Southwestern Flyer - April 2006 
The newsletter of the Fort Worth Audubon Society

PRESIDENT’S PEN By Lynn Barber

This column is a bit of this and that.

First, I still haven’t heard from any of you about the good old days! Isn’t anyone out there reading this? I’d love to hear from you about some stories or accomplishments of our chapter’s past. They don’t need to be major events or accomplishments either. Maybe some neat birding adventures on chapter field trips, some really neat programs, some people that you think it would be good for us to remember to the newcomers. Whatever…. 

Meanwhile, I’ve got something else that you can help us with too, whether or not you are knowledgeable about our chapter’s past. We have decided that we’d like to have a patch to commemorate our chapter’s 65th anniversary, and we are going to have a contest to solicit designs for the patch. We hope to use the chosen design on t-shirts and other publicity as well. Do you have a bit of artistic talent? Please give it a try, and submit your entry(ies) in the 65th anniversary patch design contest to me (or to another board member) before May 1st. Please remember, original designs only (that’s the copyright attorney in me coming out).

Finally, as I expect will be mentioned elsewhere in this and future newsletters, please keep the extended weekend of January 11-15, 2007 free. Our chapter will be hosting the winter meeting of the Texas Ornithological Society then, and there will be lots to do to make it happen, and lots more happening (field trips, speeches, banquet, etc.) during the meeting. D.D. Currie is heading up this event which promises to be a major highlight of our chapter’s future history. Again, stay tuned.

And give us your input on any and all of the above items, please!

---

ORNITHOLOGY REPORT Mid-November to Mid-December 2005

By Greg Keiran

NOTEWORTHY RECORDS for Tarrant County:

Common Goldeneye (6) - 3 Mar Lake Worth, seen from Mosque Point, 4 females and 2 males (Lynn Barber)

Purple Martin – 4 Mar male, finally the first one over my yard in SW Fort Worth (Lynn Barber)

Rufous Hummingbird (1) Still being seen in yard in early March (Lynn Barber, Fort Worth).

Most interesting from North Central Texas Area:
-13 Feb: David Brotherton reports an immature TRUMPETER SWAN off Hwy 259, which crosses Lake Lone Star about 2 miles north of the town of Lone Star, in Morris County. The bird was on the left in a cove by a church. It was seen on Saturday and Sunday morning (Feb 11 and 12). Peter Barnes, North-East Texas Field Ornithologists

-6 Mar: After hearing about all the Sandhill Cranes on the move, I decided to go outside to do my reading this afternoon. After an hour and half, I was rewarded with about 100 cranes going over. What a delight! Mary Curry, Greenwood, Texas

American BLACK duck: - 21 Feb: the first in over 20+ yrs birding Hagerman (Lee Lemons, Karl Haller, Jack Chiles, Jim Pierce, Dick Malnory).

6 cinnamon teals: - 28 Feb: at Hagerman (Lee Lemons). Also reported March 11, 2006 Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA) Ron Chenault, Carrollton, Tx

Little Gull (1): - 23 Feb: While birding Lake Ray Hubbard in the city of Garland, Dallas county I saw an adult winter Little Gull at 09:30 this morning. It was roosting with one thousand Bonaparte's Gulls and thousands of Ring-billed Gulls. If I hadn't seen it fly up when some birds flushed I would not have seen it. I was able to get some distant digiscoped shots. This bird was seen from Wynn Joyce Park. From IH-635 (LBJ) exit La Prada (turns into Wynn Joyce) and go East to the park the huge gull roost was on the shore of the lake east of the road. Or from I-30 exit Broadway and go N to Wynn Joyce. Right on Wynn Joyce to the park. Also at this park were 3 over-wintering Avocets and some Greater White-fronted Geese and lots of Dowitchers. Brian Gibbons, Dallas

-6 Mar – 12 Mar: I found an adult winter-plumaged Little Gull at White Rock Lake in Dallas. Possibly the same bird that has been at Lake Ray Hubbard for the last week. I saw the bird today from 10:00 AM until about noon. I refound it in the evening with a couple other folks from the middle of the west side of the lake. In the morning it was standing around on the spillway. In the evening it was fly-catching with some of the several hundred Bonaparte's Gulls (BOGU) that were on the lake today. Also around the lake today were more than 10 Franklin's Gulls. Picking this bird out while it is sitting is challenging. I noticed the brighter red feet when it was standing on the spillway with Bonaparte's. The back seems to be slightly paler, than BOGU, and the tips of the primaries are white. The bird is smaller but not easy to pick out as it hides easily. At least 13 species of ducks were on the lake today. Good birding

