Turkey Day!

I picked up a new Breeding Bird Survey route in Archer County this year and wanted to scout the route. Most of the routes are in rural areas and the maps can be confusing. My husband agreed to go with me and drive while I tried to navigate. Road signs out on the county roads would be very helpful. There are poles where the signs used to be, but very few signs were on the poles. It took us three hours to drive out, map the route and drive home, but at least I am pretty sure of the route for the count.

Wild Turkey

Photo: Andy Reago and Chrissy McClarren

Wikimedia Commons

You see very different birds in the county than you do in town. Although birdwatching was not the purpose of the morning, I did a little bit anyway in between trying to figure out where we were and where we should be going.  The roads were mostly gravel and dirt. A couple were a little more dirt tracks than actual roads--it was obvious they were not heavily traveled. I am very happy my husband was with me. He must have said at least a dozen times, "This route is not one you want to do by yourself. If you can't find someone to go with you, be sure to wake me up and I will go." (He is not a birder and he isn't a morning person, so it's very sweet of him to go with me, which is about half of the surveys I do.)

I put the picture of a wild turkey on this blog because turkeys were a frequent sighting. I saw an even dozen all told. One was a male showing off for the ladies--always impressive.

I also saw several roadrunners and loggerhead shrikes. I saw two what-appeared-to-be prairie falcons, but they should be gone. They generally leave in early March. But they were too light to be peregrines and too large and light to be kestrels. I can't think of anything else that look like and fly like these birds other than prairie falcons, so I am going to call them that. Of course, I don't have pictures.

Birds seen were:

Blue-winged teal
Killdeer
Turkey vulture
Black vulture
Prairie falcon
Red-tailed hawk
American kestrel
Mourning dove
Wild turkey
Northern mockingbird
Scissor-tailed flycatcher
Loggerhead shrike
Roadrunner
Eastern bluebird
Cliff swallow
European starling
American crow
Common grackle
Lark sparrow
Meadowlark (my bet is eastern, although they weren't singing)
House sparrow

I'll be looking forward to running the survey to see what birds I see when I am looking for them.

Good birding!

Good Birding at Lake Arrowhead Today

The second Saturday of every month is a bird walk at Lake Arrowhead State Park. On the drive out, I saw 5 red-tailed hawks and 4 kestrel, so I was hoping for a good morning. After a week of snow and bitterly cold weather, I had a hunch there wouldn't be a crowd at the park for the walk today; nevertheless, the roads were clear, so I went. And I was right. However, me, myself, and I had a good morning. It wasn't too cold (30's) and there was no wind, making for decent weather.

While I was waiting to see if anyone else was going to show, I watched a mockingbird go over my truck looking for food. I realize my little cell phone camera isn't the best, but you can see him perched on the front of my truck--looks like a hood ornament. He actually let me get pretty close. He was going over the grill and searching in the space between the windshield and the hood, probably looking for bugs. I did notice the mockingbirds were beginning to chase one another and other birds, although none are singing yet.

The lake, besides being low, has a film of ice on it, with some of the last round of snow still setting on top of it. The lake is currently sitting at around 28% capacity.

In addition to the birds, there were a number of white-tailed deer. It is amazing that you can be looking over a field and see nothing, then something startles the deer and suddenly, there are a dozen of them running across the field with their white tails flashing.



I also saw some bobcat tracks and when I was climbing the rock stairs on the trail, it was obvious a cotton tail had come that way before me--he had climbed the stairs too.

You can't really see it, but in the picture to the right there are several hundred gulls sitting on the ice. Most all of them are ring-billed gulls but there were two first winter herring gulls mixed in--they really stood out from the others, being much larger and darker. Although a large group of birds, this was just what was left after well over 1000 took off just a little earlier.

In a little over an hour inside the park, I saw the following birds: Canada goose, cackling goose, white pelican, mallard, double-crested cormorant, killdeer, great blue heron, spotted sandpiper, ring-billed gull, herring gull, red-tailed hawk, red-bellied woodpecker, downy woodpecker, golden-fronted woodpecker, northern mockingbird, northern cardinal, eastern bluebird, red-winged blackbird, meadowlark sp., dark-eyed junco, white-crowned sparrow, Harris' sparrow, song sparrow, and house sparrow.

