KENEDY COUNTY – WIND TURBINES

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

4 January 2012

The 2^nd running of this CBC produced 1/3 of the waterbirds and about the same number of species as the previous year.  The Best Birds of the count were LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL and JAEGER.  The two years were one of contrast in the upper Laguna Madre.  The 2011 survey occurred after major freshening of Laguna by a hurricane during 2010, and the 2012 survey occurred after the driest year in Texas history.  Both winters were much drier than normal.  Interacting with all of this hydrology was an 80 day fall red tide along the national seashore that killed millions of fish and depleted food resources for many birds.

                This CBC covers one of the most important waterbird areas in Texas and is unique for the State because of the long distance needed to travel to the survey area: 18 miles down the beach from the nearest road, or 25 miles by boat from the nearest dock.  We had 2 hardy crews camp on the beach at the count circle edge the night before to get an early start.  While the rest of us, departed at daybreak for safety reasons.

Land based crews drove the beach and scoped from on top of dunes, drove extensive grasslands between the dunes and the wind tidal flats, and 1 crew walked the flats. 

Water based crews dropped off 3 teams to walk the very shallow flats, and then the two boats surveyed waterbirds from deeper water.

RESULTS

We counted 105,000 birds from 100 species.  We reported 350,000 birds from 101 species in 2011.  Major decreases in Am. Coot 21,000 to 0, puddle ducks from 75,000 to 8,000, diving ducks 15,000 to 4,000, and shorebirds 238,000 to 92,000 were noted.  Some of the differences in bird abundance might be related to salinities between the surveys.  It was 20 ppt in 2011 and 46 ppt in 2012.  More surveys will be needed to determine if this is the driving factor for the area.

                Sanderling, turnstone, gull and tern numbers were essentially the same between years even though the beach crew noted scarcity of birds on the beaches.  Many of these “beach” birds have the option to forage over the flats when conditions are harsh on the beach. 

Photo by Cullen Hanks

                Passerine numbers between years were very similar, and fish eating birds were somewhat higher.  Even with the drop in overall abundance from last year, the numbers from this survey for Reddish Egret, Black-bellied Plover, Snowy Plover, Willet, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, and Dunlin will likely be some of the highest in the Nation.

As the sun set we were treated by views of massive flocks of waterfowl outside of our count circle and a coyote who claimed to rule the dunes.

This Christmas Bird Count is an important survey of the birds using the Texas Coast and requires extensive efforts to complete.  The count is a cooperative effort between the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. National Park Service, and our volunteers.  We will likely be conducting our next CBC at this site on Thursday, 3 January 2013.

Brent Ortego

brent.ortego@tpwd.state.tx.us

Wade Stablein

Wade_stablein@nps.gov

MATAGORDA COUNTY – MAD ISLAND MARSH

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

19 December 2011

The 19^th running of the Matagorda County – Mad Island Marsh CBC occurred with strong warm winds all day and occasional light showers.  Tides were high and there were few shallow mud flats.  We were able to put a record 138 people in the field along with 4 boats to produce 244 species which was our 3^rd highest tally.  Even though this count has been able to record 334 species over its history, we still managed to add 5 new species, but we also missed 5 species which occur regularly on the CBC.  The MANX SHEARWATER reported by Petra Hockey flying over the Gulf was voted by an overwhelming number of section leaders as the BEST BIRD of the Count.

[This photo is from the British Trust for Ornithology] 

The Nature Conservancy led all sections with people (50) and species (158).  The Wildlife Management Area reported 152 species and STP had 147.  The Peninsula Section led the CBC with 7 exclusive species, Matagorda-West and TNC had 5 each and Matagorda-East 4.

The theme of this count was determining the effect of The Drought.  We expected lower than normal resident populations, marsh dependent species and insectivores.  We did not expect that other areas were worst than us and there would be a major eastward and southward movement by many species that did not normally winter on the Coast.  See what we found below.

RARITIES

The MANX  SHEARWATER is mostly a pelagic seabird of the Atlantic Ocean.  It is not expected at all in our area.  Petra Hockey loves doing Sea Watches and she is one of the better birders in Texas at identifying pelagic species.  We were fortunate when the shearwater being pushed by strong onshore winds flew along the beach in sight. 

 The ZONE-TAILED HAWK is a vulture mimic and typically breeds in the Hill Country and the Trans Pecos with most birds wintering in the Tropics.  A few are found each winter in the Hill Country and South Texas.  Mark Elwonger & Dale Friedrichs were able to obtain our 2^nd record for this species at Lyondell.

The ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK is a bird of the Great Plains which typically does not winter south of the Pan Handle in Texas.  This winter an unprecedented number of sightings have occurred along the Coast.  Dennis Haessly was able to obtain a lengthy view of one on the Von Gonten Ranch.

The PRAIRIE FALCON is more of a northern Great Plains species.  This season with extensive droughts in the state, a few have been reported along the Coast.   Steve & Laura Gast, and Jim Stewart spotted one flying over the reservoir at STP.

[Photo by Charlie Brower elsewhere]

YELLOW and BLACK RAILS occur in small numbers each winter along the Coast.  They are difficult to survey because of their secretive habits in densely vegetated wetlands and propensity to not call.  Several teams attempted to locate them during the day with no luck until Julie Sullivan and Adam Hickl started dragging a chain between two vehicles in a field of flooded unharvested rice on TNC.  They were able to flush 2 Yellow and 1 Black.

WILSON’S PLOVER occur in very small numbers along the Coast during winter.  We started  noticing them roosting at the mouth of the Colorado River 3 years and we have been able to consistently find them on the CBC since then.  Our Peninsula team was able to find a record # of 8 this season.

[Photo taken during an earlier time.]

We first discovered MOUNTAIN PLOVER in the count circle last winter.  I was able to locate it again during scouting, and Clay Taylor & Dane Ferrell were able to locate 24 during count day. 

[Photo by Clay Taylor]

PARASITIC JAEGERs occur in small numbers in the Gulf each winter.  It is not common for one to be near land in order for it to be observed.

 Young LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL’s are challenging to identify.  They can easily be confused with young Herring Gulls.  Petra is an expert on gull identification and she was able to photograph the one below.

[Photo by Petra Hockey]

The GREEN KINGFISHER is a tropical kingfisher of small streams.  They winter regularly in small numbers from San Antonio to the south.  There appears to be a small movement of them up the Coast this season.   Michael Kennedy & John Tharp were able to locate one for our 2^nd record on Lyondell property.

 The HAIRY WOODPECKER is an uncommon species of East Texas forests that challenges many birders to identify it since it appears very similar to the smaller Downy Woodpecker.  All Coastal reports are typically challenged by editors.  Michael Kennedy was able to get our 6^th report by seeing the bird side by side with a Downy.

The BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER is another South Texas species that typically winters in the tropics, but a few birds occasionally get lost and end up going the wrong way.  We have managed to find this species 5 times and this season Bill Baker with the STP group in their quest for 150 species managed to locate one.