- 9 Mar: The White Rock Lake Little Gull was seen Wed 8 Mar and Thurs 9 Mar by Chris Runk at the spillway. Today Chris saw the bird for only 8 minutes or so. It was present from 07:06-07:14. Chris watched it fly downstream at 07:14. This morning I got there at 07:20 and never saw the bird in one hour of observation. If you are looking for this bird on Saturday I would suggest getting to the spillway parking lot just before 07:00. Brian Gibbons, Dallas

At John Paul Jones park in Garland I saw "Spot" the long-staying Lesser Black-backed Gull. So named for his white-splotched back that is apparently not going to molt out. JPJ Park is off of I-30. Exit Chaha and go N to the T with Zion. Right on Zion into the parking area. Spot can often be seen sitting on the stumps to the east. Brian Gibbons, Dallas

- 21 Feb: Yesterday afternoon late I found 3-4 adult Cave Swallows under the Two Mile Bridge at Lake Tawakoni in Rains County. I observed one bird fly into a Cave Swallow nest among the many Cliff Swallow nests. The bird would remain in the nest for 10 minutes and then fly out and feed on the lake for 10 minutes and then return to the nest for 10 minutes... etc. It followed this pattern for over an hour. I would appreciate any input from anyone who might have insight into this behavior at this time of the year. It is tempting to say these are early arrivals for the year, but I wonder if they have perhaps been here for some time. For 10 years I have been seeing nests like this but this is the earliest I have actually recorded the species. Matt White, Campbell TX

I found at least 3 White-winged Doves in my yard here in Van Zandt Co. With last winters finding of large roost in Hunt Co. I wonder what other native species has made a more rapid expansion across the state? Inca Dove? Crested Caracara? I was still a little surprise that 8 were found on the Lake Tawakoni CBC, I guess it just the cynic in me. need to work on that. RICHARD KINNEY, EDGEWOOD

-14 Feb: The Loons and Longspur field trip I led Sunday to Lake Tawakoni Sunday morning as part of Eagle Fest in Emory was a major success. Every participant had lengthy, extended looks of a Smith's Longspur in the *closed* field behind the Sabine River Authority Office. We watched the bird walking, feeding, resting and making short flights, until we actually decided to move on. 
Later from atop the dam we had good looks at nearly 50 Common Goldeneye and several loons and many gulls and terns. From the Van Zandt County boat ramp parking lot we had good looks at a Pacific Loon as well. It was very cold and very windy which may explain why the Smith's Longspur would only make short flights--not the normal skylarking behavior of the species. Matt White, Campbell Tx 

- 2 Mar: Howdy Texbirders, I am posting this for Greg Cook, Ross Rasmussen and Thomas Riecke. They are on Preston Point lake Texoma. They have a bird that they are studying that could be an Iceland Gull. They saw it originally from Lighthouse Marina but the bird crossed the Peninsula and is now on the West side. One public access point would be the VFW post near the NW tip of Preston point. From Pottsboro go north on FM 120 for several miles past the turnoff for Lighthouse Marina, past the turnoff for Little Mineral Marina to the T junction. Go right and immediately left and follow signs to VFW. They are attempting to get photos and conclusive ID but the bird is far out now. They have also photographed a first winter Thayer's Gull at Lighthouse Marina. 

---

CONSERVATION by: Jim Sipiora

Help Save the Endangered Species Act

The Endangered Species Act is the cornerstone of conservation efforts for our rarest birds. It has helped many bird species recover from perilously low levels and continues to save species from extinction. Recently, it has come under fire from those wishing to weaken the act in favor of business interests, culminating in the recent passage of HR3824. We need your support to ensure that this bill is not signed into law and our imperiled wildlife receives the financial and political support it needs to survive.

Please take this opportunity to send a letter (or email) to your state's Senators asking them to support strong endangered species legislation and to oppose HR3824, passed by the House of Representatives in 2005. You can find your Senators' names and contact information by visiting www.senate.gov and using the 'Find your Senators' feature at the very top right of the page.

Below is a sample letter that you may use. Please feel free to add to or edit it as you wish.

