camcar
05-09-2011, 05:13 PM
Greetings,
I am posting this to y'alls forum to encourage birding in the southern panhandle of Texas. It is a very under birded area and there is a rumor out there that I might be the next president of the local Audubon Society. Time will tell if that rumor is true.
My father drove in from Arlington to help me out with a Lubbock Co. Big Day on the 7th of May. Our goal was to find 120 species in a 24-hour period. While we did not reach our goal, we found some very good species, had a lot of fun and helped a few LEAS'ers get a new life bird.
We started at 3:30 A.M. in my front yard where we tallied the friendly and sometimes annoying Northern Mockingbird that lives outside my window. We also picked up the American Robins that live next door. We did not see or hear another bird for over an hour!
Our first destination was northeast Lubbock Co. (Becton, TX) to find Barn Owls. This area has a lot of CRP and probably has the highest density of Barn Owls in the county. We started getting worried when we could not find the Owls at their usual haunts, but by the time we left the area we had tallied 3 of them. Next stop Yellow House Canyon for more owls!
About 40 minutes later we turned down Rustic Range Road with the hopes of tallying an Eastern Screech-Owl. We stopped at the first water crossing and gave a few short whistles... no return, darn! We drove to the next water crossing - where the Harris's Sparrows had been seen regularly this year - gave a few short whistles and "boom goes the dynamite!" A screech owl called back! The only problem is that my dad didn't hear it. So, I called again. A few tense seconds later the owl called again and this time my father got it. Bird #4 for the day!
Ransom Canyon was going to be our biggest number getter of the day, and we were relying on it to get some our less prevalent residents and hopefully some migrants. We missed out on several residents, but we scored big time on migrants. An Osprey was patrolling the lake when we first got there, and Martin numbers were at an all time high. At the chapel we picked up Wilson's Warbler and a Common Yellowthroat, but not a Rock Wren or Canyon Wren. We moved down the to pedestrian bridge to look for finches and warblers. As soon as we got there we noticed a warbler in the bushes. It flew out to a branch and offered amazing views... it was a Virginia's Warbler! Score! We picked up an Orange-crowned Warbler, several Pine Siskins and one American Goldfinch.
Susan B. jumped out of a van of LEAS'ers to come investigate who the strange birders were at the bridge, and we exchanged numbers in case either of us ran into a good bird.
We walked back to the truck - caught a flock of Lesser Goldfinches - and started towards the dam. We were pretty excited to see 4 Franklin's Gulls pass over right after getting in the truck and then slammed on the break for a Gray Catbird in someone's flower bed.
At the dam we missed out on the American Pipit that has been there for months; however, we picked up several sandpipers and a Peregrine Falcon. We also caught a glance of 4 very large gulls on the opposite side of the lake that had black on their tails and white heads - at first we thought they were Osprey, but we soon figured them to be gulls. That ID had to be left on the table.
Returning to the Chapel to look for the Rufous-crowned Sparrows we missed out on earlier, we heard a strange call. It turned out to be a Black-headed Grosbeak. We texted Susan, and eventually we were able to get the Audubon band on the bird - definitely the highlight of the day.
On the way out of Ransom we ran across two Scaled Quail crossing the road. (http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5703455853_153104e7d3_z.jpg ) That marked an eventual destination off the list.
Back to Yellow House. A Yellow-shafted Flicker crossed our path - a scouted bird - and picked up Cassin's Sparrows and Bobwhite. Our last destination in the canyon was a place where I had scouted out a Rock Wren. Not only did he show up, but a Rufous-crowned Sparrow popped out!
We checked the large prairie dog town for Ferruginous Hawks, but we had no luck. We were able to pick up a shrike and a Brewer's Sparrow.
Luckily, Dixie Upton posted a report from some of the local playas and helped narrow down the playas that we needed to visit.
At Jack Stevens we picked up a Common Moorhen and a White-faced Ibis, and at the playa at 98th and Slide we picked up some more shorebirds for the day.
Elmore was our stop for cormorants, and Maxey was our stop for ducks and more shorebirds - happened upon an Indigo Bunting, too.
Off to my favorite bird destination and my most scouted stop of the day, Clapp Park. We had almost every bird scouted down to the exact spot they were going to be... or so we thought.
