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.

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

15 December 2008

The 16^th running of the Matagorda County – Mad Island Marsh Christmas Bird Count felt more like a survival adventure than a bird survey.  Most of our Team had no idea of the timing and strength of the “Blue Norther” that was going to hit us during the morning of the CBC.  Weather forecast the night before indicated heavy fog in the morning and a cold front arriving in the afternoon, but the front that arrived was much stronger and faster than predicted.

Our team of 97 dedicated birders reported 233 species of birds which will make us Number One in the Nation again for species.  Guadalupe River Delta – McFaddin Family Ranches placed 2^nd with 217 species.

The scene above greeted many of our teams at first light.  A heavy fog had settled along the Coast and some birders had a hard time seeing the roads on which they were driving.  Gradually the fog lifted and birds became active.  It was actually pretty nice for about an hour with relatively light winds and low clouds.  Then about 9 a.m. we observed a very dark frontal line to the north and we knew we were going to experience some pretty serious weather.  Birders scurried for their vehicles, birds headed for cover, and the two boats with birders in the bay had to deal with it.  Our East Bay boat (James Arnold’s) decided to head for the harbor.  We drove about 7 miles through 30 mph north winds, light rain and a drop of 30 degrees in temperature as we got out of the bay.  The airboat in West Bay just decided to work through it.

This was one of the few CBCs I have attended that I felt the need to call birders to see if anybody was still out there.  After taking a break at the harbor, finding some warmer gear and determining that the Count was still active, we continued our journey.  It actually was not uncomfortable on the water once the rain stopped and we wore better gear.  The wind made all birding challenging and the 97 birders did what we could on land and water.

BEST BIRD

Our section leaders voted the E. Wood-Pewee as the Best Bird which barely beat out the Black-headed Grosbeak.

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

The FULVOUS WHISTLING-DUCK has been reported 5 times during the CBC and is expected, but can be very difficult to find as they tend to hide in densely vegetated freshwater marshes.  The Serrill family managed to locate one at Mad Island as it was flying with Black-bellieds.

WOOD STORKS are common during sumer/fall in the area and occasionally one will linger.  Jan Huebner found one on the Baer Ranch.  This marked the 3^rd time we have had one on the CBC.

The APLOMADO FALCON is probably this CBC’s Best Bird year-in and year-out.  Two were reported by Jared Laing and Heather Serrill.  Heather is always looking for a photo opportunity and managed to get this nice shot of one on TNC.

PURPLE GALLINULE is another resident of the deep marsh that typically migrates south for the winter.  Our team can occasionally find one lurking if they work the tall marsh vegetation.  This year Jared Laing managed to sling a rock near one making it flush in the Mad Island area, and it became our 4^th CBC record.

We posted our highest tally of FRANKLIN’S GULLS with 8 this year.  They seemed to be everywhere with 5 of the 15 sections reporting them.

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was the only new species for the count this year.  A number of this species were reported along the Coast this season and it’s presence was expected, but it required a very knowledgeable birder to identify it.  Thus, I was excited when Petra Hockey said she was going to do a “Sea Watch” during the count and she came through with this species and a couple more exclusives.

Mad Island is known for its high diversity of flycatchers.  The E. WOOD-PEWEE reported this year is the CBCs 4^th record.  All EAWP have been identified by vocalization.  This individual discovered by “Mr. Radar” Mark Scheuerman was also seen and described well, and eventually photographed.  That is not its photo above, but one I caught during an earlier trip.

Martine Got well described an E. KINGBIRD on TNC for our 4^th record, and Jean Martin’s River Section reported 2 GREAT KISKADEES which was also our 4^th record. 

The WOOD THRUSH used to be a species I doubted occurred with any regularity.  Our Team has been successful at locating and occasionally photographing Wood Thrushes 9 times.  This year one was well described by Michael Kennedy at the Lyondell-Basell property.

The TENNESSEE WARBLER is still one of those lingering warblers that I am yet to identify in winter.  This year makes the 7^th time our Team has adequately described one.  Sandy Dillard and 4 other observers reported one in the Peninsula Section.

