Archive for January, 2008

2007 Matagorda County – Mad Island Marsh CBC

Friday, January 11th, 2008

txmm-roost-flight-p1030379.JPG

MATAGORDA COUNTY – MAD ISLAND MARSH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

17 December 2007

 

Our Team of 113 very dedicated birders reported 235 species during the 15th running of our CBC. This is our 4th highest tally and is a very good total for this “down year” for total species. Guadalupe River Delta reported 225, Dan Diego, CA, 215 and Freeport 203 species.

BEST BIRD

 

Our section leaders had a very close vote for the Best Bird. OLIVE SPARROW won by one vote over Green-tailed Towhee. There seemed to be a consensus that they would prefer seeing an Aplomado Falcon next year on the t-shirt. Does anybody have a good photo of an Aplomado with an Olive Sparrow in its talons?

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2007 Guadalupe River Delta CBC – Data

Tuesday, January 8th, 2008

Guadalupe River Delta/McFaddin Family Ranches CBC 20 December 2007

SPONSORS:

  • Lyondell Chemicals
  • Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
  • Jess Womack Ranch
  • LaQuerencia Ranch
  • Rio Vista Bluff Ranch
  Guadalupe River Delta McFaddin Family Ranches
Species River Road Ranches & Roads Ranches & Bayous Chemical Plants TPWD WMA   Jess Womack LaQuerencia Rio Vista Bluff TOTAL Teams Change
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 6 31 25 1 91 1 155 6 +
FULVOUS WHISTLING-DUCK 1 1 1 +
G. White-fronted Goose 1584 805 1518 23968 37 15000 5 +
Snow Goose 30700 732 1053 1059 106009 57 52000 6
Ross’ Goose 31 25 23 14 1259 1300 5 +
Cackling Goose 221 221 1 +
Canada Goose 22 1 81 104 3
Wood Duck 7 17 6 2 68 48 148 6 +
Gadwall 94 27 5 42 77 3 3 251 7 -
Am. Wigeon 21 20 41 2 -
Mallard 38 4 42 2
Mottled Duck 8 4 2 6 3 23 5 -
Blue-winged Teal 120 71 52 129 9 5 386 6 -
Cinnamon Teal 5 3 2 10 3
N. Shoveler 84 63 3 32 160 100 442 6
N. Pintail 80 43 60 1 184 4
Green-winged Teal 169 27 4 22 60 282 5
Canvasback 36 2 1 39 3
Redhead 8 4 1 13 3 -
Ring-necked Duck 1 56 48 105 3
Lesser Scaup 80 17 80 580 5 11 773 6
Bufflehead 5 19 53 68 145 4 +
Com. Goldeneye 4 35 15 51 5 110 5 +
LONG-TAILED DUCK 1 1 1 NEW
Hooded Merganser 14 14 1
Red-breasted Merganser 1 1 2 2 -
Ruddy Duck 36 2 12 418 1 469 5
. . . duck, sp. 7 7 1
W. Turkey 44 8 52 2
N. Bobwhite 2 2 1 -
Com. Loon 1 1 1
Least Grebe 3 6 6 2 17 4
Pied-billed Grebe 83 37 31 24 9 184 5 +
Eared Grebe 6 1 137 144 3 +
Am. White Pelican 140 15 107 874 260 1396 5 +
Brown Pelican 23 1 26 38 8 1 97 6 +
Neotropic Cormorant 49 18 109 36 23 1 236 6
Double-crested Cormorant 50 16 45 24 95 262 10 6 508 8 +
Anhinga 5 8 21 10 56 17 2 1 120 8 +
Am. Bittern 2 3 5 2 -
Great Blue Heron 49 16 35 16 89 30 9 3 247 8 +
Great Egret 70 33 72 58 150 37 20 2 442 8 +
Snowy Egret 45 25 18 19 21 5 133 6
Little Blue Heron 4 12 6 8 7 16 1 54 7
Tricolored Heron 28 9 7 20 51 11 8 134 7 +
Reddish Egret 1 1 1 3 3
Cattle Egret 3 17 9 9 15 53 5
Green Heron 4 2 1 7 3
Black-crowned Night-Heron 45 21 34 7 2 7 116 6 +
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 1 20 1 22 3 +
White Ibis 568 14 145 22 260 298 20 9 1336 8
Glossy Ibis 1 1 1
White-faced Ibis 716 101 28 252 538 29 104 1768 7
Roseate Spoonbill 29 26 3 67 2 3 130 6
Black Vulture 16 120 16 82 158 487 13 25 917 8 +
Turkey Vulture 90 97 55 81 182 135 34 12 686 8 +
Osprey 9 2 7 6 19 43 5
White-tailed Kite 2 2 1 -
Bald Eagle 1 1 1 1 4 4 -
N. Harrier 21 11 13 6 38 3 2 1 95 8
Sharp-shinned Hawk 4 1 1 1 7 4
Cooper’s Hawk 4 1 1 4 5 1 16 6 +
Harris’s Hawk 1 1 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 3 2 3 1 9 24 6 5 53 8 -
White-tailed Hawk 2 2 1 1 2 3 11 6
Red-tailed Hawk 6 16 8 19 22 10 15 3 99 8
Crested Caracara 4 18 10 7 14 25 2 3 83 8
Am. Kestrel 12 22 13 12 27 7 8 3 104 8 -
Merlin 2 1 1 4 3
APLOMADO FALCON 1 1 1 New
Peregrine Falcon 1 1 2 2
Clapper Rail 1 1 1
King Rail 2 2 26 30 3
Virginia Rail 2 1 4 7 3
Sora 26 3 28 80 5 142 5 +
Com. Moorhen 227 55 60 59 3 404 5 +
Am. Coot 1312 335 999 776 3099 6 6527 6
Sandhill Crane 495 246 34 1200 351 3 10 37 2376 8
Black-bellied Plover 32 20 509 561 3 +
Semipalmated Plover 25 11 36 2
Killdeer 113 109 25 46 265 31 15 604 7
Black-necked Stilt 2 4 40 46 3 +
Am. Avocet 302 18 324 644 3 +
Spotted Sandpiper 3 2 3 7 15 4
Solitary Sandpiper 1 3 4 2 +
Greater Yellowlegs 29 5 3 5 89 1 1 133 7
Willet 3 1 1 18 23 4
Lesser Yellowlegs 4 1 3 5 13 4 -
Long-billed Curlew 3 1 2 6 3 -
Ruddy Turnstone 1 1 2 2
Sanderling 2 3 5 2
W. Sandpiper 2 490 492 2
Least Sandpiper 64 8 43 570 685 4
Dunlin 45 4 619 668 3
. . . sandpiper sp. 100 100 1
Stilt Sandpiper 15 15 1
Short-billed Dowitcher 1 30 31 2
Long-billed Dowitcher 42 2 176 220 3 -
. . . Dowitcher sp. 4 4 1
Wilson’s Snipe 98 7 2 18 32 2 159 6
Laughing Gull 138 182 3014 520 1 3855 5 +
Bonaparte’s Gull 1 10 11 2
Ring-billed Gull 24 2 93 4005 40 4 4168 6 +
Herring Gull 2 1 8 11 3
Gull-billed Tern 6 4 2 12 3
Caspian Tern 19 1 30 4 1 55 5 +
Com. Tern 1 1 1
Forster’s Tern 100 219 10 242 1 572 5 +
Royal Tern 4 8 1 4 1 18 5
Rock Pigeon 2 40 42 2 +
Eur. Collared Dove 7 3 7 17 3
White-winged Dove 3 89 27 10 138 267 5 +
Mourning Dove 44 152 11 21 53 131 8 9 429 8
Inca Dove 24 2 26 2
Com. Ground Dove 2 2 2 7 6 19 5
White-tipped Dove 1 1 1
Greater Roadrunner 1 1 2 2 New
Groove-billed Ani 6 6 1 +
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO 1 1 1 New
Com. Barn-Owl 1 1 2 2
E. Screech-Owl 7 1 8 2
Great Horned Owl 5 2 1 7 1 1 1 18 7
Barred Owl 2 7 11 6 26 4
Short-eared Owl 1 1 1
Pauraque 3 3 1 +
Buff-bellied Hummingbird 1 1 2 2 +
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1 1 1
. . . Archilochus sp. 2 2 1
Belted Kingfisher 8 9 24 5 27 4 77 6 +
Green Kingfisher 3 1 1 5 3
Golden-fronted Woodpecker 3 3 1
Red-bel Woodpecker 27 27 21 3 17 46 2 21 164 8
Yellow-bel Sapsucker 14 11 1 4 11 2 3 46 7
Ladder-b Woodpecker 1 2 2 1 1 5 2 2 16 8 +
Downy Woodpecker 1 1 1 3 3
N. (Yel.-sh.) Flicker 1 2 3 2
Pileated Woodpecker 20 1 3 24 3 +
Least Flycatcher 1 3 4 2
. . . Empidonax sp. 1 1 1 3 3
E. Phoebe 106 78 41 42 177 305 46 40 835 8 +
BLACK PHOEBE 1 1 1 New
Say’s Phoebe 1 3 4 2 New
Vermilion Flycatcher 5 30 6 4 5 10 1 3 64 8
GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER 1 1 1 New
Great Kiskadee 1 1 1 -
Couch’s Kingbird 11 48 13 3 9 35 119 6 +
Loggerhead Shrike 4 17 3 6 7 6 4 47 7
White-eyed Vireo 32 48 6 11 47 25 4 7 180 8 +
BELL’S VIREO 1 1 1 New
Blue-headed Vireo 6 31 1 2 7 9 2 58 7 +
Blue Jay 5 5 1
Am. Crow 16 28 31 61 142 16 8 302 7 -
Chihuahuan Raven 1 1 1 New
Horned Lark 1 2 3 2
Tree Swallow 96 1 8 28 2 200 335 6 -
N. R-w. Swallow 3 6 1 10 3 -
Cave Swallow 8 119 127 2 +
Barn Swallow 1 1 6 8 3
. . . swallow sp. 9 9 1
Carolina Chickadee 25 55 10 1 23 41 16 10 181 8
Black-crested Titmouse 0 0
E. Titmouse 1 1 1
. . . Tufted Titmouse hybrids 27 9 6 18 31 11 3 105 7 +
Carolina Wren 53 42 15 8 43 66 5 12 244 8
Bewick’s Wren 1 1 3 5 3
House Wren 50 75 6 18 17 49 2 16 233 8
Winter Wren 5 1 6 2
Sedge Wren 54 2 36 4 4 100 5
Marsh Wren 63 7 2 7 87 1 1 168 7
Golden-crowned Kinglet 0 0 -
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 51 107 14 8 61 286 10 4 541 8 -
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 79 148 22 21 69 238 20 7 604 8 _
E. Bluebird 4 3 4 1 2 14 5 -
Hermit Thrush 1 8 1 2 4 33 1 1 51 8 -
Am. Robin 3 7 1 2 11 10 34 6 -
Gray Catbird 5 9 6 21 9 50 5
N. Mockingbird 15 56 16 10 29 54 14 5 199 8 +
Brown Thrasher 4 1 1 1 7 4 -
Long-billed Thrasher 1 2 1 4 3 -
Eur. Starling 85 214 9 67 170 9 15 569 7
Am. Pipit 134 7 17 68 19 35 280 6
Sprague’s Pipit 1 1 2 2
Cedar Waxwing 5 5 1
Orange-cr Warbler 57 69 8 12 38 65 4 253 7
Nashville Warbler 2 1 3 2
N. PARULA 1 1 1
YELLOW WARBLER 1 1 1 New
Myrtle Warbler 115 62 62 66 237 41 9 592 7 -
. . . Audubon’s Warbler 2 1 3 2
Black-throated Green-Warbler 2 2 1
PRAIRIE WARBLER 1 1 1 New
Pine Warbler 10 4 2 9 25 4 -
Palm Warbler 3 1 4 2 -
Black & White Warbler 7 11 2 6 9 1 1 37 7 +
Am. Redstart 1 1 1
Ovenbird 1 1 1
N. Waterthrush 1 1 2 2
Com. Yellowthroat 93 27 15 51 92 18 2 298 7 -
Wilson’s Warbler 11 5 1 2 19 4 +
Yellow-breasted Chat 1 1 1
SUMMER TANAGER 1 1 2 2 New
Olive Sparrow 1 2 3 2
E. Towhee 1 1 1
. . . Towhee sp. 1 1 1
Chipping Sparrow 4 97 8 268 60 6 443 6 +
Clay-colored Sparrow 1 1 1
Field Sparrow 1 4 6 11 3 -
Vesper Sparrow 3 3 1 -
Lark Sparrow 5 5 1 +
Savannah Sparrow 76 99 24 38 484 334 100 6 1161 8
Grasshopper Sparrow 1 1 1 3 3
Le Conte’s Sparrow 2 10 12 2 -
Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow 6 6 1
Seaside Sparrow 2 2 1
Song Sparrow 1 7 7 2 20 37 5 +
Lincoln’s Sparrow 36 33 3 11 47 18 10 2 160 8 -
Swamp Sparrow 22 8 1 59 9 40 3 142 7 -
White-throated Sparrow 2 4 1 8 5 20 5 -
White-crowned Sparrow 12 2 2 16 3
N. Cardinal 56 102 32 33 163 188 18 35 627 8
Pyrrhuloxia 3 3 1
Indigo Bunting 1 1 1
Red-winged Blackbird 4470 3803 775 3918 9859 10527 100 100 33552 8
E. Meadowlark 18 24 3 1 20 125 40 231 7
W. Meadowlark 11 3 1 20 35 4
. . . Meadowlark, sp. 15 41 11 15 82 4
Yellow-headed Blackbird 1 1 1 New
Brewer’s Blackbird 17 20 37 2 -
Great-tailed Grackle 1459 910 11 51 169 22 2622 6
Boat-tailed Grackle 232 3 260 1378 1873 4
Com. Grackle 25 400 44 520 20 3065 610 462 5146 8 +
Bronzed Cowbird 1 1 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 2080 350 31 1085 125 300 20 3991 7
House Finch 11 11 1 +
Pine Siskin 7 7 1 +
Am. Goldfinch 118 8 75 2 277 74 10 15 579 8 +
House Sparrow 23 13 36 2
TOTAL SPECIES 160 128 111 114 158 116 67 62 225
TOTAL INDIVIDUALS 48393 10961 5348 20080 157308 18327 2199 1061 263676
1-party exclusive 0
2-party exclusive 0
3-party exclusive 0
high counts 0
0
Parties 3 2 2 2 4 5 2 1 21
Observers 6 6 5 7 14 14 4 3 59
Party-Hours 27.5 21.5 19.5 20 37 38.5 17 9.5 190.5
foot 22.5 16.5 5 16 29.5 29.5 13 8.5 140.5
car 5 5 3 6 6.5 3 4 1 33.5
boat 11.5 1 6 18.5
ATV 0
0
Party-Miles 74 115 58.5 30 95 63 48 26 509.5
foot 11 19 2 2 20.5 19 15 10 98.5
car 63 96 20 28 74.5 28 33 16 358.5
boat 36.5 6 16 58.5
ATV 0
Nocturnal Hours 1 2 5.5 1 3.5 13
Nocturnal Miles 5 7 33 1 10 56
Participants Brush Freeman Charlie Brower Diane Nunley Cecelia Riley Brent Ortego Mark Elwonger Ken Sztraky Paul Julian
Petra Hockey Olivia Brower Nan Dietert Michael Gray Suzie Ross Bill Sandidge Ray Jordan Peter Riesz
Ron Weeks Jennifer Wilson Lyndon Holcomb David Plunkett Marc Ealy Wayne & Walter Womack Jim Turner
Dan Kaspar Scott Mitchell David Newstead Steven Bone Bron Rorex Martha Ken Vogel
Tom Langschied Dale Friedrichs Travis Gallo Shawn Ashbaugh Claudia Dorn McAllister
Jim Sinclair Bob Friedrichs Van Boone Jimmy Jackson Bill Farnsworth
Marc Ealy Mikael Brehems Kick Klopshinske Linda Valdez
Fred & Linda Lanoue Ken & Barbara Bruns
Craig & Connie McIntyre Colin & Lynn Bludau
Jon & Yvette McIntyre Roger & Fain Zimmerman
Karen Straub Norma Frederichs
Ro Wauer
50-76 degrees
5-15 east wind