Our Green-tailed Towhees were exactly where we left them, and they must have called their friends because there were FOUR! of them. The Bronzed Cowbird was hiding, but we eventually rounded him up. And our House Wren was right where we left him. Our other birds were not so obliging. The Swainson's Thrush we had found a day earlier gave us only a brief view, and we were not confident enough to count it for the day. Our Waxwings had vanished too.
Lake 6 was productive as well. We added several of our scouted birds as well a Yellow-breasted Chat.
Since I had to be up at 3:00 again to go to work, below the dam was our last stop of the day. We had given up on finding a Roadrunner when BAM! one crossed right over our head. It was on the train trestle - guess it thought it was a Railroad Runner. This was our stop for Pheasant and Cattle Egrets. Easily found. We found a Western Wood-Pewee in a dead snag and had about given up on the day when we heard an Orchard Oriole singing back near the spillway. We went down to see what the Oriole was up to when out of the blue, yellow things started flying everywhere. A Common Yellowthroat was chasing somebody. I saw a black hood and yelled out Hooded Warbler! My dad saw something different. It turns out that he was right on the ID. Either this bird had partied too hard after the derby or was visiting a friend to watch it, but we found and photographed a beautiful Kentucky Warbler (http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5064/5703453139_ba9b5215ac_z.jpg ).
At 110 species we certainly didn't break any records, but it was a personal record and it was a great way to spend time with my dad and mentor. We could have done much better, but given the severe drought I am amazed we were able to do this well. We missed several common species including Ladder-Backed Woodpecker and Inca Dove, but you can't always get what you want.
Cameron Carver
Lubbock, TX
Full list below:
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Scaled Quail
Northern Bobwhite
Ring-necked Pheasant
Wild Turkey
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
White-faced Ibis
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Mississippi Kite
Swainson's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Spotted Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Wilson's Phalarope
Franklin's Gull
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Greater Roadrunner
Barn Owl
Eastern Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Burrowing Owl
Chimney Swift
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Western Wood-Pewee
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Western Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Loggerhead Shrike
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Purple Martin
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Rock Wren
Bewick's Wren
House Wren
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Curve-billed Thrasher
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
Virginia's Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Kentucky Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Green-tailed Towhee
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Cassin's Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Brewer's Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Lark Bunting
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Black-headed Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Common Grackle
Great-tailed Grackle
Bronzed Cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Bullock's Oriole
House Finch
Pine Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
I am posting this to y'alls forum to encourage birding in the southern panhandle of Texas. It is a very under birded area and there is a rumor out there that I might be the next president of the local Audubon Society. Time will tell if that rumor is true.
My father drove in from Arlington to help me out with a Lubbock Co. Big Day on the 7th of May. Our goal was to find 120 species in a 24-hour period. While we did not reach our goal, we found some very good species, had a lot of fun and helped a few LEAS'ers get a new life bird.
We started at 3:30 A.M. in my front yard where we tallied the friendly and sometimes annoying Northern Mockingbird that lives outside my window. We also picked up the American Robins that live next door. We did not see or hear another bird for over an hour!
Our first destination was northeast Lubbock Co. (Becton, TX) to find Barn Owls. This area has a lot of CRP and probably has the highest density of Barn Owls in the county. We started getting worried when we could not find the Owls at their usual haunts, but by the time we left the area we had tallied 3 of them. Next stop Yellow House Canyon for more owls!
About 40 minutes later we turned down Rustic Range Road with the hopes of tallying an Eastern Screech-Owl. We stopped at the first water crossing and gave a few short whistles... no return, darn! We drove to the next water crossing - where the Harris's Sparrows had been seen regularly this year - gave a few short whistles and "boom goes the dynamite!" A screech owl called back! The only problem is that my dad didn't hear it. So, I called again. A few tense seconds later the owl called again and this time my father got it. Bird #4 for the day!
Ransom Canyon was going to be our biggest number getter of the day, and we were relying on it to get some our less prevalent residents and hopefully some migrants. We missed out on several residents, but we scored big time on migrants. An Osprey was patrolling the lake when we first got there, and Martin numbers were at an all time high. At the chapel we picked up Wilson's Warbler and a Common Yellowthroat, but not a Rock Wren or Canyon Wren. We moved down the to pedestrian bridge to look for finches and warblers. As soon as we got there we noticed a warbler in the bushes. It flew out to a branch and offered amazing views... it was a Virginia's Warbler! Score! We picked up an Orange-crowned Warbler, several Pine Siskins and one American Goldfinch.