YELLOW WARBLER is an expected lingering neotrop that can be difficult to find.  Two were located prior to the CBC and it took Brad Lirette lots of work to photograph the one below during the heavy winds of the day in the W. Roads Section.

This seems to be the year for BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS.  I have had one at my Victoria County home this fall and I have heard of several reports on the Coast.  Dale Friedrichs described one well during this CBC on the Lyondell-Basell property for our 3^rd record.

RESULTS

Excel spreadsheet with data by section available upon request.

233 species is an amazing total for the Weather in which we had to conduct the bird count.  We missed a number of regular species like Ferruginous Hawk, Solitary Sandpiper, E. Screech-Owl, Rufous Hummingbird, Say’s Phoebe, Black-and-White Warbler, Ovenbird, N. Waterthrush, Clay-colored Sparrow, Painted Bunting and House Finch.  We also missed Groove-billed Anis which were spotted the day before and observed still there in mid January. 

The Wildlife Management Area section had the most species with 157.  Matagorda-East, Lyondell, W. Roads, TNC and the Rovers had 4 or more exclusives.

We have led the Nation for 10 years with the most highest counts of individual species.  We normally get at least 20 high tallies.  We might not be able to do it this year.  Candidates for highest counts are the 3002 Am. White Pelican, 1201 Great Egret, 984 Roseate Spoonbill, 41 White-tailed Hawk, 216 Crested Caracara, 20 Yellow Rail, 112 Piping Plover, 289 Greater Yellowlegs, 116 Spotted Sandpiper, 1 E. Wood-Pewee, 477 Sedge Wren, 1 Wood Thrush, 44 Sprague’s Pipit, 1 Black-headed Grosbeak, 23,459 Boat-tailed Grackle, 1226 E. Meadowlark.

TRENDS

Weather is the Great Equalizer in CBC competition and it almost got us on our species tally.  It did greatly reduce tallies of birds and it will be difficult to determine if changes in numbers were more “weather of the day” affected or impacted by the extreme drought which is occurring in many parts of Texas.  Aside from the 12 species missed, 55 species had low counts and 45 had high counts.  Last year we had 65 species with high counts and 25 species with lows:  A Big Difference.

HIGH COUNTS:  Am. Wigeon, Blue-winged Teal, N. Shoveler, N. Pintail, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Hooded Merganser, Green Heron, Roseate Spoonbill, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Crested Caracara, Aplomado Falcon, Peregrine Falcon, Yellow Rail, Purple Gallinule, Sandhill Crane, Snowy Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Piping Plover, Spotted Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Least Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Wilson’s Snipe, Franklin’s Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Royal Tern, Eur. Collared-Dove, Burrowing Owl, Great Kiskadee, E. Kingbird, N. Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Winter Wren, Sedge Wren, Am. Pipit, Tennessee Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Lark Sparrow, Am. Goldfinch, House Sparrow.

LOW COUNTS:  Ross’s Goose, Cackling Goose, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Mottled Duck, Canvasback, Surf Scoter, N. Bobwhite, Horned Grebe, Eared Grebe, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Osprey, Am. Kestrel, Merlin, Clapper Rail, Am. Oystercatcher, Long-billed Curlew, Red Knot, Bonaparte’s Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Common Tern, Forster’s Tern, Inca Dove, Short-eared Owl, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Yellow-shafted Flicker, E. Phoebe, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Couch’s Kingbird, Loggerhead Shrike, Blue Jay, Horned Lark, Tufted Titmouse, Brown Creeper, E. Bluebird, N. Mockingbird, Chipping Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Le Conte’s Sparrow, Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, N. Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird.

Waterfowl = 7 species high and 8 low out of 28 species.  The Mad Island Area was fortunate to receive an 8 inch rain in November which filled most impoundments and natural wetlands.  Otherwise it would have been very dry and with much fewer water birds.

Divers = 2 low out of 5 species.  Wave action made it difficult to get good counts.