The W. KINGBIRD is a strange bird.  Although it is a common breeder in Texas, more of them over winter in Florida than they do in Texas.  We have been able to find this species in coastal scrub 4 times.  This year Bea Ann Kelly photographed one in the Peninsula Section.

 The NORTHERN PARULA is a regular lingering neotropical warbler along the lower Coast, but we have always had difficulty in locating them.  The STP team of Steve & Laura Gast and Jim Stewart obtained our 4^th record of the species.

The YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER is one of those canopy foraging small warblers that lingers in small numbers along the river.  It can be challenging to find in the tree tops.  While we think it winters every year, we have only reported it 6 out of 19 years.  This year it was found in the Selkirk area by John Faragher and Ron Weeks.

[Photo taken during an earlier time]

We have had only 2 GREEN-TAILED TOWHEEs in previous years.  This season we had 16 during an unprecedented invasion by this species on the Coast.  This species can typically be found in scrub enivornments of South Texas and further west.

Photographed by Sumita Prasad.

The BREWER’S SPARROW is a bird of desert scrub that does not winter near the Coast.  Chet Burrier again came through with a spectacular find by picking this bird out of a group of Clay-colored and Field Sparrows near Matagorda.

The HENSLOW’S SPARROW probably occurs in the CBC area every year in small numbers, but it is one of those mouse birds that are very difficult to locate.  We have reported it 5 previous times.  The species is known to have strong winter site fidelity and David Shackelford was able to locate one at the exact site where he had photographed one previously on the private ranches along the river.

We found our 1^st LARK BUNTING last season with 1 bird at Selkirk.  This year we had 26 with most being at Old Gulf.  This is a bird that periodically occurs in large numbers in the brush country.  This year they appear to be invading the Coast.

[Photographed by Sumita Prasad]

                TRENDS

Marsh birds and insectivores occurred in much lower numbers than normal.  Countering this raptors and sparrows occurred in above average numbers.  Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Red-tailed Hawk, Wilson’s Plover, Herring Gull, Rock Pigeon, Eur. Collared-Dove, N. Flicker, Spotted Towhee, Green-tailed Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Harris’s Sparrow, and White-crowned Sparrow occurred in Record Numbers.  In contrast, we missed Cattle Egret, Green Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Ferruginous Hawk, Barn Swallow and Nelson’s Sparrow.  The drought had both negative and positive impacts on the avian community using the area.  It did add to diversity for species which we seldom see, but personally I could do without those western and northern birds if we had healthy and moist natural habitats in our area which would support some of the highest waterbird concentrations in Texas.  I love the sounds of thousands of cranes and geese coming to roost in the evening.

HIGHS ( 43  species) Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Brown Pelican, Neotropic Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, White-tailed Kite, Bald Eagle, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, White-tailed Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara, Peregrine Falcon, Semipalmated Plover, Willet, Marbled Godwit, Herring Gull, Rock Pigeon, Eur. Collared-Dove, White-winged Dove, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Say’s Phoebe, Great Kiskadee, Brown Creeper, Brown Thrasher, Long-billed Thrasher, N. Waterthrush, Spotted Towhee, E. Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Harris’s Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, W. Meadowlark, Brewer’s Blackbird.

LOWS (32   species) G. White-fronted Goose, Cackling Goose, Canada Goose, Greater Scaup, Am. Bittern, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, White Ibis, White-faced Ibis, Clapper Rail, King Rail, Sora, Sandhill Crane, Black-bellied Plover, Long-billed Curlew, W. Sandpiper, Gull-billed Tern, Caspian Tern, Mourning Dove, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Sedge Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Black-and-White Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Le Conte’s Sparrow, Seaside Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Com. Grackle, Boat-tailed Grackle.

TEAM WORK

Much of the results from this CBC are the direct results of the planning, leadership, coordination, and skills of our Section Leaders:  Tom Morris, Sumita Prasad, Charlie Brower, Ron Weeks, Michael Kennedy, Bill Baker, Breck Sacra, Clay Taylor, Rich Kosteche, Julie Sullivan, Jim Renfro, Marc Ealy, Bron Rorex, James Arnold and Karen McBride.

This Christmas Bird Count is The Number One in the Nation from our Team’s perspective.  It has shown national leadership in cooperative efforts between the birders, the landowners, the boat operators and the people of Matagorda County.  It takes every body’s efforts focused on the end result to achieve our goals.  Yes, we have a very diverse avifauna that is the product of a narrow forested corridor extending all of the way down the Colorado River to the Gulf that is bordered by an abundance of native prairies, brushlands and wetlands. An added factor is geography creates diverse ecosystems being in close proximity.  This diversity would not be possible unless the landowners managed their land to maintain the productivity of the habitats, and it would not be possible to survey them unless they liked our project and permitted us access.  All the birds in the world would not mean anything unless the interest, skills and cooperation of the Texas birders would not show up to conduct the count.  We would count very few water birds unless our boat operators would not donate a day from their busy schedule as well as the use of their boats.  We get great support from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, The Nature Conservancy, the South Texas Nuclear Project, Lower Colorado River Authority and Lyondell-Basell for use of equipment, land and staff.  Lastly, we could not afford to pay for the Great Supper at the Wadsworth Community Center, provide counters with t-shirts and pay their CBC activity fees without the generosity of the sponsors.  We also thank Jim Harrison  for the great art work for our T-shirt.

LEADERS:  David and Marilyn Sitz.  David has developed a great relationship with the landowners of Matagorda County and he is the person who obtains permission for the birders to access the private property.  Marilyn does the fund raising, and the catering at the banquet.  She also recruits volunteers to work at the banquet.  This count would not be near as special without the leadership of Marilyn and her volunteers. 

SPONSORS: Betty Clark, Matagorda County Birding & Nature Center,  Bay City Nature Club, Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept., Lower Colorado River Authority, The Nature Conservancy, South Texas Nuclear Project Operating Co., Lyondell-Basell, Oxea Chemicals, A & A Bar-B-Que, All Star Real Estate, Bay City Abstract & Title, Conoco Phillips Sweeney Refinery, County Judge Nate McDonald, First State Bank, and Wells Fargo Bank.

LANDOWNERS:  Lower Colorado River Authority, George Harrison, PCS Phosphate, Inc., Jack Miller, Carl Anderson family, Charlie Brower’s family, Roy Poinsett, Eugene Welfel, Barbara Holloway, Lyondell-Basell, South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company, Julius Ledwig, Linda Joy Stovall, Bill Von Gonten, The Nature Conservancy of Texas, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Grover Ryman, Bill Doss, Ray Culver, and  Becca Sitz.

BOAT OPERATORS:  We appreciate the services and the boats provided by James Arnold, Bill Issacson, Jerry West and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.