Susan B. jumped out of a van of LEAS'ers to come investigate who the strange birders were at the bridge, and we exchanged numbers in case either of us ran into a good bird.
We walked back to the truck - caught a flock of Lesser Goldfinches - and started towards the dam. We were pretty excited to see 4 Franklin's Gulls pass over right after getting in the truck and then slammed on the break for a Gray Catbird in someone's flower bed.
At the dam we missed out on the American Pipit that has been there for months; however, we picked up several sandpipers and a Peregrine Falcon. We also caught a glance of 4 very large gulls on the opposite side of the lake that had black on their tails and white heads - at first we thought they were Osprey, but we soon figured them to be gulls. That ID had to be left on the table.
Returning to the Chapel to look for the Rufous-crowned Sparrows we missed out on earlier, we heard a strange call. It turned out to be a Black-headed Grosbeak. We texted Susan, and eventually we were able to get the Audubon band on the bird - definitely the highlight of the day.
On the way out of Ransom we ran across two Scaled Quail crossing the road. (http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5703455853_153104e7d3_z.jpg ) That marked an eventual destination off the list.
Back to Yellow House. A Yellow-shafted Flicker crossed our path - a scouted bird - and picked up Cassin's Sparrows and Bobwhite. Our last destination in the canyon was a place where I had scouted out a Rock Wren. Not only did he show up, but a Rufous-crowned Sparrow popped out!
We checked the large prairie dog town for Ferruginous Hawks, but we had no luck. We were able to pick up a shrike and a Brewer's Sparrow.
Luckily, Dixie Upton posted a report from some of the local playas and helped narrow down the playas that we needed to visit.
At Jack Stevens we picked up a Common Moorhen and a White-faced Ibis, and at the playa at 98th and Slide we picked up some more shorebirds for the day.
Elmore was our stop for cormorants, and Maxey was our stop for ducks and more shorebirds - happened upon an Indigo Bunting, too.
Off to my favorite bird destination and my most scouted stop of the day, Clapp Park. We had almost every bird scouted down to the exact spot they were going to be... or so we thought.
Our Green-tailed Towhees were exactly where we left them, and they must have called their friends because there were FOUR! of them. The Bronzed Cowbird was hiding, but we eventually rounded him up. And our House Wren was right where we left him. Our other birds were not so obliging. The Swainson's Thrush we had found a day earlier gave us only a brief view, and we were not confident enough to count it for the day. Our Waxwings had vanished too.
Lake 6 was productive as well. We added several of our scouted birds as well a Yellow-breasted Chat.
Since I had to be up at 3:00 again to go to work, below the dam was our last stop of the day. We had given up on finding a Roadrunner when BAM! one crossed right over our head. It was on the train trestle - guess it thought it was a Railroad Runner. This was our stop for Pheasant and Cattle Egrets. Easily found. We found a Western Wood-Pewee in a dead snag and had about given up on the day when we heard an Orchard Oriole singing back near the spillway. We went down to see what the Oriole was up to when out of the blue, yellow things started flying everywhere. A Common Yellowthroat was chasing somebody. I saw a black hood and yelled out Hooded Warbler! My dad saw something different. It turns out that he was right on the ID. Either this bird had partied too hard after the derby or was visiting a friend to watch it, but we found and photographed a beautiful Kentucky Warbler (http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5064/5703453139_ba9b5215ac_z.jpg ).
At 110 species we certainly didn't break any records, but it was a personal record and it was a great way to spend time with my dad and mentor. We could have done much better, but given the severe drought I am amazed we were able to do this well. We missed several common species including Ladder-Backed Woodpecker and Inca Dove, but you can't always get what you want.
Cameron Carver
Lubbock, TX
Full list below:
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Scaled Quail
Northern Bobwhite
Ring-necked Pheasant
Wild Turkey
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
White-faced Ibis
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Mississippi Kite
Swainson's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Spotted Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Wilson's Phalarope
Franklin's Gull
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Greater Roadrunner
Barn Owl
Eastern Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Burrowing Owl
Chimney Swift
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Western Wood-Pewee
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Western Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Loggerhead Shrike
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Purple Martin
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Rock Wren
Bewick's Wren
House Wren
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Curve-billed Thrasher
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
Virginia's Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Kentucky Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Green-tailed Towhee
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Cassin's Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Brewer's Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Lark Bunting
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Black-headed Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Common Grackle
Great-tailed Grackle
Bronzed Cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Bullock's Oriole
House Finch
Pine Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow