other
looked like a juvenile female but not sure. Anyway, neat
to have a couple around the yard. Another Gnatcatcher went
through too.
Had a town run to get supplies before the city people get here
for the holiday weekend. Was nice and quiet still just before noon.
Heard a couple Bell's Vireo singing at NW corner of town
in their usual spots. No flowers at the county line curve
garden at the north end of town, and though the library garden
has some flowers, there were no butterflies, but one Black-n-white
Warbler. At the park were two more Black-n-white Warbler for
a total by noon of 5 of the little beauties. Heard the Green
Heron at the park, and Little Creek Larry said he is seeing one
over on Little Creek going in and out of Bulrushes, so they must
be nesting over there too. Barred Owl and Blue Jay at the park.
Zone-tailed Hawk over 187 a couple miles south of town. I have
missed any Cave Swallows at the bank a couple visits lately.
Don't know if they are all out feeding, or done and gone.
June 29 ~ About 70dF for a low, and here comes summer. Next
couple days are forecast for 75dF lows. It sure was a great
break we had for a few days while it lasted, and the couple
and a half inches of rain was beyond badly needed. Saw
a couple Gnatcatcher out there first thing in the morning.
Heard the Indigo Bunting, but morning birdsong is really
fading fast. Partly due to many having fledglings just out
right now. Hopefully things will go another round (rain
often incites such) and we will get another batch out of everything.
Kathy saw a female Black-n-white Warbler bathing at the bath,
and she saw the Cuckoo right out bathroom window. I saw a
Long-billed Thrasher in the Hackberry and Mesquite (joined)
at the gate out at the road. Haven't seen one here in the
yard in over a year. In leps saw another Mestra and another
Large Orange Sulpur, a Funereal Duskywing, and the usuals.
June 28 ~ Another 69dF low is nice, it won't last long.
I forgot to mention a week ago I saw my first juvenile or
immature male Black-chinned Hummingbird that had acquired
its first purple gorget feathers. That is, this years'
young, the earliest ones, probably from late April, are now
getting purple gorget feathers. About 60 days. Now I am
seeing a half-dozen or more of them at the feeders. In the
afternoon a Gnatcatcher and a Black-n-white Warbler went
through the yard. Ring King calling over at river. Saw
what looked like a juvenile Cuckoo following an adult around
flopping through the pecans in the yard. The male Blue Grosbeak
eating seed on the patio is sure neat.
Best was two Common Mestra, I have only seen one this year,
on June 6. Three Large Orange Sulphur went by in the brief
spells I was outside looking, a big uptick, been none. We should
start to see more of the annual southerly invaders showing up
now, especially since we had rain.
The pair of Golden-fronted Woodpeckers fill their throats
full of sunflower seeds from the feeder and commute back to
the nest with them. Which seems maybe to be in that nearest big
50' Cypress the Yellow-throated Warblers nest in. At
least they fly into the same tree in a direct shot just the
same. What is interesting is that they leave the feeder
at 5' above the ground and fly to the big 40' Pecan.
Usually landing 15-20' up on the main trunk. Then they
climb up the tree gaining 10-15' more altitude on the tree.
Then they launch out of the tree for the 500' flight to
the big Cypress. Every time. So it is easier and less effort
for them to gain the altitude needed to clear the big climax
Mesquites across from the gate using the legs, instead of the wings.
June 27 ~ The rain-cooled low of 69dF felt great, and there
won't be any dust for a couple days. It was 2.5"
yesterday evening, most (2") fell 7-9p.m., with the last
bits after midnight last night. The moisture saturated
atmosphere kept us at 85dF or so again for a high. A rain cell
passed just south of us giving us a great outflow cooldown
around 7 p.m. it dropped to 74dF. Between wonderful and
outstanding for the date.
I saw a Yellow-throated Vireo feeding a juvenile Brown-headed
Cowbird. Dang. That is two in two days with the Bronzed being
fed by a Cardinal yesterday. Still parasitism incidence has
been very low so far this breeding season. Just one of each
cowbird sps. so far, and it's latest June. One at the
park a couple weeks ago or so was Brown-headed fed by White-eyed Vireo.
Many vireos get hit hard as they do not really hide their nests
well, or at all. Black-capped Vireo does though, and it still
gets cowbird predated, heavilly in some areas. Had a Ring King
flying downriver. Chuck-wills-widow gave two calls from the
draw, Common Nighthawk still booming nightly, I love that.
June 26 ~ Only 74dF for a low, still rain in forecast, but that
doesn't translate into actual real wet H2O and rain. There
was a male Black-and-white Warbler singing outside this a.m., it
could be a first-summer troller, we had one show and summer for a
June a few years ago. I was sitting on porch about 8 a.m. and the
Ash-throated Flycatcher (which I think might have settled on a box
on the north fence) shot down across yard to chase another bird.
The Ash-throat broke off, and I lost sight of the chased bird behind
the big 3' diameter pecan trunk. It must have landed in the
second pecan. So it was bolting across yard being chased, and when
it went behind the trunk it never came out. It must have perched
for 15 seconds. Just as I was about to get up and move so I could
see what it was, a GREEN KINGFISHER flies out of the lowest pecan
branches, across yard, and through the trees in the corral. It is
the second one I have seen cross the yard, both in June. A 5-star
porch bird being chased away by a measley lowly Ash-throat. The
river is about 400-500 yards away.
Bummer seeing a baby Bronzed Cowbird being fed by a female Cardinal.
I presume it is hers. There have been at least a dozen new juvenile
Cards so far, we are covered in them, they have been doing great.
It is the first juv. cowbird (of any sort) I have seen in the yard
this year. Which considering everything is on its second if not
third brood, we are doing fantastic this breeding season so far.
Later afternoon there were a few Chimney Swift flying around, and
a dozen Purple Martin, must have been some good aerial plankton.
Topped out at about 86dF (in shade) and muggy as can be, when finally
a rain cell got near enough to give us an outflow cool down. Then after
7 p.m. it blew up into a full fledged rainmaker. By 9 we had over
2 inches, by 10 p.m. about 2.3, and a little more around midnight,
by morning it was 2.5"! Finally! Three days at 50% chances
and nothing but smells of rain on outflows. The water table still
never got back to full since the drought, and any shallow ponds
around the valley are dry, we needed this badly. We still need another 6".
A few days later I talked to a rancher from just northwest of town
and they only got .2, two tenths of an inch from it! So very spotty.
June 25 ~ Clear and 70dF this morning is nice, still not supposed
to get hot and supposed to get some rain yet. I am still waiting.
Saw a female Black-n-white Warbler again this a.m., just like
yesterday's it landed on the clothesline we have feeders hanging
on to see what all the action was about. Funny bird to have on
your clothesline. For any city youngsters out there, people used to
hang clothes on a line and dry them without thrashing them to death,
using energy to do so. Some old folks that live in places where
that has not been outlawed still do this. ;)
The rain cooled air from the front kept us down to about 85dF for a high,
which was a great relief, again. A cell went by in the afternoon,
town might have gotten some, but it split in two as it passed over
us and we were in the dry slot. But got the cooling outflow and
smelled rain. The juv. Yellow-throated Warbler came into the bird bath,
as did the male Scott's Oriole, which they only very rarely do.
Heard the Indigo Bunting still out there. Saw the three local male
Scissor-tails join together again to chase another hawk off which I
couldn't get an ID look at. Saw the ad. fem. Cooper's Hawk
on the fence later, but what they chased was not an accipiter. At
dusk a group of 20 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck flew over, likely a
couple or few family groups joined together.
June 24 ~ A not very low of 75dF. Last night about 9 p.m. I was
setting a bug light and sheet up and heard some odd cracking sound.
Over a minute or two, a huge 10" daimeter major branch of our biggest
bestest hackberry slowly broke, still connected but the foilage is on the
ground now. It had nearly full sized green berries on most of it.
Something is killing the tree, many branches are dead. It provided
at least a thousand square feet of shade, and tens of thousands of
hackberries in a good year. It hurts to watch it go. It was capable
of feeding 500 waxwings and 500 Robins both, all winter. It will be
an irreplaceable loss for the yard, besides making it hotter.
There was a female Black-n-white Warbler in the broken Hackberry
branch early in the a.m., mid-morn a male was singing in the junipers
over north fence, and in the Mesquites across road to east. Maybe
we have a trolling first-summer around? I heard it a week ago, if
the same bird. The pair of Brown-crested Flycatcher were sitting
on one of the nestboxes, one they have used before.
The cold front is semi-stalled to our north but sent an outflow
boundry down our way so we stayed below 85dF all day. A June cold
front is 85dF. After the last three days with heat indices at 105dF,
knocking 20dF off is a major relief. Didn't get any rain from it,
but smelled some. That is how rain often is in much of Texas, you
don't get any but at least you know someone else somewhere else
DID get some.
As for last nights bug light there was more activity overall than a
week ago, in total individuals maybe, but still not like it should be.
One stick insect had one of the little 1" cicadas resting on it.
Nothing remarkable, no Cerambycids this time, way fewer June Beetles,
one big Coreid. The item of interest was about 5 or 6 Dusky-blue Groundstreak,
a small hairstreak butterfly (ph.), of which I did not know I had that
many here. Sometimes some butterflies will come in to a light after dark.
A fancy Ironclad Beetle (family Tenebrionidae), most are just black.
They can bend mere mortal insect pins in case you wondered.
I believe this is Zopherus haldemani or something similar.
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
June 23 ~ Low of 74dF is 10 higher than yesterday morning. What
a drag, drag, drag. Saw 98dF on the front porch at 5 p.m. Supposed
to maybe get a cold front the next couple days and possbily rain they
say. Believe it when you see it. I heard a flattish sharp (you can
actually describe a bird call as such) warbler chip outside this morning
I thought sure was a Louisiana Waterthrush. Couldn't find it
though. Ad. ma. Painted Bunting feeding a fledgling on patio. In
the afternoon there was a juvenile, and a singing ad. Field Sparrow,
and an unattended juvenile Yellow-throated Warbler.
The bird of the day was on the way to town about 11 a.m., a couple
miles south. There is a century plant type Agave with a big stalk
and some yellow flowers just opening on it. Sunday as we drove by
I said to Kathy that it should get orioles and hummers. As I putted
up to it a bigger hummer chased two regular appearing (Black-chinned)
hummers away and went back to a flower to feed. By then I had stopped
and was 12' from it. Male LUCIFER HUMMINGBIRD! Bigger than the Black-chins,
long nicely decurved bill, splayed at corners of extensive purple gorget,
a tinge of rufous on sides, big long black forked tail, OMG. It is
my second one locally, the other appeared June 29, 2011, at our Seco
Ridge feeders and stayed for 5-6 days.
In town saw only a few Cave and Barn Swallows, only a few Martin,
and heard the Bell's Vireo at NW corner hackberry row. In the
park there was a juv. Barred Owl up in the woods, ad. and juv. Blue
Jay there too, and best, a male, female, and juv. Common Grackle.
I only saw one juv. (ph.), but so they were successful. There is
now a pair of Eastern Wood-Pewee there, one of which ran an ad. Blue Jay
off, which is interesting as I have yet to see Pewee nest there
in 13 prior summers. Some Orange Bluet (damselfly) are flying at
the park.
June 22 ~ Wow, we had an amazing 64dF for a low, Kerrville was 61dF!
Incredible what a little radiational cooling can do. The typical
Gulf flow and moisture prevents this most of the summer. It got up
to about 96 on the cool shady porch, over 100 at lots of local stations.
Was 111 in McAllen! Brutal. Average for the date at Hondo is 90dF,
it was 102 there today. Great was a male Bullock' Oriole out
front in the a.m., but it only stuck around a couple minutes. Nice
to hear though. Second one I've seen in a week, the other up in
BanCo the 18th. Otherwise it was the usual regulars. A Southern
Broken-Dash was a good Skipper (lep) on the Lantana.
The best bird of the day was a bug, a dragonfly, an adult male
Ivory-striped Sylph! It slowly drifted by the porch at eye level,
I saw the aqua blue eyes and two white headlights on the thorax
from about 3' away! We spray some water around to keep it
cooler in heat of day, and run a sprinkler sometimes, which I
imagine might be an attractant. Brings butterflies in for sure.
Saw a couple Spot-winged Glider today as well.
The adult female Yellow-throated Warbler did a great spinning
chase to take something about 4' from my face as I was
standing on the front porch. It then cleaned it for a minute
on a big pecan branch. Then it flew about 500' to what I think
is the nest tree, the nearest big 50' cypress. The male had
been singing in it the whole time. One direct non-stop flight,
nearly two football fields, carrying food. Both of the pair
are in the yard pecans near-daily, bring the young here, sometimes
use the bath.
June 21 ~ Happy Equinox! The longest day (light). We made it.
Summer is here! Another 68dF low is a great way to start summer.
It got up to a hot 94 on the cool shady front porch, hotter in sun.
A couple adult with 7 juvenile Black-bellied Whistling-Duck flew
over early. These are surely locally bred just-fledged young.
Heard the Hutton's Vireo again, Brown-crests still around too.
The bird of the day was at 7:30 p.m., a male Orchard Oriole was
feeding in the flowering Mesquites across the road at the gate.
It was alone, and I don't hear one singing near enough that
this is a nesting bird out foraging. Most now are feeding young,
so suspect it was a failed nester, or cowbird predated, and so
done and gone. The Mesquites started a week ago with the first
few flowers a week after the last good rain. Now you can hear
the bees humming at them from 200'. Noticed the state high
and low temps today were 60dF at Marfa and 107 at McAllen.
Remarkable was a Monarch, very fresh and flying north, which I
presume was from an egg laid by the ones that just passed through
in spring. I have checked a number of Antelope-Horns this spring
and not found a single cat(erpillar) yet.
June 20 ~ A low of 68dF was a treat, what a difference a few dF makes.
We were hitting 80 by 10 a.m. though, very little in the way of
morning clouds from the Gulf, which is of course why we cooled.
Few more Gnatcatchers went through southward (3 by 1 p.m.). Three
male Scissor-tails were dive-bombing a small buteo that went over.
I did not get an ID on the small buteo. Statistically it was a
juv. Red-shouldered, but it didn't look like one. Looked
smaller for starters. Oh well, you have let it go if you didn't get
a good enough look. Whatever you do, don't try to make stuff into
shat, 'cause that is what you end up with when you do that.
Neat how these Scissor-tails each are all nesting in the immediate area,
defending their territories against each other, but when a universal
threat appears they join together to run it off.
Heard the Hutton's Vireo out back in the big live-oaks again.
Red-eyed still singing too. Besides the Ash-throat pair and the
Great Crested Flycatchers, a pair of Brown-crested Flycatcher was
prospecting around the yard this morning. There are a couple open
boxes, they have nested in one of them before. Begging young being
fed in the yard include 2 Vermilion Flycatcher, 2 Carolina Wren,
2 Carolina Chickadee, a few Lark Sparrow, a bunch of House Finch
and No. Cardinal, a Yellow-throated Warbler this morning, a couple
Summer Tanager and at least a couple White-eyed Vireos. The pair
of Eastern Bluebirds I think have their second set of eggs now.
Had what appeared an Ornythion Swallowtail flying around yard
for a minute or two. Didn't stop though.
June 19 ~ The 72dF low felt nice after yesterday's 100+ heat
indices. A juv. female Black-n-white warbler came in to see what
all the birds were fussing with at the feeders, landing on the wire
the feeders hang from and watching before moving to the Mulberry.
Saw a Gnatcatcher fly through yard southbound. A bit of cloud
cover held into the afternoon and at 3:30 it was only 89dF, though
a bit muggy. I saw at WU Hondo was 102dF yesterday, average for the
date is 90. We have been running nearly 10dF over normal here lately.
Another Gnatcat flew through in afternoon. Hear the Scissor-tails
over at the airstrip, the Red-eyed Vireo and Indigo Bunting are
still out there. Hear some begging young Summer Tanager. This
successful pair's male is a red and mustard first-summer bird.
Kathy pointed out the Opposum here is missing any external sign
of a left ear. Boy it just figures we get a defective one-eared
possum. Man life is rough. Goes with our Ringtail with a bad leg.
Did someone paint on the back of the shed "send me your wounded"?
It looks to me as if the 'possum has a distended pouch, so,
a pregnant or carrying female is my guess. Hope the young have two ears.
June 18 ~ Was only about 74dF for a low at 6-7 a.m. early thirty.
Can't believe how light it is at 6 now! Still some good
birdsong going, but not the roar it was in April and May. You
can tell it is dialing back. Especially up at Lost Maples. It
was only about 71dF or so up there early. That felt great. Only
a couple Scissor-tails along 187 Utopia to there. Way low. No
Western Kingbirds around, still, since drought. In the late afternoon
we hit 95+ on the cool shady front porch, had to be a hun in the sun
and heat indices worse.
Which made a morning at Lost Maples a treat. We did about 4 miles in
as many hours, which is about my standard birding speed in well-vegetated
habitats. Actually we did the 2 miles back down in an hour, so it was
3 hours doing two miles on the way up the canyon. I know many go much
faster, but I think they are missing birds. You have to stop and listen
and look and listen. You are a noisy beast walking on a rocky dirt road.
Especially when in a canyon where noise amplified and echoed.
Stuff is ducking for cover as it hears you approach. How often are you
alerted to a bird due to an alarm note when you are the only thing around
being alarming? How many skulk away quietly?
Usually it's only a couple minutes of quiet and still needed, and
things start moving normally again, and calling other than alarm notes
whence going into hide mode. So make lots of quick 'quiet stops' along the
way. Like at first shade right after any even minor uphill section. ;)
Always in the shade. Your visibility will be better. If sunny line up a
thick branch or trunk to shade eyes and you will see better. Or wherever
heavy vegetation and habitat, like for instance where minor side drainages
meet more major ones. Always at any watered areas.
We did the Can Creek trail past the ponds to the spring. Figured it
was going to be one last look while breeding season still underway
with at least some vim and vigor. Overall numbers are still strikingly down
for many breeders there since the drought. It is not back to normal.
Just a few pairs of Summer Tanager and Yellow-throated Vireo for instance.
One Eastern Wood-Pewee (carrying food).
Some things have finished nesting and much of their breeding population
have already departed for the season. Like Golden-cheeked Warbler, of
which I heard no singing, heard one set of flight notes from one, and
finally after over 3 hours and zeroing in on a seet and chip I heard,
we had point blank views of an adult female in heavy molt. Just barely
stubs of new tail feathers coming in. This was past the second pond.
We are out of the sure-thing window for viewing them now. If you spend
a whole day, you can likely still find one, if you are lucky you might
get one in a half-day. Work the watered areas wherever you can. It is
not unusual, in fact almost regular, to get stray individuals the next
few weeks, to almost mid-July. But most (99%+) of the breeding population
is gone and any you see might as well be transients from elsewhere passing
through on their way off of the plateau.
There were still a few singing Black-n-white Warbler, and begging
young being fed, and an unattended juv. female, but most are gone. Same
for Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, still a few, most have departed. Heard one
and saw (ph.) one White-tipped Dove. Saw at least two Olive Sparrow, one
of which was a JUVENILE with streaks on underparts and weak crown stripes,
as well as sporting a fairly fuzzy appearance. It was following the
adult around begging. Perhaps the first known Bandera Co. nesting.
I couldn't get a pic though. The White-tips would be a BanCo first
too if someone could get a shot of a juvenile. Look for buffy cinnamon
edges to the wing feathers on a juv. White-tip.
I heard a Varied Bunting singing far up one of the slopes of the canyon,
but I couldn't pick it up from where I was due to visibility. It
was a quarter mile below the ponds (above which where a male was in late
May), e.g., just above 3rd crossing, on opposite side as trail way up
the slope, in that drier juniper zone they like. There were a few
Indigo still singing (nesting) along the creek, and some Blue Grosbeak
still nesting too. Heard Black-capped Vireo, Canyon Wrens, Rufous-crowned
Sparrow.
Saw a couple Texas Scrub-Jay, a few Acadian Flycatcher, a few
Louisiana Waterthrush, including begging young, fair numbers of
Red-eyed and White-eyed Vireo, heard a few Ash-throated Flycatcher,
saw one Green Kingfisher between the ponds, and at the trailhead parking
lot right when we got there and out of car, a nice low flyover from a
Zone-tailed Hawk trying to sneak by with a TV. Couple singing male
Yellow-throated Warbler still may be nesting, Chipping sparrow
feeding young, same for House Finch. Heard begging juv. Red-tailed
Hawk, but gone from nest, and heard Red-shouldered Hawk, but no
other small buteos.
In other stuff... on the way upcanyon when the morning low clouds
present you see very few butterflies, dragonflies, or reptiles.
On the way back down (after 11 or so) you hit 90dF, the sun burns
off most of the clouds, you see fewer birds, and more other stuff.
In lizards I saw a 6-line Racerunner and a Texas Spiny Lizard,
Kathy saw an Anole. In dragons we saw a few male Comanche Skimmer,
two male Flame Skimmer, two Leaftail sps., a probable Sulphur-tipped
Clubtail, a couple Dot-winged Baskettail, a Pale-faced Clubskimmer,
two Swift Setwing, and a Blue Dasher. The only damsel of note was
the Springwater Dancers in the usual spots. There is one 60 foot
long (top secret) spot there where this animal ALWAYS is, during
flight season.
For butterflies it was slow, none of the big yellow swallowtails,
no Satyrs, Blues, Hairstreaks, and no Sister or Red-spotted Purple
flying now either. Still a number of Spicebush Swallowtail, one
nice male Black. Saw a couple more of the Amblyscrites Roadside-Skipper
that is not a Celia's in the usual spots. I think maybe Bronze.
Got pix a couple weeks ago, again, and will put out for expert ID.
Also had a Celia's as usual. Much of the spring bloom is over
and out, though some is still going. Ya gotta be tough to wait for
it to heat up and then spend your four hours working the flowers.
I used to be that tough, but fear I am getting old and soft. About
an hour of it on the downhill return leg is fine for me when it is
pushin' 95dF.
On the way home about 1.5 miles north of town (in BanCo) on the
straightaway where lined with Mesquite a male Bullock's Oriole flew
across the road. They are very scarce in summer here, though common
off the plateau in the brush country just south of us. I do not
know of nesting in the upper Sabinal drainage, but it is possible.
June 17 ~ About 74-95dF for a temp spread today, a hun in the sun.
Morning clouds so bearable to noon, oppressive hot humid afternoon
to sundown. There was a singing Black-n-white Warbler out back
mid-morning. Best thing today was a Smoky Rubyspot damselfly in
the yard, just off the front porch. Almost got pix, but missed, it
kept flushing everytime I got close. Any new yard damsel is awesome.
Saw a Wandering Glider out over driveway. A few days ago there were
a couple dozen dragons out in far corner of yard that looked a mix
of Wandering and Spot-winged Glider, but I didn't walk the
250' to make an ID. Was all the usual expected regular birds.
Worked on stuff here and tried to avoid the heat.
Damselfly - Springwater Dancer (Argia plana) at Lost Maples May 29.
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
June 16 ~ Mostly the SOS - same old stuff. A couple more
Gnatcatcher went through the yard. Zone-tail went over again.
Had a town run for some supplies and a look at the park, where Ringed
and Green Kings, Blue Jay, Chimney Swift. Interesting was an Eastern
Wood-Pewee that did the oft-seen tyrant flycatcher behavoir of driving
a small bird to the ground. The small bird was the female Black-and-white
Warbler that is summering at the park. Which interestingly now has new
primaries. It has been there a month, appeared a first-spring with very
browned primaries when it first showed up in May. A local there mentioned
the Green Heron being around. It was still overcast so I saw no odes.
The bird of the day was as I was getting in car to head to town, a
Black-throated Sparrow sang thrice to get my attention, from the top
of a Mesquite adjacent to the north yard fence. When I first heard
it I knew I had just heard this in the last month but could not put
a name to it immediately. After the second song I remembered what
it was, and spotted it in the Mesquite. Got on it momentarily
but it flew quickly. First one in the yard in four + years at this
bird observatory, I mean yard. Kathy and I saw a pair feeding
young a half-mile away last year. But away from the lusher river
habitat corridor in uplands where drier with lots of Agarita and
grassland. Having just watched one singing a month ago at Lost Maples
was invaluable in figuring out what it was. You have to repeatedly and
constantly reinforce things, even stuff you know, seemingly particularly
with audio. Eventually it will sink in, but repeated exposure is the key.
I am just learning this Texas Black-throated Sparrow song.
June 15 ~ A low of 74 is not very. The cool shady front porch
was 91dF or so, I saw local stations in mid-90's. It was
hot. Heat indices were over 100dF. It is stuck-at-the-desk
Thursday. Did steal a couple more digiscopes of the male
Vermilion while I was on breaks. One young was with the male
hunting the yard, one hung with the female working very different
habitat in the corral. I wonder if they are each with the young
of their sex? Maybe probably? Saw a Zone-tailed Hawk soar over
yard a couple times mid-day. 'Nother Gnatcatcher.
Very few fireflies left flying, they are about done. It has
been just a few nightly since before Memorial Day. They peaked
way early, after starting way early. Wonder what will happen
with the timing of the smaller late-summer flight?
June 14 ~ Not very low of 74dF but at least the Gulf clouds
got here and kept the sun at bay until after noon. Down at
the crossing there were two Green Kingfisher sitting on the
concrete bridge. There was a Black-n-white Warbler singing
over in the Mesquites across from the gate. Heard the Indigo
Bunting and Red-eyed Vireo still singing, the juv. Hutton's
Vireo still out there. 'Nother Gnatcatcher moved through.
We had to make a run to Sabinal in the afternoon to get a
vehicle inspection (can't get one in Utopia anymore),
passed thank you. We did a twofer and hit that new Family
Dollar store they recently built there for stuff that is higher
here. Astounding was the relative lack of Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
along Hwy. 187 between here and there. I did not see a dozen,
in 20 miles. Ridiculous. Fifty to a hundred would be normal.
And only two Western Kingbird the whole way. Incredible.
There is a big, large flying insect shortage going on.
Whaddup? Did see a Roadrunner, some gone-to-seed Basketflower,
a fair bit of Purple Horsemint and Indian Blanket still blooming.
Fantastic was a note from Mary Gustafson who is an expert bird
guide (mostly down in the Lower Rio Grande Valley) about a singing
male Prothonotary Warbler along the Nueces River above Chalk Bluff
and below Camp Wood on UvCoRd 411. I think nearest known nesting
is on the Medina River in SW Bexar Co. Probably the first June
record in Uvalde County? My 14 springs here have produced 3, all
in May, so about twice a decade for me so far. There are always
some of a population that are pushing the limits of range, generally
unmated males trolling for a female. Remember a few years ago there
was that summering Hooded Warbler at Lost Maples, keep your ears open.
Thanks Mary for sharing your great find with us!
June 13 ~ Low was 72dF, high was 92 or so, it feels like summer.
Too busy to see much. The Vermilion Flycatcher pair now has
two young they got out of the nest, fantastic. Saw a juvenile
(unattended) Field Sparrow in yard. Indigo Bunting and Red-eyed
Vireo still singing, Cuckoo nesting nearby somewhere, a
couple juvie Carolina Wrens being attended. Another Gnatcatcher
through yard moving south like all of them. There has been a major
blowout of Black-chinned Hummingbirds. I would call it the
departure of the second batch of young they have gotten off.
June 12 ~ Got the 70-90dF temp spread thing going, for the
next 3 months, 95 if you are in the sun. The morning was
overcast with the low clouds from the Gulf, and so we are
barely breaking 80dF noonish. We get a half day of bearable
if there are morning clouds. Heard a Gnatcatcher out there
mid-morning, and the Indigo Bunting still trolling up and down
the river habitat corridor. A Mockingbird in the big pecan is
doing an excellent Groove-billed Ani call. Wish he would bring
one in. Don't laugh, last year a Kiskadee came in to a Mocker
imitiation, producing one of my favorite best yard bird records ever.
Had a FOY Soldier (lep) fly around the porch a minute or so.
The Chuck-wills-widow has shut up prematurely. I am guessing the
nest or young got predated. Normally they are vociferous until
July 10 or so. It is like a switch was flicked, I only hear a
distant bird, there is no local calling adjacent to the yard
for three nights now. Silence. This is a major bummer, I was
supposed to get 30 more days of it, then begging young, etc. I set
up a bug light and sheet for a few hours for the first time this
year to help get over it.
Overall I would say bug numbers are very low. There were a
couple neat things but it was fairly underwhelming in general. The
best bugs were 'bycids. Cerambycids, Longhorn Beetles. Three
different ones. Awesome was a big female Neoclytus sps. (perhaps
c.f. mucronatus) which as quickly as I got a shot it flew off into
the dark. Then a second Cerambycid came in, 1.75", mottled,
unknown and new to me, and I got some shots to work on an ID later,
possibly an Ataxia sps. Finally one of the brown ones with two yellow
dots on each elytra came in. Maybe Eburia mutica or something similar.
Late in day saw one of the S. gigas Cerambycids too, so had four
good 'bycids today, weewow!.
Otherwise slow, lots of the big brown June Beetle, an Ant Lion, some
Sharpshooters, a Katydid, some crickets, the small Cicada, a few flies
and hymenops, very few small moths, and some other little things, but
nowhere near the numbers you would expect in June. Biologically,
clawing your way back from a drought takes years and years. This is
the third year with rains since the 7 year drought, and numbers are
still way way down, birds to bugs. And so surely lots else is,
that we aren't keeping tabs on.
June 11 ~ Back to 70-90dF spreads in shady areas, hotter in sun.
Saw the juvie Hutton's Vireo again, likely the one I saw
about 4 days ago. The usual singing Red-eyed, White-eyed,
and Yellow-throated all present, so 4 vireo sps. in yard today.
The Mocker does a good Bell's, but that doesn't count.
Had three (!) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher move south through yard
today. Still catching up on chores here. No Chuck calling at
dusk?!?
June 10 ~ A 69-89dF temp spread today. Since I spent too
many (actually not enough) days bird guiding in April and May
now I have to catch up on all the spring stuff I was supposed
to be doing all those weekends. Two weeks and no Lost Maples,
feels like cold turkey. I need to get up there and see the
juvenile Olive Sparrows, and White-tipped Dove, both of which
are nesting (heard the juvie Olive Sparrows) and both need photo
documentation of young for new Bandera Co. nesting proof.
Had another Gnatcatcher go through yard, these are local
breeders departing breeding grounds already. That is about
the fourth one in a week, they are all moving south through
yard. Heard the singing Blue Grosbeak and Red-eyed Vireo still
out there. But at dusk the Chucks were already not as loud as
three days ago. Prolly have young to feed.