NEXT YEAR

This was another amazing CBC at Mad Island.  We thank all of you who helped.  Next year will likely be better.  Come join us to check it out and bring a friend on Monday, 17 December 2012.  

Photo by Jimmy Jackson

Brent Ortego

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

2805 N. Navarro, Suite 600B

Victoria, TX 77901

brent.ortego@tpwd.state.tx.us

361/827-4691

                                                      Excel spreadsheet of data available upon request.

GUADALUPE RIVER DELTA – MCFADDIN FAMILY RANCHES

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

14 December 2011

Impact of the worst drought in Texas history was the major theme of this years’ count.  The day was warm with numerous mosquitoes and very windy.  All natural shallow freshwater sites were dry, the tidal marshes were very salty, and Green Lake was extremely shallow.  Fifty four birders worked in 22 teams to survey private and public properties and reported 225 species which ties our All-Time High Species Count.  Wilson’s Plover, Piping Plover, Sandwich Tern and Wood Thrush were new species for the count and we missed Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, N. Bobwhite, Burrowing Owl, Least Flycatcher, Horned Lark, and Clay-colored Sparrow.  Wood Thrush was voted as Best Bird of the Count by section leaders, and was photographed along River Road by Petra Hockey, Brush Freeman and Dennis Shepler.

RESULTS

The major local story was the nearly dry Green Lake.  Back during the droughts of the 50’s Green Lake was reported to have completed dried, and was used to grow cotton.  This is the driest it has been since.  There were very few waterbirds in the count area outside of managed freshwater impoundments on the Guadalupe Delta Wildlife Management Area and tidal marshes.  Green Lake is normally deep and muddy and holds only small numbers of birds.  However, with the prolonged dry conditions associated with the drought, Green Lake dried out to only a few inches deep over thousands of acres.  The result was site was inundated by over 100,000 shorebirds and ducks taking advantage of the food exposed within the very shallow water.

            In association with the drought, most insectivorous birds were in below average numbers, but there were above average number of raptors and sparrows.  There was a major invasion of coastal areas by Green-tailed Towhees who typically occupy semi-arid scrub and Harris’s Sparrows which normally winter further to the north in the Blackland Prairie. 

RARE BIRDS

Charlie Brower found Black Rail and Nelson’s Sparrow wintering in brackish habitat in an atypical setting bordering the barge canal.  When his Black Rail tape did not work, a passing barge made enough noise to excite the local Black’s into calling.  This photo was taken by Diane Nunley in 2007 at a different site.

            Whooping Crane populations are increasing and with high salinities in the bays cranes are moving away from tidal waters more than normal.  A total of 14 Whooper’s were reported by 4 teams.  A pair was observed flying NE of Green Lake, 4 were observed flying over Hog Bayou on the wildlife management area, 4 were also observed flying near the salt water barrier on the river and 4 were observed briefly landing near river road.  All sightings were at least 2 miles apart.

Wilson’s Plover, Piping Plovers and Snowy Plovers were found foraging with 80,000 shorebirds on Green Lake.  Most of the plovers occurred on an exposed road bed in the lake.

Another new species for the count was a Sandwich Tern.  It was found by Jamie Ferguson and Bob Creglow along the shores of Hynes Bay. 

Yellow-throated Vireo was totally unexpected when found along Hog Bayou by Dennis Haessley.  Another unexpected find was a Tropical Parula located by David True and Bron Rorex in the same area.  [The photo below was taken elsewhere.]

Another good find was an Am. Redstart photographed by Petra Hockey and Brush Freeman at the boat ramp on Hwy. 35.  A few winter each year in riparian areas, but they are not easy to locate.  It was found the day before during scouting and they returned during the count to tally the bird.

Western Tanagers are regular, but very rare during winters along the Coast.  Most of their population winters in the tropics. The bird below is typical of most winter birds.  Two young males were found on the count by Scott Holt and Beau Hardegree at the Hynes Bay Unit.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak are rare anywhere in the United States because this species mostly winters in the tropics.  On a typical year, only 3 are found nationally.  Dale Friedrichs found an adult male as the 3^rd record for the CBC.

Rusty Blackbird photographed by Chet Burrier on the Womack Ranch.

We are at the edge of the range of the Rusty Blackbird and their occurrence is fairly rare.  This species’ population is declining nationally.  The birds found by Chet was the 2^nd record for the CBC.

TRENDS

            HIGHS (68 species): Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Am. Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Least Grebe, Eared Grebe, Am. White Pelican, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, White-tailed Kite, N. Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Harris’s Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara, Black Rail, Whooping Crane, Snowy Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Black-necked Stilt, Am. Avocet, Willet, Lesser Yellowlegs, W. Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, Stilt Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Long-billed Dowitcher, Laughing Gull, Herrin Gull, Royal Tern, Inca Dove, Com. Ground-Dove, Short-eared Owl, Com. Pauraque, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Great Kiskadee, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Loggerhead Shrike, Green Jay, Brown Creeper, N. Mockingbird, Long-billed Thrasher, W. Tanager, Green-tailed Tohee, Spotted Towhee, Field Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow,  Harris’s Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, N. Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, E. Meadowlark, W. Meadowlark, Rusty Blackbird, Bronzed Cowbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

            LOWS (56 species):  Wood Duck, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Red-breasted Merganser, Anhinga, Great Egret, Little Blue Heron, Reddish Egret, Cattle Egret, Green Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, White-faced Ibis, Am. Kestrel, Clapper Rail, King Rail, Virginia Rail, Sora, Com. Gallinule, Black-bellied Plover, Killdeer, Wison’s Snipe, Rock Pigeon, Eur. Collared-Dove, Barrd Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Pileated Woodpecker, E. Phoebe, Vermillion Flycather, White-eyed Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, Blue Jay, Am. Crow, Tree Swallow, N. Rough-winged Swallow, Cave Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Bewick’s Wren, House Wren, Sedge Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Gray Catbird, Sprague’s Pipit, Cedar Waxwing, Orange-crowned Warbler, Myrtle Warbler, Pine Warbler, Palm Warbler, N. Waterthrush, Olive Sparrow, Le Conte’s Sparrow, Seaside Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, and Com Grackle.

Waterfowl numbers were about normal with most marsh birds like herons, egrets, ibises and rails being much below average with much of the marsh either dry or salty.  Hawks occurred in above average densities

Shorebird numbers were extremely low everywhere because of high tides, except for the birds on Green Lake which were spectacular.  Densities like in the photo below were spread over thousands of acres.

Woodpeckers occurred at normal levels, but insect eaters like the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher photographed by Petra Hockey were in below average densities.  Swallows, wrens, and warblers were in below average numbers.

However, sparrows occurred in much higher numbers than normal.  This was a major invasion year for Green-tailed Towhees.  This species was found only once before on the count and we had 17 this year.  Spotted Towhees typically average about 3 on this survey and we had 61!  Field, Vesper, Lark and White-crowned occurred at twice their average.  The Harris’s Sparrow below photographed by Diane Nunley normally only average 1 per year, and we had 69!

All participants enjoyed the count this year.  Windy and warm conditions made it challenging finding birds amongst all of the mosquitoes.  Even though resident bird numbers were generally low, there was anticipation all day of finding some western birds displaced by the drought.  Just about every birding team found something unusual.

THANKS

This is a very special count because of the habitats it covers where 3 ecoregions merge.  It is successful because of the large amount of cooperation we get from the landowners who generally provide us access and as in the case with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Dow, Jess and Walter Womack, and Beverly Fletcher.  They also provide staff and equipment to help us with the count.  We would also like to thank John Hubbard, Larry Seydler, Frank Pagel, Gene Colville, Don Walden, Dan Kaspar, the Negley Ranch, and the Landgraf, Spandau and Joe Hawes families for providing us access to their lands.  Lastly, we thank the 54 birders who spent their day and huge amount of energy in searching the landscape for every species which we could locate. 

At the end of the day, our tired, wet and excited birders gathered under the oaks in the river bottom at the Weed Prairie Hunting Camp on the Jess Womack Ranch.  We were treated to an excellent meal cooked by A.D. Blackmon, David, and CB.  Lyondell-Basell Corporation provided funding for most of the food and activity fees.

THANKS TO ALL FOR A GREAT JOB!!

Data from the CBC is available upon request.

Hope to see you at our next Christmas Bird Count in 2012.

Sunset photo by Petra Hockey

Our Teams of avid birders did exceptionally well during the 2010-2011 Christmas Bird Count Season.  Matagorda County – Mad Island Marsh regained its title as the Number One count for total species and also the most highest counts for individual species. 

Guadalupe River Delta – McFaddin Family Ranches had another banner year and placed 2nd for total species nationally.  It also had the highest counts on 9 species.

Kenedy County Wind Turbes was a new CBC for our teams and we were able to display the massive amounts of waterbirds for this CBC.

Pasted below are the top 10 national ranks for species reported on our 3 CBCs

4 January 2011

The Laguna Madre is an internationally significant wetland (Tunnell and Judd 2002). This hyper saline wind tidal system occurs in Mexico and Texas along the Gulf of Mexico. The United States portion has lower and upper segments which are connected by the Intracoastal Waterway. These two segments are separated by 10 miles of salt flats that are seldom inundated.

Read the rest of this entry »

16 December 2010

Photo by Jimmy Jackson

The day started off with below average bird activity. It was sort of balmy weather that preceded the cold front that was going to arrive in the afternoon with strong winds and temps in the 40’s. Owls were not talking much. Most marshes were somewhat dry from an on-going drought and as a result there was not much rail activity. Geese seemed to be present in normal numbers near the mouth of the river and songbird chorus was good. Read the rest of this entry »

14 December 2010

The 18th running of the Mad Island CBC started with cool, clear skies and made for special viewing of meteor showers of that night. There were rumors of Whooping Cranes and other interesting species in the area and our teams of birders were raring to go. The CBC started at mid-night on the TNC preserve with me searching for rails/owls and an ATV team driving through impoundments for Yellow Rails. The Yellow Rails were one of the first birds of the day. All expected owls (- screech) and rails were found by sunrise. Read the rest of this entry »

TEXAS ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY
SCIENCE SESSION

PAWS AND TAWS CONVENTION CENTER
ROCKPORT, TEXAS

15 April 2010

AGENDA

2:30 pm. CHARATERIZATION OF REDDISH EGRET FORAGING HABITAT AND BEHAVIOR IN THE LAGUNA MADRE OF TEXAS – ELIZABETH M. BATES

3:00 p.m. RAINFALL EFFECT ON CATCH RATES OF BUFF-BELLIED AND RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS – BRENT ORTEGO

3:30 p.m. BIRDS AND VEGETATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF NATIVE AND EXOTIC GRASSLANDS ON U.S. NAVY FACILITIES IN SOUTHERN TEXAS – MARC C. WOODIN

4:00 p.m. 2009 WINTER TEXAS GULF COAST AERIAL SHOREBIRD SURVEY – BRENT ORTEGO

4:30 p.m. INTERNATIONAL SHOREBIRD CONSERVATION PLANS -BRENT ORTEGO

CHARATERIZATION OF REDDISH EGRET FORAGING HABITAT AND BEHAVIOR IN THE LAGUNA MADRE OF TEXAS
ELIZABETH M. BATES*, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, TX, 78363, USA
BART M. BALLARD, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, TX, 78363, USA

Abstract: The Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) is arguably the rarest species of heron in North America and little is known about its ecology. It is restricted to coastal habitat found primarily along the Gulf of Mexico. The majority of the breeding population occurs along the Texas Coast with greatest concentrations occurring in the Laguna Madre of Texas. Successful management of Reddish Egrets depends on having a clear understanding of habitat requirements. Our research objectives were to delineate foraging habitat based on water depth and substrate characteristics and evaluate the relationship between foraging tactics employed and environmental conditions. We recorded 20-min foraging bouts by 301 Reddish Egrets to assess types and success of foraging tactics used. Environmental variables measured at each site that we recorded foraging behavior included water depth, seagrass coverage, ambient light, and wind speed. We also recorded age and color morph of each individual. The average water depth was 4.70 inches and average seagrass coverage was 17 percent. There was no difference between color morphs for water depth or seagrass coverage. Eight foraging behaviors were identified. We modeled foraging behavior in relation to environmental variables using canonical correlation analysis for 36 individuals. The habitat variates created in the canonical correlation analysis were not effective at explaining the variation in the foraging behavior data suggesting other variables may be better indicators of foraging behavior.

RAINFALL EFFECT ON CATCH RATES OF BUFF-BELLIED AND RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS
BRENT ORTEGO*, 202 Camino Drive, Victoria, TX 77905
BRON ROREX, 122 Cedar Ridge, Rockport, TX 78382

Hummingbirds were captured using mist-nets during 100 days each year from 2004 thru 2008. Netting effort was consistent at baited sites which contained 25 hummingbird feeders during summer, 50 during migration periods and 75 during winter. We averaged banding 142 Buff-bellied (Amazilia yucatanensis) and 1852 Ruby-throated (Archilochus colubris) per year at out banding station in Victoria County, TX, near the central Texas Gulf Coast. The Buff-bellied Hummingbird is a year-round resident species with different populations using the site during winter, summer and migration. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is primarily a migrant at this site with only a few individuals trying to breed each year. January – May and annual rainfall accumulations were negatively correlated with capture rates of both species. Amount of precipitation is also directly related to availability of hummingbird flowers in the area which consisted primarily of red sage (Salvia coccinea), morning-glory (Ipomoea spp.) and Turk’s cap (Malvaviscus drummondii). Victoria County averages about 40 inches of rain annually, and commonly has very dry seasons which limits floral production. It was our experience that we received less visitations to the banding station as the availability of native flowers increased across the landscape. It is difficult to use capture rates of species at baited sites to accurately monitor population trends.

BIRDS AND VEGETATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF NATIVE AND EXOTIC GRASSLANDS ON U.S. NAVY FACILITIES IN SOUTHERN TEXAS.
MARC C. WOODIN*and MARY KAY SKORUPPA, U.S. Geological Survey, Corpus Christi, TX.

Beginning in the 1800s and extending into the first half of the twentieth century, a large number of exotic grass species have been introduced into southern Texas to improve cattle forage. The effects of exotic grasses on grassland birds wintering in southern Texas have not been investigated. During 2002-2008, we collected data on measures of vegetation structure, density, floral diversity, seed resources, and bird use of native and exotic grasslands on five U.S. Navy facilities in southern Texas. Exotic grasslands were characterized by more grass cover, greater vegetative density, and greater seed biomass availability than native grasslands, whereas native grasslands were characterized by greater forb cover, more bare ground, greater seed diversity, and higher plant species richness than exotic grasslands. Bird surveys along transects in native and exotic grasslands showed that bird species richness was greater in native than in exotic grasslands, although bird numbers, at least in some winters, can be greater in exotic grasslands. Our results suggest that native and exotic grasslands may be contributing in different ways to maintaining winter bird populations in southern Texas.

2009 WINTER TEXAS GULF COAST AERIAL SHOREBIRD SURVEY.
BRENT ORTEGO*, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 2805 N. Navarro, Suite 600B, Victoria, TX 77901
MARC EALY, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 1700 7th Street (Room 101), Bay City, TX 77414

As part of a cooperative effort of southeastern states, we conducted an aerial survey from 9-17 February 2009 to determine major winter concentration areas for shorebirds along the Texas Gulf Coast. Shorebirds were surveyed from a Partenavia P-68 based out of Victoria with two observers viewing on either side of the airplane while flying at an altitude of 30 m (100 ft.) and flight speed of 185 km/h (100 knots). Shorebirds were placed into size categories when counted because of difficulty of identifying the birds to species under the conditions of the survey, but were tallied to species where possible. All likely high shorebird concentration areas within tidal zones were searched between the Sabine and Rio Grande Rivers. Approximately 1/3 of the major tidal marsh areas were
surveyed due to limitation of available air time. Only freshwater wetlands adjacent to tidal marshes were surveyed. Five airplane hours were used surveying Sabine Lake to High Island, seven hours surveying Galveston and Matagorda Bays, six hours surveying San Antonio Bay and Matagorda & San Jose Islands, three hours surveying Nueces & Corpus Christi Bays, and Mustang Island, and nine hours surveying Baffin Bay and Laguna Madre. Five K (thousand) shorebirds were found between the Sabine River and High Island, 45 K in the Galveston Bay complex with 16 K at Bolivar Flats, 11 K in the marshes west of Texas City and 7 K at the mouth of the Trinity River. Thirty-eight K were found near Matagorda Bay with 11 K being at the mouth of the Colorado River. Forty-six K were counted on Matagorda & San Jose Islands, and San Antonio Bay with 16 K on Matagorda Island. The Nueces & Corpus Christi Bays, and Mustang Island only had 2500 during the survey. The Laguna Madre system had the vast majority of birds with 89 K being on the Upper Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay with 60 K being concentrated in the “9-mile Hole” and 11 K along Baffin Bay. The Lower Laguna Madre had 95 K with 68 K using tidal areas between Port Mansfield and the Arroyo Colorado. The 330,000 shorebirds were comprised of 257 K small sized, 33 K medium sized, and 1 K large sized. There also were 14 K American Avocets (Recurvirosta americana), 4 K Willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus), and 1200 Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa). Ground surveys conducted during the same time indicated that the bulk of the small shorebirds were Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri) and Dunlin (Calidris alpine), and the medium shorebirds being comprised of mostly dowitchers (Limnodromus spp.). The density and distribution of wintering shorebirds found during this survey contributes greatly to the knowledge of conservation planners to assist in focusing their efforts on habitat conservation.

INTERNATIONAL SHOREBIRD CONSERVATION PLANS
BRENT ORTEGO, 2805 N. Navarro, Suite 600B, Victoria, TX 77901

As North America moves forward in “All Birds” conservation international plans are developed for individual species. Shorebird planning is much more advanced at this time than other species groups. Of the 39 species of shorebirds that occurs in abundances large enough to be considered for conservation in Texas, international plans have been developed for 18 of these (http://www.whsrn.org/conservation-plans). Plans identified that there are huge information gaps in our knowledge of these species and Texas is not represented very well in many of these plans because not much research has been devoted to shorebirds in Texas. Status and information needs of Wilson’s Plover (Charadrius wilsonia), Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus), Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus), Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus), Red Knot (Calidris canutus) and Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis) will be discussed.

Photo by Byron Stone

It was that kind of a day. Cool, drizzly most of the day and everything was wet. Last year I was complaining about the fog and high tides that lasted most of the morning. This year we got rain until early afternoon and higher tides. We can’t control the weather and with the rain I was making recommendations on Plan C at daybreak.

Photo by Cullen Hanks

The first bird of the day was a Cave Swallow roosting in a culvert. There were no owls, Killdeers or anything moving during the rain at 3 in the morning.

Leading up to the Count, the Region experienced 18 months of drought through August. Then we received 20 inches of rain in the next 3 months, went through 2 river floods and then for 36 hours leading up to the count it rained. Not a great volume, but with all of the moisture already on the ground, it just made everything much wetter and limited our vehicle access to roads at some sites and the boat launch on the Guadalupe River.

RESULTS

What a day! There actually were quite a few birds to be found and with our record 79 birders in attendance, and access to new properties obtained by Holcomb and Nunley we did very well. We reported 216 species, and added 4 new species to the Count: Com. Nighthawk, Brown-crested Flycatcher, W. Kingbird and Tennessee Warbler. The BEST BIRD as voted on by Section Leaders was BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER.

No special ducks were found this year because of limited vehicle access to some key wetlands due to soggy ground conditions.

Photo by Kevin Kriegel

WHOOPING CRANE – A pair set up a territory on the Hynes Bay Unit of the Guadalupe Delta Wildlife Management Area and have been seen daily through December. We have had Whoopers reported twice before on the count, but they were just momentary observations. These birds were present all day.

COMMON NIGHTHAWK – We have had nighthawk sp. before on the CBC and this being a “Common” rather than a “Lesser” was a little surprising. This bird was found in native habitat by Dale Friedrichs. Most winter nighthawks in native habitat are Lessers with Commons more likely to linger at developed areas.

BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER – New for the count and voted as its BEST BIRD. I have caught them in January before. So, I was not that surprised of one turning up. It was a pleasant surprise when we had one reported by both Charlie Brower’s and Derek Muschalek’s teams.

WESTERN KINGBIRD – New for the count. This species is expected to infrequently occur in the area and Michael Kennedy found our first.

GREEN JAYs are continuing to expand their range and this report by Bill Farnsworth makes this our 2nd record.

TENNESSEE WARBLER was new for the count and a surprise. This species rarely lingers and offers identification challenges separating it from the highly variable Orange-crowned Warbler. Bob Creglow found one for our count.

YELLOW WARBLER is a rare but regular wintering neotropical migrant. They breed in the United States and pass through the area by the thousands with a few staying behind. They tend to winter in shrub thickets and with diligence they can be found as was done by Cecelia Riely’s team.

PROTHONOTARY WARBLER occur at the southern end of their breeding range at our count, but this species is not expected to linger. The one reported by Clay Taylor was a very pleasant surprise.

WESTERN TANAGER is new for the count. This is a western species which regularly winters in the area in very small numbers. We not only finally got one for the CBC, but we got two. One was photographed by Mikael Behrens and another was reported by Clay Taylor.

SUMMER TANAGER was also new for the CBC. It occurs much less frequently than western and this adult male was also photographed by Mikael Behrens.

Photo by Cullen Hanks

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK was reported for the 2nd time this season. It is an extremely rare lingering neotrops and Cullen Hanks’ team photographed the species along the Delta of the River.

TRENDS

HIGHS: (70 species) Wood Duck, Am. Wigeon, Mottled Duck, N. Shoveler, N. Pintail, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, Cattle Egret, Green Heron, Roseate Spoonbill, Bald Eagle, N. Harrier, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Black-necked Stilt, Solitary Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Willet, Black Skimmer, Rock Pigeon, Eur. Collared-Dove, White-winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Inca Dove, Com. Nighthawk, Belted Kingfisher, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Least Flycatcher, E. Phoebe, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, W. Kingbird, Blue-headed Vireo, Blue Jay, Green Jay, Winter Wren, Sedge Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Am. Robin, Gray Catbird, N. Mockingbird, Am. Pipit, Tennessee Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Myrtle Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, Am. Redstart, Prothonotary Warbler, Com. Yellowthroat, Wilson’s Warbler, W. Tanager, Summer Tanager, Chipping Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, N. Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle and Bronzed Cowbird.

LOWS: (36 species) Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Hooded Merganser, Eared Grebe, Am. White Pelican, Anhinga, Little Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, White-tailed Hawk, King Rail, Virginia Rail, Black-bellied Plover, Spotted Sandpiper, W. Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Long-billed Dowitcher, Wilson’s Snipe, Herring Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Com. Barn-Owl, E. Screech-Owl, Red-bellied Woodpecker, White-eyed Vireo, Barn Swallow, Carolina Wren, Bewick’s Wren, Hermit Thrush, Long-billed Thrasher, Eur. Starling, Yellow-breasted Chat, White-crowned Sparrow, Brewer’s Blackbird, Boat-tailed Grackle, Am. Goldfinch.

WATERFOWL = 9 of 26 species had higher than average numbers and 3 lower. High numbers are reflective of good continental populations and not of local conditions because we only have 2 resident species.

WATERBIRDS = 6 lows and 3 highs amongst 22 species. The region is just coming off an 18 months drought and most local waterbirds have bred in below average numbers over the last 2 years.

RAPTORS = 4 highs and 1 low from 15 species. Amazing numbers for the poor soaring conditions for raptors.

RAILS = 2 low and 1 missing from 7 species. Drought in combination with cattle grazing really damaged rail habitat. The only reasonable numbers of rails in the marsh were obtained from areas not grazed.
The most special birding experience for me was the dawn “Whooping” of the pair of cranes that set up a territory in the Hynes Bay area. At 100 yards they were very loud.

Photo by Kevin Kriegel

SHOREBIRDS THRU GULLS = 10 low and 5 high out of 27 species. No tidal mudflats really reduced numbers. Many of the estuarine shorebirds moved inland to flooded ag fields, and some of these were observed during the day.

DOVES THRU WOODPECKERS = 8 high and 3 lows from 24 species. All doves did extremely well with the drought suppressing grasses which made more space for preferred weedy plant species. Walter Womack was also successful in holding onto two hummingbird species at his feeders which greatly helped the count.

Photo by Mikael Behrens

FLYCATCHERS THRU PIPITS = 16 highs and 6 lows out of 40 species. We did very well with most expected species of flycatchers and a variety of songbirds. Local breeding Carolina Wrens and thrashers occurred in much lower than average numbers.

WARBLERS THRU TANAGERS = This is our “Signature Group” of species. We reported 15 species of warblers and 2 species of tanagers with 14 occurring in above average numbers during the rain. I wonder what we would have found on a good weather day. Our CBC will likely report more species of warblers than any other CBC in Texas. We only missed two expected species: N. Parula and Ovenbird.

SPARROWS = We reported 22 species of “sparrows” with 9 coming in above average with only one below average. I was expecting both species of buntings but we found neither. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak was a very pleasant surprise.

THANKS

This is a very special count because of the habitats it covers where 3 ecoregions merge. It is successful because of the large amount of cooperation we get from the landowners who generally provide us access and as in the case with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Dow, Ineos, Jess and Walter Womack, and Beverly Fletcher they also provide staff and equipment to help us with the count. We would also like to thank Mrs. Pat Welder, Larry Seydler, Frank Pagel, Gene Colville, Don Walden, Dan Kaspar, the Negley Ranch, and the Landgraf, Spandau and Joe Hawes families for providing us access to their lands. Lastly, we thank the 80 birders who spent their day and huge amount of energy in searching the landscape for every species which we could locate.

At the end of the day, our tired, wet and excited birders gathered under the oaks in the river bottom at the Weed Prairie Hunting Camp on the Jess Womack Ranch. We were treated to an excellent meal cooked by A.D. Blackmon, David, CB and Brandon. Lyondel-Basel Corporation provided funding for most of the food and activity fees.

THANKS TO ALL FOR A GREAT JOB!!

Data from the CBC is available upon request.

Hope to see you at our next Christmas Bird Count on Thursday, 16 December 2010.

Photo by Jimmy Jackson

MATAGORDA COUNTY – MAD ISLAND MARSH

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
14 December 2009

Great Blue Heron View at 50 yards

The 17^thrunning of the Mad Island CBC started foggy; REALLY FOGGY. The kind of fog that seeps through all of your clothes and makes everything damp. Sadly this thick fog lasted all night and day as warm air temperatures mixed with cool bay waters. Visibility was less than 100 yards on the Coast most of the day. Fog was a little lighter further inland with occasional views of the sun during mid day. Adding to our frustration were tides running about 1 foot above normal and covering many of the mudflats we access to survey shorebirds. Further complicating the analysis of the data was this area just came out of a major drought lasting 18 months.

A record number of birders (121) reported 231 species which should make us Number One in the Nation again for species. Guadalupe River Delta – McFaddin Family Ranches reported 216 species and Freeport 203. Mad Island also typically leads the nation for the most species with the highest tallies. This probably will not happen this year because reduced visibility in the fog really hampered seeing, identifying and counting birds.

Teams on the Mad Island Wildlife Management Area and TNC Preserve started the count at midnight and likely the first bird observed was a Burrowing Owl. This bird was very cooperative by standing in the road for several minutes in the beam of the head lights. We ended up recording 4 of this very secretive species for the day. We also ended up recording a very high tally of Barn Owls at 64. When the fog is heavy, Barn Owls typically do not hunt for long on the wing and spend most of the time perched on fence posts or trees waiting for rodents to move nearby. Being on fence posts, it was very easy to count them while driving the roads. Interestingly we also recorded our highest total of Barred Owls at 64. I guess the Barred like to call in the fog. We were very successful at deploying numerous birders before daybreak and recorded a record tally of 39 Am. Woodcock as they flew to their daytime haunts before sunrise. All in all our night teams tallied about 40 species before daybreak. I like getting as many nocturnal species as possible before daybreak because it provides more time to search for challenging species during daylight.

Photo by David Shackelford

The teams did pretty good at locating species in the fog. The Wildlife Management Area led all sections with 150 species reported, followed by The Nature Conservancy with 147, STP with 133, Matagorda – East with 117 and the River with 112. However, the best sections for finding unique species was TNC and Selkirk with 5 each, Matagorda – East and the Peninsula with 4 each, and Lyondell & the River with 3 each.

BEST BIRD

It is pretty special to be able to get the Best Bird on this CBC. There were 121 birders participating in 35 different teams on 14 sections competing for the honor. There were 10 species found that were rare enough to require documentation, and 3 species were new to the CBC. Section Leaders voted on the Best Bird and results were as tight as it has ever been. They voted for the Chuck-will’s-widowthat was found by Rich Kostecke on The Nature Conservancy Preserve as the BEST BIRD with Lark Bunting found by Tad Finnell at Selkirk Island being a very near 2nd. The 3 new species brings the total species for this CBC as 335.

We had a nice collection of rare bird sightings as well as species missed and they will be discussed below:

SCOTERS are typically found in deeper waters of the Gulf and in small numbers in the bays feeding on various mollusks. James Arnold’s bay boat managed to sneak within 50 yards of a White-winged Scoter in the fog. It was one of the few species of ducks that were actually seen during the day.

GLOSSY IBIS occurs during the winter in small numbers and is extremely difficult to distinguish from White-faced Ibis. We were not successful at identifying one this year.

APLOMADO FALCON occurs with enough regularity that it no longer requires documentation. However, it is still one of the more sought after birds in the area.

WHOOPING CRANES were observed for a few days before the CBC, but weather conditions eliminated any opportunity of seeing this species.

WILSON’S PLOVER is a regular summer breeder in the area, but seldom winters. Jim & Linda Hargrove made special efforts to locate this species after we found one wintering last January in their section. They were rewarded with a view of one bird. This was a new species for the CBC.

RED KNOT was another casualty of the fog. It typically winters in small numbers while foraging on the area beaches and oyster reefs.

Photo by Petra Hockey

FRANKLIN’S GULL has become so regular that details are no longer required.

CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW migrates through the area but very few are known to winter along the Coastal Bend. Once they get around the curve of the Gulf, they usually continue south to a more tropical wintering area. Rich Kostecke almost stepped on one along the thornscrub ridge on TNC and had excellent views of the bird. Lynn Barber also flushed a Caprimulgid while birding in the Matagorda-East section, but was not able to ID it to species. This was a new species for the CBC as well as being the BEST BIRD.

WESTERN KINGBIRD migrates through our area in very small numbers. They are more a vagrant than they are a regular species. However, one of the most consistent locations to find wintering individuals of this species is in Florida. Apparently, birds get lost in migration and get “trapped” in coastal settings. Catherine Engelman and John Herron located one on the TNC preserve. This was the 3^rdrecord for the CBC.

SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER migrates through the area in sizeable numbers and is known to be a late migrant. It is a beautiful bird that occupies open country settings, but it is difficult to predict when you will locate one. This year Jean Martin’s River Ranches Team identified one for our 7^threcord.

The RED-EYED VIREO is another eastern forest birds that very rarely winters in the Untied States. Jamie Ritter managed to locate one for our 4^th CBC record on the Lyondell section.

WOOD THRUSH breed throughout forested uplands in the eastern United States, but is a very rare winterer in the country. Mad island has become the CBC with the greatest frequency of reporting this species. Michael Kennedy found one on the Lyondell property for our 10^thCBC record.

Photo by Brad Lirette

I like photos of rarities. I was able to locate 2 YELLOW WARBLERS while scouting on STP road and Brad Lirette managed to photograph one again on count day. The Yellow Warbler breeds in the United States and winters with regularity in very small numbers in shrubby areas along the Coast. We have become very good at finding this species as this makes our 7^threcord.

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER AND N. WATERTHRUSH are two species that have started to consistently give us the slip during count days. They are found regularly nearby in similar habitats, but for whatever reason we are starting to miss them far too regularly.

OVENBIRD is a regular wintering warbler that spends time in very dense thickets. The reporting of it is much less than its occurrence because it is a very talented skulker in the shadows. Selkirk, Lyondell and W. Roads managed to find one each for our 5^thCBC record.

SWAINSON’S WARBLER is a denizen of historic cane brakes of the South. It breeds in small numbers in Texas and is not expected to winter. Bob and Dale Friedrichs had good observations of one on the Lyondell property making it our 2^ndCBC record.

CLAY-COLORED & LARK SPARROWS both occupies more xeric savannah settings and have been very consistently reported on this CBC for at least 10 CBC seasons each. We missed this year.

Photo by David Shackelford

HENSLOW’S SPARROW is normally viewed as a species of the “tall grass prairie” and most searches for the species occur in large prairie tracts. However, we tend to locate them in this count area in smaller grasslands. Our 4^threcord was photographed by David Shackelford on the River Ranches Section.

LARK BUNTING ended up being the Number Two bird for this CBC in a very close vote. Tad Finnell observed one in a shrubby area at Selkirk Island. This appears to be a year of great numbers of Lark Buntings roaming more easterly and southerly than normal.

RESULTS

We reported 231 species which is about average for this CBC. We added 3 new species bring our total to 335 species. Observers reported 37 species in above average numbers and 54 species in below average while missing 9 species in the area.