 Dear Senator:

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is perhaps the most important piece of environmental legislation ever passed in the United States. The Act sets a high standard for the protection of threatened species that can be emulated around the world, and it can be credited with numerous success stories over its 30-plus year history. The recovery of the Bald Eagle and Peregrine Falcon, and growing or stable populations of many other listed species, such as the Whooping Crane, are living examples of the Act’s success. 

American Bird Conservancy (ABC) believes the ESA is fundamentally sound. We also know that the Act can be improved to offer better protection for birds, plants, and other wildlife, and more incentives for landowners to provide some of that protection. ABC believes a strong and effective ESA should, as a minimum, contain the following provisions: 

All practical means must be made available to prevent the extinction of any species, even those with perilously small populations, as evidence shows that even these can recover.

Decisions about the listing of species, their recovery goals, and their habitat and management requirements should be made by professional biologists and based on the best available science. Criteria for these decisions should be further clarified to help streamline the process and increase transparency.

Take of listed species must be prohibited. Enforcement of this most basic of ESA provisions has given rise to collaborative habitat conservation planning across the country to the benefit of numerous species.

Recovery Plans should be updated and better standardized; expenditures and progress to recovery goals must be more easily trackable.

Protected habitat must allow for the inclusion of areas that are not currently occupied by a species, but can be restored so that habitat becomes suitable. Without this, many species with small populations will need to remain on the endangered list forever. Designation and conservation of such habitat should be made in conjunction with landowner incentive packages aimed at encouraging active engagement from stakeholders. 

Through consultations with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, all federal actions—including pesticide registrations that are currently exempted—must be held to a recovery standard that prohibits activities that would hamper recovery, or would significantly delay or increase the cost of the recovery of a listed species. 

If a species’ recovery is being impeded by a failed Habitat Conservation Plan, the Act should require that the Secretary of the Interior retain full authority to intervene, while not imposing additional costs on participating landowners.

The Act should provide economic incentives, such as priority treatment for federal grant programs and tax credits to landowners who voluntarily conserve habitat, particularly those who own land that currently harbors threatened and endangered species. 

Endangered species conservation efforts must be adequately funded. To accuse the Act of failing to save species when recovery efforts remain under-funded is equivalent to withholding medications, then blaming doctors for their patients’ failure to recover.

ABC believes that a systematic effort to address the conservation needs of declining species before they reach the point where they need to be listed as threatened or endangered is also essential. 

Additionally, concerted action in cooperation with our trading partners in other countries is needed to conserve endangered species and avert a global extinction crisis. 

With the basic foundations listed above, we believe that the Act will retain its position as one of the cornerstones of environmental law in the United States.

Please support this effort. It is the right thing for wildlife, and the right thing for America.

Sincerely,

---

Gardening For Birds

One of my favorite bird plants in my yard is my Aniscanthus “bush”, which I understand is also called Hummingbird Plant (as are others, of course). It has tiny tube-shaped orange flowers that cover the plant when the late summer/fall hummingbirds are coming through Fort Worth. The flowers drop off after awhile, but there are so many that keep opening up, that the bush seems to be covered until frost comes. During growing season, the woody bush is covered with little green leaves. It is very hardy, but does appear to be happier when it is out in the full sun and gets watered periodically. When I first got it I did not know if it would survive the winter, but as with most of my plants I just left it over winter and watched it when spring arrived to see what would happen. Out of the woody branches and twigs, that look totally dead all winter, tiny green leaves appeared! During the growing season, new twigs were added, so that by fall the size of the bush had increased. The bush is currently about three years old. New leaves are coming out (March 13th) and the bush is six feet across and 3.5 feet high. And best of all the hummingbirds love it.

---

The Traveling Birder  
By Lynn Barber

This column is about the trip that Jean Ferguson and I took to New Mexico the weekend of February 24-26 to look for the rosy-finches. I had long heard that all three species, the Gray-crowned, Brown-capped and Black Rosy-Finches wintered in New Mexico, but for the first three years I was in Texas I was learning about birding inTexas and for the second three years I was trying to see how many bird species I could see in Texas, so New Mexico received short shrift. 