Pelicans through Ibises = 2 high, and 3 low out of 23 species.  We were able to make decent counts on most large waterbirds despite the weather because birds were concentrated in areas accessible to our Team.

Raptors = 7 high and 3 low out of 18 species.  Very good numbers.  Increasing catfish ponds in the W. Roads Section are attracting large numbers of vultures and Caracaras.  Major emphasis of ag landholders to manage for waterfowl also build up a major food source for large raptors and the numerous blackbirds continue to feed many hawks and owls.

Shorebirds = 8 highs and 3 low out of 26 species.  One of the most exciting parts of the CBC for me is to visit the Colorado River Delta during a falling tide.  Extreme low tides exposes hundreds of acres of mudflats and shorebirds from throughout the County flock to the Delta during these situations.  This year the timing of the front was a little late to have maximum exposure, but we were able to observe some very good numbers of birds on the mudflats.

Gull & Terns = 4 highs and 5 lows.  Strong winds definitely made Gulf observations challenging and tended to force most birds to roosts.

Doves thru Woodpeckers = 2 high and 12 low.  Canopy birds were difficult to locate in the wind and many low numbers reflected this.  Despite the weather this was our best year for locating Burrowing Owls with 5 being reported.

Flycatchers thru Pipits = 7 highs and 10 lows.  The few highs reported were associated with wetlands and lingering neotrops.

Warblers.  We only had 11 species of warblers.  This was the lowest tally of warbler species for the CBC during the decade.

Sparrows thru Blackbirds = 3 highs and 10 lows.  Too much wind to determine what we had.

TEAM WORK

Special thanks to: Marc Ealy, David Sarkozi, James Arnold, Melissa Gaskill for working the bays in boats all day in the weather;  Jim Hargrove, Charlie Brower, Sumita Prasad, Karen McBride, Ural and Terry Donohoe, Jerry McIntyre, Michael Kennedy, Bill Baker, Cathy Porter, Brad Lirette, Jean Martin, Bron Rorex, Jim Renfro and Marc Ealy for being Section Leaders; Peregrine Fund for providing us the falcon photo for the T-shirt; Shawn Ashbaugh for developing the design of the T-shirt.

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 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.

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: Bay City Convention Bureau, Matagorda County Birding & Nature Center, 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 Real Estate, City of Bay City.

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 and John Jureczki.

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 be better.  We promise it!  Come join us to check it out and bring a friend on Monday, 14 December 2009.

MATAGORDA COUNTY – MAD ISLAND MARSH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

17 December 2007

Our Team of 113 very dedicated birders reported 235 species during the 15^th running of our CBC. This is our 4^th 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?

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

The FULVOUS WHISTLING-DUCK has been reported on 4 CBCs and is generally expected each year. This year Ro Wauer found one in the wetlands north of the preserves.

LEAST BITTERN has been reported on 6 of our counts and this year it was heard calling by two birders on the east end of the CBC.

An APLOMADO FALCON has been observed on the TNC preserve for 3 weeks. It was found on count day by the Serrill’s on the Preserve.

I looked at many Laughing Gulls this year trying to make them into a FRANKLIN’S GULL without any luck. “Eagle Eye” Jim Stewart, Steve Gast & Lou Fowler located 2 at STP again this year for the 5^th time for this CBC.

The ACADIAN FLYCATCHER is not an expected bird for the count and is very difficult to identify in the winter. Bob Barth, Noreen Damude and Lars Pomara described one they found at Selkirk.

The GREAT KISKADEE is an expected vagrant and has been reported 3 times on the CBC. This year Michael Kennedy’s team found one on the Lyondell property.

The SWAINSON’S THRUSH is a very challenging species identification in the winter. It is very similar in appearance to the common wintering Hermit Thrush, and unless a person gets exceptional views of the tail it is better called a Hermit. It has been reported a couple of times on the CBC and each time details just did not have enough information. This years report had a good description for an observation over several minutes, but I am still uncomfortable with accepting a report on this species unless there is an excellent photo or specimen.

The WOOD THRUSH used to be in a situation similar to the Swainson’s Thrush. However, it has been photographed during this CBC, and has been reported 8 times. This year’s bird was found by Michael Kennedy in the Lyondell section.

The YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER is a warbler that is expected to winter in the area in very small numbers. It has been reported on the CBC 4 times and this year Howley Poinsett described one on the Selkirk Section.

The PRAIRIE WARBLER is a very difficult to locate lingering neotrop during winter on the Coast. It has been reported 4 times at Mad Island and this year Malcolm Swan photographed one on the TNC Preserve.

The SUMMER TANAGER is expected more frequently than we find it on this CBC. It has only been reported 4 times. This year Tony Frank & Breck Sacra located one at STP.

The OLIVE SPARROW breeds along the Coast as close as Refugio County. It is not expected on the CBC and this year one was observed at very close range by Jared Laing, Scott Summers & Clay Carrington in appropriate thorn scrub habitat on the TNC preserve.

The GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE is a regular winter resident in the southwest and only occasionally wanders to the Coast as far north as Matagorda. Charlie Brower located our 2^nd record in the town of Matagorda.

The PYRRHULOXIA is expected to wander along the Coast periodically. We have reported them 3 times and this year two teams located birds east of Matagorda.

The BLUE GROSBEAK is an uncommon migrant through the area, but is an extremely rare wintering bird in the United States. Dale Friedrichs located our 2^nd record on the Lyondell property.

The PAINTED BUNTING is an expected over wintering species that should occur in small numbers in thickets or at bird feeders. Some years birds will survive and return to the same location in following years. Steve & Laura Gast located one at STP.

The YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD is a regular wintering species on the Coast in small numbers, but it is frequently overlooked because it hangs out with red-wings and how many birders study flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds? The report by Bron Rorex and Karen Straub from the TNC preserve was our 6^th record for the CBC.

* * *

Mad Island is a great count for many reasons and depending on where people bird, they get different impressions of this CBC. This count produces huge amounts of water and land birds and many different groups stand out as special. However, from a total species standpoint, we are probably better known for our lingering neotrops. With this year being another “down” year, we still amassed 13 species of warblers which few CBCs in the country can duplicate. This list included 3 Nashville, 1 Yellow, 1 Black-throated Green, 1 Yellow-throated , 1 Prairie, 7 Black-and-White, 9 Wilson’s, and 7 Yellow-breasted Chat. We were very disappointed we did not have an Am. Redstart, N. Waterthrush nor Ovenbird.

Every section hustled this year to get the quality results we produced. They recruited birders, made arrangements with landowners, pre-scouted their sections, developed strategies, and implemented a plan and made adjustments to birds and weather as the day progressed. I would like to thank all of the section leaders for their efforts: Jim Hargrove, Charlie Brower, Sumita Prasad, Karen McBride, Ural and Terry Donohoe, Jerry McIntyre, Michael Kennedy, Bill Baker, Cathy Porter, Ro Wauer, Jean Martin, Jim Renfro and Marc Ealy.

I would like to bring special attention to the Great Work Jared Laing and his birders did on The Nature Conservancy Preserve. Jared organized a group of 24 skilled birders and they reported 166 species. This is the most species I know that have been reported on a property as small as 7,000 acres on a CBC in the United States. Jared kept on top of his crews and with frequent use of cell phones he was able to focus all the birders to search for a few select species as the day wound down. Great Job TNC Team!!