Mad Island has let the Nation for the most highest counts of individual species for 11 years. The 425 Roseate Spoonbill, 35 White-tailed Hawk, 222 Greater Yellowlegs, 39 Am. Woodcock, 14 Franklin’s Gull, 35 Gull-billed Tern, 64 Barn Owl, 64 Barred Owl, 1040 E. Phoebe, 7 Ash-throated Flycatcher, 182 Loggerhead Shrike, 1 Red-eyed Vireo, 233 House Wren, 329 Marsh Wren, 1 Wood Thrush, 68 Sprague’s Pipit, 1 Swainson’s Warbler, 482 Com. Yellowthroat, 7 Yellow-breasted Chat, 3995 Savannah Sparrow, 1219 E. Meadowlark, and 11,328 Boat-tailed Grackle reported this year will be competitive for national honors.

TRENDS

This is the 2^nd year in a row we have had weather which has really reduced the success of our counting. The norm for species being above and below average is 65 being high and 25 being low as was reported 2 years ago. During the major cold front last year, we reported 55 species below average and 45 above. This year we have 54 species below average and only 34 above average. Even in bad weather, we still can locate species in above average numbers.

HIGH COUNTS: Ruddy Duck, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Virginia Rail, Whimbrel, Marbled Godwit, Wilson’s Plover, Am. Woodcock, Franklin’s Gull, Com. Tern, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, E. Screech-Owl, Great Horned Owl, Burrowing Owl, Barred Owl, Chuck-will’s-widow, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, N. Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Least Flycatcher, W. Kingbird, White-eyed Vireo, Am. Crow, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Palm Warbler, Swainson’s Warbler, Com. Yellowthroat, Wilson’s Warbler, Lark Bunting, Fox Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Harris’s Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, W. Meadowlark and Am. Goldfinch.

LOW COUNTS: Cackling Goose, Canada Goose, Am. Wigeon, Mottled Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Redhead, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Com. Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, Com. Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Eared Grebe, Brown Pelican, Neotropic Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Egret, Reddish Egret, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, N. Harrier, Clapper Rail, King Rail, Sandhill Crane, Black-bellied Plover, Willet, Sanderling, W. Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Laughing Gull, Bonaparte’s Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Caspian Tern, Forster’s Tern, Com. Ground-Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Couch’s Kingbird, N. Rough-winged Swallow, Bewick’s Wren, Brown Thrasher, Long-billed Thrasher, Eur. Starling, Vesper Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Brewer’s Blackbird, Com. Grackle, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird and House Sparrow.

Waterfowl = 11 species low and 1 high out of 28 species. Visibility definitely affected our ability to see waterfowl. Disappointing because there were huge numbers of ducks, geese and cranes in the area.

Divers = 4 out of 5 species low.

Pelicans thru Ibises = 7 lows and no highs out of 19 species. Major flight lines were not visible during CBC.

Raptors = 1 low and 1 high out of 18 species. We were still able to observed reasonable numbers of raptors.

Rails = 4 lows and 1 high out of 8 species. The drought had a major negative impact on these species.

Shorebirds = 7 lows and 4 highs out of 27 species. Large numbers of shorebirds were using inland waterfowl impoundments because of high tides in the bays. Most birds were either not visible or just blurred silhouettes.

Gulls & Terns = 6 lows and 2 highs from 12 species.

Doves thru Woodpeckers = 10 highs and 2 lows out of 23 species. As a general rule, the drought was good for wintering doves. It suppressed grasses and allowed for weeds to flourish and produce abundant seed. All owls except Barn were counted in above average numbers.

Flycatchers thru waxwing = 6 highs and 6 lows out of 41 species. In general, detecting passerines were not as greatly effected in the fog as large open country birds.

Warblers = 4 highs and no lows out of 12 species

Towhees thru buntings = 5 highs and 2 lows out of 23 species.

The rest = 6 lows and 2 highs out of 12 species. As expected, large flocks of blackbirds and grackles were not detectable in the fog.

TEAM WORK

Much of the results from this CBC are the direct results of the planning, leadership, coordination, and skills of our Section Leaders: Jim Hargrove, Sumita Prasad, Charlie Brower, Ron Weeks, Michael Kennedy, Bill Baker, Brad Lirette, Jared Judy, Jim Renfro, Marc Ealy, James Arnold, and Ural Donohoe.

This Christmas Bird Count is The Number One in the Nation from our Team’s perspective. It has shown national leadership in cooperative efforts between the birders, the landowners, the boat operators and the people of Matagorda County. It takes every bodies efforts focused on the end result to achieve our goals. Yes, we have a very diverse avifauna that is the product of a narrow forested corridor extending all of the way down the Colorado River to the Gulf that is bordered by an abundance of native prairies, brushlands and wetlands. An added factor is geography creates diverse ecosystems being in close proximity. This diversity would not be possible unless the landowners managed their land to maintain the productivity of the habitats, and it would not be possible to survey them unless they liked our project and permitted us access. All the birds in the world would not mean anything unless the interest, skills and cooperation of the Texas birders would not show up to conduct the count. We would count very few water birds unless our boat operators would not donate a day from their busy schedule as well as the use of their boats. We get great support from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, The Nature Conservancy, the South Texas Nuclear Project and Lyondell-Basel for use of equipment, land and staff. Lastly, we could not afford to pay for the Great Supper at the Wadsworth Community Center, provide counters with t-shirts and pay their CBC activity fees without the generosity of the sponsors. We also thank Greg Lavatyfor the great photo for our T-shirt.

LEADERS: David and Marilyn Sitz. David has developed a great relationship with the landowners of Matagorda County and he is the person who obtains permission for the birders to access the private property. Marilyn does the fund raising, arranges for the production of T-shirts and the catering at the banquet. She recruits volunteers to work at the banquet. This count would not be near as special without the leadership of Marilyn and her volunteers.

SPONSORS: Betty Clark, Bay City Convention Bureau, Matagorda County Birding & Nature Center, Bay City Nature Club, Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept., Lower Colorado River Authority, The Nature Conservancy, South Texas Nuclear Project Operating Co., Lyondell-Basel, Celanese, Wells Fargo Bank, All Star Realty, City of Bay City, Bay City Abstract & Title.

LANDOWNERS: Lower Colorado River Authority, George Harrison, PCS Phosphate, Inc., Jack Miller, Carl Anderson family, Charlie Brower’s family, Roy Poinsett, Eugene Welfel, Baer Ranch, Lyondell-Basel, South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company, Julius Ledwig, Linda Joy Stovall, Bill Von Gonten, Smith Marsh, The Nature Conservancy of Texas, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Grover Ryman, Bill Doss, Ray Culver, Becca Sitz, Al Denham, and Old Gulf.

BOAT OPERATORS: We appreciate the services and the boats provided by James Arnold, and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.

NEXT YEAR

This was another amazing CBC at Mad Island. We thank all of you who helped. Next year will likely be better. Come join us to check it out and bring a friend on Tuesday, 14 December 2010.

NOTE: THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME WE CONDUCT THE COUNT ON A TUESDAY.

Photo by Jimmy Jackson

Brent Ortego

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

2805 N. Navarro, Suite 600B

Victoria, TX 77901

brent.ortego@tpwd.state.tx.us

Excel spreadsheet of data available upon request.