2007 Guadalupe River Delta – McFaddin Family Ranches CBC

Monday, January 7th, 2008

 

Guadalupe River Delta – McFaddin Family Ranches CBC

20 December 2007

Geese

 

 

 

The 4th running of this CBC produced reports of a record 225 species from 59 birders with the Best 3 Birds being Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Bell’s Vireo and Prairie Warbler. The Yellow-billed Cuckoo was heard twice by the Nan Dietert, Diane Nunley and Lydon Holcomb team on Hog Bayou. The Bell’s Vireo was photographed by Brush Freeman and Petra Hockey on River Road, and the Prairie Warbler was photographed by Michael Gray, Cecelia Riley, Steven Bone and David Plunkett.

The 225 species will likely place us in the Top 3 in the Nation which is Great for our count. As we increase participation for this fun CBC and access new lands we should be able to consistently post 230 species results each year and occasionally be the Top CBC in the Country. As an example that our potential has not been reached, we reported 12 new species for the count: Long-tailed Duck (Riley team), Aplomado Falcon (Mitchell team), Greater Roadrunner (Mitchell team), Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Nunley team), Black Phoebe (Ashbaugh team), Great Crested Flycatcher (Farnsworth team), Bell’s Vireo (Hockey team), Chihuahuan Raven (Friedrichs team), Yellow Warbler (Rorex team), Prairie Warbler (Gray team), Summer Tanager (Wauer and Julian teams), and Yellow-headed Blackbird (Freeman team). This brings the total for 4 years of this CBC to 263 species. (more…)