MISSES

While we had an outstanding CBC. We noticed few lingering unusual neotrops and a number of species we normally tally were missed or absent. Species missed that do not require details or rarer species that were observed during count week were: Any loon other than common, and White-winged & Black Scoters which are difficult to ID in large water bodies. We have had Harris’s Hawk for 10 years and have gotten spoiled about finding one each year in our brushlands. Large Gulls are scarce in our CBC because of low amounts of garbage available to them. We have marginal habitat for Greater Roadrunner and it has been mostly luck to find one in past years. We do not understand why we do not have more hummingbird species than are reported on the CBC. Nearby areas regularly report 5 of 8 normal occurring species each year. We need to encourage our friends in Matagorda and Selkirk to aggressively manage for them every fall/winter. There was an odd void of kingbirds and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers this winter. Brown Creeper, Dark-eyed Junco, and Pine Siskin were surprise misses with this being an invasion year for boreal forest birds. N. Parula, Am. Redstart, N. Waterthrush and Ovenbird are warblers which should be found every year in our woodlands. E. Towhee, Harris’s Sparrow, Indigo Bunting were surprise misses for species who occur regularly in low numbers. We have never been a good oriole CBC. It is probably related to the small amount of residential in which we have in the count circle.

THE DAY

113 field observers began counting at mid-night and continued until 6 p.m. Winds were light during dark, but it was much colder than the forecast for low 40’s. Frost started forming about 3 p.m. Most owls stayed in cover to avoid the cold and did not respond to tapes nor perch on fences readily. Rails, however, responded very well before daylight to tapes broadcast over loud speakers.

The winds stayed relatively mild and blew out of the East all day making bay waters easy to bird. Grebes and loons were scattered throughout East Bay, but nothing special was found.

The Nature Conservancy had better luck using mechanization to pick up Black and Yellow Rails during daylight. Jared Laing held back some flooded ricefield acres that needed roller chopping for the CBC. He roller chopped one field during mid afternoon when birding slowed and gave observers great views of 9 Yellow and 1 Black Rail.

TRENDS

Mad Island has been conducted 15 times. A high count is considered as one of the top 3 tallies and a low is one of the lowest 3. 65 species had high counts, 24 had low and 147 fell somewhere in between. This is a more normal year as far as population trends. Last season had lower diversity, but overall twice as many species with increasing trends.

Listed below are species in the high and low categories and they will be followed by a general discussion of each major species group trends.

HIGH = 69 species: Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Greater White-fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Ross’s Goose, Cackling Goose, Canada Goose, Gadwall, Greater & Lesser Scaup, Least, Pied-billed & Eared Grebe, Am. White & Brown Pelican, Anhinga, Least Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, White-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara, Yellow Rail, King Rail, Virginia Rail, Com. Moorhen, Am. Coot, Sandhill Crane, Black-bellied Plover, Killdeer, Black-necked Stilt, Whimbrel, Sanderling, Short-billed Dowitcher, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, Forster’s Tern, Groove-billed Ani, Great Horned Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Pileated Woodpecker, Acadian Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Vermillion Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, White-eyed Vireo, Am. Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Winter Wren, Gray Catbird, Am. Pipit, Yellow Warbler, Yellow Throated-Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, Olive Sparrow, Green-tailed Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Pyrrhuloxia, Blue Grosbeak, W. Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle and House Sparrow.

LOW = 24 species: N. Bobwhite, N. Gannet, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Roseate Spoonbill, White-tailed Kite, Am. Avocet, Laughing Gull, Bonaparte’s Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Caspian Tern, White-winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Inca Dove, Barn Owl, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, N. Rough-winged Swallow, Cave Swallow, Carolina Wren, Bewick’s Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, E. Bluebird, Eur. Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Vesper Sparrow, andWhite-throated Sparrow.

Waterfowl = 9 species high and 0 low. There was substantial waterfowl production on the breeding grounds and wet conditions inland allowed many birds to stay north.

Divers = 3 high and 0 low. Numbers looked good. An interesting example of year to year swings in population. Last year we had low numbers of Pied-billed Grebe and this year we had a record high.

Pelicans through Ibises = 6 high, and 2 low. Major roost on wildlife management area shifted outside of the survey area.

Raptors = 7 high and 1 low. Local Catfish Farms are attracting numerous scavengers. Large numbers of eagles were present this year.

Shorebirds = 6 highs and 1 low. We got good coverage of shorebirds in the Colorado River Delta and wildlife management area by airboat, and wetlands on the conservation areas had too much water. Good numbers, but lower than last year.

