Trip Report for Hagerman NWR 11-20-10

[Barbara T]

On Saturday, November 20, 2010, ten field trip participants enjoyed great weather and exceptional birding at Hagerman NWR in Grayson County. We were led by Jack Chiles, a refuge ranger, whose expertise and guidance helped us locate many of the fall and winter species that makes Hagerman NWR a favorite destination for Texas birders.

We spent the entire day enjoying the ducks, passerines, raptors, and, of course, the Refuge “stars”, five species of geese, allowing a substantial sampling of what Hagerman has to offer.

Here is the listing of 85 species for the day:

Greater White-fronted Goose
Snow Goose
Ross’s Goose
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Mute Swan--feral
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Widgeon
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Wild Turkey
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe--up close to roads out to pad and great photo op
American White Pelican
Neotropic Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Cattle Egret
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Merlin--a beautiful pale Prairie race bird, seen by 4 members who stayed for a full day of birding
American Coot
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Least Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
Franklin’s Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pidgeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Red-shafted Flicker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Eastern Phoebe
American Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
American Pipit
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Harris’s Sparrow--heard by Jack Chiles
White-crowned Sparrow
Lincoln Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Western Meadowlark
Great-tailed Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Many thanks to Jack Chiles who drove us all around the Refuge, including the off-limit area of Meadow Lake Trail. Jack also informed us that if we are interested in following the events, sightings, and photos of Hagerman NWR, the Facebook page Friends of Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge provides an accessible source of continually updated information.

Thanks also to the participants who made the trip and contributed to such an enjoyable day. If any of you saw species that did not make my list, please feel free to add.

Barbara T, filling in for Mary Lee--we missed you!

[Barbara T]

After reviewing my notes, I noticed that I had left Wilson's Snipe off the list for Hagerman.

Another side note...it was interesting to see that Ross's Goose has increased in populaton so dramatically. Ten or fifteen years ago, finding one Ross's Goose was a needle in the haystack of thousands of Snow Geese. The population is now about 50/50 percent.

The sad observation of the day was not one Loggerhead Shrike was sighted by our group. I am aware that they are endangered in many parts of the US. In less than 10 years, their numbers have dramatically dwindled. I remember when the Northern Shrike was found in Grayson Co. in 2007 that Loggerhead Shrike were still fairly easy to find on the roads surrounding the refuge. Jack Childs asked about their population in our area. Sad to say, the bird(s) at VCDB are the only ones I regularly see in the county anymore. I was wondering who sees them elsewhere on a consistent basis. The family that nested in my yard for years died out about 4 years ago. I don't see them in the northeast part of Tarrant county anymore either.

Barbara T