One of the White-tipped Dove at Lost Maples this spring,
this at the feeding station, and which are surely breeding.
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
For archives sake, here is a final of the section of the
update header pertinent to spring arrival dates...
Spring is that exciting time of year when every day can have a
local FOS - first of season - report. I love watching spring unfurl.
Following are my local FOS (first of season) arrival or passage dates.
An (e.e.) behind the name means it is my "EARLIEST EVER" spring
arrival date in 14 springs of recording that data locally.
We expect a few (e.e.) in any given year. This year that
frequency is off the charts. Of the 37 species listed below
Jan. to April 13, FOURTEEN were the earliest ever I have recorded them.
Update: fifteen of 42 sps. as of April 21 are (e.e.), plus two ties.
June 8 - a second Catbird - surely my last spring migrant
June 2 - Chestnut-sided Warbler
May 27 - Cicada
May 23 - Katydid
May 22 - Black-billed Cuckoo
May 21 - Varied Bunting
May 20 - Lesser Nighthawk
May 20 - Lazuli Bunting
May 19 - female Mourning Warbler
May 19 - Eastern Kingbird
May 16 - Mississippi Kite
May 12 - Catbird
May 7 - Mourning Warbler
May 4 - Rose-breasted Grosbeak
May 2 - female Common Yellowthroat
May 1 - female Indigo Bunting
April 30 - Yellow Warbler
April 30 - Olive-sided Flycatcher
April 30 - female Blue Grosbeak
April 28 - Least Flycatcher
April 28 - Swainson's Thrush
April 28 - American Redstart (others saw - 2 males!)
April 28 - Baltimore Oriole
April 28 - Orchard Oriole
April 27 - female Hooded Oriole
April 27 - Mourning and-or MacGillivray's Warbler
April 25 - female Painted Bunting
April 23 - Acadian Flycatcher
April 23 - Indigo Bunting
April 21 - Common Nighthawk
April 21 - Bullock's Oriole
April 19 - Wilson's Warbler
April 19 - Dickcissel (e.e.)
April 16 - Eastern Wood-Pewee
April 16 - Painted Bunting
April 16 - Blue Grosbeak
April 15 - Yellow-breasted Chat
April 14 - Chimney Swift
April 14 - Northern Waterthrush
April 13 - Yellow-billed Cuckoo (e.e.)
April 11 - Great Crested Flycatcher (e.e.)
April 8 - Red-eyed Vireo (e.e.)
April 7 - Chuck-wills-widow
April 4 - Ruby-throated Hummingbird
April 3 - female Summer Tanager
April 3 - Short-tailed Hawk (2! at Lost Maples)
April 3 - Broad-winged Hawk (e.e.)
April 3 - Louisiana Waterthrush
April 3 - Nashville Warbler
April 2 - Black-capped Vireo
April 2 - Bronzed Cowbird
April 2 - Clay-colored Sparrow
March 31 - Brown-crested Flycatcher (e.e.)
March 28 - Firefly (e.e.)
March 26 - Golden-cheeked Warbler (migrant off territory)
March 24 - Bell's Vireo (e.e.)
March 24 - Summer Tanager (e.e.)
March 21 - Monarch (butterfly)
March 18 - Great-tailed Grackle (ties e.e.)
March 16 - Yellow-throated Vireo (ties e.e.)
March 15 - Cave Swallow
March 11 - Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
March 3 - Northern Rough-winged Swallow and Wood Duck
March 2 - Yellow-throated Warbler
March 1 - Ash-throated Flycatcher (e.e.)
Feb. 28 - Black-chinned Hummingbird
Feb. 26 - Common Yellowthroat (e.e.), Purple Martin and Blue-headed Vireo (e.e.)
Feb. 25 - Sandhill Crane
Feb. 24 - Barn Swallow and Vermilion Flycatcher (e.e.)
Feb. 12 - White-eyed Vireo (e.e.)
Jan. 31 - Turkey Vulture (3)
Jan. 14 - White-fronted Goose (e.e.)
A couple rare things have been detected recently. While guiding
some fine folks at Lost Maples SNA April 3, I found TWO SHORT-TAILED
HAWKS! We had great views over the pond area. One was photo'd
on April 5. One was heard and glimpsed April 30. Bob Behrstock had
another one over Neals Lodge parking lot in Concan April 16. Tropical
Parula is being reported (as annual) at Concan, as well. A male
VARIED BUNTING was at Lost Maples May 21; a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO was
heard calling from our yard May 22. A Chestnut-sided Warbler singing
in our yard June 2 will likely be my last migrant of the spring.
Oops spoke too soon, a Catbird was at our bath June 8.
~ ~ ~ end update header spring arrival section ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
June 9 ~ About 69dF for a low this a.m., and 90dF in the
shade for a high, hotter in the sun. Just the usual suspects
in the yard. Supply run to town, so a lookabout. Still hearing
a couple Bell's Vireo singing in the hackberry row at NW
corner of town. They will sing and breed into August. Some
Cave Swallow around the bank. At the park there was the ad.fem.
Black-n-white Warbler again, a Ringed Kingfisher, one Eastern
Wood-Pewee. As I neared home and went over the low-water
crossing on 360 a Green Kingfisher made a last-second correction
to avoid hitting the truck. I can't get over how few
Scissor-tails are along Hwy. 187, and around the area in general.
Their numbers are much reduced, there is a larger flying insect shortage.
In odes at the park I saw a few Orange-striped Threadtail
(Protoneura cara), my FOY, and FOY Checkered Setwing.
Saw Widow Skimmer, Red Saddlebags, Black and Swift Setwing,
lots of Bluet damselflies of some sort out over the water,
and a Fragile Forktail up in the woods. Just before dusk
two male Painted Bunting were on the millet seed tube at
the same time, opposite sides of course. Saw a Red Bat
flying around at dusk, and a lone Whistling-Duck went over.
As a reminder Utopia Park is now $10 per person per day to
enter unless you have a Utopia or Vanderpool addressed ID.
While we are on public service messages, there is a biz called
Clear Springs Lodging locally that has a dozen or so different
rentals they handle in the area. I have no financial interest,
standard disclaimer applies. Almost forgot, had a Red Bat in
yard at dusk, besides lots of Brazillian (was Mexican) Freetail.
June 8 ~ Another cool dry one at 63dF this morning. Weewow!
Up into the 90's dF though, so afternoons feeling like summer.
Very surprising was my first June record ever of Catbird!
At the bird bath about 10:30 or so. This is at least two
weeks later than my prior latest spring record. In the
afternoon another of the S. gigas Cerambycid beetles was out
front, they are quite the Pepsis Wasp mimic. Wish I could
catch or photo one.
Had to run to the P.O., so snagged a peek at the park. There
was a Ringed Kingfisher up on the island, as well as a, or the,
Black-n-white Warbler, a female that is not a juvenile. Also
Blue Jay, and an Eastern Wood-Pewee. A pair of White-eyed Vireo
were attending a juvenlie Brown-headed Cowbird. One Celia's
Roadside-Skipper and a couple Dusky-blue Groundstreak in the woods.
Just south of town I heard a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher along the river,
another post-breeding wanderer. Took a couple pix of the Ringed
Kingfisher hole in the bank, but it appears they are out of it
already. Maybe they'll nest again this year, we'll see.
June 7 ~ Holy guacamole, it was 62dF this a.m., KRVL had 60dF!
Clear, dry northerly flow, C of C weather. Got up to 90dF on
the front porch. Too busy at the desk today to see anything but
the usual gang. 'Tis that time of year where the species diversity
stays somewhat stagnant, good thing it is a 5-star assortment in
the yard for my 5-10 min. per hour lookabouts. Which was not an
accident if you were wondering. Did have a juvenile Hutton's Vireo
for a while out front. I got a pic of a Catocala (c.f. obscurus)
Underwing moth today, my FOY. This is one with brown hindwings,
lacking the fancy orange, red, or pink of many its congeners.
At dusk I had a Chuck fly by so close I heard its wing stroke.
And they fly quietly. After stopping in one of the big Mesquites
across from gate to call a bit, it then flew back down driveway
where I was and across the yard again. Now, 10 p.m. it is belting
out of one of the big ancient live-oaks right out back. It is
nesting real close by. In a month they will go silent, or nearly
so. Only 90 days of territorial calling each year so I cherish
every day of it. But which is longer than most Golden-cheeked
Warbler sing. We get about 100 days out of Painted Bunting here.
Whereas White-eyed Vireo and Yellow-throated Warbler both sing
150+ days while they are territorial here for their breeding season.
June 6 ~ Another 64dF low feels great as the dry light north flow.
Incredible for the date, though June on average is a wet month
and so can have some surprisingly comfortable periods around
the rains, when we get them. Heard a Black-n-white Warbler
upslope in the big live-oaks behind us. Saw Mrs. Scott('s Oriole)
at the hummer feeder. The male is there often, the female is
likely in nesting mode now so not seeing her as much. They are
surely nesting nearby now. Helps make up for the loss of our
Hooded Oriole pair, which never did return. One first spring
male Hooded is coming in, probably one of the juveniles from last year.
Almost forgot, had a FOY Common Mestra (butterfly) today.
June 5 ~ About midnight last night another line of cells went
over and dumped another .7 (tenths) of an inch of rain!
So .9 the last two days, 2" the day before that puts
us at just under three inches in three days, and for the
month. I am seeing the first fledged Vermilion Flycatcher
out front following the male around. Saw another S. gigas
Cerambycid beetle in the big pecan out front, as always too
high to even consider netting. Everytime I put out old banana
for bait the ants run it over and ruin it.
The Ash-throats and Eastern Bluebirds are fighting over nestboxes.
The Ash-throats ran the bluebirds out of the box they just fledged
4 young from. So I put up another box 125' down the fenceline at
other end of front yard. The bluebirds were at it in an hour.
That was over a week ago, the fighting has not stopped. They
keep going back and forth between the two boxes, constantly
chasing and displacing each other. Whilst an unused box sits
on another fence 150' away. The bluebirds have used that
box before too, why don't they just move to it? There was a
branch that had grown down to fairly near the top of it, so
I went out and cut that off. Now I see the male bluebird at
that box, trying to call the female over. Wish they would take
it and get the next set underway. The Ash-throat can't be in
both boxes on the front fence, why is it defending both? It
doesn't want the bluebird there I presume. Tyrants.
Another post-breeding wanderer today in the yard, a Blue-gray
Gnatcatcher. On the way to becoming a fall migrant. Like the
Black-and-white Warbler last week, these are surely local nesters
(returning in mid-March) that are done and finished. They will
now drift around the breeding grounds while they molt for a
couple weeks before heading somewhere. For some the breeding
season is already over, before summer starts, and is timed to
match peak spring.
After dark scavenging where we throw seed was Racoon, Opossum,
and a Gray Fox. Heard Coyotes going off across the river.
Barn Owl called a few times. Had another tenth of an inch
of rain in the late afternoon, so that makes an inch in the
last two days and three in 3 days.
June 4 ~ Nice low in low 60's dF, and we got another .2
(tenths of an inch) of rain over the morning. Outstanding!
With the rain threat decided to stick close, and some cells
were close, but nothing major, though a few miles east over
at Seco Creek some areas got 3 inches! We checked a couple
spots locally and didn't have anything besides the expected.
At the 360 crossing there were a couple Smoky Rubyspot damselfly
amongst a number of Americans. Some Kiowa and Violet Dancers,
couple Black Setwing, Pale-faced Clubskimmer.
Upriver a bit on private property, I inadvertenly flushed a
teneral dragonfly. One that has just emerged, the wings are
soft and shiny, they do not have full flight capability yet.
I got it in binocs in the grass 12' away and saw it was
the first Black-shouldered Spinyleg I have seen since the
drought and trout (at Utopia Park). Probably 7-8 years since
they disappeared locally. So nice to know some are still around,
in areas most can't get to most of the time. So I took a
step to try to grab a shot of it. It flushed, I tried to keep
an eye on the area it landed a hundred feet away. As we approached
a male Summer Tanager flew up out of the grass with it in its beak.
There goes that one. We felt bad, but there was nothing we could
do to avoid it. Actually at the park when they were common I saw
many tenerals of them taken by you guessed it, Summer Tanager.
Four Black-bellied Whistling-Duck flew over at dusk. Great
hearing Common Nighthawk booming nightly.
June 3 ~ A real rain maker MCS went over about 4-5 a.m. with lots
of lightning. We got 2"! So now were are at 3" for the week.
Low about 64dF was great too. 'Twas the regular gang about
the yard. The bright limey first-spring male Painted Bunting is
getting a wee bit of the salmon color on the underparts now,
which it did not show when it got here a few weeks ago. Red-eyed
Vireo still here, should go look to see if it has a mate and
is nesting.
I meant to mention a week ago, but sorta morbid, and weird,
so was hesitant. I am just the observer and messenger. A
female Bronzed Cowbird had an accident here, colliding with a
recently discharged projectile, perhaps a pellet. It fell and
died over in the coral, whence two males promptly flew down
and copulated with the body. I have actually heard of this
behavior prior, with a roadkill incident.
~ ~ ~ last prior update ~ ~ ~
June 2 ~ Rain at dawn, a light slow soaker which we need.
About 6 to 10 a.m. it was five-eighths of an inch. Great!
So with Wednesday's rain we have about an inch this week.
Some areas more, others less. I finally saw my FOS local
Green Heron at the park. It was breaking willow twigs for
nest material. No passage migrants there. Did have a
just-fledged begging young Summer Tanager. There were some
Chimney Swifts flying up to the big tree-like hunting blind
at the Ranch Outpost, hovering at the shootin' holes,
I could have caught one with a butterfly net. Spectacular
views at point blank. Couple dozen Cave Swallow around town.
I thought sure I heard a Golden-cheeked Warbler at the park
but couldn't find it.
Had a Zone-tailed Hawk go by the yard in the afternoon. Bird
of the day was about 1:p.m., a singing and calling Chestnut-sided
Warbler! My only one this spring, so a miracle this late.
That big pecan right off the front porch is so leafy, they can't
resist when passing by. It is about the third one in it now.
I get them locally every-other year on average in spring.
That will be my last migrant warbler of the season. Numbers
of begging House Finch, Lark Sparrow, and Lesser Goldfinch
are around yard now.
June 1 ~ OMG, it's June! Migration is past us now,
it is the summer doldrums. A birding term I never understood,
when all the breeding activity is at a fevered pitch. All the
migratory breeders that are gone most of the year are present.
What is doldrums about it? Some of the migratory breeders on
territory within earshot, most of which spend at least some of
the day in the yard right now are: Blue Grosbeak, Indigo and
Painted Bunting, Yellow-breasted Chat, Yellow-throated Warbler,
Yellow-throated, Red-eyed, and White-eyed Vireo, Scott's Oriole,
Scissor-tailed, Vermilion, Great Crested and Ash-throated
Flycatchers, Purple Martin, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, belting
Chuck-wills-widow and booming Common Nighthawk. I am
looking for the doldrums but can't seem to find them for
all the beauty and birdsong. Did see a herd of just-fledged
White-eyed Vireo, 5 birds, so if both adults in group it was
3 young fledged. Saw a couple just-fledged begging and being
fed Carolina Wren in the big pecan right off porch.
~ ~ ~ May summary ~ ~ ~
Well that went quickly. Temps were about average, maybe
just a bit on the cool side, only lowest 90's a few
days. Precip was light, less than 2", which is nearing
half of normal for May. The lack of rain really dialed
back the bloom, and insects still seem way down overall.
Butterflies were 53 species, plus a couple that got away.
Only one better than March, and less than the 60 in April.
Everything was the most expected 50 species. The only odd
one was a Marine Blue on May 29, my FOY. A Little Wood Satyr
was good, but expected at Lost Maples. One odd Amblyscrites
Roadside-Skipper (ph.) will require study to see if I can
put a name to it. Probable Julia's Skipper and a Duskywing
that was Horace's or Juvenals were un-counted.
Odes were 26 species, 10 Zygops (damselflies) and 16 Anisops
(dragonflies). Again like butterflies, it was the 26 most
expected species. Late in month added one Widow Skimmer,
Swift and Black Setwing, and finally one Smoky Rubyspot.
Very few Prince Baskettail, and still no Black-shouldered
Spinyleg since the drought and trout.
Birds were a great 125 species locally (Utopia to Lost Maples)
for me. Best bird was the Black-billed Cuckoo that called
just over fence from the yard on May 22. Second best bird
was the male Varied Bunting at Lost Maples May 21. So the tail-end
of passage period had the best birds. May did show a few of
the usual scarcer passage migrants like a Catbird, some
Mississippi Kites, a couple Rose-breasted Grosbeak, an
Eastern Kingbird, some Mourning Warblers.
Warbler migration was weak as can be, I think the whole
spring only totalled 13-14 migrant species I saw locally.
Pitiful. No numbers of even formerly common species like
Nashville and Yellow, again. I saw no Tennessee Warbler again.
There were about 5 Redstarts reported locally this spring that
I know of, I saw two. Mourning Warbler I saw at least 6 of.
No Willow Flycatcher again either. And since the drought
Western Kingbird has never re-colonized the valley. There is
a large flying bug issue. There aren't any. Or at least
very few. Numbers of breeding birds at Lost Maples are still
down since the drought as well, not yet anywhere near the
pre-drought numbers of breeding birds or territories. I was
there 8 times in April and May, and there were times every
trip I could not believe how few birds were singing of many
species.
It appears White-tipped Dove is nesting at Lost Maples though,
and May 29 I heard begging juvenile Olive Sparrow there.
It seems a pair of Broad-winged Hawk are there again, and
it seems the nesting pair of Zone-tailed chased the pair of
Short-tailed Hawks off the hill they were showing interest in.
Most of the sets of warbler young I saw at Lost Maples this
spring consisted of one fledged young. I saw this in Louisiana
Waterthrush (multiple), Black-and-white (multiple), and virtually
all the Golden-cheeked Warbler young this year that I saw were
only singles fledged.
~ ~ ~ end May summary ~ ~ ~
~ ~ regular daily drivel continues below ~ ~
May 31 ~ A nice cool 64dF for a low is outstanding for the date.
Only got up to mid-70's for a high! Rain cooled air all
around even though we hadn't received much ourselves.
Finally a couple small cells found us and over half the day we
got a half-inch of much needed wet stuff. 70dF at 3 p.m. on
the last day of May is awesome.
The bird event of the day was seeing that Mr. Scott, the
oriole, brought a soon-to-be Mrs. Scott with him to the
feeder! He sung one in! We have been hearing and seeing
him about 10 days now, and now he looks to have a mate!
She is a beauty too, an ASY (after second year), 'full', or
definitive, adult.
One of the two male Painted Bunting has molted some of the
lime green back feathers and so much red is showing in back,
probably nearing half, it appears more red than green.
A couple weeks ago I saw the two males in a round of the
toe to toe, beak to beak, clawing and pecking whislt hovering
face to face, slowly falling toward ground. Over whose turn
it was at the feeder. What a flurry of color that was.
May 30 ~ A low in the upper 60's dF with a high in the
lower 80's dF on this date is fantastic. Supposed to be
about like this all week into early June. Amazing. You will
not hear a single complaint anywhere. Out west in California
migration sorta ends with a big bang around Memorial Day with
a flurry of rare eastern vagrants occurring. Here Memorial Day
drills home the fact that spring migration is over. It is just
the breeders now. I think the Mississippi Kite last Friday
May 26 was the last passage migrant I saw. Over the weekend we
had weather that would have knocked migrants down, if there
were any still going by.
I saw an adult female Black-and-white Warbler just off the patio
in the Mulberry, probably looking to see why a bunch of birds
were at the feeder there. I bet it is a finished breeding
female that will now wander the area while it molts for a few
weeks before it heads out.
May 29 ~ Happy Memorial Day! We snuck out early and went up
to Lost Maples for a walk. On W. 360 we had a Western Kingbird
in a pasture, and listened to an Orchard Oriole singing while
we checked the kingbird. Low was in upper 60's dF. Being the
last day of a holiday weekend with rain, we figured it would have
cleared the place out. Hardly saw anyone until noon. Most of
the morning we were the only ones on the trail, it was like
the good old days, or the off-season, not a holiday weekend.
Staff said they had .75" of rain yesterday. Ranger Bill said
he saw a Large Brown Bat recently there, about 2 p.m.
Only heard a few Golden-cheeked Warbler, and finally watched
a just out-of-the-nest juvenile being fed by male and female
quite close. They are fading fast. They are already much less
apparent, and a much less prominent part of the avifauna there
now. Many seem to have left. Generally there are some present
and findable through June, and even into early July, but often
you might find only one, or a few, and it can take time.
Seeing them now is not the gimmie it is all spring from mid-March
through May.
We saw two White-tipped Dove, one at the feeding station (ph.)
at the trailhead parking area, and another way up the trail a
mile away. I heard begging juvenile Olive Sparrow. Last early
June I chased the exact same sound down, a mile from our
place just south of Utopia, and it was begging juvenile Olive
Sparrow. This was too far off trail and too thick to see to
confirm visually. It is likely the first report of nesting at
the park or in Bandera Co. We also heard at least one, then
later heard and saw another (I whistled back and it came in)
Audubon's Oriole singing, way over a mile apart, so at
least two birds minimum. We saw a couple Green Kingfisher,
one was a begging juvenile. They probably nested there this
year.
The Fuertes' Red-tail juvenile is about to fledge, now
below the nest on the cliff face ledge. I heard Red-shouldered
Hawk, and heard a begging juvenile Broad-winged Hawk, which
I could not see. We saw a male Scott's Oriole in the Musk
Thistle at parking lot, I heard another way up the canyon high
up on a ridge. I heard about 3 Black-capped Vireo, but didn't
persue seeing any of them. Heard about 4 minimum Yellow-throated
Warbler singing, and watched one young being fed at the main big pond.
Heard 5 territorial Acadian Flycatcher. But only one Eastern
Wood-Pewee, only a few Summer Tanager, only a couple Ash-throated
Flycatcher, bigger flying insects are still way down.
Singing Black-n-white Warblers still fairly numerous, a few
singing and several begging young Louisiana Waterthrush, and
still a number of Gnatcatchers. The usual soundtrack of Carolina
and Canyon Wren, Indigo Bunting, White-eyed and Red-eyed Vireo,
played throughout. Some texana Scrub-Jay, heard Rufous-crowned
Sparrow, heard a few and saw one Hutton's Vireo, lots of
Titmouse and Chickadee (Black-crested and Carolina).
Since it was coolish and overcast there was no reptile and
little insect activity. In butterflies we saw a few Spicebush
Swallowtail, one Red-spotted Purple, one Little Wood Satyr,
an odd Amblyscrites Roadside-Skipper (ph.), plus a few of the
common things like Sleepy Orange, Pipevine Swallowtail, a Queen,
etc. In odes there was a Prince Baskettail, Aztec and Springwater
Dancer.
Finally, in the bird-of-the-day-always-gets-away category,
we heard a singing Worm-eating Warbler but couldn't get to
where it was, much less see it. Chipping Sparrow sings quite
a bit there, as in our yard, and they do vary, but there are
limits. The Worme is slightly faster, thinner, more metallic,
and sounds like a warbler, or insect, more than a sparrow. The
individual notes of the trill are not so thick, full, rich and
round as in a Chipping Sparrow, so thinner and more insect-like.
I was certain that is what it was whilst we were hearing it,
Kathy agreed, not a Chippy. We hear them all the time. This
was so obviously different. Later checking the song at Xeno-Canto
proved it a Worm-eating Warbler to my satisfaction. Used to hear
them a lot when we lived in Jersey. I called Worme first time it sang.
May 28 ~ Another 73dF low, and humid, but not supposed to be
as stiffling as yesterday. A front is on the way, allegedly,
and rain is advertised this afternoon or evening, and then
for much of the next week. Even if they are wrong most of
the time, we should still get some. We need it badly. It
is dry out there. Last week I bought a Rainbird sprinkler,
which I know you won't believe this, but it made it rain.
That little two-thirds of an inch last weekend? Bought the
sprinkler Friday. Boom! Rained Sat. and Sunday. It was a Rainbird.
Did not know they worked like that. Didn't even have to hook
the dang thing up. Just took it out of the box, put it out in the
grass, and in a little while it started raining.
As far as migration goes here, it is all but over. I might
hear the big girl warming up. There should still be a
flycatcher or two. I have not seen a Willow or Alder yet, again.
A late warbler is possible, but chances are fading fast.
Nearing time to turn out the lights, the spring party is about over.
Fortunately we have a great assortment of nesting species
locally, which are at peak activity generally through June,
and a month or two longer than that if we get rains.
It was about 90 on the shady porch and oppressively humid, until
about 5:30 an outflow boundry cooled us down to 75 by 6 p.m.
The rain seems all north of the county line and town so far,
but it seems some areas 15 or so air mi. NW got around 4 INCHES.
We got cooled off. I kept checking as it approached, sometimes
outflows can have birds on them. One check had a singing
Orchard Oriole troll through the yard. Fine by me. Can hear
an Indigo Bunting singing out there across draw just to north.
Ended up with just a trace, the cells split around Utopia
as so often happens. Perhaps it is something about the
topography, but the upper Sabinal River drainage gets missed
in many a rain event that hits everywhere around us.
May 27 ~ A not very low of 73dF here, and humid. Only four
months to go. No migrants here in yard, or along 360 best I
could tell. Couple singing Indigo Bunting down the road a
bit now. On UvCo 354 the Orchard Oriole pair continues, as
does one singing male Dickcissel, which must be mated with nest.
A few Red-winged Blackbird nest far out in the pasture in
the Musk Thistle patches. At the mesquite patch a half mile
down the road on left you can hear the usual Bell's Vireo
and Yellow-breasted Chat, both of which nest there. There
were at least one pair of Common Grackle, likely nesters,
and a Hutton's Vireo at the park. So with the Yellow-throated,
Red-eyed, and White-eyed in yard, 5 species of vireo today.
Could have walked a mile and heard a Black-capped. Too hot.
Was 90dF on the shady porch, heat indices of 105+ reported.
Four local FOY odes were seen, a male Widow Skimmer at the park,
a Black Setwing at the 360 crossing, a Swift Setwing in the
yard, and a Smoky Rubyspot among a dozen American at 360 xing.
Turned on the sprinkler in heat of afternoon and a bunch of
hummers took baths. A male and two female Great-tailed Grackle
were by a corral on W. 360, I wouldn't be surprised if
these are the same ones I saw at the Waresville pond at golf course.
I heard my FOY Cicada today, right across from our gate.
Summer is a comin'.
Texas Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus olivaceous).
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
May 26 ~ Town run day, trying to be ahead of a big weekend
locally. The first rodeo of the summer is this Sunday I think,
so lots of visitors besides just the usual Memorial Day weekend
flood. We will mostly try to hide out from it all. Unlike
the forecast it was drizzly all morning, surely over a tenth
of an inch fell. Low was only 73dF, high about 90, summer is here.
The park has a new deal I don't know the full extent of,
but which seems to eliminate birders stopping in for a quick
check as had been generally possible. They want $10 per person
to enter now if you are not a local resident. A quick bird check
seems to not be a reason to not pay from what I gather so far.
It has been overun lately with folks from neighbor towns, essentially
making it un-usable to the locals for whom it primarily exists.
Only migrant I saw today was right at the junction of Hwy. 187
and UvCo 360 in a dead snag, in the drizzle, a Mississippi Kite!
They always make my day, even if it is just one and it is not
even flying. What a cool bird. I looked around a bit in nearby
trees but did not see any others. Only takes one good bird to
make your day anyway. Later afternoon the Red-eyed Vireo was
singing out there, so still around. Imm. Cooper's Hawk keeps
diving through yard, missing.
May 25 ~ Still cool and dry in the a.m., about 53dF for a low,
but it got hot, 89dF on the cool shady front porch, worse in
the sun. Thursday so mostly stuck at desk. Ring King at river
early morning. One of the pair of Great Crested Flycs that nest
adjacent spent a couple hours around the pecans calling and singing,
in between bug-slaying. The Ash-throats that took the gate
bluebird box never showed, though are there. Ash-throats prolly
know that big bright one can kick their rumps. Saw my FOY
Stenelytrana gigas Cerambycid beetle, a pepsis wasp mimic.
Grabbed the net but it was too high and disappeared.
May 24 ~ The cool air behind the front got here with an incredible
low of 49dF this morning. Likely the last of that until September.
And it was awesome. Dry too. Heard a Yellow Warbler in the a.m.,
and something else I wasn't sure of and couldn't find to see.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo around yard lots again today, close, and is
likely one of the pair that nests adjacent. An Eastern Tiger
Swallowtail (lep) was nice. Heard a couple Ring King at river.
The adult male Cooper's Hawk got something, maybe a Mourning Dove.
May 23 ~ Overcast and muggy ahead of approaching cold front,
the rain missed us though. By afternoon stiff northerlies
at 15-20 for a while and clear. Ring King, Scott's,
Orchard (2), and Hooded Orioles, Indigo and Painted Buntings,
the usual gang. In a fit of bravery I moved and cleaned
a nest box the Red Wasps had again taken over. Must have
been a dozen of them. Ringtail was out back eating sunflowers
in afternoon, it is wounded and has a bad right front leg.
Maybe from the fight I heard it in, with another. Saw my
FOY fledgling Lark Sparrow being fed. Two Barn Owl after dark.
Another FOY this evening was a calling Katydid. A serious
sign of summer.
May 22 ~ Nice to be back at the desk working, my feet and
legs need a break after yesterday's 5 miles or so.
Cool morning after the rain yesterday later afternoon,
low 60's dF with a light northerly wind on it. At
noon it was barely 70dF! A bargain in late May. A second
cold front is supposed to pass tomorrow, Tuesday, and
keep it cooler for a few days.
Ring King or two over at river early in morning. One lone
Cedar Waxwing was in the big Hackberry. Can't help but wonder
if it is one that has been here in prior winters, and checking
for crop (the green berries are showing well now). Two
warblers were in the yard, a singing Black-and-white up the
slope in the big live-oaks out back, which I was too busy to
look for to age, likely an unmated imm. male is my guess.
Then later a singing Yellow was in the pecans out front.
The rest was the regular gang of distractions. The male
Scott's Oriole hitting the hummer feeders is great,
an immature male Hooded is doing so as well. Not seeing
any adult male Ruby-throated Hummers now. They did their
6 weeks, and have gone north for another round of breeding
where peak flower bloom is going.
The highlight of the day was about 5:45 p.m. when I heard a
BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO sing or call, whatever you call it.
The coo-coo-coo-coo Least Bittern type vocalization.
It was just over the north fence between it and the draw where
thick, and no easy way to go after it. So I just listened
to a few rounds of call and basked in the pleasure. After
dark a Barn Owl or two called.
May 21 ~ Back to Lost Maples early for another try, with
Chuck and Rhonda Gay from Houston. Perfectly dodged the
rain and we had a great walk. Did Can Creek to the ponds,
the top of the bluff above pond, and then the mile of the
canyon past the ponds to the headwater spring. Rhonda
found the best bird, a male VARIED BUNTING, the first I
have heard of locally this year, and I would call it less
than annual here.
So with the Lazuli I saw yesterday, add the several each
of Painted and Indigo we saw, plus the Varied, and it
was a Bunting Slam in the last two days at LM. The place
is great. We came across three or four begging juvenile
Golden-cheeked Warblers we got to watch parents feed.
One group had male, female, and 1 juvenile. In fact
all only had one juvenile. We also saw Black-and-white
Warbler feeding a begging juvenile. One. The Louisiana
Waterthrushes I saw feeding young last Monday, each had
one juvenile. So to me, clutch sizes seem small this year.
Bug count seems low too. Hardly any Ash-throated Flycatcher
this year (missed it again), only a very few Summer Tanager,
both eat bigger end bugs. Warblers eat smaller end. All bugs
remain down since the drought, despite this being our
third year of recovery. Speaking of misses no Scott's
Oriole or White-tipped Dove today. Should mention Chuck
and Rhonda saw a Zone-tailed Hawk up the East Trail near
Monkey Rock yesterday. I had a quick look at a Broad-winged
Hawk today, back above the headwater spring up Can Creek.
We saw a couple of the Millipedes that are dark brownish-black
with narrow red segment-join bands, one was over 4".
We had great views of a few Acadian Flycatcher, and
Common Raven with a couple young in a nest in a Sycamore.
I think it was a stolen hawk nest. The Red-tailed Hawk
(Fuertes') nest has at least one young. Some great fun
was had up on top of the bluffs above the pond, where
the Black-capped Vireos are most numerous. We saw a
few and heard more of them. Eventually great looks were had
at multiple males, and I saw an imm. male too. A Black-throated
Sparrow was singing, and could well be breeding up there.
These are very small and dark Black-throated Sparrows.
Rufous-crowned, Field, Lark, and Chipping were all up
there too. Pretty good for breeding sparrows.
Once you get up to the 'top of the plateau' above the
pond (more easily said than done) you are roughly at
a nose-bleeding 2250' altitude. Right after the bench
if you walk out to the edge of the cliff you look down
on the main pond, and there are vireo territories right
below you. The little buggers are still hard as heck to
see, but with some time, good views can be obtained.
This is where Rhonda spotted the Varied Bunting in the
top of a juniper downslope just a little bit. You would not
have seen it from the pond trail way below, unless perhaps
scoping the junipers. She also spotted a Wilson's Warbler,
which was another 1st spring male.
Along the second smaller pond I flushed and heard a
Mourning Warbler but we just saw movement as it skulked away.
We heard a Common Yellowthroat out in the cattails of
the second pond, and they said they had one yesterday
at the main bigger pond. There was a Canyon Wren going
in holes right above the Red-tail nest with something in
its beak. Probably a pretty safe place there?
I checked the park on the way home but saw no migrants.
There was a juvenile Green and 2 Ringed Kingfisher there.
Just as I got home after 2 p.m. it started sprinkling
again. They say we are in for some rain overnight.
About 6 p.m. I have a Cuckoo out the office window as
I type these notes. Was a bit under a half-inch total for
rain over the day. Probably two-thirds of an inch total event.
May 20 ~ Was going to do Lost Maples but got rained out
quickly. Had a brief glimpse of a male Lazuli Bunting,
the only one I have seen this year. Also heard an Olive
Sparrow, but didn't want to get back in the canyons
with lightning strikes nearish. Didn't see anything at
Utopia Park in a.m., but later about 2 p.m. I saw juvenile
Green Kingfisher there. At a private spot on river there
was a female Common Yellowthroat, and later in yard a
Yellow Warbler sang. Had some brief pea hail in afternoon,
but most of the rain so far missed us, about a quarter-inch
here at the casita, just a leaf-washer.
~ ~ ~ archive copy of spring header ~ ~ ~
MOST RECENT UPDATE: May 19, 2017
(prior updates: May 12, 5, April 28, 21, 14, 7, March 31, 24, 17, 10, 3)
NEWS FLASH! Some recent news highlights, the short version.
Spring is roaring past! It could be 90 or 55dF any given day.
Be prepared. Average daily temp spread is running about 70-90dF
now. The bulk of bird migration is past us, but there are
usually some sweet goodies at the, er, tail-end of it. It is
good and green, lots of flowers and butterflies are out.
Spring is that exciting time of year when every day can have a
local FOS - first of season - report. I love watching spring unfurl.
Following are my local FOS (first of season) arrival or passage dates.
An (e.e.) behind the name means it is my "EARLIEST EVER" spring
arrival date in 14 springs of recording that data locally.
We expect a few (e.e.) in any given year. This year that
frequency is off the charts. Of the 37 species listed below
Jan. to April 13, FOURTEEN were the earliest ever I have recorded them.
Update: fifteen of 42 sps. as of April 21 are (e.e.), plus two ties.
May 20 - Lazuli Bunting
May 19 - female Mourning Warbler
May 19 - Eastern Kingbird
May 16 - Mississippi Kite
May 12 - Catbird
May 7 - Mourning Warbler
May 4 - Rose-breasted Grosbeak
May 2 - female Common Yellowthroat
May 1 - female Indigo Bunting
April 30 - Yellow Warbler
April 30 - Olive-sided Flycatcher
April 30 - female Blue Grosbeak
April 28 - Least Flycatcher
April 28 - Swainson's Thrush
April 28 - American Redstart (others - 2 males!)
April 28 - Baltimore Oriole
April 28 - Orchard Oriole
April 27 - female Hooded Oriole
April 27 - Mourning and-or MacGillivray's Warbler
April 25 - female Painted Bunting
April 23 - Acadian Flycatcher
April 23 - Indigo Bunting
April 21 - Common Nighthawk
April 21 - Bullock's Oriole
April 19 - Wilson's Warbler
April 19 - Dickcissel (e.e.)
April 16 - Eastern Wood-Pewee
April 16 - Painted Bunting
April 16 - Blue Grosbeak
April 15 - Yellow-breasted Chat
April 14 - Chimney Swift
April 14 - Northern Waterthrush
April 13 - Yellow-billed Cuckoo (e.e.)
April 11 - Great Crested Flycatcher (e.e.)
April 8 - Red-eyed Vireo (e.e.)
April 7 - Chuck-wills-widow
April 4 - Ruby-throated Hummingbird
April 3 - female Summer Tanager
April 3 - Short-tailed Hawk (2! at Lost Maples)
April 3 - Broad-winged Hawk (e.e.)
April 3 - Louisiana Waterthrush
April 3 - Nashville Warbler
April 2 - Black-capped Vireo
April 2 - Bronzed Cowbird
April 2 - Clay-colored Sparrow
March 31 - Brown-crested Flycatcher (e.e.)
March 28 - Firefly (e.e.)
March 26 - Golden-cheeked Warbler (migrant off territory)
March 24 - Bell's Vireo (e.e.)
March 24 - Summer Tanager (e.e.)
March 21 - Monarch (butterfly)
March 18 - Great-tailed Grackle (ties e.e.)
March 16 - Yellow-throated Vireo (ties e.e.)
March 15 - Cave Swallow
March 11 - Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
March 3 - Northern Rough-winged Swallow and Wood Duck
March 2 - Yellow-throated Warbler
March 1 - Ash-throated Flycatcher (e.e.)
Feb. 28 - Black-chinned Hummingbird
Feb. 26 - Common Yellowthroat (e.e.), Purple Martin and Blue-headed Vireo (e.e.)
Feb. 25 - Sandhill Crane
Feb. 24 - Barn Swallow and Vermilion Flycatcher (e.e.)
Feb. 12 - White-eyed Vireo (e.e.)
Jan. 31 - Turkey Vulture (3)
Jan. 14 - White-fronted Goose (e.e.)
A couple rare things have been detected recently. While guiding
some fine folks at Lost Maples SNA April 3 I found TWO SHORT-TAILED
HAWKS! We had great views over the pond area. One was photo'd
on April 5. Bob Behrstock had another one over Neals Lodge parking
lot in Concan April 16. Tropical Parula is being reported (as
annual) at Concan, as well.
A Black-necked Stilt called a few times northbound in the dark Mar. 25,
over our yard. An adult Goshawk circled and climbed on a thermal
over our place on Mar. 27. It was watched in scope! A Lark Bunting
was in the yard on Mar. 28. A pair of Broad-winged Hawk at Lost Maples
(ponds area) are likely the ones that nested the last couple years.
A Worm-eating Warbler was listed on e-bird for Lost Maples. A Gray Hawk
was also reported there on e-bird in mid-April. A Least Grebe was at
the Uvalde Nat. Fish Hatchery April 29, on NW-most pond.
Of expected but scarcer or local things around, there are the usual:
Zone-tailed Hawk, Canyon Towhee and Rufous-crowned Sparrow,
a few Long-billed Thrashers, Ringed and Green Kingfisher. Some few
Audubon's Oriole are around, like Bushtit, you could see one anywhere
anytime, or nowhere at no time. It's birding!%^*@%! Again some
White-tipped Dove and Olive Sparrow have been at Lost Maples, and
around Utopia, the new normal.
A few chiggers are out, bug spray on pantlegs usually keeps them off.
If it is only gonna be one or two, why bother? Benadryl anti-itch
cream is however a must-have item here.
You may want to scroll down to the date of the last update you
read, and scroll or read UP day-to-day to read in chronological
sequence, some references might make more sense that way. For
repeat offenders there is a link just below to jump straight to
newest update. There is usally a broken line of tildes (~) to denote
prior update breaks. Sometimes this header is archived within body
of news as well since it changes... seperated by tildes as well, as
are monthly summaries.
For visiting cell phone users, often only AT&T works here, or Concan,
and many local areas Sabinal to Leakey, etc.; wi-fi is available
at the Utopia Library, the store in Vanderpool had a sign saying
they have it there too. State Park headquarters may have it?
Don't tell them I told you. ;) I think along Hwy. 90
like at Hondo and Uvalde you can get connected with other than
AT&T carrier now...
Please holler if you see something good locally!
THANKS! :) (local 830 Utopia landline WON~2349)
E-dress clickably linked at bottom of most pages: mitchATutopianatureDOTcom
Holy cow, something NEW!!
Note on navbar at top of this page and the home page, and just above
the chat picture below is a link to a new LINKS page that is a quick
handy way outta here. Who loves ya baby? It is a collection of
some of the links I will publicly admit to using, though a couple
with no small amount of trepidation. Space, weather, bugs, birds,
blogs, bird cams, and other stuff... Enjoy!
~ ~ ~ end spring header archive copy ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
May 19 ~ Low of 74dF isn't very low, kinda summery.
Rain has been much-advertised, and is much needed, it
has been a long dry spell now with very little, some grasses
are brown. Normally we get about 3" per month, and
have not had an inch in 5 weeks or so. Due to the porus
substrate, everything here is geared to the constant regular
replenishing rains and when it doesn't happen it is amazing
how quickly it dries up. If we get a few-inch event as often
happens in late May or June, everything will explode again.
Hear the Red-eyed Vireo out there singing, I wonder if it is
trolling, or mated? Have not had one nest in earshot yet.
Yellow-throated and White-eyed Vireo are out there as usual.
Scott's Oriole hitting the hummer feeder first thing
early. He's hooked. The rest was the usual dull stuff
like Painted Bunting, Blue Grosbeak, Cardinal, Summer Tanager,
Vermilion Flycatchers tending nestlings, Chat, hear an Indigo
Bunting singing across and down the road.
A flock of 8 first-spring Common Raven was interesting.
Likely non-breeders still, and so flocked at a time of year
when breeders are not. Here, last year's young appear
shot full of holes in their first spring. They are in heavy
molt with holes everywhere, wings, tail, lots of missing feathers.
In good light they will also be distinctly browner due to nearly
a year of feather wear. In direct comparison, they can also still
appear smaller than an adult. Adults molt after breeding in fall
and are in generally very good plumage condition in breeding season.
Town run so a peek at the park for migrants, which was not
disappointing. On the way just east of the 360 river crossing
on the pasture fenceline was my FOS Eastern Kingbird. Snagged
one by the skin of my snagletooth this spring. At Utopia Park
there was Blue Jay, Yellow-throated Warbler feeding young,
Common Grackle, a begging young Green Kingfisher with an ad. fem.,
and a Ringed Kingfisher. One 1st spring male Wilson's
Warbler was bested by TWO female Mourning Warbler. Outstanding
close views and at one point I had them both in the same binocular
field. On the way back on E. 360 just past the cattle guard and a
quarter mile south of our casita was another Mourning Warbler,
which was also a female. Three Mourning Warbler is a good day.
I think that makes about 6 so far this spring, plus the indeterminate
individual.
Also at UP saw a first spring Black-n-white Warbler, which seemed like
the same one seen last Friday. Perhaps it is an unmated female
summering? About 2 p.m. there were two female Yellow Warbler
bathing in our bath together! Five species of warbler is
good for the date, only Yellow-throated surely a breeder.
It appears the Orchard Orioles are again nesting on 354, singing
male was taking food into a dense hackberry, probably feeding
an incubating female. At a mud puddle in town I saw a
Cassin's Sparrow (!) plus a pair of Blue Jays with 3
just-fledged young. Weird combo of birds there...
May 18 ~ More of same, still overcast and muggy, low
about 70dF, summer is working its way here. A few spits
of precip overnight, a tr of a trace. Had ad. ma. Scott's,
imm. ma. Hooded, and a couple Orchard Oriole today. Heard
a Least Flycatcher out on the road out front. Spotted the
Vermilion Flycatcher nest from the porch so set the scope
up on it. It is in a clump of ball moss in a pecan just
over the fence in the corral. Sure great having them
feeding all day in the yard, not to mention the male's
flight song display, which you hear even at night in the dark.
At 6 p.m. I saw my FOY Eyed Elatarid, the big click beetle
with the false eye spots on the thorax. After dark heard
a Barn Owl.
May 17 ~ Got warm, almost 90dF in the afternoon, mostly cloudy
and humid. Two male Indigo Bunting were trolling the river habitat
corridor across the road in the morning, one was back in the
afternoon. Two Orchard Oriole were out there as well, one
singing, looked like a prospecting pair. The pair of Blue
Grosbeaks is prospecting the hood for a nesting spot too.
One good warbler flight note got away. Saw three juvenile
Titmouse being attended by adults, I think from the box on
the north fence. At dusk again had a super close flyby from
a Chuck-wills-widow whilst I was on the driveway. Two Common
Grackle (male) flew over just before dusk.
May 16 ~ Overcast and humid, threatened to rain but never did.
About 1:30 p.m. a group of at least 6 Mississippi Kites
went over. My FOS. Might have been 8 birds. Did not otherwise
detect any migrants. Heard the Ringed King over at the river,
and after dark a Barn Owl called. Male Scott's Oriole using
the hummer feeders regularly now, I think we have one hooked.
May 15 ~ Overcast day, not a low low, but not a high high.
Guided Stan Blackstone for a walk at Lost Maples. We had a
great time and saw or heard most of the usual suspects. We had
great looks at a fledged (unattended) juvenile Golden-cheeked
Warbler besides a nice male, and heard a good number sing.
Also watched a couple just fledged Louisiana Waterthrush being
fed. Still numbers of Black-and-white Warbler, heard a couple
Yellow-throated Warbler sing. Migrant warblers were 2 first-spring
Wilson's and a first-spring male Common Yellowthroat.
Heard White-tipped Dove, Olive Sparrow, plus Scott's and
Audubon's Orioles sang. Had Hutton's, Yellow-throated,
Red-eyed, and White-eyed Vireo, Indigo Bunting, Blue Grosbeak,
Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Painted Bunting, a couple Orchard Oriole,
no hawks but Red-tailed.
I found remains (partial pile of feathers) of a warbler,
no body, but some rectrices (tail feathers). Update: Have
researched the pattern of white on the feathers of interest
(Curson, Quinn, and Beadle, 1994, New World Warblers) and it
was a Golden-cheeked Warbler.
On the way back just before quitting we checked Utopia Park about
1 p.m., there was a first-spring male Mourning Warbler on the island.
It had no black in the face whatsoever, and the black breast bib
at lower edge of gray hood was much reduced and not fully formed.
It gave just one snippet of song. Then about 4:30 p.m. there was
a first-spring male American Redstart at our bird bath. My second
one this spring, and fourth I know of locally this spring, plus
another or two were in e-bird locally methinks. But no Tennessee
so far, again. Interesting to note I saw five migrant warblers
today, and ALL were first-spring males. They migrate later than
adults and so apparently that seems to be where we are now in migration.
May 14 ~ Low about 65dF, will be bird-guiding tomorrow so
did yard and house stuff today. Was a bit windy much of the
day anyway. Got up to 90dF at 4 p.m. No migrants detected.
But the male Scott's Oriole came into the office window
hummer feeder! So he knows it! Hope he makes that a habit.
I was at computer (where I can't see that feeder) and it
landed on the garden fence about 2' from the window and 6' from me.
So yesterday it seems the Eastern Bluebirds fledged out of
the gate nest box. I see a pair of Ash-throated Flycatcher
have taken over the box already today! Soon as they were gone.
I finally caught the family together and it was 4 young fledged!
Awesome. But the dang Ash-throats. Last year the bluebirds
raised 3 sets of 3 out of that box. Now it is off limits. Hope
they take one of the other boxes around yard and stick for
their next sets.
May 13 ~ The low of 50dF felt outstanding. Dawn chorus is
a mild roar from 5:45 to 6:45 or so. It is still going after
that, but not as intensely. Still good, but not as overwhelming.
I heard a Wilson's Warbler sing over in the draw. Taped
a little and the extra boost of the mic allowed me to hear an
Eastern Wood-Pewee singing over at the river. We went to Lost
Maples for an early walk in the cool. Did a couple miles
of the East Trail (to the steep climb part) and back.
We had incredible views of a perched in the sun preening
and singing male Golden-cheeked Warbler. Which sang an odd
song variant. Saw a few and heard a bunch. Heard one Black-capped
Vireo I didn't go after in the wash not far past the end of
the Maples Trail, likely an unmated immature male. We heard at
least 3 White-tipped Dove. Probably 5 Acadian Flycatcher, a
couple Louisiana Waterthrush. A couple migrant warbler flight
notes got away, one was soemthing good. One Nashville sung,
it and a Least Flycatcher were the only ID'd migrants.
The rest was the expected, texana Scrub-Jay, Canyon Wrens,
Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Yellow-throated, Red-eyed, and White-eyed
Vireos, Black-n-white Warblers, lots of Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,
Blue Grosbeak and Indigo Bunting, Zone-tailed Hawk, and my
personal record orangeist throated ever, Yellow-throated Warbler.
I mention on the warblers photo page about how these Yellow-throated
Warblers can have some orange in the throat. One pic even suggests
a hint of it. This bird we had at point blank in full sun, and the
anterior half of the yellow throat-breast patch was orange as an orange.
The whole throat was orange, and only the upper breast was the standard
yellow patch. It was nearly Blackburnian orange (seen duller burns).
Clearly distinct from the remainder of yellow, clearly bicolored.
Not all show this. Could it be only old ones? It is also ephemeral.
Only at peak spring do you see it. Is it possibly a brief stage
in the wear of the feathers? It coincides with breeding season.
I have seen it on a number of birds here, and never on any other
Yellow-throated Warblers east of the Edwards Plateau (which is most of
their range - maybe 1% are way out west here on the Edw. Plt.).
Nor have I seen it mentioned in any literature. These are different
Yellow-throated Warblers than the rest, in song, plumage, and habits,
being a strict Ball Moss specialist here.
After 4 miles total and about 4.5 hours, and no Scott's Oriole,
we get home and one sings from the pecan, and later the live-oaks
upslope out back. Sure would be great if he figured out the feeders.
Heard Barn Owl after dark, couple Chucks nearby doing vocal battle
is great. The firefly show is still pretty good but past peak,
and way way early for that. The numbers are clearly declining now.
They were out of the gate weeks early, and now are flaming out early.
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
May 12 ~ Northerlies, a dry frontal passage, and a low of
57dF felt great. Heard a Bullock's Oriole sing from
the big Mesquites across the road. Weird was a Swainson's Hawk
moving south on the northerlies early in the morning. Heard
Ring Kings at river. In the afternoon at 4 p.m. a Scott's Oriole
sang from the front yard while I was at desk. At dusk I was
bringing in feeders and a Chuck-wills-widow flew right over
me whilst on the patio, low and close.
Noonish run to town for stuff. The northerlies blow out the
UvCo 354 pecan patch. The Chimney Swifts over town are sure nice.
The park had Ringed and Green Kingfisher, I watched the male
Green catch a fish and feed it to the female. Great was my
FOS Catbird finally, in the Mulberries of course. Actually
for rarity the adult Yellow-crowned Night-Heron was the best
bird I saw. A first-spring female Black-and-white Warbler
was good, and likely a far-north nester at the tardy end of
passage. Young Carolina Chickadee and Wren were begging,
as were juv. Yellow-throated Warbler and White-eyed Vireo.
Heard an Eastern Wood-Pewee sing, Blue Jay, and Barred Owl.
I almost hit a Green Kingfisher today. On the way to town
just down the road from the house as I drove over the
bridge at the river crossing, one shot over the hood!
Between the windsheild and the grill guard. It was going
upriver and must have pulled up to go over the bridge
and we met at the exact same time. It could not have
been three feet from the windsheild.
May 11 ~ Still overcast with low-end rain chances, good
birding weather, if you can get away from the desk. The
ad. White-crowned Sparrow is still here. Best was another
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, in the big pecan right off the
front porch. I miss them some springs. A Bell's Vireo
sang much of the day in the big Mesquites, but also came into
yard pecans. A pair of Cuckoos interacting may be our
near-yard breeders back. The rest was the regular gang.
One Eastern Bluebird was box-tapping, so I suspect the
young will fledge tomorrow. The male was flying up to
the box with food, and just tapping it, and turning around
flying away with the food item. A technique they use to
inspire fledging. Once the Mockingbird came to close
and the bluebird pair launched a co-ordinated attack diving
from 20' away, that placed both their beaks in the
Mockers upper tail coverts at the same exact time. The
Mocker disappeared quickly.
May 10 ~ More drizzle, mist, the occasional spitting and
threat of rain, and heard a few migrants go through yard.
Baltimore Oriole and Yellow Warbler seem the two most
likely lately. Had both, and heard an Orchard Oriole.
What is likely the same White-crowned Sparrow as a couple
days ago is still here on the millet seed. One first spring
male Wilson's Warbler was around briefly. An immature
Cooper's Hawk dove through yard and is probably a fresh
local fledge.
May 9 ~ Some drizzle and mist, and a few migrants, wish I
could get out birding. Tuesday to Thursday it is not an
option, it has to show up in the yard those days, and best
if outside office windows or I will likely miss it. Saw a
couple Yellow Warblers move through, one Baltimore Oriole,
and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Saw my FOS first-spring male
Painted Bunting, one of the super-lime types. Some 1st
springs are the same green as the female but sing. Others
are a brighter, limer, and distinctly more iridescent green.
This one had no salmon on underparts whatsoever, in fact
there may have been a bluish patch on underparts, which I
can't explain. Will be trying to photo. The Ring Kings
were over at river. Someone said they saw three of them
together which could well mean there are fledged young
out of nest already.
May 8 ~ Low 60's to low 70's dF for a temp spread,
mostly cloudy, a few spritzes and mist. Heard a
warbler zeet but didn't see it. In afternoon was a
singing Bell's Vireo in yard, which I saw again at
7 p.m., whence there was also a singing Yellow-throated
Vireo, and singing Baltimore Oriole. The rest was
the regular coots. Painted Bunting, Great Crested,
Brown-crested and Ash-throated Flycatcher, Blue
Grosbeak, White-eyed Vireo, Chat, Summer Tanager,
Vermilion and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Lark Sparrow,
Golden-fronted and Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Carolina
and Bewick's Wren, Caro Chickadee and Black-crested
Titmouse, Cardinal, Eastern Phoebe, Ground-Dove, and
both Cowbird sps., Ruby-throated and Black-chinned
Hummingbird.
A note on the hummers. There are at least 500 Black-chins
here now, with a humongous wave of freshly fledged
juveniles draining feeders at lightspeed. Can't wait
until they go away. In Ruby-throated there are still some
males around. But, the one guarding the front porch feeder
for the last 3+ weeks seems to have left as that feeder
has gone communal. It was guarded early April to early
May by one male Ruby-throated. Surely a bird remaining
a month like that is mating here. I see a very few
female Rubies, but have not had time to watch the
feeders, can barely keep up keeping them with fluid.
I think the Rubies get here, breed, and first the males and
then the females, leave and go north chasing summer
and breed somewhere else in the summer.
May 7 ~ About 52dF this a.m. felt great. No migrants
around yard. An Indigo Bunting was singing along the
road out front, prolly same one as yest' afternoon
heard from porch. We checked the park, no migrants
there, but saw the Green Kingfisher. Some fisherman
asked about the big crested bird with a bill like a
loon, perched high on a cypress snag, making lots of
noise, gray above with rufous below. So the Ring King
was there before we were. A pair of Black-bellied
Whistling-Duck were upriver of the island. Grabbed
some of those delish wild scallions. Saw another begging
Yellow-throated Warbler out of the nest being fed.
Over at the 354 pecans were a Yellow Warbler singing,
and a first spring male Baltimore Oriole. The rest is
probably breeding there. A trio of Orchard Oriole,
Red-eyed and Yellow-throated Vireo, Painted Bunting,
and a few Dickcissel nesting there as often, Blue Grosbeak.
No Cuckoo or Great Crested Flyc., both of which usually
nest there.
Then we checked a private property on the river I have
permission to access. Another big worn pale Monarch, #16
for the spring was nice. One Northern Waterthrush and
one FOS male Mourning Warbler were good. An Indigo Bunting
might be nesting in the Frostweed, Yellow-throateds: Vireo and
Warbler, were singing. Best was finding what looks to be a
very recently if not currently active Ringed Kingfisher nest
hole. The bird seemingly exploded out of a real high cut bank,
in which I then found a nice big fresh beautiful RingKing hole.
I have seen a couple of their holes along the river (and one
on Little Creek), and I have seen begging young chasing adults
up and down the river. So surely they are nesting. But if
active, the hole needs to be photographed with a bird at it,
which then might represent the first proven nest on the
Edwards Plateau.
Late afternoon about 4:45 the Ringtail came out and was
eating sunflower seeds. I mighta got some better pics,
just through the screen, with no window fuzzin' it up.
What an amazing beautiful animal. The high temp on front
porch was lowest 80's dF.
May 6 ~ Another chilly morning, 47dF on front porch, and
about 45dF at Lost Maples this morning. Saw the usual
stuff there. Golden-cheeked Warbler, Black-capped Vireo,
Louisiana Waterthrush, Acadian Flycatcher, Rufous-crowned
Sparrow, texana Scrub-Jay, Ash-throated Flycatcher, etc.
For me best bird was a quick glimpse of a male American
Redstart, my only one this spring so far, but at least
the third I know of. Odd was no White-tipped Dove, not
even one heard, after four last week. Did hear one and see
another Olive Sparrow though. A couple Nashville Warbler
were the only other migrant warblers I saw. I heard a
good one that got away though, a super high thin series
song that I thought sounded like a Bay-breasted. The other
best bird was a Texas Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus. olivaceous)(ph.).
At Utopia Park there was a male Common Yellowthroat,
which may well have been yesterday's bird again.
Heard Ringed and Green Kingfisher. An Olive-sided
Flycatcher was at the 354 pecan patch. First year male
Orchard Oriole was at Waresville Cemetery. At the pond
on the golf course there by the cemetery are a pair of
Great-tailed Grackle which appear to be nesting in the
cattails, a first for the site that I know of. Late in
afternoon at house was a singing Indigo Bunting over
at the draw adjacent, a Least Flycatcher, and a male
Yellow Warbler in the pecans.
This is the answer to last week's photo quiz.
Taken through a window and a screen from the office.
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
May 5 ~ Holy cow the cold air behind the front got here
and it was 46dF this morning. And dry. I am gonna miss
this all too soon. There was a first-spring male Orchard
Oriole out front, heard an Audubon's Oriole out back
up in the live-oaks upslope, and a Least Flyc. by the gate.
Still Blue-gray Gnatcats heading north through yard too.
Amazing was the Ringtail out in the daylight scavenging
sunflower seeds again at 10:40 a.m. Kathy saw this last
Saturday. This time we got some pix. Unbelieveable. What
an animal. It was not 20' out the office window, at
times 15' or less!
Town run for errands and supplies. At the 354 pecans there
was a singing male Yellow Warbler, and an Empidonax flycatcher
that was likely an Alder. But can't say for certain. It
got away. One Clay-colored Sparrow there. At a nest I was
watching the Barn Swallows have fledged some time in the last
week. At the park there were two Swainson's Thrush, a male
Common Yellowthroat, a Northern Waterthrush, a Green Kingfisher,
and fledgling Carolinas: Chickadee and Wren. One warbler got away.
After dark, and the update was posted, about 10:30 p.m., I
heard a Golden-Plover call is it flew overhead northbound.
May 4 ~ About 56dF for a low, the northerlies blew all night.
Another cooler drier nice spring day. Another Least Flycatcher,
a couple Dickcissel, an Orchard Oriole or two, another oriole
sounded Balitmore (was Northern type), and had a Hooded too.
Best was a heard only Rose-breasted Grosbeak, which I do
not get every year. So much leafage now they can be hard
to find. The sneakers on gym floor call is distinctive to my ear.
Pale worn migrant Monarch #15 this spring in afternoon.
Canyon Towhee was singing around the yard. It is in and out.
Here one day, not the next.
The male Scissor-tail was in the big pecan for a while, calling.
Way up top 40' off the ground in a bare snag. This
recently arrived Mocker flies up from 150' away, and
perches a few feet from it. It appears to size it up...
well yer tail is kinda long, but the peach is kinda purty...
And henceforth commenced to unleash upon it all manner of noise.
After a minute the Scissor moved a few feet away to another snag.
Guess who jumps over to be near and pour forth with everything
but the kitchen sink. It was the Pepe LePew of Mockers...
It gave it all it had, every imitation spot-on perfect, flawless
as the Petersen record: Curve-billed Thrasher, Green Jay,
Western & Couch's Kingbird, Long-billed Thrasher, Kiskadee,
Cactus Wren, Bell's Vireo, Chat, and probably a few things I wished
I knew. It did not do a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. It was
rapid-fire like a machine gun on a loop, it went on for minutes
without any apparent gasp for breath by the Mocker. Unimpressed,
or unable to withstand the audio assault any longer, the
Scissor left. It was clearly audio assault in the first degree.
May 3 ~ A bit of movement this morning, wish I could go bird.
One Least Flycatcher in the yard in the morning, two in the
afternoon. A few Dickcissel in the a.m., an Orchard Oriole
or two, and my FOS Baltimore Oriole finally, a Clay-colored
Sparrow was on the patio, a couple Cuckoos went off close
by, hope they are our breeder pair. Saw a fledgling Titmouse
begging today, and 3 Eastern Phoebe fledged today. A Monarch,
#14 this spring, flew by late in afternoon. Had a glimpse
of what looked a Zone-tail go over the yard.
May 2 ~ 50dF for a low was nice. One Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
and a Nashville Warbler went through yard. Still a Red-eyed
Vireo singing within earshot. Great Crested Flyc. right out
office window while I was working. Had a quick run out and
at the old Preston Place was a male Indigo Bunting and a
Yellow Warbler. Some singing Dickcissel, singing Orchard
Oriole, and a Monarch (#13) was at the 354 pecan patch.
UP had 2 Northern Waterthrush, a female Common Yellowthroat,
a Green Kingfisher carrying food or fecal sac, and a male
Wood Duck. Also a just-fledged Red-shouldered Hawk was
begging from an adult.
May 1 ~ OMG it is May! An amazing low of 40dF on the front
porch, Kerrville hit 38 briefly! Weewow! A Least Flycatcher
was singing early out front. A Yellow and a Nashville Warbler
were around briefly, and another warbler flight note got away.
A Bullock's Oriole sang and chattered a bit. An Orchard
went through too. Saw my FOS female Indigo Bunting. Very neat
was at 10:30 p.m. hearing an Orchard Oriole sing, which sounded
like it was in flight. The Vermilion Flyc. is going off after
dark regularly.
~ ~ ~ April summary ~ ~ ~
Well it was a great month, especially for the color green.
We had about 4" of rain here, but totals vary quite
a bit very locally. Were you under the big cell or not?
Like they say here in Texas, if you don't like the weather,
hang around 10 minutes, or go across the street if you
can't wait. And so go rainfall totals. Birds,
butterflies, and flowers were all most excellent. Late
in the month odes picked up, especially down Uvalde way
in the brush-country flatlands, where the flatlanders live.
Butterflies were great though not any but the expected.
The 60 species seen locally is my record April total.
Average is about 44. All four months so far this year
we broke my records for number of butterfly species flying.
And I think it safe to say we also broke the record for
average temperature records those same four months. Everything
is connected. A boatload of earliest ever spring migrant
bird species recorded this year also adds support to the
idea that something major is going on.
Actually let a couple probable ID's get away on top of
the 60 absolutely positively certain sps., there were 4 more
sps. seen down in the flatlands at Uvalde this month. It is
great to see good numbers of Arizona Sister again, multiples
daily all month. The Red Admiral migration was yuuuge, many
hundreds flying NE over the month (since late March). Lots
of Lysides on a few days too (00's). From later March
when the first went by, by the end of April it was a dozen
worn pale Monarch I had seen passing NEward locally. So
they seemed to have a fair showing this year.
Odes were fair, nothing fancy or rare, just the usual
expected spring fliers locally. The couple good things
of interest were down at Uvalde off the plateau in the
brush-country where the season is a couple weeks advanced
compared to that up here in the hills. Down there I saw
Great Pondhawk, Band-winged Dragonlet, and Thornbush
Dasher, only the Dragonlet was seen up here in hills.
I saw 12 sps. of damselflies locally (+1 more at Uvalde).
I saw 16 sps. of dragonflies locally (+7 more at Uvalde).
So it was 28 sps. of odes locally, 36 if counting Uvalde,
in April. By accident.
Of course a lot of the excitement for birds in April is
recording all the migratory breeding species return
dates. Which becomes fascinating over time. This year
we saw an abnormally high number of early returns.
After an abnormally mild winter, with an abnormally
early last freeze date (early January).
The best birds locally this month were hawks. First
a pair of Short-tailed Hawks at Lost Maples. Then
a Gray Hawk there is actually much rarer, and about
the third upper Sabinal drainage report I know of.
And it appears the nesting pair of Broad-winged Hawks
are back at Lost Maples as well, this will be their
third year now here.
April was again generally poor for the more eastern type
migrant songbirds, like warblers in particular.
Very weak so far, and pullin' teeth for the common
stuff again. A Worm-eating Warbler was reported
on e-bird at LM, which is less than annual locally.
Two male American Redstarts seen in one day here is
nearly unheard of, someone must be living right, it
wasn't me. I have missed it in spring here,
it is not a absolute sure thing.
The birds I have seen fledged young out of the nest
of by the end of April are Carolina Chickadee, Mourning
Dove, Common Ground-Dove, Black-chinned Hummingbird,
Black-and-white Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler,
and Chipping Sparrow. Within the first three days
of May add Red-shouldered Hawk, Black-crested Titmouse,
and Eastern Phoebe. All of which likely had stuff
out in April. Ten species.
~ ~ ~ end April summary ~ ~ ~ regular drivel below ~ ~ ~
April 30 ~ Wow, what a day. The front blew all night,
with a brief spritzing of rain. Blowing still in the
morning, it was under 50 on the front porch here at 7 a.m.
With 15 mph winds, a bit chilly. Patrick, Joni and I did
Lost Maples. And I mean did it. According to Jonie's watch
she made over 21 THOUSAND steps. About a mile and half each
(one-way) of both of the main two canyons. Probably a
good six miles plus. I usually feel like I saw a quarter
of what was there.
We had great views of a foraging female Golden-cheeked Warbler,
heard a few males, you just have to put time in on the trails,
and it helps to know what to listen for. So you know when
to go on high alert. We watched a Black-and-white Warbler
feeding a just-fledged juvenile at point blank. We saw a
few Nashville Warbler (migrants), and some of the now regular
Yellow-throated Warbler. For which another birder mentioned
they found a nest. We saw three seperate Chipping Sparrows
feeding fledlings.
At the trailhead parking lot there was a male Scott's
Oriole and a female Hooded Oriole feeding on the Musk Thistles.
A White-tipped Dove came in while we heard a couple more calling,
and heard at least one more in another canyon later for at
least 4 minimum. Saw my FOS female Blue Grosbeak, along with
a male of course. A couple texana Scrub-Jays obliged, a
Rufous-crowned Sparrow, but oddly no buntings at feeders.
I heard a snippet of Black-capped Vireo song from uphill
of the restroom at the pond (usual area). Above the second
pond we enjoyed the every-bit-as-lost as the maples Witch Hazel,
and the Canyon Mock-Orange is still in bloom. A few Prarie
Larkspur were open, what a beauty, and lots of Scarlet Clematis.
Had a quick flyover of a ratty Broad-winged Hawk, methinks
a first year bird. Over nearing the end of the Maples Trail
I heard an Olive Sparrow tik tik tiking. We heard a good
bird that for now will remain unmentioned. There were two
FOS Olive-sided Flycatcher seen.
In bugs We saw a bunch of Red-spotted Purple (butterflies),
some Spicebush, Two-tailed, and Tiger Swallowtails, a couple
Arizona Sister, Southern Broken-Dash, but I was not working
for them so things like Duskywings were left un-checked.
In Odes only a few obvious ones were noted. Saw Prince and
Dot-winged Baskettail, one Springtime Darner, lots of
Common Whitetail, a few Aztec Dancer.
Later in the day we made a stop on the Sabinal River at one
of my secret spots and watched a Yellow-throated Warbler
feeding a just-fledged juvenile. Baby warblers out of the
nest before May. Amazing. At about 5:30 p.m. in the yard
was my FOS male Yellow Warbler. It was another great day
in paradise, which is near Utopia, you know, just down
the road a piece from Comfort.
April 29 ~ Went to Uvalde with Patrick and Joni Thevenard.
Had to work for it, but had a great day. There was no passage
migration evident whatsoever, and Cook's Slough remains eerily
quiet. Not a single Bell's Vireo singing in all those
acres of mesquite, in two two-mile walkarounds this week.
Only heard one Verdin. Did not hear a single Cuckoo today,
nor a Myiarchus, where are the Brown-crests? Major weird.
Whaddup? Did see a pair of Great Kiskadee which was nice,
heard Olive Sparrow sing, saw some Painted Buntings,
3 Black-crowned Night-Herons. Lots of Common Sootywing
butterfly flying, none five days ago on Monday.
On the way down at the 2730 stock tanks there were again
a few shorebirds. Four Pectoral and at least 3 Baird's
Sandpiper, a Spotted and a Solitary Sandpiper, 4 Wilson's
Phalarope, and a couple Killdeer. Lots of Dickcissel and a
Bullock's Oriole there too. Along a couple roads we had
Harris's Hawk, and on Old Sabinal Rd. we had a pair of
Canyon Towhee, out in the flatlands brush country, not a canyon
in sight. Did not see the Shrikes of last Monday. Mid-morn
we went by the secret Lesser Nighthawk spot and had views of
the male and incredible, crippling, face-melting looks at
the female which is now there too.
After lunch we went to the fish hatchery (U.S. Nat.) and the
water was up at most ponds so only a couple shorebirds, a
Spotted Sandpiper and a Solitary Sandpiper. Plus the usual
Killdeer. There were about 30 Ibis, I checked every one,
they were as usual (always for me) all White-faced. A few
Wigeon, Gadwall, a couple Shoveler, some Blue-winged Teal
were the ducks. Over a dozen Coot, a pair of Common Galinule,
and the highlight was a Least Grebe on a pond. We saw it
make a couple brief flights and saw the big white wingstripe.
Very cool. Out at the gate, again a Couch's Kingbird was
amongst all the Westerns. The ad. ma. Orchard Oriole is still
singing there and will likely nest in one of those dense trees
on either side of gate.
Went out 481 to the Nueces River crossing about 4-5 mi. west
of the hatchery. A good Cliff Swallow colony is under the
bridge there, but it was heat of the day and otherwise quiet.
Except the butterflies puddling along river under and near
the bridge. A hundred Snout, a couple dozen Reakirt's
Blues, Red Admirals, Lyside and Orange Sulphurs, and Sleepy
Orange, it was amazing. So were a couple hundred Snout on
a blooming Acacia of some sort there. I found a Dusky-blue
Groundstreak dead in the water so we got to see the dorsal
side which is normally only in viewable in flight since it
sits with closed wings. Absolutely beautiful butterfly.
There was lots of ode activity but I couldn't really work
them, only seeing the obvious. As last week there were
Thornbush Dashers at the hatchery. A Giant Pondhawk there
was also for me an early date. At least one Four-spotted
Pennant was flying, and saw a Red-tailed Pennant as well.
One Leaftail flyby looked like a Four-striped to me, very
green of thorax. Good numbers of Eastern Amberwing, Roseate
Skimmer, a few Desert Firetail at the city park in town.
There are lots flying now down below 1000' altitude.
At the Memorial Park in town on Hwy. 90 where the Leona
River starts, the Sailfin Molly (probably introduced at this
site but are the native wild type as in Nueces River drainage
and south Texas) seem to be doing well. The males are in
great color now. Lots of odes but no migrants in the woods.
At Uvalde it was 91dF and humid as physically possible at
the hatchery and slough. The porch thermo read 85dF when I
got back here. Six degrees, Uvalde to Utopia (900' to 1350')
and every one counts when it is hot and humid!
An hour before we got back to Utopia, Kathy saw the Ringtail
out back, in the day, about 3 p.m. or shortly after! When we
pulled in the driveway, the pair of Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
were prospecting in one of the outer pecans, going branch
to branch looking for the right one for the nest. They
never choose the yard, but a guy can dream, right? What
does the grass airstrip have that I don't, besides
regular mowing?
This is a photo quiz for those guys that put up the
ID quiz photos with one obscure mark barely showing.
Something like the bifurcated scutes on the metatarsals.
So for you guys. Take this! Hint for the rest: mammal.
Now what do you wanna bet one of those smart alecs
will e-mail me with the correct ID. I tried to shoot it
with flash but too far so mostly just got some eyeshine.
Probably ID-able though.
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
April 28 ~ A not very low of about 68dF. Heard a FOS
Baltimore Oriole out in yard early this morning, a
couple Dickcissel went through, heard an Orchard Oriole sing,
my first locally this year, and a Cuckoo called (Yeller-bill).
Kathy spotted a White-crowned Sparrow around, which was
another leucophrys, but not the one here on Monday, none
were present the last three days. Heard the Canyon Towhee
out there early. I had to run to town for errands and on
360 had a half-dozen Clay-colored Sparrow in a flock on the fence.
Met a couple birder friends in town at the park to plan for tomorrow.
They had seen a male American Redstart at Lost Maples this
morning, at the turnaround on the Maples Trail. After we
parted I sent them to Waresville Cemetery to see the Martins.
They saw ANOTHER male American Restart there! Holy cow, two
in a day locally! The only migrant we saw at the park was a
FOS Swainson's Thrush. We heard the Barred Owl, saw
Blue Jay, and a couple White-eyed Vireo. In the afternoon
at the casita I had my FOS Least Flycatcher. Heard the
Ring King again over at river, and heard it this morning
too.
April 27 ~ We dipped to 47dF for a low this morning,
felt outstanding. But the breezy picked back up fairly
soon. About 10 a.m. I heard the first Canyon Towhee in the
yard in 6 months or so. It came into garden and was singing
all around the yard. Hope it found enough seed to want to stick.
Astounding was a warbler at the bath about 9:30 a.m. or
so that was likely a hybrid MacGillivray's x Mourning
Warbler. It surely could not be claimed as either, though
was obviously one or the other, or both. Male, with just
a few feathers of white at rear of where Macs upper eye-crescent
would be, and a few more feathers of white at the rear of
where the lower crescent would be, and thick like a Mac.
Otherwise face was all black with no white. Just a couple
small white areas at the rear of where eye-crescents should
have been on a MacGillivray's.
Bill was small (Mac), undertail covert projection was short (Mac),
tail then longish (Mac), and chip call note was MacGillivray's.
So it was mostly a Mac, but with an all black face, except thickish
white dots the width of a Mac eye-crescent above and below eye
at rear of what would be the eye-crescent areas on a Mac.
It was nearly surely a hybrid. Unfortunately my Scan-o-Matic
2000 DNA scanner is on the fritz. It could not be properly
recorded as a MacGillivray's or a Mourning. I will have to
decide whether it will be Mournivray's or MacGourning Warbler.
Or maybe "former Oporornis sps."... I might have some sort of
image through the bathroom screen.
Finally saw my first Hooded Oriole of the year, a female,
on one of the hummer feeders. Did not see it well enough
to age it. Thought I heard a Yellow Warbler distantly again.
Ringed Kingfisher called from over at river before dusk.
At dusk I thought I heard a distant Paraque vawheeer a couple
times. Don't know what else it could have been. Barn
Owl after dark. About 140 Firefly.
April 26 ~ Another dry front rolling through, arriving
about 9 a.m. just as it was about to get foggy from
the gulf flow. Northerlies blew like heck all day at
15-25 gusting higher. Mostly it was the regulars.
In butterflies saw both Hackberry and Tawny Emperors.
Birds were the residents, no movement with the winds.
Which finally laid down just before dark.
I was out on the driveway for that last half hour
of light, trying to get a good firefly count (150).
A Chuck-wills-widow was calling over across the draw,
still a fair bit of light, and a Chuck flies right at
me 8' off the ground, pulls up to snag a bite to eat
so close I could have caught it with a butterfly net.
Full spread eagle pose as it grabbed whatever, 6' away!
It spun on a dime and flew back down driveway , over gate,
and turned down the road, without signaling. I saw it was a
female due to lack of white in tail and barely paler
buffy corners. In the next ten or 15 minutes I saw it, the
male or both fly across the yard three times. Awesome Chuck
show!
April 25 ~ Went to bed early and slept in to 6:30.
That was nice. Needed some battery recharge time.
Was about 55dF or so early at sunup. Nothing going
for migrants through the yard this a.m. I had to get
back to the desk and work and catch up before I do
this again next weekend. It is migration prime-time,
and ya gotta fish when the birds are bitin'! The
new bird of the day was a FOS female Painted Bunting.
Thought I heard a Yellow Warbler sing distantly.
At dusk a Chuck-wills-widow was moving around the
permiter just outside yard calling. It uses a snag
in the draw on which the perch spot is too low for me
to see from the driveway. It fluttered up and caught
moths a half-dozen times though and every time it did
it breaks treeline and I can see it in the fading light.
At least 125 Firefly in the yard at dusk yesterday and
today. Common Nighthawk called "beer, beer", and
heard a Barn Owl after dark.
April 24 ~ Left at 7 a.m. with Ted and Leslie for a day of
some brush country birding down Uvalde way. It was a cool
43.5dF on the front porch here! Amazing! In areas the
flowers along 187 from the escarpment dropoff at Clayton
Grade down to Sabinal are either already going great, or
will be shortly.
Since it rained recently a few times I was excited to
check the FM2730 stock tanks. These are a couple miles
west of Sabinal between 127 and 90, on 2730. There may
be a million tanks around but we can only see a couple
good ones from public roads in the county. We were not
disappointed, they had water, and shorebirds!
One American Golden-Plover was best, a couple Stilt Sandpiper
were great, about 3 Solitary and 4 Spotted Sandpiper (one
of each landed in the road for a while!), 8 Lesser Yellowlegs,
a couple Killdeer, a nice female Wilson's Phalarope,
one Least and one Semipalmated Sandpiper. Some Blue-winged
Teal too. Three times I heard an Upland Sandpiper call from
out in the pastures but the grass was too tall to see into.
A getting nearly tardy Merlin shot by as well! Dickcissel
numbers along the road were in the several dozens, a mild
roar. It was bird city.
We worked down Old Sabinal Rd. (aka old 90) and had great
looks of a Mockingbird playing pinball, himself the ball,
a Harris's Hawk the bumper he was trying to move.
The Mocker won eventually. It was his tele pole after all.
Literally bouncing off the hawk with its claws, a dozen times.
Saw Long-billed and Curve-billed Thrasher shoot across
the road, which was lined with singing Dickcissel. A few
Bullock's Oriole as usual, and lots of Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher, but no Cassin's Sparrow yet in the couple
good fields they regularly use. A few Loggerhead Shrike were
along the road.
We took a walk around Cook's Slough first. It was
weirdly quiet, I think the resident nesters are incubating
by now in many cases, and they go fairly quiet then. Only
heard one distant Kiskadee, no Green Jay. Did hear Olive
Sparrow, saw a couple Neotropic Cormorant, 2 Shoveller, and
best, had great looks at singing male Painted Bunting.
Heard a few. Heard a couple Nashville and an Orange-crowned
Warbler but it was weirdly all but dead for migrants. More
Dickcissel too.
At the City Memorial park on Hwy. 90 we saw a Green Kingfisher.
We saw the male Lesser Nighthawk at the spot just off of Hwy. 90
a hundred yards. Then had lunch and went to the fish hatchery.
There were a hundred Black-bellied Whistling-Duck. A few other
ducks too, a couple Gadwall, a pair of Ring-necked Duck (lateish),
a few Am. Wigeon, a pair of Cinnamon Teal, some Blue-winged
Teal, a dozen Coot, three White-faced Ibis. Again another
8-10 Lesser Yellowlegs, a few Spotted and a few Solitary
Sandpiper, 2 Wilson's Phalarope, one Long-billed Dowitcher,
and some Killdeer. In the trees at the entrance we found a
singing male Orchard Oriole (had heard and glimpsed one earlier)
and finally a Couch's Kingbird among the Westerns. Scoped
two male and a female Bobwhite on a dike. It was an amazing
day, loaded with birds, great fun, and company.
Interesting at home in the later afternoon was an adult
White-crowned Sparrow, which is a new migrant to show up.
It was the more expected pink-billed black-lored leucophrys.
April 23 ~ Up at zero-dark-thirty to go bird guiding. Wow,
Cygnus at zenith, Scorpius to the southwest, holy cow. We
will soon have the summer humidity issue, so these last good
drying northerly blows each spring are much appreciated.
Though wind calmed last night at dark, it picked back up
by 10 p.m. with still northerly, but lighter, but northerly,
and still blowing lightly at dawn. So probably not much
migration motion was my thought.
I met some fine folks in town at sunup for some birding,
Ted Jarvi and Leslie Hall from Arizona. Chimney Swifts over
Main St. at first sun. First we checked the park, nothing
moving, a couple Black-bellied Whistling-Duck were on the
other side of pond. We headed up to Lost Maples for a
hike to the ponds, and maybe a warbler or something.
Checked the HQ at opening and a few things there, but was
still early and a bit chilly. Kerrville was 44dF this morning!
I think at the casita we were 48, methinks it was 45 or so at
Lost Maples at 8 a.m., it felt great.
We went to the trailhead parking lot and I threw a cup of
seed out at the feeding station (sometimes it is best to take
things into your own hands). When you have to get up the
trail early, you can't wait for the help to show up with seed.
The birds see someone spreading seed at the spot and it is like
the bell rings as they see things moving in.
We saw the usual mostly, Blue Grosbeak, Scott's Oriole, and
Rufous-crowned Sparrow, texana Scrub-Jay all showed well. As did
a White-tipped Dove, of which we saw and heard more of up the ponds
trail. Going up the trail to the ponds we saw most of the expected
usual like Indigo Bunting, Summer Tanager, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,
Yellow-throated and White-eyed Vireo, Common Raven, at least
one Broad-winged Hawk. On the way back down we heard an Olive
Sparrow sing just off the trail, just above the first crossing
leaving the parking area.
Fewer singing male Yellow-throated Warbler than a couple weeks
ago. A couple Nashville, a couple Orange-crowned, and one Wilson's
were it for migrant warblers. We saw a couple Black-and-white
very well. Saw my FOS Acadian Flycatcher in the woods below
the ponds where they always nest. Some heard-only species were
an Eastern Wood-Pewee, a couple Louisiana Waterthrush, Ash-throated
Flycatcher, Canyon Wren, and Black-capped Vireo. We did not go
up to the bluff-top above the pond for them.
We had extended point blank views of a female Golden-cheeked Warbler
with a mouthful of green bugs and still hover-gleaning more!
Means young are hatched. Later we saw a male as we almost got
back to the car. It sung with a buzzy whistled trill I have
never heard. It learned something wrong. Otherwise heard a
half dozen singing but now much quieter of song since in full
nesting mode.
In butterflies I saw a Little Wood Satyr, several Spicebush
and a couple Two-tailed Swallowtail, a Red-spotted Purple,
an Orange Skipperling and a Southern Broken-Dash, besides
the more usual common stuff. Didn't pay attention to any
but obvious odes, a Prince Baskettail was my FOS, lots of
Dot-winged Baskettail, Common Whitetail, and Common Pondhawk flying.
Heard a Ringed Kingfisher from the porch at dusk.
April 22 ~ Happy Earth Day! Overcast humid summerish morning,
it was 70dF at 7 a.m.! The dry sorta-cold front hit at 8 a.m.
with 15-20 mph northerlies, at 10:30 a.m. it was 60dF, by 11 it
was upper 50's. Holy cow. You get way more weather for
your money here. I was hoping the northerlies would hit us
while still dark and knock migrants down since it was clear
with southerlies at midnight.
Another Bullock's Oriole in the yard in the morning.
About 9 a.m. I walked out on back porch and a Chat was in the
little leafy pecanlet a few feet to my left. Three male
and a female Bronzed Cowbird at the millet feeder. They
commute here from the golf course, you can watch them fly
in and out. Sure hope that female doesn't have an accident.
Worked on the yard since cooler and I have a couple days
of birding work ahead.
~ ~ ~ last prior update ~ ~ ~
April 21 ~ I have thought I heard a couple chatter in the
last week, but this morning there was a FOS singing male
Bullock's Oriole in the yard. There was a male Common
Grackle around briefly as well, a Nashville Warbler went
through (surprise). Town run for supplies, another Nashville
up in the woods at the park, and a Great Blue Heron, but that
was it. In afternoon a Monarch butterfly passed through
yard (#10 this spring). Just before 7:30 p.m. a silent
FOS Common Nighthawk flew by. Glad I was out there to see
it, as I did not hear one all evening. Was over a hundred
Firefly in yard, maybe 120, what a show.
April 20 ~ Too busy Thursdays. Nashville and Gnatcatcher
(warbler and Blue-gray) through yard again today. A Bronzed
Cowbird hit the millet seed tube. A Nysa Roadside-Skipper
was on the Mealy Sage in the porch flower bed. Clearly we
are over a hundred on the Firefly count at dusk. Another 25
across road and over in corral. Barking Frogs doing a lot
of, well, er, barking now. Hearing Blanchard's Cricket-Frog
out in front yard a bit too.
The male Painted Bunting is around but I still haven't heard
it sing yet. This is normal for many species here. When they
first arrive back on territory they do no immediately go to singing.
It takes days in most cases. They call a lot so you know they
are around, but they don't sing. Not full song. Blue Grosbeak,
Great Crested or Vermilion Flycatcher, Chat, they all return to
the breeding territory and do not start full territorial song
immediately. Generally a few days on average I would say for
most, some longer. Of course they know there are no females
here yet, and they likely need a couple days of some serious
eating first thing on arrival after the trip.
April 19 ~ Another earliest ever spring FOS date, a Dickcissel
flew over calling at 9 a.m., northbound. Then at end of day
at 7 p.m. my FOS Wilson's Warbler sang a few times.
Barn Owl after dark, and hit a hundred Firefly in the yard
at dusk, and likely a couple dozen outside yard but adjacent.
It is an awesome show already the last half hour of light.
A few Chuck-wills-widows serenading at dusk now too.
April 18 ~ The back side of the front cooled us down to about
53dF this morning, very nice. A House Wren and a Lincoln's
Sparrow in yard were migrants passing through, as were a couple
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Back to daily Painted Bunting, Blue Grosbeak,
the Red-eyed Vireo or another singing, as is the Chat. Sounds
great out there. Toss in the Great Crested, Vermillion and
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, White-eyed and Yellow-throated Vireo,
plus the residents. It is music to my ears. I see four
Chipping Sparrow, likely local breeders nesting nearby.
A Monarch went by, I think #9 for the spring. The Coyotes went
off quite close after dark. At least a dozen Blue-eyed Grass
(the Iris) flowers in a patch in the yard. Still just 90
Firefly in yard.
April 17 ~ We had a rain event overnight, and a little shower
in the day, total of about 1.25-1.5", right when the leaves
need it for their growout. Male Blue Grosbeak on the seed
is likely the local nester that sings daily around the yard.
The male Painted Bunting is on the millet tube again, until
early August. A female Ruby-throated Hummingbird, I haven't
had time to work the hummers past keeping feeders with fluid.
Thought I heard an Indigo Bunting distantly again, but still
no sighting yet this spring here for me. Red-eyed Vireo singing,
so is the Chat, and clear passage migrants were a Nashville
Warbler and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Did have a FOS Swift
Setwing dragonfly. Firefly count was 90 in yard, and 20 or
so within sight outside it. Gray Fox on the patio after dark.
April 16 ~ Mostly overcast, threatened to rain but didn't.
We did some of the river corridor habitat above and below
us for a couple hours. About 4 Nashville Warbler, heard
a Myrtle and an Orange-crowned. The Chat is across the
road in the usual main territory singing-tree. Kathy
pointed out a calling FOS Eastern Wood-Pewee. One Lincoln's
Sparrow along road, another came into our birdbath. A couple
more Blue-gray Gnatcatcher too.
In the later afternoon again today another FOS showed up,
a male Painted Bunting! Again, we know it hasn't been
here or around and was not here earlier in the day. It
showed up just before 6 p.m. and went straight to the
white millet seed feeder it knows and loves. Like the Chat
yesterday, a late afternoon arrival.
Also in the afternoon I saw my first Disparate Forester moth
of the year. Usually I see them in March on the Agarita but
not this year. This is the day-flying moth that has white
polka-dots on gun-metal blue-black wings, with furry orange
on body and legs. Google that name for better pics than I
have, most locals have probably seen them and wondered what
they were, besides a striking beauty.
April 15 ~ More low clouds with occasional mist in the a.m.
Breezy too. Noonish we walked to the crossing to get a
mile and half in (roundtrip) and cover some river habitat
corridor to see if any migrants moving. There were a few.
At least 5 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (these are passage birds
headed further north now), 3 Nashville Warbler, one first
spring male Black-n-white Warbler, a House Wren, a Lincoln's
Sparrow, and a Broad-winged Hawk. Plus heard my FOS Blue
Grosbeak call a few times. Definitely some migration motion.
Saw a couple Yellow-throated Vireo and one Red-eyed Vireo
was singing.
Amazing was the FOS Yellow-breasted Chat which is surely the
one that breeds across the road and uses the birdbath. It
showed up later in afternoon, singing from the main tree it
uses all summer. It was not out there at 4 p.m. but was at
5 p.m.! Since I was out front every hour all day, and we
took a walk down the road right through its territory it is
more than safe to say it was not there earlier.
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
April 14 ~ More mist in the morning, some scattered showers,
but nothing serious here. Ran to town for some supplies
and checked the park. Lots of people and noise with the
holiday weekend already starting. Saw my FOS Northern
Waterthrush, always a nice migrant to see. A couple Nashville
Warbler were in the blooming live-oaks. One Green Kingfisher
up by the island. Also there was a migrant Hermit Thrush, the
first I have seen locally in over a month. The wintering ones
are long gone. A few FOS Chimney Swift were over town, nice
to hear them back. Bell's Vireo singing along the road behind
the gas station at NW corner of town. Also about 20 Common
Grackle over there by the retention pond behind the storage
spaces.
April 13 ~ Typical low clouds, almost misty, had a few drops
of rain overnight, but it missed us. First thing early there
was a FOS Yellow-billed Cuckoo cooing over in the corral. Doing
the 'rain song'. It is my earliest ever spring date,
for the 14th time this spring. Remarkable. Three, or maybe in a
'early spring' year there are five, 'earliest evers', out of 10 or
more years of good spring arrival date records.
We are at FOURTEEN 'earliest evers' this spring! Plus two ties.
Most of the early returns are local breeders arriving on territory.
So it is very telling. The first wave of most migratory breeders
like say Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and Black-and-white Warblers are
the local nesters. So it goes for most species. The individuals
of the same species that pass through in late April or early May are
the ones on the way far to the north. Where you can't nest in April.
Our local breeders can get going in March, most are in full roar in April.
These more southerly breeders return as soon as they can of course.
This year a third have returned earlier than ever before. It
might not sound like much, but it is a monster big change.
April 12 ~ Had to run to town early, stopped at park. Saw
a migrant Louisiana Waterthrush, which is scarce here in
spring. Also one Nashville Warbler sang in the live-oaks.
Otherwise quiet save a few residents. Englemann's Daisy
getting going, and saw my first flowers of Prickly Pear,
and Prickly Poppy. Now 50 (!) Firefly at dusk over yard.
You might think I should have something more important to do
than count fireflies at dusk? Well you would be wrong! LOL
I don't. This is heavy science man. Don't be fooled just
because I don't have to say "hold my beer" to conduct it!
Nine of fourteen prior springs (2 out of 3) I had not even seen
ONE yet by this date! Fifty at once already!?!?! Astounding.
April 11 ~ There was between a quarter and a third of an inch
of rain overnight. North side of plateau had some wet spots
with inches but it mostly missed us. Best was my earliest
ever (14th spring) Great Crested Flycatcher. Thought I heard
an Indigo Bunting sing a few times distantly... but not good
enough for an absolute FOS date. Betcha it was though.
Ring King flying high over cypresses along river. Now 40 Firefly
at dusk over yard.
April 10 ~ Just the regulars today, too busy working. So nice
to have birdsong going on outside again though. So from the
desk, here are the migrant breeders I hear territorially singing now.
Yellow-throated, White-eyed, and the last few days a Red-eyed
Vireo (but Red-eyes never stick to nest here), Vermilion, Scissor-tailed,
Ash-throated, Brown-crested, and Great Crested Flycatcher,
Yellow-throated Warbler, and Summer Tanager, and a few times a day
I will hear Purple Martins overhead. Then all the residents are
going full bore now too. Heard the Ringed King over at the
river, saw the Ringtail after dark scavenging sunflower seeds.
Did some more yard work, saw a Scarlet Pea flower, and some
Bluehearts. Counted 30 Firefly at dusk over yard.
April 9 ~ Misty much of the morning. Trying to catch up on
some yard work before it gets hot. A bunch of weekend days
mid-April to mid- May I will be bird guiding so have to get
the spring cleaning done now. I was resting on the front
porch in the afternoon and watched a male Scissor-tail fly
down into the path I cut to the wellhouse and grab a bug
off the ground. So neat to have on the ground in the yard!
Male with a full tail, and all that orange. What a bird.
Saw 20 Firefly at dusk over yard.
April 8 ~ Trying to get caught up on the spring cleaning
stuff, yard work, etc. I saw three male Ruby-throated
Hummingbird at once on one of the feeders, so they are
in good numbers already. Bird of the day was a singing
Red-eyed Vireo, my FOS, and my earliest ever in this 14th
spring of recording such stuff. Couple Barn Owls called
after dark. Saw 10 Firefly at dusk over yard.
Here is the north end of a south-facing Pine Warbler,
the male that wintered and is presumably a returnee
visiting the yard regularly for at least 3 winters now.
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
April 7 ~ About 42df for a low, got up to mid-upper '70's.
Heard the Ringed Kingfisher over at river early. Did a town
run and had a Green at the park. Only migrant was a male
Myrtle Warbler in mostly alternate plumage, and a Kinglet (Ruby).
Saw a summer form Questionmark (butterfly) here at the house.
Otherwise it was the regulars, no migrant birds went through
that I saw or heard but an Orange-crowned Warbler and a Kinglet.
I'm too busy with work.
At dusk though a most welcome FOS, a calling Chuck-wills-widow!
Awesome! We get about 90 days to soak a whole years' worth in,
and that is it. That is 10 days less than adult male Painted
Bunting are present on territory here. Of course the Chucks are
still here longer than 90 days, but that is all they call for.
Besides begging young they are mostly silent the last month
of presence.
April 6 ~ Holy cow 39dF on the front porch this morning! KRVL
had a 37! Outstanding. We will soon wish for such cool air.
Thursday so stuck at the desk getting a peek here and there
outside. I am starting to wonder about our Hooded Orioles.
They should have been back by now and have not yet returned.
Got me worried. They are a late March returner. Ours are MIA.
Sure nice to hear Summer Tanager singing out in the yard again.
April 5 ~ Wind blew all day from a dry frontal passage, 48-88dF
temp spread. Would have been tough birding out there, 10-20 mph,
gusting higher. I was too busy working to see anything but the
usuals. There were 16 Lark Sparrow and 5 Chipping Sparrow on the
patio late. Heard the Scissor-tail singing. Brown-crest too.
Ash-throats interested in the box on the corral fence. They have
used it before, as have the Brown-crests. After dark I heard
something fly over northbound calling that sounded like Redhead
(ducks). Sure wish I could have seen them.
April 4 ~ We were 45-85dF for a temp spread today. Couple Caracara
went over, they are nesting nearby. Counted 14 Lark Sparrow on patio.
Best was my FOS Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Brown-crested and Ash-throated
Flycatcher around. Saw a big fat pregnant female Four-lined Skink,
a Horace's Duskywing, and a couple Monarch. That makes about
7 migrant Monarch so far this spring for me here locally. Which is
good. Still Kinglets going by.
April 3 ~ It was a great cool 45dF for a low this morning. Today we
four (James Smith, Jim Cain, Alan Cohen, stuck with me guiding) birded
Lost Maples. It did not disappoint. Though some things are not in yet,
it was still pretty birdy. In the area of the trailhead parking lot
(bring your own cup of seed if you are going to be there early
before they put it out) when sun first hits the hillside to south
there is lots of activity on it. We watched a singing male Scott's
Oriole there for a bit. Two White-tipped Dove came into the seed
I threw out in fairly short order, a male displaying at and chasing a
female around. Surely they are breeding here now.
We heard lots of Golden-cheeked Warbler singing along Can Creek
(now called the East-West trail) on the way to the ponds. We saw a few,
finally one showed better than well, carrying food, presumedly
feeding an incubating female. We heard a few Black-capped Vireo,
and got some looks up on the bluff over the pond, a couple males and
I saw a female. Heard lots of Canyon Wren, a couple Rufous-crowned
and an Olive Sparrow. Saw a couple FOS Nashville Warbler, a
Blue-headed Vireo, heard Hutton's Vireo, lots of Kinglet (Ruby).
We saw a number of and heard lots of Black-and-white Warbler, heard
a couple Louisiana Waterthrush. Lots of Blue-gray Gnatcatcher on
territory. A few Yellow-throated Vireo. Amazing is the number of
Yellow-throated Warbler which were all but accidental there 10 years
ago, there were at least 6, maybe 8 singing males.
As is usual and normal for the early date, a few things are not
there yet, like Blue Grosbeak, Indigo (or Painted) Bunting,
Red-eyed Vireo, Acadian Flycatcher, Eastern Wood-Pewee, to name
a few off the top of my head. It is still early. James had a
pair of Texas Scrub-Jay at the pond while we were uphill on
the bluff.
The highlight of the day was as we approached the pond. I spotted
two small buteos that were snow white below soaring a couple hundred
feet up, over the area of the pond. SHORT-TAILED HAWKS! We got
great looks as they soared around, seeming to be interacting,
they drifted away, and then came back reappearing even closer,
and disappearing again. While we were watching them, two adult
BROAD-WINGED HAWKS appeared! They were really interacting, as a
pair would, and clearly seemed such by the size difference. I
suspect they are the pair that nested here the last two years.
At one point both pairs were overhead in the airspace above the
main big first pond up Can Creek at the same time. Between the
ponds we had a first spring Red-shouldered Hawk fly over. The
Fuertes's Red-tailed Hawks seem to be at that cliff nest
along trail on way up between 1st and 2nd water crossings again.
Butterflies were great, with about 5 Two-tailed and 4 Spicebush
Swallowtail, 3 Little Wood Satyr, a Monarch, and lots of the usual
for the date things. A fair number of Aztec Dancers (damselfly)
were out. Flowers are just getting going, besides the early ones
done already like Redbud, Agarita and Mountain Laurel.
Late in day in yard, what is probably the local nesting pair
of Scissor-tailed Flycatcher landed in the big pecan right
off the front porch and called a bit, did a sortie or two.
Great to have them back! Kathy had a Monarch at the house
during the day too.
April 2 ~ We had a MCS move over in the pre-dawn and shortly after.
We got just over 2&aquot; (2 and an eigth) of rain here about 7-9 a.m.
After the rain, I birded a half-day around the town and vicinity
guiding visitors Jim Cain (ID/MT), Alan Cohen (OH) and James Smith (AZ).
They stayed at the Utopia River Retreat cabins which seemed a workable
solution for a local room. We had my FOS Clay-colored Sparrow there.
And we had a great time birding around the area.
They saw Ringed Kingfisher yesterday late afternoon at the park. We
saw a male Green Kingfisher there. Heard the Barred Owl and a
White-tipped Dove called from upriver, a Whistling-Duck (B-b),
but no migrant landbirds. There were over 160 Cedar Waxwing near
the fruiting Mulberry on Cypress St. out front (east) of park.
More than I have seen all winter.
We birded a bit on a private area near my casita and heard an
Olive Sparrow singing right where they nested last year. At the
same spot we heard and I briefly saw a male Black-capped Vireo.
But they are not any more willing to be seen than ever. A few
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher there too, where I suspected breeding last year
as well. We also heard an Orange-crowned Warbler. A flood pond
on the golf course had 5 Blue-winged Teal, and a Brozned Cowbird
there was my FOS. Over the gas station was a Zone-tailed Hawk
circling low which we got great looks at. Cave Swallows are
working on nests at the bank now.
April 1 ~ Was too busy trying to get ahead, or actually caught up,
which is ahead in my case. A couple Blue-gray Gnatcatcher went
through yard northbound. What seemed 'the pair' of Yellow-throated
Warbler were about the yard a fair bit and the male took a long
bath in the afternoon. First female I have seen this year and
they were closely interacting. Both Ash-throated and Brown-crested
Flycatcher were in the yard calling.
~ ~ ~ March Summary ~ ~ ~
It was about 3.5" of rain for the month, not bad, and a
bit above average. Temps were way over normal, we did not freeze.
We frosted once or twice, but no freeze in March. Incredible.
Our last hard freeze was in January as we had none in February!
It may seem nice on the surface but freezes are about the number
one thing to keep pesty bugs in check.
As one might expect with warmer than normal temperatures,
we had a record breaking month for butterfly species diversity.
The average for the last 8 years is 30 species in March.
Highest ever were a 40 (2009) and a 41 (2013) species March.
I saw 52 species of butterflies this March. If I would have
been able to make it to Lost Maples late in the month on a nice
day, it would have been 55 or more. At 52 sps. it breaks the
prior best 41 by 25%. It is more than 70% above the average 30 sps.
of diversity for March. That is such a radical change it should
scare you. It is wholesale level change. Look out.
Odes, dragonflies and damselflies, were better than Feb. of course,
but it is still slow in March as usual. It was about 14 sps. total
for the month. There were some days with over a hundred Enallagma
Bluets out over the pond at the park. Lots of Dot-winged Baskettail,
some Pale-faced Clubskimmer, Common Whitetail, a few Variegated
Meadowhawk, a Green Darner, Red Saddlebags, couple Springtime Darner,
Fragile Forktail, Kiowa dancer, American Rubyspots, the expected.
A Pronghorn Clubtail was nice.
Birds were outstanding with a major movement of migration motion.
I saw about 99 species locally this month, without trying,
mostly just park checks on my town runs, the yard, and puttin'
around the very local vicinity. We saw a few other species down in
brush country toward Uvalde. Mostly the bulk of March new species is
returnees, that is migratory breeders that winter southward and return
in March. A few good things went by.
Best birds were a flurry at the end of the month... a binoced and
scoped adult Goshawk on the 27th, a nocturnal calling Black-necked
Stilt on the 25th, and a Lark Bunting on the patio on the 28th.
A Common Yellowthroat on the 25th, and a Marsh Wren on the 26th were
both of interest in March.
~ ~ ~ end March summary ~ ~ ~ back to the daily drivel ~ ~ ~
Mudbug if you are in Cajun country, Crawdad in
most places, or Crayfish to be most accurate.
Barred Owl and Red-shouldered Hawk seem particularly
fond of them. I once knew some Pied-billed Grebes
that lived on them.
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
March 31 ~ The 45dF low was outstanding. Clear, dry, more chamber
of commerce weather. Hot and dry in the afternoon, 82-85 pending
where you were. Incredible was a Brown-crested Flycatcher
calling around the yard for an hour in the morning. It is my earliest
ever, and first ever March record. Wow. Had to run to town.
Bell's Vireo still singing at the north end curve mesquite patch.
At the park there were no migrants, but a Summer Tanager was singing,
the first of that I've heard in 6 months. A male Green Kingfisher
was on the other side of the river above island. A few Yellow-throated
Warbler are singing territorily there now. Looks great but slow for birds.
Best was on the way home the open Mealy Sage flowers by the
corral had some butterflies. A Nysa Roadside-Skipper was new for
the month locally, as was a Northern Cloudywing! New for the
month butterflies on the last day of the month are always
particularly welcome. A female Whirlabout was my first fem.
for them this year. Lottsa Dun Skipper.
The No. Cloudywing had a broad (.25") pale margin to the
distal VHW (ventral hindwing), as I see on a very very few, often
in March or April. I might have gotten a shot to show it.
These look intermediate between normal typical individuals,
and albosuffescens, tending toward the latter. Most here do
not show this obvious distinct character.
March 30 ~ With the passage of the front we had a great low
of about 51dF with some nice dry light northerly flow. Getting
up to maybe 80, in a bout of what they call Chamber of Commerce
weather, just perfect. And exploding green everywhere you look.
Another gnatcat sung its way through the yard northbound this
a.m., and a male Summer Tanager stopped in briefly too. Chipping
Sparrows now number less than 20. It has been a very early blowout
of them this year.
Butterflies were great in the afternoon wawrmth. Three first of
year species were nice enough to fly around the porch while I
was out there. A Painted Lady, a Mournful Duskywing, and best
a Red Satyr flopped by. Over a hundred Lyside went by in fairly
short order. Lots of Red Admiral on the move now too.
After dark a couple times the coyotes must have made a kill,
as they went off totally bonkers nuts howling, very close.
Screech-Owl was calling lots late. I saw another firefly, #2 for
the year, which is amazing in March!
I looked for the comet with binocs late but didn't spot it.
Maybe will scope tonight. Should be a fuzzy green dot as if
above the pan of the big dipper (or so). They say barely below
or just at naked eye detectability, so binocs should get it.
Have to study the charts again and better before looking tonight.
Can't remember if I looked at the charts at SpaceWeather.com
or Sky & Telescope.com, both should have good locator sky charts.
Spaceweather has good pics of it in the comet photo gallery,
no tail really, just a neon green fuzzy pinhead. Maybe after
parhelion we'll get to see a tail?
March 29 ~ An amazing 47dF for a low after it rained last night.
About midnight to 1 a.m. lots of lightning, thunder, a bit of
hail, I think we had about 1.1" total, some locally
had only .75. There was a Ringed King at the river, and a
high-flying Belted was likely a migrant. A singing Blue-gray
Gnatcatcher went through yard northward. A quick town errand,
only saw a Summer Tanager male at the park. Great to have
them back! A few butterflies in yard were Arizona Sister,
Queen, 2 Goatweed Leafwing, a Texan Crescent, Giant Swallowtail,
and lots of the usual stuff. A Zone-tailed Hawk went by.
March 28 ~ Overcast, fog-mist, about 65dF for a low. A few
spritzes in the a.m. After breakfast I walked out on back
porch. There is a little 10' pecan treelet against the
house a few feet to left. A Lark Bunting flew out of it!
Female or immature plumage. It landed in the Mulberry, then
went over into corral. I have had them in the yard at least
three times now in March. This is when they are on the move.
The real big highlight of the day was my FOY FIREFLY! Which
is my first ever MARCH record. A week earlier than my earliest
prior. My average date for first one is MID-April! So this
is two weeks ahead of my average 'first firefly'. Wow!
March 27 ~ Got up to 90dF again in the afternoon, and so
lots of butterflies were about. I briefly saw Monarch #3
for the year, a Reakirt's Blue was around, great was
my FOY Orange Skipperling, more Giant Swallowtail, over a
hundred Lyside Sulphur, a Gray Hairstreak, Dun Skipper,
it is starting to get going for leps. Kathy pointed out a
Scrub-Jay calling from the junipers over the north fence.
The bird of the day was mid-day, I spotted a raptor circling
over the house and could not immediately pin it down. Which
is good. Ran in for binocs and watched it a minute as it
circled and gained altitude, an adult GOSHAWK! Ran back
in for scope and got it in scope for another minute before it
got too high up. Holy cow! We had one here three times last
late Feb. to early May, an immature. March of 2014 we had an
adult move north overhead much like this one did. Was a miracle
I went outside for 5 minutes right when it was low over the
house, and the thermal it climbed was right overhead giving
me time to get binocs and scope on it.
March 26 ~ About 55-85 for a temp spread, getting warm in
the afternoons now. We went to the park before noon as
often if you beat the lunch rush there it is still quiet,
except holidays. On the way a Green Kingfisher flew across
the road at the crossing as we left. Then another was up at
the park around the island. The mulberries there are just
starting to get some fruit, but worth watching all spring.
One Celia's Roadside-Skipper was my FOY, also saw a
Fragile Forktail (damselfly). About 6 singing Yellow-throated
Warbler along length of park.
The library garden has a few flowers, not much for butterflies
yet, but in the one big still-blooming Redbud in the parking
lot was a Henry's Elfin. Lots of Martins overhead around
town, and Cave Swallows, haven't heard a Chimney Swift yet.
We did hear a couple Common Grackle in town which are new
arrivals that just got here (from where?).
We stopped to admire the Purple Martins at the Waresville
Cemetery house (by the C.C. pond), they are in good number.
I love that style of house, cute as it is clever. The pond
had a Savannah Sparrow and a Marsh Wren. Which is a good
spring migrant to snag here, and probably my earliest.
A male Common Whitetail dragonfly was nice too.
Then over at Berteau Park (private) besides the Yellow-throated
Warblers, we heard a singing Golden-cheeked Warbler! It was on
the other side of river and we couldn't spot it, but heard it
sing a nearly a dozen times. Awesome! This is about a
half mile upriver from our casita, dang thing just went by.
I actually have a yard record of a singing male from this date,
four years ago.
Finally, on the way out of the country club, nearing Hwy. 187,
along south edge on the power line we saw our two FOY
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher! You might drive by a lot of
them April to mid-October, but you always stop to binoc and drink in
that first sighting each year. Yeah baby. They're back!
March 25 ~ The 45dF low felt great at early-thirty. Some
good dawn chorus going (for how many of the regulars are
not here yet) at 7 a.m., but still too dark to bird by sight.
Heard Turkey gobbling up the hill behind us. A White-crowned
Sparrow was out back in the morning, wow a migrant. After
finishing fixing some bird nest boxes we put them up in
the oak-grassland behind us. Had one Hutton's Vireo
singing, a couple migrant Orange-crowned Warbler, but was
the heat of the day so quiet overall.
In butterflies about 4+ Theona Checkerspot were my first of
the year, a half-dozen Elada were nice too. Did not see the
Crimson Patch. Had a couple Arizona Sister, Black Swallowtail,
and the regulars. In the late afternoon at house I saw my
FOY Pale-faced Clubskimmer dragonfly. Saw the Ringtail after
dark. At least 500 Crow-poison open in yard. Great was seeing
a fair bit of Blue-eyed Grass (the little Iris) scattered about,
including a half-dozen open in yard.
The bird of the day was about 10 p.m., I was outside and heard
a BLACK-NECKED STILT fly over calling! Who knows how many,
but at least one called a couple times so you could tell what
it was and that it was northbound. Great yard bird. In L.A.
I had it as a nocturnal calling flyover on my yard list, regularly.
Here is the Texan Crescent we saw at the park in
late January, probably my first ever in Jan., and
obviously a mint fresh individual.
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
March 24 ~ A front came through in the a.m., lots of clouds,
a good tenth or so of an inch of rain, maybe .15 total.
Keeps the dust down. Town run so checked the park.
Best was a male Summer Tanager, my earliest ever, by over
a week! First week of April is normal arrival. Then up
at north end of town in the mesquites, there were two
singing Bell's Vireo, also earliest ever by over a
week. Pretty amazing. Three Giant Swallowtail (lep) were
my first of the year, and a couple female Cloudless Sulphur
went by. Saw a male Green Darner dragonfly too. Speaking
of which lots of Dot-winged Baskettail were out and a bunch
of Bluet (Enallagma) damselfly were over park pond. A couple
Myrtle Warbler at park are in heavy pre-alternate molt.
Perhaps winterers getting ready to go?
About 45 Cedar Waxwing were in the now fruiting Mulberry
on Cypress St. out in front of the park. A second female
Monarch was in yard in the afternoon. Still no Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher, at least I didn't see any along roads, and
asked a couple folks that also said, nope, haven't seen
one yet. Any day now. Nice to hear Purple Martins over town
again though. More Cave Swallows are back around the bank.
Bob said the P.O. loading dock pair of Barn Swallow returned
last Saturday the 18th. Oh yeah, there were single Green,
and Belted, Kingfisher at the park. I thought sure I heard
a Parula Warbler sing a couple times but could not locate it.
Here it is only marginally, and debatably, barely more likely
Northern than Tropical.
Occasionally we get these car clubs touring that plan to be
here for lunch. Today a Porsche club was at the cafe, must
have been 25 models parked out front, looked like a museum
collection of them, every model. One vintage cabriolet was
very nice. Since I figured the rare Porsche record committee
would reject my sighting without documentation, I took photos
to prove it. ;)
March 23 ~ Too busy Thursdays... blew like heck all day
out of the south at 15-25 mph with gusts to 35 mph so
just as well. Had an Ash-throated Flycatcher around
yard that acted like it might be one of the breeders
that has used the boxes. The Ring King was over at
river. In butterflies a Gray Hairstreak was my first for
the year for sure, and a male Large Orange Sulphur was
my first this spring. Saw Dakota, and Texas Verbena flowers
open in yard today, hundreds of Crow-Poison and Anemone,
as well as Yellow Wood-Sorrel. One purple Anemone was nice.
March 22 ~ All morning overcast, fog-mist as they call it
here, a bit drizzly. Got to 84dF in the afternoon though.
One female Cloudless Sulphur was about for a bit, and
one Orange Sulphur too. Saw the Ringtail after dark.
The male Golden-fronted Woodpecker barely missed being taken
by an imm. Cooper's Hawk by inches, I thought it was
a goner. Somehow he climbed, twisted, and dodged the strike
in flight. Lots of Bordered Patch (butterfly) around, and
lots of stuff flying by, lots o'Lysides, Red Admirals,
Gulf Fritillary, some Buckeye and American Lady, Pipevine
Swallowtails.
March 21 ~ The big news today was the first Monarch of the
spring. A big female in good condition but obviously worn
as these that have flown to Mexico and back are. And so
the cycle starts again. Chipping Sparrow flock is down to
about 50-60, definitely fewer, departures have begun for
this wintering group. About four Lark Sparrow are regularly
around again now, presumedly our local breeders.
March 20 ~ Happy Spring! It's here! It was overcast all
morning, sun came out late afternoon for a bit. Saw an Arizona
Sister (butterfly) go by, and a Texan Crescent, several Bodered
Patch. A couple Ringed Kingfisher over at river, Yellow-throated
Vireo, and Warbler, both singing again all day within earshot,
which is great to hear... something besides a White-eyed Vireo.
The male Vermilion Flycatcher occasionally punctuates it all with
flight song display over the corral adjacent.
March 19 ~ Overcast all morning, but got up to about 80-85dF
locally in the afternoon. We were in the live-oak and juniper
grassland behind us putting a few nest boxes up and had a
Rufous-crowned Sparrow, but no Black-capped Vireo yet at
last year's territory. There is an acacia blooming that
is real sweet. It had two CRIMSON PATCH butterflies on it,
nice fresh mint beauties. Probably my earliest date ever
for them. Must be a food plant in that area I do not know.
It is the same place we had them last spring and summer.
Butterflies were out in numbers in the warmth. We saw a
couple dozen Bordered Patch, four Arizona Sister, an amazing
four Elada Checkerspot, and Kathy spotted the FOY Queen flying
by. Plus lots of the common usual stuff out already.
Heard Turkey gobble in the morning here from yard, later we
saw a couple up in live-oaks of which one Tom was strutting.
I give him a 10 on posture. Had a couple Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
and an Orange-crowned Warbler up in the now blooming live-oaks.
There were a couple Pucoon flowers open, and some Blackfoot
Daisy were open. The Buckley oaks are well underway leafing out,
Golden-cheeked Warbler should be getting thick quick. Heard
a Barn Owl after dark. Just before midnight I heard my FOY
Barking Frog give some chirps.
March 18 ~ Only about 60dF for a low, and overcast until
latest afternoon, a bit of mist off and on. Great to hear
the Yellow-throated Vireo singing outside in the morning,
and the Yellow-throated Warbler over in the Cypress at river.
Turkey gobbling. Ring King shuts up everytime I pick up
the mic and recorder. Sometimes it even shuts up when I get
up to make a move for recorder.
Had a dump and recycling run so ran by park. Counted at
least 25 vehicles and at least 100 people. No birds save
a Green Kingfisher at top of the island. Did have a sprig
from one of the Texas Onions, best scallion I ever had.
A FOS at the north end of town in the usual spot north of the
gas station was what is likely the, our, same (annual here) male
Great-tailed Grackle. I can't believe we a) have just
one pair here and b) they keep returning year after year.
They have nested successfully and fledged young at least a
few times.
Spotted another Red-tailed Hawk nest today that I hadn't
noticed before. We also have the usual pair nesting in a big
cypress we can see from our front porch. These Fuertes Red-tails
are beauties, so clean and creamy below.
In butterflies I saw a Sachem in yard, and the (I presume, the)
winter form Questionmark around patio again. It won't
last much longer. After dark I saw the Spotted Skunk again
under the carport. It seems to be able to dig in this hard
substrate more easily than I with hand implements. The holes
in the ground are about 4-5" across maybe.
I keep forgetting to mention the wintering Mockingbirds
are gone. Been about a couple weeks since they departed.
There has been a dearth of Mockers in the last couple weeks,
during the window after the winterers depart and before the
breeders arrive. I saw one new arrival singing today, so
there will likely be lots again very shortly. But for instance
our wintering yard individuals have been gone a couple weeks,
we have been weirdly Mocker free. There have been a few
scattered around locally, but for the most part, there is
underway an often overlooked changeover in their population
taking place from late February to late March.
Carolina Wren, which does not have spotted wings.
They have a spotted lower back, which you will hardly
ever see. This cold one has its wings tucked up tight,
and under its back feathers which are draped over the
wing, making it superficially appear as though the
wing is spotted. It pays to know all the parts.
The Sibley Guide is the one book in which I have
seen this character this well-illustrated.
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
March 17 ~ Happy St. Patrick's Day! Lots of overcast,
humid, breezy lately. Springy. Not too hot, not too cold.
Did get up to 80-84dF locally today in later afternoon.
Ringed Kings still squawking over at the river daily.
Ran to town noonish, did a quick park check but found not
much. It is spring break and a few people are around in
the area, noise and all. There was an Ash-throated Flycatcher,
a Hutton's Vireo, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, a Blue Jay,
and the usual Cardinal, two Carolinas, chickadee and wren,
some Black-crested Titmouse, Yellow-throated Warbler, and a
couple Kinglet (Ruby). The highlight was a Downy Woodpecker,
actually a scarce irregular bird here.
There are some big Texas Onion blooming up in the woods. Saw a
FOY Eufala Skipper on it, and a Dun Skipper. Also saw a big
yellow swallowtail that was either Eastern Tiger or Two-tailed.
After seeing my FOY Lyside Sulphur yesterday I saw 50 today.
Saw a female Falcate Orangetip again in yard. Must be a
couple hundred Anemone flowers open in the yard and at least
300 Crow-Poison. The wildflower meadow thing is starting to
get going.
At 7 p.m. I was out in driveway and a very dark Merlin shot by
at eye-level, maybe 15' away, ploughing hard and deep making
about 40-50 mph at least, flying low across the whole yard, it
had to climb up to get over the corral fence. It was obviously
not the usual normal pale richardsoni Prairie Merlin that is the
standard Merlin here. I presume it was an eastern type, which
can be very dark, and of which I have only seen a few here.
March 16 ~ Coolish and overcast with off and on stiff
southerlies, sun came out last hour or two of day.
Best was first thing in the morning finding a FOS
Yellow-throated Vireo in the blooming (male) Mulberry.
Ties my earliest ever (14th spring here) arrival date.
Heard a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher out there early too,
and thought I heard a seet that sounded like a
Nashville Warbler but never saw it. The rest was the
same. The Ring Kings were going off again this morning
over at river, but shut up when I went out with mic to
record. Saw a female Falcate Orangetip (butterfly), and a
FOY Lyside Sulphur flew across yard late in the day. Now
150 Crow-Poison flower stalks with open flowers on the
north part of the yard. Heard a Barn Owl after dark.
March 15 ~ Had a quick run to town in the a.m. early.
Nothing at the park for migrants, but great close looks
at Yellow-throated Warbler and a Blue Jay. At the bank
the first few Cave Swallows were back. Should be more
soon. Here in the yard saw one Robin, maybe that one is
still around, and 26 Waxwing. A couple Kinglet (Ruby) went
through, a few are daily now, they are on the move.
One Henry's Elfin butterfly fluttered around.
About 60 Anemone (Wind-flower) open around yard today.
March 14 ~ One Black-bellied Whistling-Duck flew over
first thing before sunup. A couple Kinglet (Ruby) went
through, and a couple Myrtle Warbler. Good were a couple
butterflies. Great was the FOY Arizona Sister, the
FOY Dun Skipper was not quite as exciting. Love them
sisters. A male Black Swallowtail, and a Buckeye were
about as well. After dark I saw the Ringtail. At dusk I
heard at least a couple Green-winged Teal call as they
flew north pretty low. No way to guess how many there
were, but at least two called. I think it is a new
yard bird, will have to check.
OK, checked, yeppers, new, Green-wing Teal is yard #214 NIB.
For you less than hardcore bird listers... NIB means no
introduced birds (are counted in that total). They are an
appendix essentially. And like an appendix introduced birds
are something you don't need and will probably cause you
trouble one day. ex. 1 & 2: see Starling and House Sparrow.
An additional 3 of these troublesome introduced non-native
species have been seen in yard.
March 13 ~ A flock of about 45 ducks were flying south
early early morning, which looked like wigeon, but I
could only bare-eye them against overcast skies. Kerrville
had a low of 39dF briefly, we were low 40's dF, and it
was quite nice. We will be wishing for that soon enough.
A few butterflies were out in the warmth, saw a Whirlabout,
Funereal Duskywing, and Phaon Crescent, besides the
common already stuff. A nice fresh Olive Juniper Hairstreak
was around too. About 50+ open Anemone flowers now.
March 12 ~ We took a walk to the crossing, there were at
least 3 singing male Yellow-throated Warbler on territory.
A male Myrtle warbler responded to the song by flying
150 FEET directly at it, and proceeding to have a scrap
with the singing male Yellow-throated Warbler. The song
of these 'edwardsplateauensis' Yellow-throated Warbler is
actually suggestive of the Yellow-rumped Warbler basic
oscillating song.
We saw the FOY American Rubyspot damselfly, and 3 FOY
Bordered Patch. There was a Pipevine Swallowtail that
pupated on some chickenwire we have to protect flowers
in beds around front porch, oh, about last October.
The photos I took are dated, I will check. But today
we watched it after it emerged, as it pumped itself up.
A Hutton's Vireo was singing over in the draw.
March 11 ~ It was misty to drizzly much of the a.m.
The front hasn't passed and we are overcast with half
a chance at rain, so not going birding, working here,
and recovering from yesterdays run to Uvalde. There
were a couple Ring Kings in flight display out front
early, calling while diving from great height, doing
twists and turns at high speed, quite the show, and
wow are they manuverable aerialists. Must be nesting
very nearby.
Didn't see much but the regulars, though there was
one FOS, the bird of the day was a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
It was actually in the yard at sunup. Considering they
are diurnal migrants, it surely roosted within spittin'
distance and was here yesterday at dark. March 11 is the
earliest day I have for them here, and have achieved that
now 3 times. It is peak early Blue-gray Gnatcatcher here.
I also have 2 March 12 FOS dates for them. So this is
right at the leading edge of their arrival window opening.
See how interesting phenology is?
Per wikipedia, Phenology is "the study of periodic plant and
animal life cycle events and how these are influenced by
seasonal and interannual variations in climate, as well as
habitat factors (such as elevation)." So then, dates of things
like flowers opening, trees leafing out, birds arriving,
nesting, or departing, flying periods for adult dragonflies
or butterflies, can all add data points to the big picture.
Which then can tell us things about what is going on. Like
winter is shorter, or spring comes earlier, summer is longer, etc.
This concludes our lesson for today... ;)
This is a Nysa Roadside-Skipper from a couple years ago.
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
March 10 ~ We did a Uvalde run for supplies, but had
no time to goof off birding. On the way was the best
bird of the day, on Old 90 (or lower Sabinal Rd.,
which runs from Sabinal to Uvalde, south of Hwy. 90),
a young half-grown BOBCAT out in the road. We got a
great close look before it darted into roadside veg.
Any day you see a Bobcat is a good day.
Along the road there were several Loggerhead Shrike,
lots of Mockingbird, but no Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
yet. I had drive by looks at Long-billed and Curve-billed
Thrasher, Cactus Wren, and we saw at least a half-dozen
Harris's Hawk, maybe 7 total. Most of them though were
a group of 4 at the first high spot about 5-6 miles N. of
Sabinal on Hwy. 187. A pair and sometimes family group
is often in that area. Mostly for migratory breeders,
it still seemed like winter along the roads.
We went to the Fish Hatchery to stretch out and take a
bird break. It was a bit muddy, which usually means
Cook's Slough will be very muddy, so we passed on
the slough. The main pond at NW corner of hatchery
had a great assortment of waterfowl, obviously migrants
are on the move. That one pond at once had 6 drake and
a few female Cinnamon Teal, twice as many Blue-winged and
three Green-winged Teal, 20 Am. Wigeon, 4 Gadwall, 3 Pintail,
14 Ring-necked Duck, 4 male Redhead, so that was fun.
More ducks than I have seen all winter.
As if that weren't enough, there were shorebirds! That
is right, migrant shorebirds! Only a couple, but like ducks,
a thrill to see for a Utopian. There were about 4 Greater
Yellowlegs, a Long-billed Dowitcher, and 2 Stilt Sandpiper.
The couple Wilson's Snipe and Killdeer could be
migrants, or left over winterers still. Also around in
other ponds were another couple dozen Wigeon, and a Lesser
Scaup. I heard a Common Yellowthroat and a Lincoln's
Sparrow, but there were no migrants or other migratory
breeders seen. Heard Verdin and Curve-billed Thrasher,
both local breeders. Two good butterflies there were a
male Falcate Orangetip at arms length, and my FOS Nysa
Roadside-Skipper.
Latest afternoon after we got home there were 20+ Cedar
Waxwing in the big pecan. There had been a rain shower
here while we were gone, there was a third of an inch for
us, but others locally had anywhere from a tenth, to a
full inch, depending your luck.
March 9 ~ Too busy Thursday... was the same gang of usual
suspects. Ring Kings over at river, not seeing the Robin
for a week or so now, and the same for the few waxwings
that were around. Hackberries are in full bloom and buzzing
with bees. Getting daily a few Myrtle Warbler and Ruby-crowned
Kinglet going through yard northbound. In butterflies I saw
single Texan and Phaon Crescent in yard.
March 8 ~ Occasional mist, overcast, light northerlies in
the a.m., southerlies in the p.m. Was the regular cast,
Ring King, Purple Martin, White-eyed Vireo, 3 Myrtle Warbler
went north together, as did a couple more Kinglets (Ruby).
A couple Lark Sparrow around are probably returning breeders,
and a few Black-chinned Hummers here, the male Vermilion is
in flight display regularly again now... gotta love that.
The Cardinals have gone territorial and dispersed, but the
singing is great to hear.
March 7 ~ More mist most of morning, never did get sunny
as forecast, the front slowed and we stayed cloudy until
after dark. Supposed to have a brief drying out. What
seemed 3 Ringed Kingfisher flew downriver in the morning.
I didn't see any sneak back by to go twice. At least
3 Myrtle Warbler flew north early in a.m., saw a pair of
Lesser Goldfinch on sunflower feeder. Best was my FOS
female Black-chinned Hummingbird. Males typically beat
females back by a week or so. True for many species
besides hummingbirds, especially migratory songbirds.
Saw about 5 Turkey Vulture today, including one that is now
missing one right primary. Our local breeders start molt
shortly after returning.
March 6 ~ In the mist at 7:15 a.m. I heard a FOS Greater
Yellowlegs flying upriver, a great spring migrant to
hear. Saw a real small female Checkered White butterfly
which stopped to taste Crow-Poison, at least a dozen of
which are open now, and as many Anemone too. In dragons,
I saw a Gomphid which was surely a Pronghorn Clubtail,
one of our spring-only fliers here.
March 5 ~ A little mist yet but mostly the rain is done
and over. It was about 1.35" total, nice and mucky
out there now. We walked around uphill into the live-oak
and juniper grassland a bit. A few Hutton's Vireo,
but no migrants. The Buckley Oaks have some flowers out,
but no leaves yet.
March 4 ~ Turkey gobbling at dawn. Ringed Kingfisher flying
upriver early too. It was a rain day... about an inch fell
from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but so the day was a wash. Lots of
indoor work done. Saw what was likely a Peregrine go over.
Nice to have Vermilion Flycatcher singing out there again.
Here is another example of how red a male House Finch
can be here. Ross Silcock of Nebraska took this photo
at Lost Maples in February. We have a similar bird here
in yard among a couple dozen. Note the extent of the red on
underparts, for which one gets no idea can occur from
the field guides. Thanks for letting us share the pic Ross!
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
March 3 ~ Low was about 35dF here, and KRVL had a 31dF
for a short bit. A little cool air. The Hackberries
are blooming, and some Mulberries are putting out flowers
too. Tomorrow is supposed to be a wash, er, a rain day.
Did the town run thing... Only thing I had at the park
was a nice male Wood Duck, a spring migrant. It was in
the swampy area up by the island, right where it belonged.
What a beautiful bird! It may look the same as one in a
city park pond, but it feels different to see it in a natural
setting with fallen logs in a backwater with lillies...
On the way home on the wire right next to the yard was
my FOS Northern Rough-winged Swallow. Little Creek Larry
mentioned he saw one a few days ago, but no exact date.
Saw about 5 male Vermilion Flycatcher along the roads to
town and back, plus my FOS female, and imm. male.
March 2 ~ About 45dF this morning with the northerly
flow felt great. I was shocked to see what is surely
our yard-using local breeding male Yellow-throated
Warbler this morning (FOS). It was in the Mulberry by
the cottage exactly where I last saw him last September.
He then flew down to the patio, then right at me,
landing on the edge of the metal roof. He then leaned
over going upside-down with front half of body to look
under the roof edge, looking right at me from 3' away.
Just like he did when I last saw him his last day here
last September. He did the same exact thing, again.
So what was he thinking when he leaned over the roof edge
upside-down to look at me? You're STILL here? Haven't you moved
since September? I have been to southern Mexico and back!
You are still standing ya old fart? I see you have less
hair, are you molting? Don't you have something to do
besides stand on the back porch?
This is the type of behavior that can only be seen by
long-term observation at a single site of the same bird.
Be there watching when a migratory breeder leaves, and
be there to witness the return. And note it flew directly
at you, landed in the closest place, and went upside-down
to get a good look from 3' away, twice, at the same
spot, 6 months apart. The day it left and the day it got back.
Birds never cease to amaze me.
I am quite fascinated by these sorts of behaviors actually.
And of course as long as one is running around chasing new
birds these are not the types of things one sees. These
types of observations require a different type of looking.
Sure we can only guess at what the bird thinks, but we can
see and record what it does.
Great Crested Flycatcher becomes amazingly vociferous
the last few days before it leaves its territory in
fall. You can tell the last 3 days, by sound from a
half mile. They get nuts about singing again after
quieting down for a couple weeks whilst getting rid of
the last set of young (and probably some serious molting).
You can also see some of these things with winterers
too. Kestrel can make a very impressive flight display
calling and circling, diving, making an incredible scene,
right when it departs its winter territory in the spring.
Again, long term daily observation of individual birds
and territories is the only way to detect these behaviors.
Heard Sandhill Cranes, a Golden-crowned Kinglet, and
saw a Merlin ploughing northward early. One big yeller
bumble (bee). Some butterflies were a Funereal Duskywing,
Orange Sulphur, a Checkered-Skipper and a record early
FOY Whirlabout. Not sure I have ever seen one in March,
maybe maybe late in the month.
March 1 ~ A dry front came in, early in the morning,
blowing lightly out of north all day. The male
Black-chinned Hummingbird was still around. A
Sharp-shinned Hawk sat up top of the big pecan for
a long time watching the feeders and feeding areas.
Amazing was my earliest ever Ash-throated Flycatcher,
a week early. Heard a Ringed King or two. Saw the
winter form Questionmark again today. I keep forgetting
to mention the live-oaks are really yellow now and dropping
leaves fast and furious. Ringtail out there after dark.
~ ~ ~ February summary ~ ~ ~
Well it was a wet month with 4" of rain, above average.
And it was surely a warm one, without a hard freeze the
whole month! It was way above normal temps on average.
Warmer and wetter. Could make for a good spring, but if we
get a late freeze will wreak havoc with all the flowers or
in some cases forming fruits or seeds.
Galveston set 31 high temp records in the Nov. to Feb. period
that used to be winter. Winter sea surface temps in the Gulf
were also highest ever, they never got below 73dF. Record.
One Austin station (Mabry) hit 70dF 35 of first 60 days of
the year. The climate is changing before our eyes. Will
anybody see it? Will we do anything about it, or is being
in denial or fatalistic too much easier? Did I mention
Antarctica also just broke its record for highest temp ever?
This is not a drill, a liberal plot, or a hoax.
Go to youtube and watch the 1958 Bell Science Hour educational
film I saw in elementary school as a kid called The Unchained Goddess.
Note Bell Labs were amongst the most respected of science
and engineering labs in America at the time. At the :50 min.
mark their 1958 science film talks about how manmade climate
change will occur from putting large amounts of CO2 in the
atmosphere. 1958. Bell Labs. Not the liberals or the
Chinese, but America's best scientists. Before politicians
politicized science. This is not a hoax, or new, a liberal plot,
or something being sold by people making money off it. It was
considered proven science sixty years ago. The ones now saying
it is not, are the ones selling something, and it doesn't smell
too good.
Sorry, off my soapbox, I was reading Feb. climate data to
see how other places compared with us here for perspective,
and consequently having a cow. 67deg. F in Antarctica!?!?!?!
Whilst Redbud and Agarita are expected to open in mid-Feb.,
the Mountain Laurel is really ahead of schedule. I hear
some areas nearer Austin have reported Bluebonnets! That
is how much warmth there has been. The butterflies were
a record 31 species in the month, about double average.
Always great seeing Henry's Elfin and Falcate Orangetip,
two quintessential signs of spring here. A big yellow
(Tiger or Two-tailed) Swallowtail was record early.
Only a very few odes were seen, but the two typical early
spring ones were out: a Springtime Darner and several
Dot-winged Baskettail. Also a Red Saddlebags was seen,
and a probably Green Darner. In damsels, Fragile Forktail
was first ID'd type. A bluet was probably Familiar,
and a Dancer looked Kiowa but both are only positive ID's
to genus. Any Enallagma (bluet) in Feb. is good.
Birds were good though we are so busy we didn't get
to look much besides around 360 and a bit in town. A few
good things make it through or over the yard regularly,
if I just had some sky cams, a bird bath cam, a couple for
where we toss seed, all scanning, I'd get a lot more data.
It was about 80 species by accident. The amazing thing was
the number of record early first of spring dates. Every year
you expect a few. But when 6 of 8 of the 8 species that are
normally the first to arrive, are record early, it bears consideration.
On top of confirming our first ever wintering Common Yellowthroat,
we had our earliest ever migrant Yellowthroat and Blue-headed
Vireo, both on the 26th. A nocturnal calling Long-billed Curlew
the 24th was going north, and my first Feb. record as well.
A White-tailed Kite over the yard the 26th was a new yard bird.
No major raries, but we were too swamped with work to do much
besides look around yard or at park and a few local roads.
Work now, bird peak spring. ;)
~ ~ ~ end February summary ~ ~ ~
Feb. 28 ~ Low about 60dF and fog mist, feels like spring.
Mid-morning I saw my FOS Black-chinned Hummingbird, a
male of course. He beat March back. Also saw a male
Lesser Goldfinch, heard the White-eyed Vireo, and the
Robin went through. The Vermilion Flycatcher was doing
flight display with song, and at twilight I heard some
Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, my FOS this spring. Amazing
was a big yellow Swallowtail butterfly which was either
an Eastern Tiger or a Two-tailed. I thought the latter,
but will probably just put it down as either-or. In any
case it is an amazing February record. Usually after
mid-March is the first for either.
Feb. 27 ~ 60dF and fog mist in a.m., up to 80dF in p.m.
One Robin still passes through most mornings, stopping
in the big pecan for some calling. The White-eyed Vireo
is getting louder and more incessant of singing. Heard a
Lesser Goldfinch, and later afternoon heard a Purple Martin
from the porch, first over yard this spring. What a
great sound to hear. The one I saw yesterday didn't call.
Over on other side of river on W. 360 I saw a Roadrunner.
There are a half-dozen Crow-Poison now opened up in the yard,
there will be hundreds soon, like Anemones. A few Straggler
Daisy are opening, and I even saw the winter form Questionmark
(butterfly) land on one to nectar! Saw a couple Buckeye,
a few Red Admiral, a Duskywing was probably Funereal, and
the grasshoppers are really getting going now. Making it
incredibly hard to audio tape bird song.
Feb. 26 ~ A female Lesser Goldfinch in the yard is a new
arrival, right on time. I had to run to town so looked
around a bit. At the north end there was a tight group of
5 Savannah Sparrow which were surely migrants. A flock
of 35 Eurasian Starling indicates their return or passage.
It is almost as many as I have ever seen here, only a very
few winter, and not every year.
At the park were Green, Ringed, and Belted Kingfisher.
No waterthrush, since Dec. 30 now, it must have been
picked off. Saw some open Dewberry flowers. Below the
spillway, just above 1050 along the river where a few trees
there was a Blue-headed Vireo. I know of one winter record
here in Utopia, a dozen years ago, and a report or two semi-
nearbyish. I have checked this area multiple times this
winter and not seen it, so suspect it is a spring migrant
pushing northward.
At the pond on the country club by Waresville there was one
male Purple Martin back at the house there, my FOS. Also a
second male Vermilion Flycatcher was back there. Outstanding
was an immature male Common Yellowthroat in the reeds around
the pond. It has not been there this winter and so surely
another migrant, at a ridiculously early date compared to
all my others, a month+ early. It has a pale barely yellow
throat so clearly not the bird we have had along the river
a mile away the last month.
About 6 p.m. a White-tailed Kite flew right over the house
northbound. Probably had been in the pasture just to our
south. Had just stepped outside for a minute and bam! Good
new bird for the yard list. OK, I just looked. It is #213
for the native species yard list in now a month short of 4 years.
Plus the 3 introduced non-native vermin, House Sparrow, Eurasian
Starling, and Eurasian Collared-Dove. I wouldn't even
give Egyptian Goose the dignity of being on the list, though
have them occasionally fly by. Nothing more than a barnyard
or duckpond domestic. Might as well count Chicken and Emu.
Feb. 25 ~ Still northerlies and about 44dF in a.m., but felt
cooler. By later afternoon it was southerlies, but only
got into 60's for a high. Ring King again first thing
early. Counted 30 House Finch at seed in the afternoon.
A male Kestrel was hunting the yard from one of the pecans.
Noonish we walked a mile and change up into the live-oaks
and agarita upslope behind us. Saw a few Checkered White
butterfly, one Olive Juniper Hairstreak, couple American Lady.
At a wet spot in the draw there was an Enallagma Bluet
damselfly, probably a Familiar. We heard singing Field and
Lark Sparrow, and 27 FOS Sandhill Crane flew over northbound.
A few Mountain Laurels have a lot of flowers, as do some
Agarita, but most are yet to open. Saw one Anemone (Wind-flower)
just about to open, a nice purple one. The most heart-starting
moment was when we jumped a boar. When something that big
gets moving fast, it doesn't matter that it is going the
other way at first detection.
On left is the business end of the Spotted Skunk that is around the house a bit.
Sometimes in the shed! I hope you appreciate how brave I was to get these photos.
Of course had I gotten sprayed it would have been how stupid I was. Funny how results
have great bearing on our perception of actions. The yellowish circle on right photo
is the flashlight beam, oops and sorry. Trying to get autofocus to focus.
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
Feb. 24 ~ A dry frontal passage in the a.m. so most of the
day it was 10-15 mph northerlies, gusting to 20+ occasionally.
First thing a Ringed Kingfisher flew upriver calling. There
were 6 American Goldfinch at the feeders. The morning highlight
was looking over into the corral and seeing a, likely the,
probably our, male Vermilion Flycatcher right where one sits
daily for the last 4 years. Two days earlier than my earliest
prior FOS return. Then a Horace's Duskywing butterfly came
by, my first of the year.
Had a town run so a stop at the park. Added Phaon Crescent
to the monthly butterfly list, and saw my second of year
Falcate Orangetip there. Saw a Dot-winged Baskettail dragonfly,
and in damsels, a Bluet (Enallagma sps.) of some sort got away,
and saw a couple Fragile Forktail. Saw Blue Jay and Hutton's Vireo.
Watched Red-shouldered Hawks copulate. I didn't really
have anything better to do at the time. Not too long after
though, a pair of Ringed Kingfisher was interacting, quietly
(for them) chattering back and forth whilst sitting only a
couple feet apart at very close range. They were moving
around a bit and when I walked back through the woods
I saw the female had a 5" sunfish (Red-breasted) she was
beating against a branch which I think the male gave to her.
A male Green Kingfisher was there too. Then at the north end of
town were my FOS (3) Barn Swallows over the mesquite patch.
No Martins were seen or heard yet.
At last sun I stepped off back porch and a Yellow-shafted Flicker
flushed out of the big pecan, northbound. Late at 10:30 p.m.
I was outside and heard a Long-billed Curlew call as it flew
over northbound. Near midnight a Barred Owl was going off
over at the river. Forgot to mention, had my FOY of the
orange-winged Acridid - short-horned Grasshopper.
Feb. 23 ~ Just another 42-90dF day in February. Gadzooks!
Laredo, Zapata and other parts of south Texas hit 100dF today!
The first few Texas Persimmon leaves are breaking stems, as
are a few Hackberry trees, and the Mulberry tree buds are
just about to break the stems. It is about to explode green.
I saw an article in the Austin Statesman about the Lady Bird
Johnson Flower center saying many flowers were blooming a month
early or so already, including some Bluebonnets and Spiderworts.
Due to the warm winter. The last freeze was in early January!
Of the first 50 days of the year, on 35 it hit 70dF in Austin!
Holy cow. Does that sound like winter? Nothing to see here,
move along folks.
In leps the Questionmark was out there again, and so was the
Funereal Duskywing. Better was a Dusky-blue Groundstreak out
front. Great was mid-afternoon when my FOY Falcate Orangtip
landed on the only open flower in the front yard, my FOY
Crow-Poison. I saw a few butterflies around the muddy spot
by the water tank in the corral so walked over. There was
my FOY Juvenal's Duskywing!
Most excellent, we are now in record species diversity
territory for the month of February, at 28 species with a
few days left. Not that the driving forces causing these
changes are good. But it is always good to know what is
going on, regardless of where the chips may fall. January
and Feb. I broke my butterfly species diversity records for
those months (14 years of records). Clearly it is warmth
connected. They are almost all fresh emergences that had
a circadian clock that calculated the warmth and # of days
of it, and determined it was spring and time to emerge.
Feb. 22 ~ Happy Birthday to that dude that could not
tell an alternate fact. Kinda suprised I did not come up
with that myself when I was oh about a teenager. We had
a 42-90dF temp spread today. We need more cold, not 90dF in
February. That was on the cool front porch. In the sun it
was 5dF hotter. Amazing. At dusk this evening I received
my FOY mosquito bite. I'd have to check my notes but it
is surely one of my earlier FOY's for that.
Heard the White-eyed Vireo around, one each Robin and Waxwing,
4 American Goldfinch, and a winter-form Questionmark (lep).
Heard my FOS Lark Sparrow singing, probably a new arrival.
Best was at dusk a Spotted Towhee was in the thick stuff
across road at the gate. Also then, two types of bats
were flying around. Two were Brazillian Freetailed, and
the other was probably a Red Bat, and likely the beast
we saw a week ago. Much bigger and more robust with a
much slower wingbeat.
Feb. 21 ~ With the clear skies and light northerlies it
cooled down to about 40dF in the a.m. felt great. Heard
the White-eyed Vireo all around the house, gotta be
the male of the local breeding (draw) pair. Saw the Rusty
Blackbird fly over calling, heading about due north.
Wonder if it was on its way out of here? Late at night,
just before midnight, the Barred Owl was calling over at
the river. Screech-, and Great Horned earlier around house.
Ringtail was barking (squirrelish yapping) out there too.
In leps I saw my FOS Henry's Elfin fly around the porch
a bit in the afternoon. Lots of Dogface, some Black Swallowtails,
Olive-Juniper Hairstreak on the Agarita on fenceline out front.
Some Laurel flowers out back on the slope, it is way
early for that. Vareigated and Gulf Fritillary, Red Admiral,
Sleepy Orange, a possible Cloudless Sulphur again, two
Duskywings were seen, one a Funeral, the other may well have
been Mournful. Female E. Fence (Prairie) Lizard in afternoon.
Feb. 20 ~ By dawn the rain was all at SAT and eastward, we
ended up with 1.75", which is fantastic, and now are
in what can be called a wet February with ca. 4" total
so far. Heard the White-eyed Vireo in the morning over in
the draw. Not seeing the yard-visting Pine Warbler though,
I think it has departed. Saw a Goatweed Leafwing (butterfly).
After the rains, the Chorus Frogs were loud today.
Was a good day for mammals in the yard. Saw Racoon, Opossum,
Striped Skunk, Ringtail, Armadillo, and watched the Gray Fox pee
on a tire, better than the cats in the city anyway. Heard
the Coyotes behind us. Should have opened the shed to see
if the Spotted Skunk was there. Saw Cotton Rat (Sigmodon).
Since the Ringtail (or 2) have been hanging in the yard the
numbers of White-footed Mouse seem way way way down. But it
seems like they are not taking the Sigmodon.
Feb. 19 ~ First thing we have coffee in the living room
and look out the windows into the yard. The Turkey were
running down the road pretty fast but they didn't appear
to be speeding so I let them go. Heard White-eyed Vireo over
in draw early. Wonder if this is one of the breeding pair
here? Must be the male.
In the afternoon I finished fixing up the now clean nest
boxes, and re-upped a couple. Had to go into the shed for
some screws. Surprise! The Spotted Skunk was in there.
It just climbs behind boxes and moves away. So I hastily
grabbed my screws and left. Can't smell anything of it.
Also saw my FOY 6-lined Racerunner (lizard) which was a
first spring bird, not an after-second year adult (IOW - less
than a year old, a little one). After dark a good band of
rain moved through and in 90 minutes we had over 1.5".
Feb. 18 ~ Heard Turkey gobbling early thirty. Actually
there was a nice bit of dawn chorus from the local resident
gang. Cardinal, Titmouse, Carolina and Bewick's Wren,
Mourning and White-winged Dove, House Finch, Chickadee,
and heard a White-eyed Vireo.
Went to the crossing after breakfast to look for the
Common Yellowthroat I heard yesterday. Can't have loose
ends like this. Not knowing for sure if it is the bird
we saw in late January and therefore our first ever wintering
record... I refound it 100 yards above the bridge. Got
great point blank views. It is the same immature male we
saw in latest January, and can therefore comfortably be
called a wintering individual. Which is the first one
I know of here in 14 years. The black in the mask has
filled in quite a bit in the nearly 3 weeks since we last
saw it.
So whilst it may be called a Common Yellowthroat, it is not
common here in winter. Annually wintering warblers here are Audubon's,
Myrtle, Orange-crowned and Pine Warbler. That is it. Four species.
There are a few odd records of single birds. Such as...
a Black-and-white returned for 5 winters, and a Louisiana
Waterthrush returned for 3 winters. Once a Yellow-throated
wintered (which was not the local Hill Country type), and
a one-day wonder Tropical Parula (thank you bird gods). So
a Common Yellowthroat is scarcer than all that here in winter.
I saw it take a couple of the winter mayflies that are the
wintering migrant passerine's fuel of choice here.
Then I putted up the road through the junipers out west leg of
360. Had texana Scrub-Jay and Hutton's Vireo, no sparrow
flock. Nothing on the Chinaberry or Ligustrum, the Turkeys
were at Berteau Park by the corn feeder, not a surprise. Saw a
Redbud with a few flowers starting to open and several Agarita
had flowers open! One had a bunch, with an American Lady,
Olive-Juniper Hairstreak, Dogface, Variegated Fritillary,
but no Elfin yet. Saw a Checkered White, a few Buckeye,
a Texan Crescent, and this before it heated up and noon.
Also saw a couple FOS Dot-winged Baskettail dragonfly up
in the junipers, after yesterday's probable at the park.
Later afternoon in 84dF heat, we walked up the hill behind
us into Agaritaville. It is mixed live-oak-juniper grassland
really, and with a few scattered Buckley Oak, the Golden-cheeked
Warbler's favored tree of choice. Their leaf buds are just
breaking stems so will be opening soon. When they do, the
warblers are back. The acres of Agarita were just getting
started blooming, only a few are going, mostly just a very
little bit yet.
Amazing was a Dusky-blue Groundstreak (butterfly)! Very early.
A couple Olive-Juniper Hairstreak but did not see an Elfin.
Saw a couple more Dot-winged Baskettail, so four FOS of them
today. A couple Mountain Laurels on the slope behind us had
a few flowers open, and a few Dutchman's Breeches were
open as well. There were honeybees on the Agarita, plus
a couple native bees including the metallic green Halichtid.
After dark the Striped Skunk and a Racoon were foraging
for fallen sunflower seeds under that feeder, shoulder
to shoulder. Then later when I went out, there are a few
pallets leaning against the side of the cottage. The
Ringtail was sitting on top of them lounging like a cat!
Black Rock Squirrel is a terrestrial (ground) squirrel
rather than an arboreal (tree living) type like Fox Squirrel.
Though rarely you might find one up in a tree.
(Taken through old grayed window and screen)
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
Feb. 17 ~ So uh, happy 02172017. Pretty sure I never had
one of those before. Amazing was as I was heading to
town, a Common Yellowthroat called as I was on the bridge
over the river. It was just 10-15' away, I tried to to
pish and chip it up, but it wouldn't come out. I suspect
due to rarity right here right now it was the same individual
Kathy and I had a couple weeks ago and it can be called
a "wintering" individual. Sure would like to
visually confirm it is an immature male though. It is our
first wintering record.
At the park I saw no waterthrush, Dec. 30 remains my last
encounter. I did see a House Wren which is likely a
spring migrant this time of year. More interesting were
a couple new odes flying. In dragons, a FOS Springtime Darner
is a great sign of spring. Another dragon got away which was
probably a Dot-winged Baskettail. Then I saw about 3 Fragile
Forktail, my first positive ID on a damselfly this year.
Which was followed quickly by a Kiowa Dancer. Zygops!
Zygoptera is the group, sub-order methinks in this case,
damselflies are in. When you see zygops, spring can't
be far behind.
Lots more Redbud and Mountain Laurel flowers open on
the ones around the library parking lot. Black and
Pipevine Swallowtail were on the Laurel. Also saw those
beautiful, fast, metallic turquoise native bees. Laurel
Bees I call them, as that is where to see them. They are
big as the standard Euro Honeybee. They are so fast and
agile, they are very hard to photograph. No Elfin I could find.
At 9:30 p.m. I went outside and the last bit of seed
thrown out did not get consumed due to accipiter pressure.
There was eating sunflowers a Racoon, an Opossum, and
the Ringtail! That Ringtail is amazing. The other night
there were two chasing and squeaking loudly, they ran up
a small pecan and I heard them run right over the office
on the roof! I forgot to mention, later last night the
Coyotes made a kill and a dozen or more went bonkers calling
for 5 minutes as they do. And yesterday early a.m. saw
the Gray Fox outside. I love all the wild mammals here.
Feb. 16 ~ Another chilly morning, about 36dF, nice to feel
some winter still. In the far part of the yard, perhaps
200' from the porch, past the pecans, there are open skies
over grass, some of which I leave taller. I saw a Harrier
hunting low over that area for a minute or two. Heard
a Belted Kingfisher over at the river, certainly the
scarcest of the 3 kingfisher species along this section
of the river. Saw what was probably an Elfin blast past.
Will wait for a sure look to call an FOS though...
Feb. 15 ~ The northerlies brought some cooler air, it was
about 37-38dF this morning. Almost like winter. Heard
two Ringed Kingfishers first thing about 7 a.m. over at the
river. Sounded like a 50 cal. shootout. Had a quick town
run early and at the park was a Green Kingfisher, the
waterthrush is still MIA. Some of the Black Willows are
sprouting leaves now in another sign of spring approaching.
I heard a Golden-crowned Kinglet moving around the yard a
few times mid-morning. Haven't had one in a while a
nd I suspect this is a spring migrant. It is that time for them.
Feb. 14 ~ Happy Valentines Day! Our gift was thunder at
about 3:30 a.m. and more rain. We got about 1.25 from this
second band and so a total of 2 and an eighth inches with
last nights' 8 p.m. band of rain. Outstanding. Now
northerlies and almost like winterish. The water is great
for February as so many things approach grow mode and it
has been dry overall the last couple months. Now we have
a couple inches at least each in Feb. and January. So much
of spring here starts in March, the Jan. and Feb. rains are
actually very critical to a good growout for the early spring
first starters.
Feb. 13 ~ Seven Turkeys were in the yard in the a.m. again.
Big bearded Toms. And tell the whole truth, crapping all
over the patio. Watch what you wish for. So you ask, "wouldn't
it be neat to live with Turkeys in the yard?" Yes,
until they eat all your chili pequins off the bushes, and
show up at the seed tray and throw dirt all over the patio,
then make some rather substantial deposits before they go. ;)
I know, ya gotta love 'em, they are so big, and soooo
beautiful, that green and bronze iridescence at point blank
is just dazzling, and hearing them converse endlessly
(about the hens?) is cool too.
Heard the White-eyed Vireo out there again today, in the corral.
I had to run to town quickly in the afternoon. No waterthrush
at the park again, I am afraid we lost it. Turkey Vulture,
Ringed Kingfisher, and best, I heard a squirrel being taken.
Up at the farthest part of the woods I flushed a big female
Cooper's Hawk with a Fox Squirrel in its talons. It could
barely fly with it. Went about 30' and landed on a branch.
I backed out as I didn't want it to lose the prey trying to cross
the river with it. I am amazed how these big female Coops
can take a Fox Squirrel. Second time I have seen it here.
Some Meadowlarks were along road, and the Shrike was on W. 360.
One of the big major signs of spring is now showing, right on time.
The Redbud flowers are opening on a couple of them at the Library.
Mid-Feb. is just right at average for the first ones. But
there was one Mountain Laurel with open flowers already,
which I have never seen in mid-February here. March is usually
when they go. That is how warm it has been. We need cold.
A couple Pipevine Swallowtail and an Olive Juniper Hairstreak
were on the Redbud flowers, but no Elfin. A Hairstreak got
away that was likely a favonius (Southern aka Oak). It flew
into the adjacent live oak. About 8 p.m. the first band of
rain ahead of a cold front came through and in 40 minutes
we got seven-eighths of an inch.
Feb. 12 ~ A surprise in the a.m. was my FOS White-eyed Vireo
calling! It is my earliest spring arrival date locally ever,
though Leslie Calvert had one on the 13th last year, which
was then the earliest we ever had. We showed our guests the
Buried Lies Cemetery over at Waresville, and walking the pond
there again flushed a Wilson's Snipe, so it spent the winter.
I was surprised to see a Red Saddlebags dragonfly, which is
a new fresh emergence. Later in the afternoon Kathy and I
walked to the crossing and had a Black Swallowtail, but
few birds. Needed the good leg-stretch though.
Feb. 11 ~ Got up to about 80dF today, a front is working
its way here, so the standard pre-arrival warmup. Saw the
Ringed Kingfisher flying upriver over the Cypresses early
in the morning. Also saw my first Eastern Cottontail of
the year. Where do they go in winter? Watched the Sharpy
take a House Finch up top of the big pecan. We had a quick
look at the park but only saw a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
We had guests visiting today so not much time out looking.
At dusk we were on the patio and saw our FOS bat fly over!
It might have been bigger than a freetail, not sure of species.
Western Ribbonsnake. It is one of the Gartersnake group.
The dorsal stripe can be cream, yellow, orange, or even red!
I saw a stunning red one off
of S. Thunder Creek Rd. once. Most here look like this one.
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
Feb. 10 ~ Cooler a bit finally, only in low to mid 70's dF.
Breezy in afternoon though, 15 gusting to 20mph. Yard was
the regulars, one Waxwing came by for a bit. A few American
Goldfinch too. Heard a Hutton's Vireo in the big yard
Hackberry in the afternoon. Checked the park during a quick
town run and saw nothing but the regular expected suspects.
Missed the waterthrush again, but they are still cutting trees
on the private properties on both sides of the river above the
island where it hung out. I presume it is upriver. Sorry
but had a bunch of work to do this week so short on notes.
Feb. 9 ~ Too busy Thursday... Saw a Vesta Crescent (lep)
today, as well as a Checkered White and an Orange Sulphur,
plus all the expected things flying now. Late p.m. a
Ringed Kingfisher flew upriver high over the cypesses.
Saw the Ringtail again tonight, this time I got Kathy over
to the door quickly enough that she got to see it too
as it sat on the old original (unused) wellhouse. Too cool.
Feb 8 ~ Was about 42-85dF for a temp spread today. Amazing
for early February. The Funereal Duskywing butterfly was
out there again today. Also saw Red Admiral, American Lady,
Variegated Fritillary, an Olive-Juniper Hairstreak, Sleepy
Orange, Dogface, a Pipevine Swallowtail. After dark I had
great looks at the Ringtail around the patio and on the
cottage. It made a call I have never heard, a cackling
chatter, or a rattled chirping, very interesting. What an
incredible animal.
Feb. 7 ~ Holy cowfish it got warm this afternoon, it was about
85-86dF! Hondo had 89dF, their record this date was 82 in 2008.
The magnificent 7, bearded Toms (Turkey), were all over
the yard and patio this morning. Saw what was likely the
same Funeral Duskywing (butterfly) that was here Jan. 29.
A seemingly fairly unskilled immature male Sharp-shinned
Hawk is missing on hunting attempts on the seed-eaters about
every hour all day. Cardinal, and Bewick's and Carolina Wren
are really starting to get some singing going. They are
starting to feel it now. It seems a little reluctant as
they first get back at it. Add a little warmth and you can
feel it now.
Feb. 6 ~ Just the regular stuff, its Monday back at the salt
mine so can't look around too much. Yard flocks are
about 125 Chipping Sparrow (and one Lark), 25+ Cardinal,
50-60 Morning and 25-30 White-winged Dove, 8 Ground-Dove,
and 30 House Finch. We have some serious dependents here.
The Titmice seem to be thinning, probably spreading out as
breeding season approaches. A couple Golden-fronted Woodpecker
still daily on the sunflowers. The Chickadees are duetting a
fair bit now, the super high thin "see you, see mee" song,
occasionally interspresed with some hoarser "sweeeet ba-by"
from one of them.
Feb. 5 ~ Another gray drizzly day, but a bit warmer, maybe
55-65dF for a temp range. And there were a few brief
holes in the overcast but not much for long. About 9 Robin
were around for a bit in the morning. A few Waxwing too.
I got my high count for Ground-Dove, EIGHT at once on the seed!
We walked to the crossing noonish. A Chippy flock on the
way there had Field Sparrow in it. Had a House Wren which
are scarce here in winter, and a male Green Kingfisher when
we went over to the river about half way to crossing. At one
point it perched 18-20' over the water on a pretty thick
cypress branch. Like where you would see a Ringed. There
were a few Myrtle and a heard Pine Warbler, Kinglet (Ruby),
and the regular residents, Cardinal, Chickadee, and Titmouse.
In the corral on the way back there were 3 Vesper and a, or
the, Lark Sparrow. Later the Lark Sparrow was on the patio.
One lone bird wintering here this year. You think of them
as being a fairly social sparrow.
Feb. 4 ~ Another cold gray drizzly day, maybe 45-55dF for a
temp range. Worked inside. The 7 Turkey came by the
patio. I tried to get a couple shots of the Pine Warbler
when it was down with House Finches. They don't sit
still. Will show if anything comes out worth it. I would
be OK with 125 count on the Chipping Sparrows now. I counted
15 male House Finch at once, there are as many females. Most
males are flushed very red on the back now, quite unlike most
field guide illustrations.
Their dull winter plumage is wearing away revealing much
brighter mate selection attire. Most often think that bright
breeding plumages are acquired my molt, and they can be, they
are with some types of birds. But, they are also just as often
the result of feather wear. They molt in fall after breeding,
and have just the right amount of dullness at the tips of the
feathers to make them less conspicuous all winter, which by
time it wears off in spring reveals a brighter breeding plumage,
without molting into it just then when for many species they
have to be expending all their energy into migration.
This Anole took this Pipevine Swallowtail right off
a flower. Pipevines are alleged to be distasteful,
like Monarchs due to what the caterpillar eats,
Pipevines. Unfortunately I couldn't follow the
lizard for a day or two to ask it if it got indigestion.
It took hours but it worked the wings off and ate it.
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
Feb. 3 ~ A cold gray day, about 40-50dF for a temp range.
I saw two Green Kingfisher at the park, but no waterthrush
still, been since latest December when I last saw it.
Hope it wasn't taken and it is just the month of
tree-trimming noise. There were two Turkey Vulture on
some roadkill between the spillway and 1050, along with 40 Blacks.
Saw about 5 Myrtle Warbler, all males.
The ad. male Pine Warbler here is so bright I can not get
over it. Every spring, I can't get over it. It will
leave before the end of the month. No one has a clue where
these Pine Warblers that winter here, go to breed. Interesting
is how when it is on the ground I could see pale diffuse,
almost hidden but present, veiled dusky lines on the back.
When it was at eye-level I could not see them. Only when
it was on the ground and I was looking down into the back
were they visible. This of course at less than 20',
I am not sure from how far they would be visible. Generally
Pine is considered to have an unstreaked back, and it does
usually appear that way. But it can appear to have faint
diffuse pale dusky streaks that form lines in the back. At
least these can, at this time of the year.
Feb. 2 ~ I think it was 45-65dF or so today. Too busy
working on biz at the computer. I did notice the 7 Turkey
that spent an hour on the patio and cleaning under the seed
feeders. I see a Cardinal without a tail that probably
gave it to an accipiter. I think it is about 120 Chipping
Sparrow now, still 30 Cardinal, at least 50 Mourning and
30+ White-winged Dove. Talk about dependents! Just when I
was thinking how much those Chippies eat, the Turkeys showed up.
In the afternoon a Lincoln's Sparrow went through the
yard, there has not been one here in the yard in some time,
like maybe since late November.
February 1 ~ OMG, February! I am not ready for this, can
someone slow this ride down? It was about 36dF this a.m.,
again several dF colder than forecast. Then it got up to
85dF! Within a dF or two of record territory, and 50 deg.
diurnals! Amazing. A few butterflies were out in the heat,
nice since it was back to zero on the monthly total. One
Checkered-Skipper got away that may have been a Desert.
There was Sleepy Orange, Gulf Frit, Red Admiral, Dogface,
and a few Snout. Pine Warbler worked the sunflower bits
under that feeder.
So at last lookabout outside at late thirty I heard some
weird noises, grabbed flashlight and saw one of the (Striped)
skunks moving over toward cottage (where den hole). I did
notice a strong scent in the air. Must have been some sort of
altercation and it had just let loose a wee bit. Was not
real stong, or so it seemed. But apparently there was a fair
bit floating around in the air and in the process of going in
and out, the breeze wafted according to my better half, a
significant volume of fresh skunk scent into the house. Yup,
stunk the whole house up. Yer welcome. It still stunk skunk in
the morning, and for half the next day. It wasn't even that
strong outside. I cannot tell an alternate fact, I did that.
~ ~ ~ January summary ~ ~ ~
I can not believe we have blazed through a month already.
We have either entered a time warp, or I am getting old.
I fear the latter. Overall the month was warm and mild.
But there was a cold spell with a 15dF, and 18dF lows to freeze
yer ferns. It was dry, about 2" of rain for the month.
At least everything got some water, the river is still high.
Butterflies were outstanding, by species diversity count, but
which is not necessarily an indicator of something good. It
could be bad that a record number of species were seen in the
month. It was a record 26 species for the month, about double
the average January species count (n~14). Even in February I
have only exceeded 22 sps. for the month one time. Lots of
warmth and so lots of early mis-timed emergences were triggered.
Most are genetic deadends. There is nothing to eat, or mate
with for most. So it is not good for the butterflies themselves.
It also could be indicative of a bigger problem, that might
affect us, who knows. Then someone would give a hoot.
Dragonflies and damselflies were weak as expected, only
leftover Variegated Meadowhawk dragonflies were seen, and a
few flushed but not ID'd damselfies were glimpsed.
Mammals made up for it though, with in-the-yard Ringtail,
Spotted and Striped Skunk, Gray Fox, and hearing Coyote nightly.
The warmth also had a few reptiles out this January, saw a Western
Ribbon Snake, around house Anoles were regular on warm days,
early was one E. Fence (Prairie) Lizard for the month.
Birds were great, though we were too busy to look much.
It was about 85 species locally this month, which does not
count anything below Clayton Grade (or 361 actually). Strictly
locally around Utopia, without any special effort, or much
time for that matter. Probably saw another 6+ sps. down
in the brush country flatlands.
A Neotropic Cormorant at UP Jan. 20 is my first on the ground here
(one prior flyover record) and a great winter record. A
White-tailed Hawk was described by Leslie Calvert 4-5 mi. SSW
of town off UvCo 361 New Years Day. Based on which I added it
to the hypotheticals under main hawk section on the bird list page.
I saw one S. of Sabinal down in the flatlands below Hwy. 90, Jan. 21,
still in UvCo where a rare bird with less than 10 records. A couple
Least Grebe were at the Frio River crossing way south of Sabinal
on Hwy. 187, wish we could get one at the park pond.
A Common Yellowthroat Jan. 28 is my first winter record here in
fourteen years. What may be my first overwintering known
Dec.-to-Jan. Turkey Vulture was good too. Three TV's on
Jan. 31 was unprecedented, presumedly early returns. On Jan. 1 a
sparrow got away that I thought was a Baird's, again.
A few Black-throated Sparrow were seen, as well as some Bushtit
which have been scarcer since the drought. Lots of White-fronted
Geese flying north Jan. 14 is a couple weeks earlier than usual.
~ ~ ~ end of January summary ~ ~ ~
Jan. 31 ~ Bird bath frozen again, another 29-30dF low! In the
afternoon it was 78-79 on the patio - near a 50dF diurnal temp range!
A few butterflies were out, I saw a Pipevine and Kathy saw a
Black Swallowtail. Saw American Lady, Dogface. Wish I could
have run off and looked for one more butterfly sps. for the month.
Especially an Elfin, a sps. I have had in January a number of times,
usually on Agarita or Redbud waiting for it to bloom. Was warm
enough today to get one if any are out yet.
The birds of the day were just before last sun, three Turkey
Vulture flew downriver looking like they were looking for a
place to roost. I have about 3-4 records in the December to
mid-February period. This winter one has been overwintering
quite unusually. Three at once in January is unprecedented.
Normally it is Valentine's Day or so on average when the
first one returns, and after mid-Feb. for three at once. So
this is wayyy early.
Kinda like how the northbound migrant ducks and geese strike me.
We will have to wait and watch to see if it is a thing this
year, and or if something is going on. Observe and record.
This is they key. Names, dates, and numbers. Get data.
Have numbers, will crunch.
Jan. 30 ~ Bird bath frozen again, about 29-30dF or so, and got
up to lower mid-70'dF in afternoon. Amazing spread. Too
much work and not much looking. Sharp-shinned and Cooper's
Hawks making visits all day. The ad. ma. Pine Warbler was out
there again in the afternoon under sunflower feeder scavenging
bits. Nice bird to have around the yard if you ask me. Some
real color here in winter when everything is brown. Saw the
Turkey Vulture, and a Zone-tailed Hawk go over in different
directions at the same time. A group of 40 Black Vultures
went over. Once Ground-Doves flushed and it was at least 6 of
them! Might have been 7. Forgot to mention, the resident yard
pair of Eastern Phoebe are messing around their nest the last week.
Jan. 29 ~ Bird bath was iced over, was 29dF this morning, KRVL
had the same. Got up to about 70dF in afternoon. Noonish we
went to the park, but were late and someone had already been up
the trail into woods, we missed the waterthrush. It seems to flush
out if anyone has been up that trail. The amazing thing was a
few new-for-the-month butterflies. I saw two winter form
Questionmark. Two others were likely my first ever January fresh
emergence records, a Phaon Crescent and a Texan Crescent. The
Texan was quite yellow where usual white areas (ph.). Will have to
give that a hard study when I get the pix off camera. Three new
for month species in a hundred yards or so is amazing. Then back
home for lunch and a Funeral Duskywing flew up to, and then away
from me. So four new butterflies for the day, surely the last day
of the month I will get any time to look around, so a nice finish.
And which pushes the total for butterfly species for the month
into record territory: 26 species. Never before in a January,
and only once in a February have I recorded 26 species. January
average over 14 years is under 14 sps. per month. The last ten
years it is under 12 species per January on average. So over double
the prior ten year average = very significant. I would guess all
the warm days triggered circadian alarm clocks and therefore emergences
were at a much higher than usual rate. Almost all the different ones
were not worn individuals left over from last year, but fresh
(mis-timed) emergences.
After lunch we went down to UvCo 361 and gave it another try.
But peak heat of the day and it was deadish. None of all the
raptors we saw a couple weeks ago but one Red-tail and a few
Kestrel. I had a glimpse of what looked like a Sage Thrasher
but it got away into a brushy wash. A couple Hermit Thrush
and some Eastern Bluebird were along the road. Also some
meadowlarks I could not settle on an ID for, at point blank range.
Is that ridiculous or what? They can be tough visually in
veiled winter plumage. Have you ever wondered if Lillian's
(Eastern) Meadowlark could occur here? I have. The ad.ma. Pine
Warbler was on the patio in later afternoon.
Jan. 28 ~ Didn't get as cold as forecast, was maybe 40dF
for a low. There were a few sprinkles late last night, but
a spit or two was it. They were calling for a chance of
sleet or snow to the west and north of us overnight last night.
We took an hour walk to the crossing and back, about 11 a.m.
it was 50dF but the off and on light wind was cold. We saw
something I keep forgetting to mention, the last couple or few
weeks, there have been pair bond flight displays by Black Vulture,
showing overhead daily on clear days. Do not underestimate the
love flight of the Black Vulture. It can be mighty impressive.
Twenty Chippies, a Vesper and a Lincoln's Sparrow along
the corral, and a dozen each Cardinal and House Finch. At the
crossing there was a Song Sparrow, and amazingly, a Common
Yellowthroat. It was an imm. male, and the first winter record
I have for the upper Sabinal drainage. Like Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
they winter off the plateau in the brush-country flatlands,
but not up here in the colder and less buggy in winter hills.
For Bandera Co., e-bird shows none from 1st week of December to
third week of March. It is absent in winter locally. Here in
winter Common Yellowthroat is a most uncommon find. I do not
think I have seen one locally from late October to latest March
for fourteen years. Generally late fall to spring there are 5
months or so we are Yellowthroat free, this is in the middle of
it. A great record for a 'common' bird. Kathy saw the
Gray Fox today (and yesterday). Barn Owl after dark.
Probably the same adult male Pine Warbler here now,
this pic taken a couple winters ago on the patio.
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
Jan. 27 ~ A chilly day, overcast, about 35-50dF for a temp spread
with a light north wind on it. In the morning there were two
male Lesser Goldfinch here, which is amazing. While watching
them, two Audubon's Oriole called, a warning, they were the
first to note a sneaky incoming accipiter. Tipped everyone off
with their sharp eyes. The park had a Ringed Kingfisher, couple
Blue Jay, and a Hermit Thrush. No waterthrush again. Still
noisy over the fence though with blaring radio and chainsaws.
Red-shouldered Hawk out front of park in pecan in pasture.
One Savannah Sparrow in front of the school landed on the low
wire fence next to a dozen Cedar Waxwing. I forgot something
so had to run back to town about 4 p.m. and checked the park
again. It was a real honest forgetting, it's not like it is
spring migration or something. ;) The Turkey Vulture was
with several Black Vultures coming in to roost as they do in
the big Cypresses. A corral on W. 360 had a couple hundred
Brewer's Blackbird, 40+ Red-winged, mostly females, and
a dozen plus Brown-headed Cowbird. The W. 360 Loggerhead Shrike
still in its pasture.
Jan. 26 ~ We were about 35dF this morn, it hit 31 in KRVL.
There now that feels like winter. The male Lesser Goldfinch
was out there again today. They used to arrive the 3rd week
of February after being absent since November, and most
still do. Only a very very few winter, around feeders.
Almost the same period of absence exists with Turkey Vulture,
absent late-Nov. to mid-Feb. in general. With just two or
three winter records over 14 winters, despite all the roadkill.
Today the Turkey Vulture that seems to be wintering this year
circled over the yard low. Has to be the same bird seen in
Dec., and earlier in January. Saw the Rusty Blackbird today too.
Jan. 25 ~ The dry front blew light northerlies all day,
Saw a report of a Purple Martin down on the coast today.
A week or more early. They can arrive down there in the
warmer buggy flatlands a month before they do up here
in the colder hills. Nearly a dozen Robin stopped by
briefly. Between 35-40 waxwing were around for a couple
hours, on the one juniper with berries, and twice all
coming in to the bird bath for drinks. Whence we get
great point blank views out the kitchen and bathroom
windows.
Saw at least 5 Ground-Dove at once when an Accipiter
flushing took place. The different bird of the day was
a male Lesser Goldfinch. They did not winter in the hill
country prior to thistle (nyger) seed feeding (by people).
Three tom Turkey spent a couple hours around the yard and
on the patio eating little tiny white millet seeds, deftly
I might add. Big ol' dang bird eating the tiniest of
seeds with amazing precision. Barn Owl after dark.
Jan. 24 ~ Was a 42 to 82dF spread today, nearing record heat for
the date. Further south they had 90dF! A flock of about 35
White-fronted Geese went over early in the morning. As can
happen in the heat, two new for month butterflies were out,
a Checkered White, and an early Olive Juniper Hairstreak.
They are so green, slightly iridescent, when they are mint fresh
right out of the package, er, chrysalis, when no one has
scratched the paint yet.
Had a couple Robin, couple dozen Waxwing, couple Myrtle Warbler,
the Lark Sparrow, some Ground-Dove, 50+ Mourning Dove now.
Nearing last sun a Ringed Kingfisher flew up the river calling.
At twilight about 6:30 p.m. I heard a single Wigeon call
and shortly heard duck wings, then spotted a flock of about 35
or so heading due north, probably going to fly for the night.
Heading north already like the geese. Seems early to me.
Jan. 23 ~ I told Kathy last night it was going to get colder
than the forecast. NOAA had KRVL for 39dF low, then latelate showed
37, it got 33 there. WU showed us for 42 or so, it was 35dF here.
At least the wind finally stopped. There were the couple dozen
waxwings out front early, and a couple Robin with them. Afternoon
got up to about 75dF and popped a couple new for the month
butterflies out. A Black Swallowtail and a Sachem (skipper)
were both FOY - first of year. As was a West. Ribbon Snake
which may have obliged for pix, we'll see when they come off
of camera. Nice 27" or so beauty, looked fat like a pregnant
female.
Jan. 22 ~ From dark yesterday, all night, and all day today,
the wind blew 20-30 mph gusting to 40! I can't get up
for land birding in a gale so worked on stuff here.
In the afternoon I saw the male Pine Warbler on the ground
under the sunflower feeder with the House Finches. The one
Lark Sparrow continues. Near sundown a Merlin flew into
the big live-oaks up the slope behind us looking like
it was coming in to roost. At dark the winds finally
decoupled and laid down. It was a 24 hr. hard blow.
Jan. 21 ~ Boy you sure get a lot more weather here for your
money. It was foggy this morning. Then mid-day it got
sunny, and warm, up to 80dF! Then late afternoon about
5 p.m. the winds hit, 20-30 mph west to northwest, and
gusting higher. Supposed to blow all night and all day
Sunday. Three seasons in one day. Welcome to Texas.
Noonish I did a b double-e double-r u-n, down to Sabinal.
Actually I wanted to do some ag field and brushcountry
flatlands hedgerow birding, and look for hawks. Dirt fields
and telephone poles, how exciting can it get? Particularly
White-tailed Hawk I mentioned to Kathy, since there seems
to be an inland movement this winter. Kathy had other stuff
to do here more exciting than dirt clods and tele poles.
Usually there are hawks, cranes, geese, sparrow flocks, and
if lucky Mountain Plover or a longspur.
The 18 miles south to Sabinal was uneventful. Then I did
about five miles of Old Sabinal Rd. parallel and south
of Hwy. 90 running west from Sabinal to Uvalde. Amazing
was the lack of sparrow flocks along the road, usually it
is loaded. One Savannah, one Vesper, two White-crowned,
and that was it. Heard some Pyrrhuloxia, saw a couple
Verdin, two Harris's Hawk, best was a Greater Yellowlegs
at a stock tank. A good bird at a random tank in winter here.
Saw one Checkered White butterfly.
Then I went south on Hwy. 187 from Sabinal to the Zavala
County line, and poached a couple miles past it. About 9 miles
south of Sabinal I found an adult WHITE-TAILED HAWK out
in an ag field, way out. It was hovering, then landed
in a short tree, so I got to scope it though it was distant.
Then it got up and flew around and gave a good show of
the crisp ink black band near tip of all snow white tail
and rump, rusty shoulders, pointed wings, what a beautyo
of a buteo. Up until as recently as after 2005 there was only
one Uvalde Co. record, from 1985, filmed taking bats at the
Frio Cave. Since then there have been a handfull of reports,
but still there are less than ten county reports. One was
photographed near Sabinal I think last year, near Hwy. 90.
It is my first in UvCo and the semi-longshot hoped-for target
I was really most after.
There were about 4 more Harris's Hawk along 187 south
of Sabinal (so 6 total) and several Caracara, a few Red-tailed Hawk,
one of which was a belly banded eastern type, rest were resident
Fuertes's. Always interesting are Turkey Vulture south
of Sabinal. I had a dozen. They do not usually winter 20 miles
north of Sabinal up here in the hills (though we have one
this year) at Utopia while they are regular down there below
the escarpment in the warmer brush-country from Hwy. 90 south.
There is some good looking habitat at the Sabinal River
crossing way south of Sabinal on 187, maybe about 12 miles or so.
Better is the habitat at the Frio crossing a few miles
further south. There was a bit of water at both crossings
but some fisherman had flushed anything at the Sabinal xing.
At the Frio crossing there were a couple Gadwall, one Green
Kingfisher, and two LEAST GREBE, one in each pond on either
side of the road.
Somewhere along the road I heard a Long-billed Thrasher.
But overall there was a dearth of passerines. I looked in
a lot of fields and hedgerows along roads around Sabinal over
a few hours and saw no cranes, geese, plovers, longspurs or
any significant sparrow flock. I heard a Horned Lark but
didn't see it. No Lark Bunting or Say's Phoebe either.
Way down 187 I saw a hawk on the pole just a hundred yards over
the Zavala Co. line so continued into the foreign county to see
what I could poach. A nice tame Harris's Hawk, and a bit
further a Caracara in the first mile. Then at the junction of
Hwys. 187 x 140, a dozen Scaled Quail flew across the road!
For a whopping three species in Zavala County, where I am now
probably firmly in last place. As I returned home with my
trophies, a UvCo White-tailed Hawk and a dozen skunky Coronas,
at the 360 xing there was another Green Kingfisher.
There was a bit of an invasion of White-tipped Black
moths this past fall. They are LTA - less than annual, here.
Neat how I cut off one of the white tips on the White-tip.
Call for free tips on how to screw up photos...
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
Jan. 20 ~ An amazing high of 80dF was above expectations.
Darn near warm out there. The yard seemed the same gang.
A town run netted a stop at the park though. Where you
just never know what might be there. No waterthrush but
chain saws were going over the fence again. Heard a
Green Kingfisher. The prize was a NEOTROPIC CORMORANT!
First on an emerged log at top of island, then it swam
down to the pond, and when I got back down there, it
then flew back upriver. I have had just one in the prior
13 years (only in flight) locally in the upper Sabinal River
drainage. This is the first on the water, and the first in
a decade. A few are regular at Uvalde, but up here in the
hills is a different story. Would not have thought January
was when to see one here. It was an ad. not an immature.
I heard one of the thunderstorms that went by this week
caused vehicle damage up around Vanderpool near Lost Maples,
from 2" golfball sized hail.
Jan. 19 ~ About 45-75dF for a temp spread, and humidity got
down to 30%, felt great. Yard is turning green fast. Sharp-shinned
and Cooper's Hawks hitting the seed eaters. A few
butterflies were out in the heat. Amazing was a Vesta
Crescent, my FOY and maybe my first January record. A few
Sleepy Orange, a Dogface, Gulf Fritillary, couple Red Admiral,
and Kathy thought she had a Mestra fly by. Heard a Barn Owl
after dark hunting over the grass airstrip just south.
Jan. 18 ~ Nice and wet out there from the rain last night,
and cool. A couple inches will keep the dust down for
almost a couple weeks. Plus I was going to have to wash
the trucklet, and now I don't have to, just in time. Dodged
that bullet. The Pine Warbler was back down on the seed
with the House Finches. When the sun comes through that
olive back it can really light up green.
Amazing was a huge flock of ducks at a distance unfortunately
that precluded positive ID. There were a couple hundred,
they looked big. Just behind them I picked up a second flock
of a couple dozen, again too far, but they circled back and
looked like Shovelers, as did the first group. Then at dark
another flock of a couple dozen big ducks flew over in very
little light, they too looked like Shoveler. It is the only
big duck we have in numbers here, Pintail and Mallard are scarce.
After dark I heard a squeaky squabble going on outside,
grabbed flashlight and went over to the old unused wellhouse.
Behind it were two Striped Skunk. Don't know if it was love
or war. But one went back under the cottage, so was our
local resident, and the other sauntered across the yard
toward road out front. At least they didn't spray, must
be a gentleman's agreement they have with each other.
More civil than some people.
Jan. 17 ~ Low 50's dF, gray, spotty showers and drizzle,
and staying like that all day. Might get some more precip.
Cooper's Hawks made attempts on the seed eaters a few
times in the morning. There are over a hundred Chipping
Sparrow now, and at least 25 House Finch. At one point
there were a dozen House Finch under the sunflower feeder
with a Pine Warbler foraging for bits of broken hearts
among them. Kind of a funny flock. Also saw Common Ravens,
Caracaras, a N. Harrier, local resident pair of Red-tails,
a couple Cooper's Hawk, heard Kestrel and Western Meadowlark,
had a couple dozen Waxwings a couple times. Barred Owl was
calling over at river after dark.
We got a quarter inch of precip over the day, then later
after dark, another half inch. So .75 for the day, with
the just under 1.5" day before yesterday and the event
was about 2.2" total. Amazing, we needed it badly,
all the frontal passages have been dry the last month plus.
The ground will turn way greener in a few days. It is
already greener than usual due to lack of consistent cold,
stuff is sprouting.
Jan. 16 ~ Happy MLK Day! It was about 45dF here this a.m.,
whilst forecasts said low 50's, off by nearly a whole
category. Felt great, nice and wet from the rain last night.
We needed it, was getting dusty out there. Lost Maples
looked like it got 2-3 INCHES! The river will stay high.
The grass in yard is already greening up, some birds are singing.
Ringed Kingfisher calling over at river early in morning
for an hour. The regular imm. N. Harrier went over low
early, looked like it was eyeing feeders and areas of seed
closely.
Heard my first White-winged Dove song of the year. BTW, we
heard our FOY Chickadee song on Jan. 1! In the last two weeks
there has been a noticeable increase in song from Carolina Wren
especially, but also N. Cardinal, Bewick's Wren, and heard a
Black-crested Titmouse sing a couple days ago. Nearing a
month since the solstice. Just a little increased daylength
and on nice days we get some birdsong to get us through winter.
Just after 11 p.m. I heard this constant yapping outside
the office window. Somewhere between a squirrel and a
small dog. The RINGTAIL! I went outside and actually
got a great close look at it, perhaps 6-8 feet away at
closest! The camera didn't work so I missed my photo.
But at least I got a point blank view! One of the neatest
animals there is is if you ask me. Seems like there would
have to be a couple around for it to be communicating?
Jan. 15 ~ Sprinkles on and off all morning into early
afternoon. Maybe a quarter inch total. We need rain,
supposed to be an event overnight tonight. We hope.
Finally in afternoon it broke a bit and we went out
around 360 and walked the knoll looking for the probable
Baird's Sparrow we saw a couple weeks ago.
Along the back of 360, north of the knoll we had a small
flock, of about 16 Field Sparrow, and I heard a Black-throated
Sparrow. This was right where the same two species were
a couple weeks ago. Also loosely moving with them was a
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a Hutton's Vireo, an Orange-crowned
Warbler, and a Bewick's Wren. Saw a couple Dutchman's
Breeches with flower buds just about to open. They are
one of the first ones to go off.
Up on the knoll we criscrossed lots of the chigger grassy
area where the Baird's Sparrow was a couple weeks ago
and could not kick up anything. But a FOY Roadrunner, one
N. Harrier hunting juniper-oak-grassland, and four Caracara.
On the south base of the knoll we found another flock of
Field Sparrow, at least another dozen, with at least two
Black-throated Sparrow in with them. This was very near
where the pair of them nested last year. We got great close
looks, what a beautiful bird. Heard another Hutton's
vireo, saw a couple Titmouse, another Kinglet, and another
Bewick's Wren. On the way home we stopped for a quick
peek at the 360 crossing, there was a male Green Kingfisher
where yesterday's female was, just below the bridge.
Over the course of the day we got about three sixteenths
of an inch of rain, nearly a quarter. Then after dark the
predicted MCS ran across plateau west to east. In a half
hour we had an inch more, and a bit after that another few
sixteenths. Total was about one and seven sixteenths.
Sorry about the fractions, can't use slashes here
easily, it messes up the code... and I don't know my metric
sixteenths well.
Jan. 14 ~ Holy cow, two weeks into the new year already.
It was off and on showerlets most of the morning. We are
supposed to get a rain event tomorrow. So after lunch
when it cleared enough and we went out for a couple hour
putt around. We went south down-valley for a change.
At the 3 or 4 mile (heard it called both) bridge on 187
it was as dead for birds as I have seen it. But one
House Wren was nice, though heard only. A Cardinal and
a Kinglet (Ruby) were the only other birds there. I did
see a Blanchard's Cricket-Frog, my FOY.
Then we cruised the couple miles of UvCo 361 just south and
west of that crossing. Best was finally seeing a Say's
Phoebe this winter. Total of about 10 Savannah and 1 Vesper
Sparrow. Heard a Pyrrhuloxia, saw a dozen Eastern Bluebird,
a few Mockingbird, and 8 Raven. A flock of a couple hundred
Brewer's Blackbird had 3 Starling, 20 Brown-headed Cowbird
and a dozen Red-winged Blackbird in it.
Saw a bunch of raptors, there were a couple Caracara, 5-6 Red-tailed
Hawk, a Cooper's Hawk, a half-dozen Kestrel, a N. Harrier, and
a White-tailed Kite. One of the Red-tailed Hawks was a belly-banded
Eastern type, the rest resident Fuertes'. Also saw one Pipevine
Swallowtail. But no White-tailed Hawk. There are reports of 5
White-tailed Hawks further north than normal in Bexar Co. right now,
so a northward movement is apparently indicated this year. Keep
your eyes peeled, maybe you can get lucky like Leslie did.
On the way home as we went over the 360 crossing there was a
female Green Kingfisher hunting next to the bridge, and one Song Sparrow.
Hey can you pick those leaves off that for me?
Porcupine gets a bit ratty during late-summer shed.
They drink like dillos, ten minutes at a sitting.
~ ~ ~ last prior update below ~ ~ ~
Jan. 13 ~ Happy Friday the 13th! The low was 66dF, and
yesterday's was about 65. These are average high
temps for the date. Just getting up to mid-70's dF,
and very humid gulf flow. Some scattered sprinkles in a.m.
Across the road caught a glimpse of a small hawk as it flew
into the corral, which looked like the Roadside. Then the
electric company tree trimming crew showed up and it got
beyond very noisy with chain saws and a tree shredder.
A Pipevine Swallowtail in yard was a fresh emergence,
fooled by the 75dF warmth lately. A lot of these first-of-the-year
eager beavers are genetic dead-ends. No food and nothing
to mate with, plus likely to freeze. Got a bad bio-clock.
Had a town run so checked the park. The tree trimmers
there were not cutting, but lots of branches down on the
adjacent property to north, and across the river too, so
clearly it has been very noisy there this week. No surprise
no waterthrush. About 5 Myrtle Warbler, 4 Ruby-crowned
Kinglet, some Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee and Wren,
a few bluebird flew over. Great was a treetop view of a
Zone-tailed Hawk soaring right overhead low as could be
up in the woods. Also saw Green Kingfisher and the
Pied-billed Grebe. Was sprinkling a little in town.
Jan. 12 ~ Thursday, my stuck near phone and monitor day.
The Rusty Blackbird was in yard early in the morning.
Later in afternoon I saw a Turkey Vulture which I presume
is the one seen in December and so likely a very rare
here wintering record (once in prior 13 winters). I also
heard an Audubon's Oriole up in the live-oaks out back.
There was an amazing burst of Ringed Kingfisher machine gun
fire call for a couple minutes. There were two initially
and what I presume was the dominant male went off after
displacing the other bird. It was full volume .50 caliber
for two minutes almost without stopping, finally he ran out
of either ammo or steam. Also had a Pine Warbler in yard.
After dark I heard something banging around out under the
carport out back of house. Grabbed gun with a shotshell
.22 round and flashlight. Took minutes of poking my head
in a out of boxes and stuff on the shelves before I found
the culprit. Not 2 feet from my face when I spotted it,
a 10-12 inch long, SPOTTED SKUNK! Must be a yearling or so?
First one I have seen here. The one that has a den under
the other side of cottage is a Striped Skunk, the common
skunk here. Two species of skunk in the yard!
It was an awesome black and white beauty. Went back in
house and traded gun for camera and got a poor docu shot,
but it was fast and wouldn't stop moving in and out of
boxes and junk. It was cute as can be. About 10-12 inches and
as much tail. It looked at me with that skunk - what are
you gonna do, grab me? look. No fear. Too cool. My first
local record for the species. The beast of the week by far.
Jan. 11 ~ Had a quick errand in town early so ran through
the park. There were tree trimmers on the other side of
the fence from the woods blaring a radio to make sure it
didn't get quiet when the chainsaw stopped. I got
to hear five minutes of high volume radio commericials.
My research indicates folks that can stand listening to
that all day are less intelligent than those that can't.
Did finally see the Pied-billed Grebe, and found out later I
obtained three chigger specimens, currently being housed under
the skin at waistband.
To finish the list of winterers in the last two day's posts...
Monday the 9th lists the 66 sps. I saw the first 9 days of
the new year. Yesterday, the 10th, I listed 17+sps. seen the last
10 days of last year that are surely around still. Today here
is the list of 17 more species that are surely around now.
Generally these are localized low-density species and-or
habitat specialists. Bobwhite, Audubon's Oriole,
Canyon Towhee, Olive Sparrow, Long-billed Thrasher, the park
Pied-billed Grebe, Swamp and Lincoln's Sparrow, Say's Phoebe,
White-throated Sparrow, White-tailed Kite, Canyon Wren, Verdin,
Wood Duck, and maybe Red-naped Sapsucker, House or Winter Wren, for
a few examples off the top of my head. Leslie Calvert recently
reported a few of the above south of town.
So the 66 seen, this year, plus the 17 seen the end of last
year, and the 17 we know are around but I have not seen in the
last month totals about a hundred species around locally now.
Which is about normal average for winter diversity in the
upper Sabinal River drainage. There are probably 10 more
rarer things around in low single digit numbers, if you could
find them.
Jan. 10 ~ We were about 45-75dF for a temp spread today.
Nice. Too busy working but did see a couple Pine Warbler
in the yard in the afternoon, working the ball moss
clumps in the big pecan and the biggest hackberry. Two
Myrtle and an Orange-crowned went through as well. The
single Lark Sparrow continues. Heard the Sapsucker.
To add to yesterday's list of 66 sps. I have seen so
far this year, to more complete the picture of what winters
here... Here are 17+ species seen the last ten days or so of
last year that are surely still around. Gadwall, Am. Wigeon,
Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Zone-tailed Hawk, Merlin,
Wilson's Snipe, Barred Owl, Blue Jay, Bushtit, Louisiana
Waterthrush, Pyrrhuloxia, Rufous-crowned, Savannah and Fox Sparrow,
on Dec. 22 the Roadside Hawk, on Dec. 21 Audubon's Oriole.
Plus Jan. 1 a probable Baird's Sparrow.
Jan. 9 ~ A low about 44 felt great, so nice to get out of
thermals and open the house up in 65dF heat. Today I added
a Golden-crowned Kinglet out back of house in the afternoon.
Here is a list of what I have seen locally so far this year to
give an idea of what is around. Wild Turkey, Great Blue Heron,
Black Vulture, N. Harrier, Sharp-shinned, Cooper's,
Red-tailed, and Red-shouldered Hawks, Crested Caracara,
Am. Kestrel, Killdeer, Eur. Collared-Dove, White-winged,
Mourning, and Inca Dove, Common Ground-Dove, Barn Owl, Eastern
Screech-Owl, Great Horned Owl, Selasphorus Hummingbird sps.
(probable Rufous), Ringed, Belted, and Green Kingfisher, Golden-fronted,
Ladder-backed, and Downy Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker, Eastern Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, Texas Scrub-Jay,
Common Raven, Carolina Chickadee, Black-crested Titmouse,
Carolina and Bewick's Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit
Thrush, American Robin, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglet,
N. Mockingbird, Eur. Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Orange-crowned,
Myrtle, Audubon's, and Pine Warbler, Spotted Towhee,
Chipping, Field, Vesper, Lark, Song, Black-throated, and
White-crowned Sparrow, N. Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird,
Eastern and Western Meadowlark, Rusty and Brewer's Blackbird,
Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, American Goldfinch, and
House Sparrow. So I have seen 66 species so far, and haven't
really been able to get out and bird more than a five or six hours.
Jan. 8 ~ We had 15dF for a low here this a.m.! Which is
plenty cold for me if you don't know. By 10 we had warmed
up to freezing. NOAA said this was the strongest front here in
south central TX in 6 years. Froze down to the LRGV. One
hemispheric satellite map I saw showed it made it all the way
through Mexico to Central America! It should send some rare birds
to Texas from southward. Winds turned back to south in afternoon,
but it was polar air still and quite the cold breeze at 10+mph.
The peak-heat mid-40's F felt like the mid-upper-30's.
We took a spin around about 1-3 p.m. to see what we could
see while being kept warm. The park was dead, a couple
Myrtle, an Orange-crowned, a Kinglet (Ruby), and that was
it. Went to Little Creek to see if that pond below where 356
meets it had any waterfowl. A couple barnyard geese and
9 domestic Mallard. Not good countable wild Mallard. A
Belted Kingfisher was up-creek a bit on the powerline.
A N. Harrier was in the pastures to south of 356. On 356
just east of town after the first dip and draw with a brushy
section there was a small group of 3 White-crowned Sparrow,
a Spotted Towhee, and a couple Titmouse.
Otherwise We saw a few Red-tailed and a Red-shouldered Hawk,
a Caracara and a couple Kestrel, one Vesper Sparrow, some Meadowlarks,
and in town a few Eastern Bluebird with one Waxwing, some Chippies,
and 4-5 Myrtle and one male Audubon's Warbler. I saw an imm.
or female Selasphorus Hummer as we cruised by Judy Schaffer's
feeders. Probably a Rufous. Here at the house it was the usual,
the Lark Sparrow was around, 4 Ground-Dove. There were liberal
extra seed rations the last three days of this icebox living.
Jan. 7 ~ We had about 17dF for a low here in our cool spot.
KRVL briefly had 13 and 14dF. Bird bath frozen solid.
By noon it was above freezing and felt warmish. By peak heat
in afternoon the cool porch was 45 and the sunny warm south
side of the house was every bit of 50dF. Supposed to be in
teens again tomorrow morning. So we worked in house.
Watched the couple dozen House Finches for a while, and have not
reseen Mr. Super Red (scroll down to second pic below to see a
pic of him), but saw one with the least amount of red I have
ever seen, restricted to throat and only barely to upper breast.
Missed getting a pic of it though. It is an individual I have
not noticed here prior, and think it is obviously different
enough that I would have. If you actually study your House
Finches you will see a) they are not always all the same
individuals, b) there is way more variation than you think,
and c) you aren't as House Finch smart as you thought. ;)
I have seen two very odd ones that stood out as being very
different in the last 10 days.
The only other interesting thing was watching the Orange-crowned
Warbler follow an ad. male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker around
from tree to tree, working each sap well it dug or worked
immediately after the Sapsucker left that part of the tree.
The rest was the usual suspects. That same Myrtle Warbler
was eating millet off the patio again.
This is one of our dependents on the sunflower feeder.
It is not unusual for a male to have some red feathers
in the orange nape patch. (Golden-fronted Woodpecker)
~ ~ ~ last prior update ~ ~ ~
Jan. 6 ~ Got up to a frozen bird bath, and about 26dF with
10-15 mph winds, and gusting higher, on it, so chills in low
teens. KRVL had 22dF with 15-20 mph winds and a chill factor
of 11dF about 9 a.m. It's lovely out come on down.
We got above freezing barely for a couple hours at peak heat,
if you can call it that. A Myrtle Warbler was on the patio
eating white millet seeds with the Chipping Sparrows and House
Finches. At last sun, a Pine Warbler appeared on the patio
and ate some white millet. That is how cold it is.
Had a town run, several around the area said they too had 26dF.
There was a Ringed and a Green Kingfisher at the park. There
was a small group of Spizella along the river in some grass
which was 6 Field and 3 Chipping Sparrow. Field are hard
to get in the park. Best bird though was a female Downy
Woodpecker, a scarce bird here. Little Creek Larry said he
had continuing Spotted, Canyon, and an Eastern Towhee where he
puts scratch out. I saw about a dozen Eurasian Collared-Dove
in town.
Jan. 5 ~ Cool, about 40dF, gray, and damp in the a.m. gave way
to warm and sunny in the afternoon, probably hitting 75dF here!
Not gonna last. The front got here after dark and a three day
cold spell is in the cards. By 9-10 p.m. it was 50 and falling
fast, 20 mph northerlies, and supposed to get down into low
30s or upper 20s by tomorrow morning, with wind on it. How lucky
this hit for the couple days I might be able to go out and poke
around a couple hours. :) It was lovely out the last three
days I was stuck at the monitor.
Counted 20 House Finch, 10 were males, jockeying for position
on the sunflower tube. Thought I heard a Junco fly off when
everything flushed due to another accipiter attack. Have not
seen one for sure all fall, but thought I heard them a couple
times. Several per day of the accipiter flushings. A big imm.
female Cooper's Hawk was chasing a squirrel around a tree
trunk right out the office window. I was on the hawks side all
the way but it saw me through the window and split. About 23
Robins flew over early. The rest was the expected gang.
Jan. 4 ~ Upper 30's to 56dF or so, little north cool wind.
Too busy at the desk. Great was a Spotted Towhee in the yard,
which was in the Mulberry and Hackberry over patio and cottage,
and later out where we throw seed by the only understory along
the back fence. Love to get one to stick around. Later in day
there were about 30 female Red-winged Blackbird around the edge
of patio where the millet tube hangs. Well over a hundred Brewer's
were in the corral, a few Brown-headed Cowbird, and one Starling.
A Red-tailed Hawk was going over about 1000 feet up when one of
the local nesters began giving that classic call we hear in movies
and on TV, from over where the pair nests in big cypresses at the river.
Which of course there are variations of the call, and probably we
can't tell differences that the birds can. This version
apparently was the one that clearly in no uncertain terms meant
" don't make me fly up there and chase you away."
Because the one going over immediately turned around and flew away
exactly the way it came. The one on the ground chased it out of the
territory without a flap, even when it was at a thousand feet up,
just with THE call. That call. It was amazing to watch and listen
to it as it happened. It only takes one good bird moment to make
your day. To see the common thing in an uncommon way, it doesn't
get any better than that.
Jan. 3 ~ We had about 38 to 76dF temp range. Cold in a.m. but
still warmed up. Cold is on way. Which good, we need it, I see
green grass growing out there it has been so warm. I saw what
seemed the golf course flock of 8 Killdeer flying from the country club
across the river, down the river habitat corridor, and over to
the grass airstrip just south of us. So they are commuting a
mile or so anyway. Otherwise it was the same gang, some of which
is 35-40 Cardinal, 75 Chipping Sparrow, and 10 Black-crested Titmouse.
A couple Robin seem to have stuck and are about daily, as are a
few American Goldfinch. Still no Siskin, must be good food crops
up north. Mourning Dove count is about 40 now coming into the seed.
Add about 25 White-winged Dove and its a herd of seed suckers.
Jan. 2 ~ Warmed up into mid-70's dF in the afternoon, amazing.
Had 8 Common Raven that went over at once early. Lots of hawks...
Red-shouldered, Red-tailed, Cooper's, Sharp-shinned Hawks, plus
Caracara, and a Kestrel was heard. Great Blue Heron, heard a Flicker,
likely that male Yellow-shafted, the Orange-crowned Warbler continues
going through yard as do a few Myrtle Warbler. Had some Red-winged
Blackbird hit the millet seed on patio. The Brewer's were over in
the corral, and wouldn't be caught dead doing such a thing.
I got a note from Leslie Calvert whom is a few miles SW of town.
She saw what sounded like it was probably an ad. White-tailed Hawk,
I think Jan. 1. She also has seen a Wood Duck, Long-billed Thrasher,
Verdin, and says Pyrrhuloxia are in good numbers over her way.
Thanks for the news! Folks, keep your eyes out for soaring buteos
with a short broad snow white tail with a black band at tip.
January 1, 2017 ~ Holy cow I can't believe I just wrote that.
Happy New Year! The good news is that last years' rolly
coaster is over. Hope this next ride isn't so bumpy with so
many hard turns. I'm getting old for this, the teacups are
sounding good to me, but I think that sign we just passed said
"Mr. Toads Wild Ride."
After breakfast we putted down to the crossing, couldn't find
a flock there and back. Just a few of the residents. Then
up E. 360 to a Chinaberry, and a Ligustrum tree near Berteau
Pk., no rare Robins. Further out E. 360 along north side of
the 1500' knoll a small flock of sparrows was along the road.
We had mostly 20 or so Chipping Sparrow, a few Field in with
them, and the beauty of the bunch, one Black-throated Sparrow,
which disappeared quickly. There were both the gray type, and
the rusty-buffy type of Field Sparrow, and a Bewick's Wren.
We went up on the knoll and still can't find a Spotted
Towhee, and did not see any Bushtits. But did have one Texas
Scrub-Jay. The bird of the day, got away. We repeatedly flushed
a sparrow in the thick grasses on top that we could never get
a good study look at. In flight as it flew away and turned I saw
it had mostly ashy white outer tail feathers. Not snow white,
but clearly mostly barely off-whitish. It had a big head and fat
body, tail was shortish, and it would not allow views. Every
time it flew it landed in a short thick patch of Agarita and
wouldn't flush until you stepped on it. Over and over
again for 15-20 minutes. Lots of flight views flying away. In
which it most closely resembled a Baird's Sparrow to my eye.
Behavior was right. We were a half mile or so from where we
had one a couple winters ago. Impossible to see is a character
of Baird's Sparrow. So we start the year with a great
one that gets away. We will look some more, but the last one
was just like this bird, no way to see it properly, except
the one time when lady luck flew it up into a tree.
It got up to just about 80dF in the afternoon heat, amazing
for New Years Day. As were the dozen species of butterflies
that were out in it. Large Orange, Orange, and Dainty Sulphur,
Little Yellow, So. Dogface, and Sleepy Orange for 6 Pierids.
Then 6 brushfoots were Snout, several Variegated and 2 Gulf
Fritillary, Buckeye, 3 Mestra, a female Goatweed Leafwing,
and later the male in yard yesterday showed back up too. I have
had whole Januarys that did not have a dozen species. So
this is pretty remarkable. Like all the green grass growing,
and some Paralena and Straggler Daisy have both put out flowers.
~ ~ ~ above is 2017 ~ ~ ~
Here is that House Finch from Dec. 29 with an extreme
amount of red on underparts coupled with a very reduced
amount of streaking on sides and a bold upper wingbar.
Rear flanks and thighs are streaked or marked, as in a
House Finch.
~ ~ 2016 summary - The Year in Review ~ ~ long and boring ! ! ~ ~
Wow man, holy cow, a whole dang year has gone before us.
Seems like I just did this? These are brutal, the annual
summary. But it sometimes makes it easier for me to look
stuff up, like the monthly summaries. Especially for items
that don't make one of my excel files. They also help
me put records in perspective. And each year adds another
layer or level, of observation, and therefore understanding.
We finished 13 years here in late Oct., and are now on our
14th Nov., January, etc. WeeWow.
It was our 5th year of not driving a thousand miles all year,
all driving total. Most of which is just town and back runs
for supplies, mail, etc. Which is remarkable methinks. That
includes a few big city runs to Uvalde for supplies @ 100 mi. ea.
Total birding miles is a couple hundred of the less than thousand.
I guess one could say I am in a fairly sedentary phase.
I have always preferred concentrating lots of effort in a small
area. It seems to yield more results than little effort in
lots of places. Maybe not a bigger species list, but those
are not the results I seek. I want to discover something new,
something that we don't know. Chasing already known
discovered birds does not provide that for me.
This year my Upper Sabinal River Drainage (USRD) total was 368*. ;)
The area is from a couple miles south of Utopia where we live
up the valley and canyon to the Sabinal River headwaters at
Lost Maples SNA. Of course all the way 9 miles south of town
to Clayton Grade and the escarpment I consider the USRD.
I just did not see anything south of 360 that was different this year.
*My USRD 2016 total works out like this:
212 species of birds
104+ sps. of butterflies
52 sps. of Odes (dragonflies and damselflies)
368 total - LOL
I think it is the first time I have broken 200 on a bird year
list just up here in the USRD. The year I did 279 in Uvalde Co.
I birded the Uvalde area and everything between way over a dozen
times. Considering it was a poor passerine spring and fall
migration here it is a pretty amazing total. The river is a
creek, and there are only a couple weak stock tanks for ponds,
not any real lake. I hadn't counted all year and so was shocked
when I hit 200 and still had orioles and finches to count. I am
usually more like in the 170-80's for the year up here locally.
There were about 8 more sps. of birds, a couple butterflies,
and a couple more odes, seen down at Uvalde not included in
total which is strictly the local USRD list. The 104 sps. of
butterflies locally is second only to a 108 year in prior 13 years.
Odes were lackluster overall and remain depressed still
since drought. Most of the great fall butterfly show is
immigrants from elsewhere (southward primarily).
There was nearly FOUR FEET of rain locally this year, it was
a wet one. But most was in brief periods during major events,
with dry spells between them. All or nuthin' in other
words. The Persimmon and Hackberry crops were wiped out by
the couple feet in spring, and a major wind event took out
the pecan flowers at just the wrong time so there was only
a very very minor pecan crop. Seed crops however faired well.
Flower blooms were great.
Best butterflies were the second UvCo record for Purple-washed
Skipper (Panoquina lucas) in Nov. again, just like the first
I found a few years ago. A Malachite was outstanding at the
park. Both are Mexican origin vagrants. I saw a couple Adelpha
sisters that were not Arizona, one looked Spot-celled, another
looked Band-celled. I only counted Adelpha sps. (non eulalia),
besides Arizona. Dang things won't stop. A Mourning Cloak
is always good here, not a sure thing every year.
Many butterflies occured that I had not recorded in a number of
years, often going back to the start of the drought. Like Julia,
Empress Leilia, Tailed Orange, Tropical Leafwing, Coyote Cloudywing,
Zilpa Longtail, Rawson's Metalmark, a Polydamus Swallowtail,
(a couple probable Ornythion got away), and a Brazillian Skipper.
Scarce still but not firsts in such a long time were lots of
Orange-barred Sulphur, numbers of Ocola Skipper, a dozen Crimson
Patch, a Dark Buckeye, a handfull of White Peacock, and it was a
big invasion year for Mestra, but only a very few Zebra.
Misses were no rare whites, Great Purple Hairstreak (!),
no Dorantes or Longtailed Skipper, no Wood-Nymph, Mexican Frit,
Tailed-Blue. Read the Sept., Oct., and Nov. monthly summaries
for amazing numbers of things like Bordered Patch, Theona Crescent,
Sachem, and many others. The fall invasion was outstanding.
We missed any major Monarch flight this year, but in Sept.
had a week-long flight of a billion Snout.
A photo was shown to me of a Calleta Silkmoth caterpillar, from
late Oct. in town, the first I know of that species locally.
Some good bugs were a couple Eyed Elatarid, one Stenaspis Cerambycid,
(those two are on the 2016 photos page), Wheel Bugs, a Hister
Beetle, a few S. gigas Cerambycid, a Banded Sphinx ad. on porch,
and a couple of the cats on Ludwigia at the park.
The few good odes were a Blue-faced and a Swamp Darner, a few
Ivory-striped Sylph, Halloween, Red-tailed and Four-spotted Pennant
(all 3 scarce up here), some Band-winged Dragonlet, a few Orange-striped
Threadtail, Springwater Dancer at Lost Maples, but generally lackluster.
No Amberwings, Comanche or Twelve-spotted Skimmer, and Black-shouldered
Spinyleg that was common 03-08 remains absent since the drought and
dredging of the park pond.
Best birds were the Roadside Hawk last winter, now back again,
for its third winter. The Green Violetear (now called Mexican
Violetear) at Sabinal River Lodge in May and June was outstanding,
and one of the birds-of-the-year. Certainly the rarest documented.
The Short-tailed Hawk in late September was another great Mexican
origin vagrant and record. Perhaps the first fall Edwards Plateau
record? Tropical Parula were at Concan as usual in spring, but
I did not get one here. A Common Crow was a mega-rare vagrant
here this year as well.
In spring an immature Goshawk was seen several times from late
Feb. to early May. The couple Harris's Sparrows that
overwintered into Feb. were good too. A Great Kiskadee in the yard
in May was, uh, great, as were a couple Philadelphia Vireo. It was
a weak spring for warblers and eastern passerines (songbirds).
Even Nashville Warbler numbers were way down.
In summer finding nesting Olive Sparrow just south of town was
outstanding and maybe the furthest north known nesting at present.
Also a family group of Black-throated Sparrow were a nice find.
A juvenile Broad-winged Hawk in July in our garden indicates
they nested somewhere very nearby again this year. White-tipped
Dove surely must be nesting in the area, numbers are regular
spring to fall at Lost Maples now.
August from or in the yard we had a couple Roseate Spoonbill seen
flying downriver, a Townsend's Warbler, and a couple late
Golden-cheeked Warblers. Plus a couple Acadian Flycatcher off
breeding grounds in river habitat corridor. September had the
Malachite (butterfly), a Philly Vireo, and the Short-tailed Hawk.
October saw the return of the Roadside Hawk, one Red-breasted
Nuthatch, a Sprague's Pipit, and a great total of 77 species
of butterflies for that month.
November had an amazing calling Eastern Wood-Pewee on the 11th at
the park, and a Common Crow flew over the yard on the 23rd, my
first in Uvalde County. December provided a Bald Eagle, Fox Sparrow,
and I saw the Roadside Hawk again, on the 22nd.
So it may often seem light and slowish at times, but there are
always some incredible exciting things to be found. Surely we
miss more than we see and there is lots going by un-detected.
When you add it all up at the end, it was a great year out
here with lots of outstanding finds. You just have to keep
ploughing. The more you cast your visual net, the more you catch.
Always, some of it will blow your mind.
~ ~ ~ end 2016 summary ~ ~ ~
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Go, look, see, take notes and pictures, boldly nature nerd where
no one has before. Few things rival the thrill of discovery.
Besides having fun and learning, you will probably see some things
people won't believe without photos. ;)