But this year I’m free as a bird (almost) to bird outside Texas. So, early on Friday morning February 24th, Jean and I began our drive to Albuquerque. Of course we didn’t take a direct route. Instead, we decided to head north into the Texas panhandle first, to look for Rough-legged Hawks primarily. And Rough-legged Hawks we did see, even before the Panhandle, beginning with a quick look at one in Hardeman County between Wichita Falls and Childress. Better view desired so we kept on our planned itinerary, with other highlights of Lark Buntings and Ferruginous Hawks, as well as Canada Geese in Canadian (appropriate). Up toward the top of the panhandle we headed across on 281, and saw many Northern Harriers and Red-tailed Hawks, Sandhill Cranes and Horned Larks. In Hutchinson County we found our second Rough-legged Hawk (light phase), and another in Hartley County. We stopped at Cactus Playa (near the towns of Cactus and Sun Ray) to ogle the zillions of Snow and Ross’s Geese, as well as Canada Geese, Northern Pintails, Northern Shovelers, American Wigeons, Green-winged Teal, Mallards, and probably more, but we had to move onward.

About 4:30 pm, we crossed over into New Mexico on 54 out of Dalhlart, TX, and of course, I started my New Mexico list for the year. We arrived at Albuquerque about 9 pm, at about 715 miles for the day.

Early the next morning we drove the short distance from Albuquerque to Sandia Crest, just north of town. The temperature was about 15 degrees and a bit nippy, but sunny, when we got there. We learned immediately that the visitor center (and warm viewing) would not be open for about 2 hours. So we first sat in the car, and then braved the cold by walking around nearer to the feeders, seeing Mountain Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, Pine Siskins, and Red-breasted Nuthatches at the feeders, and THEN—both Black Rosy-Finches and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches arrived in a little flock, swarming over the feeders. Mostly lovely Black Rosy-Finches. Finally, were able to identify what we were pretty sure was a female Brown-capped Rosy-Finch, but we kept looking for the male.

While I was snapping pictures another car arrived, and a man walked over and told us that they were going to be banding rosy-finches shortly, and we were welcome to come inside for a closer view! And wonderful views we had as they banded bird after bird. Furthermore, all the experts could confirm our identifications, and eventually point out a male Brown-capped Rosy-Finch. 

Late in the morning we finally decided we could stand to leave the Rosy-Finches, so we headed back to Albuquerque to try our luck at the Yellow Grosbeak that had apparently moved into the yard of some very nice people. We found their home without getting lost, walked to the door and read the sign telling people to come in whether or not anybody was at home! We walked through the house to the back picture window, where one birder already sat with a young boy who lived in the house. Within about 5 minutes (!), the Yellow Grosbeak was sitting on the feeder that hung just outside the window. A humongous beak, certainly a well-named bird.

So, now what to do, with half the day still remaining. We remembered that a Eurasian Wigeon was being seen at a lake in Albuquerque, so we figured out where the lake was and went thataway. The problem wasn’t finding the wigeon, however, it was finding the lake! There was no lake, just an athletic field where a lake clearly used to be. Upon combing the territory, we finally located a cattail mudpuddle with no ducks, and a tiny duck pond, filled elbow to elbow with puddle ducks, being tossed bread crumbs - Mallards, American Wigeons, and a gorgeous male Eurasian Wigeon! 

Still daylight time left, so we headed back up toward Sandia Crest to see if we could see any other birds, particularly one or more owls that were reported to be so numerous up there. We did see a Red-naped Sapsucker, but definitely no owls.

But we had one more chance. We had arranged with the high school sophomore, Raymond VanBuskirk, whose project the bird banding was and who is also an owl expert and guide, to go looking for Northern Saw-whet Owls that night. We met him after a Mexican dinner at a shopping center, and followed him and his birding buddy back up toward Sandia Crest. He had perfected a whistled saw-whet call, and shortly there were at least two of them answering him, coming closer and closer. But try as he and we might, we were never able to see the owls, in spite of hearing probably four different owls over the next couple of hours. But Northern Saw-whet Owl is on both our lists now as “heard only”.

After not much sleep, we came back to Fort Worth the next day, adding pheasants and Common Grackles to our trip list. For the trip, I added 3 lifers (one rosy-finch, Yellow Grosbeak, and Saw-whet Owl) and Jean added 7 (as mine plus the other two rosy-finches, Rough-legged Hawk and Eurasian Wigeon). Great trip!! And it turns out that Sandia Crest has great things to offer year-round—quite a few owl species, woodpeckers, warblers… I recommend it highly any time!!