By the time I left the park, the weather was really warming up, so I decided to take West Arrowhead Road to see if I could add any birds to my list. I did add starlings (yippee), Eurasian collared dove, blue jay, American kestrel and American crow.

I then decided to head home by way of FM 9154 and FM 2650 (Sisk Rd). Most of the small tanks were frozen, but there was one tank with some ducks, so I was able to add not only some great-tailed grackles, but gadwall, ring-necked ducks and green-winged teal.

Now, aren't you sorry you stayed home? Don't forget you can participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count at Lake Arrowhead State Park next Saturday, February 15, at 9:00 AM. Why not join in?

Good birding!

Big Day for Wild Bird Rescue Coming Up

Once again, I'll be taking part in the Big Day in support of Wild Bird Rescue. The Big Day is scheduled for Saturday, January 4. As always the goal is 100 species. We haven't made it yet, although we've been close.

Some of you may not know what a Big Day is. A Big Day is an attempt to find as many species of birds possible in a 24-hr period. In our case, our "day" is 12 hours (7 AM - 7 PM).

Our team of birders will bird Wichita and Archer counties. If we can get enough birders, we may break into two teams and expand our range a little, making it a competitive event. If you're a birder and want to take part, contact me at txbirds@gmail.com.

However, our biggest need is sponsors--people who will donate to support the team as it tries to raise money for Wild Bird Rescue. Donations can be a flat dollar amount or on a per species basis (the more species we find, the more the donor pays.) If you wish to donate on a flat basis, that's great. You can drop your donation off at Wild Bird Rescue at 4611 Lake Shore Dr., Wichita Falls, TX 76310, mail it to the same address, or donate by credit card through PayPal at the website (if you elect PayPal, please indicate "Big Day" in the comment section.) Or you can contact me via email, and I will be happy to pick up your donation in the local area.

If you wish to donate on a per species basis, just send me an email with your pledge or call Wild Bird Rescue at 940-691-0828, and they'll make note.

You can track the progress of the team all day in one of the following ways:

• Follow me on Twitter (@birdwithpenny)
• Watch the Twitter feed on this blog
• Watch the Wild Bird Rescue Facebook page

We are hoping for a lot of sponsor support for this event--Wild Bird Rescue is desperate for funds at this time of year. The organization receives well over 1000 wild birds per year to rehabilitate. The Avian Ambassadors program has been a huge hit with educational programs touching over 6,000 people in 2013 (most of them children.) This is not an inexpensive task, so your financial support is needed. 

Good birding!

Lake Arrowhead This Morning

No one turned up at Lake Arrowhead State Park this morning for the bird walk. The park was fairly empty. The cooler weather combined with a rainy forecast seems to have kept people away. Since I have been fighting the crud for two weeks, in a way it was nice, since it meant I could get home and get back into my PJs and under my fuzzy blanket.

Once it was apparent no one was going to show, I made a short drive through the park and on W. Arrowhead Rd. to Bridwell tank.

Inside the park, I saw a Carolina wren, who was scolding me while I filled out my pass at the gate. Later I saw the following birds: great blue heron, double-crested cormorant, mourning dove, Eurasian collared dove, ring-billed gull, red-tailed hawk, northern flicker, ladder-backed woodpecker, red-winged blackbird, northern cardinal, northern mockingbird, white-crowned sparrow, house finch and European starling. The prairie dogs were mostly underground, although the sentries barked a warning when I was in the area.

Upon leaving, I took a short jaunt around W. Arrowhead Rd. to Bridwell tank. Only the back side of the tank has any water and the Lake Arrowhead side of the road is completely dry, as it has been for several months. However, I did see three white-tailed deer along the way as well as some eastern bluebirds, eastern meadowlarks and American kestrels. Coming home on FM 1954 in Archer Co, I added northern harrier, mallard ducks and a loggerhead shrike.

So not a bad morning for a quick trip. I'll spend the rest of the day watching birds at my feeder for Project Feederwatch. At least I am getting some American goldfinch now in an otherwise lackluster year.

Good birding!