Woodland Birds = 23 highs and 9 lows. Woodlands birds not as numerous as last year, and not many lingering neotrops.

Grassland Birds = 2 highs and 1 lows. Grasslands generally in good shape. Not much happening with populations this year.

TEAM WORK

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 and The Nature Conservancy 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.

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: Bay City Chamber of Commerce, Matagorda County Birding & Nature Center, Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept., Lower Colorado River Authority, The Nature Conservancy, South Texas Nuclear Project Operating Co., Equistar Chemicals, Celanese, Wells Fargo Bank, Bay City Title and Abstract.

LANDOWNERS: Lower Colorado River Authority, George Harrison, PCS Phosphate, Inc., Jack Miller, Carl Anderson family, Charlie Brower’s family, Roy Poinsett, Eugene Welfel, Bahr Ranch, Lyondell Chemicals, South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company, Julius Ledwig, Linda Joy Stovall, Bill Von Gotten, Smith Marsh, The Nature Conservancy of Texas, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

BOAT OPERATORS: We appreciate the services and the boats provided by James Arnold, Bob Gardner, and David Sitz.

NEXT YEAR

Can we get better. Yes! And we can get a lot worst! Weather is the Great Equalizer in CBCs.

One of our weaknesses is urban birds. We like having small residential areas because it maximizes native habitats. However, urban areas add diversity. 8 species of hummingbirds regularly winter in our area and we only observed 2 species this year. We need more people to manage for hummers throughout the year, and maintain grain feeders in town for the oddball songbirds that like seeds.

We need access to more land. While we potentially have access to 75% of the count circle. It is not all covered and there are a few forested properties on the river where we need permission to bird. Shallow mudflats and ponds in the marshes bordering the bays are not covered very well. Brushy ridges along the navigation canals are generally not birded.

Yes. More birders would increase our production. This is a great count, come back next year and bring a friend.

Spreadsheet of count results is available upon request.

Brent Ortego

2805 N. Navarro, Suite 600B

Victoria, TX 77901

361/t76-0022 X 24

Brent.ortego@tpwd.state.tx.us

MATAGORDA COUNTY – MAD ISLAND MARSH CBC

Mad Island is a very diverse CBC that has posted the most species in the nation for 9 of the 14 years it has been conducted.  We are fortunate to get a sizeable turnout by birders, but we have lots of land to survey.  We get permission each year to survey over half of the land within the count circle. We have the likelihood of being the top CBC in the nation on a continuing basis with additional participation.

The CBC is divided into 12 sections and each section has a leader responsible for coordinating the birding for their area.  New birders to the count need to seek assignments to the count preferably at least one week in advance.  There is no one site where people just show up for assignments during the day of the count.  Some section leaders have rendezvous sites for their teams, but most just start birding as soon as they arrive.

Birding Needs:

We always need more people to help us work the beaches by scanning the Gulf for pelagics, and surveying behind the dunes for grassland and wetland birds.

There is a need for a few feeder watchers in the 2 residential areas within the Count to search for hummingbirds and unusual songbirds.

There are extensive areas of forests along the Colorado River that needs teams of good woodland birders to survey them thoroughly.

The TPWD wildlife management area and TNC preserve have extensive native grasslands, tidal marshes and managed waterfowl impoundments along with scattered motes of brush that always need additional help locating unusual birds and rare lingerers. 

Participating birders will be given this year’s custom t-shirt, a meal at the banquet and have their activity fees paid.

Contact brent.ortego@tpwd.state.tx.us if you need more information, or plan to attend.  Section assignments need to be made in advance.

Directions to the various sections and birding teams are provided weeks in advance to people volunteering to do the CBC.  Birders should contact their section leaders in advance for plans for this year’s count.  If you are new to the CBC, contact Brent Ortego for initial assignment.  You will need to provide information on your birding skills, types of birds in which you are best at identifying, your ability to walk all day or need for sections that use vehicles, number of people in your group, etc. at

brent.ortego@tpwd.state.tx.us

12/17/93 TUNDRA SWAN by John Eriksson in Matagorda – East

12/19/94 WESTERN GREBE by Bea & Jim Harrison, Toni Ritenor, and Pat Parinello in Peninsula – East

12/18/95  SHEARWATER SP.  by Tom Morris, Bea Harrison and Rose Wagner in Peninsula – East

12/23/96 LONG-TAILED DUCK by Bea & Jim Harrison, Tom Morris, Rose Wagner, and Richard & Dee Dee Hornea in Peninsula – East

12/22/97 GOLDEN EAGLE by Mark Elwonger & Petra Hockey in River

12/21/98 ZONE-TAILED HAWK by Jose Hernandez, Karen Bradley, and Betty Jo Peters in Matagorda

12/20/99 CASSIN’S VIREO by Bret Whitney in Selkirk Island

12/18/00 APLOMADO FALCON by Ural & Bruce Donohoe, Doug Furr, and Brandon Frueden Sprung as Rovers

12/17/01 COSTA’S HUMMINGBIRD by Charlie & Olivia Brower in Matagorda

12/16/02 THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD by Dennis Myers, Steve Gast & Jim Stewart in STP

12/15/03 RED-NECKED GREBE by Brent Ortego, Bob Noster & Jerry McAllistger in East Bay, and THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD by James Stewart, Steve Gast, Bill Baker, & Dennis & Cammy Myers in STP

12/20/04 MASKED DUCK by Heather, Linda & Richard Serrill in TNC

12/19/05 WHIP-POOR-WILL by Nicholas Block & Roy Poinsett in Selkirk Island, CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD by Nicholas Block in Selkirk Island, and SHINY COWBIRD by Scott & Christina Summers in TNC

12/18/06 WESTERN GREBE by Sandy Dillard in Pensula – East

The Matagorda County Mad Island Marsh CBC was started in 1993 by Jim Bergan and Brent Ortego to showcase the birds of the Mad Island Wildlife Management Area managed by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and the Mad Island Marsh Preserve managed by The Nature Conservancy. The CBC has been highly successful by reporting the most species in the nation for 9 of the 14 years it has been conducted and has also listed 327 species between 1993 and 2006 with 250 species reported during 2005.

We have grown from 37 observers meeting in The Nature Conservancy Visitor Center for chilli during the 1993 count-down to having multi-sponsors with a banquet annually at the Wadsworth Community Center with a peak number of observers at 121 in 2002.

The normal formula for a CBC is that success attracts birders and quality birders find rare birds. This has been part of the formula for Mad Island, but there is so much more with this very special CBC.

A Christmas Bird Count survey area is a 15-mile diameter circle which contains 113,040 acres. More species are found by having the most diverse set of habitats within this space that is accessible to birders. Due to a large local support from Matagorda County residents, the CBC has access to most of the important bird habitats which contains 29% range land, 22% ag, 19% bays, 10% marsh, 6% reservoir, 5% prairie, 3% Gulf, 2% forests, 2% beaches & dunes, 1% rivers & canals, and 1% urban.

Nationally significant results has attracted strong local support which in turn has helped access the private lands which make up 65% of the CBC. Local support has also attracted sponsors which allows us to pay for the banquet, the National Audubon Society activity fees, the custom CBC t-shirt and the fuel for 3 commercial fishing guides who give up a day for our survey. We are proud for the assistance provided by our sponsors: Matagorda County Birding & Nature Center, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Center, Wells Fargo Bank, Lyondell Corp., Lower Colorado River Authority, Celanese, Bay City Abstract and Title, City of Bay City, Bay City Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture Convention & Visitor Bureau, All Star Real Estate, Coldwell Banker/Ward Real Estate, and The Nature Conservancy.

We thank the many landowners who manage the land which supports this abundant and diverse avian community in southern Matagorda County and provides the access to our birders. Lastly, we thank the birders who invest their time and energy in making us Number One to all who work with the Matagorda County – Mad Island Marsh CBC.