Archer County Birding

Well, Sunday morning I decided to head to Archer County after feeding the hawks at Wild Bird Rescue, to see if I could make a dent in my Texas Century Club count for that county. I can't say I had the best morning, but good enough. I did add a couple of species to my county list.

I went out toward Archer City and stopped at Lake Archer. No birds on the water, but I did pick up a few small birds such as a song sparrow and spotted towhee, as well as the first cedar waxwings I have seen this winter, so it was a nice stop.

Harlan's red-tailed hawk, photo Dominic Sherony, Wikimedia Commons

My best  bird of the day was a dark-morph Harlan's red-tailed hawk. Although red-tailed hawks are fairly common in the winter, the Harlan's subspecies is more common further west. I was driving on FM 368 near Camp Stonewall Jackson when I saw what at first glance looked like a turkey vulture sitting on a stump, but its head wasn't right. It was a large, dark bird, which brought the turkey vulture to mind. I did a U-turn and went back for a better look. I got a good look as the bird flushed--no doubt of the I.D.

I usually stop at Camp Stonewall Jackson, but noticed a few cars, so didn't. That is one of the disadvantages of birding alone as a woman--even we older women have to be concerned with safety in more isolated locations. Although men need to be safety conscious as well, the threat is more for a woman alone.

In slightly less than three hours I saw the following birds: mallard, great blue heron, Eurasian collared dove, mourning dove, red-tailed hawk (to include 1 Harlan's), American kestrel, northern harrier, northern mockingbird, loggerhead shrike, blue jay, eastern bluebird, eastern meadowlark, American crow, cedar waxwing, great-tailed grackle, red-winged blackbird, European starling, white-crowned sparrow, song sparrow, dark-eyed junco, spotted towhee, house sparrow.

Overall, not a bad day.

Good birding!

Big Day Coming November 25

The Wild Bird Rescue Big Day fundraiser is Sunday, November 25.

Wild Bird Rescue, Inc. has a two-fold mission: to rescue, rehabilitate and release wild birds and to educate the public about wild birds and wild bird issues.

This past year Wild Bird Rescue added a raptor aviary and a shorebird aviary and expanded its education program by adding several birds of prey and an amphitheater on site. This increased the number and types of birds Wild Bird Rescue can keep, but also added significantly to the operating costs, as raptors and shorebirds are expensive to feed.

The Big Day is a marathon event to find the most species during a particular day. The Big Day will be from 7 AM - 7 PM and will cover Wichita and Archer Counties. Last year, the team covered over 200 miles and recorded 98 species. The goal this year is 100 species--if the weather is good, that's possible.

Wild Bird Rescue is looking for birders for the team. If there are enough birders who want to participate, competing teams could be arranged. Contact me if you would like to take part.

We are also looking for pledges. You may pledge a flat amount or per species. You can email me your pledge or you can go to the Wild Bird Rescue website and use the "Donate" button--just put "Big Day" in the comments so your donation will be credited to the Big Day event.

It isn't necessary to be a part of the team to pledge.

To follow the progress of the team on the Big Day, you can look for posts on the Wild Bird Rescue Facebook page or follow me on Twitter at @birdwithpenny (that Twitter feed will also show up on this blog if you don't have a Twitter account.)

Please help this organization continue to provide these programs to the community.

Good Birding!

Bird Walk at Lake Arrowhead State Park, and After

Indigo bunting. Photo courtesy of Kevin Bolton, Wikimedia Commons.

Four people met me this morning for the monthly bird walk at Lake Arrowhead State Park. It was cool and overcast. Overall, the walk wasn't the best birding I have had at LASP, but neither was it the worst. We started over behind one of the camping areas, made our way near the swim beach and then drove over to the area around the group pavillion/nature trail area. I was hoping for a good migration bird day, but it didn't pan out. We did see some migrants; just not as many as I had hoped.

I think the only bird I saw before the others arrived that we did not see subsequently were some double-crested cormorants. Other than that, here are the birds we heard/saw: Canada goose, mallard, great blue heron, little blue heron, great egret, snowy egret, cattle egret, green heron, killdeer, spotted sandpiper, mourning dove, northern bobwhite, Bewick's wren, barn swallow, cliff swallow, purple martin, yellow-billed cuckoo,  northern mockingbird, scissor-tailed flycatcher, yellow warbler, Bullock's oriole, red-winged blackbird, great-tailed grackle, house finch, lark sparrow, dickcissel, and great crested flycatcher.

We also sighted one other bird that to me looked like a male orchard's oriole. I think the rest of the group was convinced it was just another sighting of the Bullock's as we saw it very briefly just before the Bullock's showed. However, I am going to stay true to my ID--there is too much difference between the two. I will admit the look was very brief, however.

The yellow warblers and Bullock's orioles were thick. We saw several of them. Sue and Warren wanted very much to see the yellow-billed cuckoo we heard, but we weren't successful at finding him. (Sorry guys. I did see one fly across the road in front of me on W. Arrowhead later.) We ended our outing about the time a rain shower started around 8:45. Although we only heard bobwhite in the park, I did see one on W. Arrowhead and then again later on FM 368.

After the rest of the group left, I did some of my mussel watch at an inlet between showers. There I added turkey vultures and American coot to my LASP list for the day.

Leaving the park, I decided I wasn't ready to go home, clean house and grade papers/final exams for my classes, so I decided to try out the Bridwell tank on W. Arrowhead Rd. I walked around along the road in that area and didn't see anything special. I got back in my truck and took off and what do I see on the fence? An indigo bunting! It didn't stay up long, which is normal, but it did provide a good look.

I drove down to the boat ramp and then circled back. Once again on FM 1954, I made my way to FM 368 and then over to Hwy 277 and home. Along the way, I did pick up a few more good birds, mostly in Archer Co, to include: upland sandpiper, yellow-crowned night heron, black vulture, kestrel, American crow, loggerhead shrike, Western kingbird, eastern phoebe, eastern bluebird, American robin, brown-headed cowbird, common grackle and house sparrow.

Along FM 1954 I encountered a large flock of blackbirds. I thought at first it was a flock of yellow-headed blackbirds. However, I didn't see a male among them. I did pull off and take a good look. There were five or six female yellow-headed blackbirds mixed into a flock of brown-headed cowbirds. I am lucky there were no males. I might have driven right by instead of stopping. If I had driven past, I wouldn't have picked up the two upland sandpipers.

On FM 368 I encountered a huge flock of migrating Bonaparte's gulls. The must have been nearly 100 birds in the flock. When I returned to Wichita Falls, there was another flock of well over 100 at the intersection of FM 369 (Southwest Parkway) and Barnett Rd. Fortunately, the light was red, so I could stop and put some binoculars on the flock circling overhead.

Overall, a good morning.

Good birding!

Archer County This Morning

I did a short (1.75 hr) birding trip in Archer County today, trying to increase my numbers for my Texas Century Club list for that county. Don't know that I added more than one or two species, but there was rain, so no complaints. Not a lot of rain, but more than I was seeing at the house, and much needed. Altogether I saw 33 species driving the roadways, with a few short stops.

 At Lake Archer, there was a mixed flock of turkey and black vultures perching on the dock and a nearby tree I was able to get fairly close to. Once again, I left  my little camera at home and had to use my cell phone camera, so the pictures are not the best.

I also saw a small flock (11) of ruddy ducks on the lake.

I mostly saw the usual birds, but some special ones (in my book) were a golden-fronted woodpecker that flew across the road in front of my car on Hwy 25, a Bullock's oriole in the Hollliday cemetery and a yellow-headed blackbird on Hwy 277, just before the county line into Wichita.

My list: killdeer, rock pigeon, Eurasian collared dove, white-winged dove, mourning dove, cattle egret, great egret, great blue heron, snowy egret, Canada goose, ruddy duck, gadwall, turkey vulture, black vulture, golden-fronted woodpecker, northern cardinal, blue jay, American robin, scissor-tailed flycatcher, Western kingbird, Bullock's oriole, northern mockingbird, purple martin, cliff swallow, chimney swift, eastern meadowlark, common grackle, great-tailed grackle, yellow-headed blackbird, red-winged blackbird, brown-headed cowbird, European starling, house sparrow.

Altogether, a nice start to the day.

Good birding!