Yes, Fall Migration is Upon Us!

Blue-gray gnatcatchers are a treat
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, mauricholas

Tuesday night at the North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club we discussed sightings, as we always do. I didn't have a lot to contribute (except a Hudsonian godwit at Lake Arrowhead SP I saw September 8.) I haven't been out much. I told everyone that with the front expected to come through with significantly cooler temps, I was going out this weekend. Today was the day, and I am very glad I went.

It has been raining since Thursday night. This morning has been a light drizzle on and off, but nothing of significance. I decided to hit the Chat Trail at Lake Wichita Park since it is usually a great spot for migrant warblers.

I was starting onto the trail and noted two raptors high up, circling. They reminded me of ospreys, but I couldn't get a good look so decided it was wishful thinking. Later, back by the borrow pit, an osprey flew low over my head with a fish clutched in his talons, so it seems very possible the birds I saw at the head of the trail were indeed osprey. Regardless, I know the one was.

As it turned out, the warblers are moving through. I saw several common yellowthroat, a Wilson's warbler, two blue-gray gnatcatchers, a mourning warbler, and others I didn't get a good enough look at to identify. There were also some interesting calls that I recorded. I also got a good look at a clay-colored sparrow. My favorite sparrow spot was an excellent spot for warblers today.

I saw a hummingbird zip by but didn't see enough to identify the species. But if you have a hummingbird feeder up, don't take it down yet.

Overall, a good hour of birding. Total list for this morning:

Great egret
Snowy egret
Killdeer
Eurasian collared dove
White-winged dove
Cardinal
Carolina chickadee
Blue Jay
Bewick's wren
Barn swallow
Scissor-tailed flycatcher
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
Common yellowthroat
Mourning warbler
Wilson's warbler
Robin
Red-winged blackbird
Clay-colored sparrow

Don't let a little rain keep you in the house now that migration has hit its stride. There are some great birds out there.

Good birding!

(Mostly) Lackluster Holiday Birding

One of the great things about 3-day weekends is the extra time to go birding. I hit the ground running on Saturday to get all of the errands and housework done so I could do some birding Sunday and Monday.

I really do mean it when I say, "A bad day birding is better than most anything else," because Sunday and Monday were not the best birding I have had. I was looking forward to getting out because migration is underway. We certainly are not at the peak yet, but some of the early migrants are coming through and some of our summer birds are already gone.

I got a late start on Sunday. Although we have gone to winter hours at Wild Bird Rescue, there are still enough birds to take a while to clean and feed first thing in the morning, so by the time I got to the Chat Trail at Lake Wichita Park, it was 9:40 and already getting hot. I ran into Robert Mauk, a local photographer who takes some good bird pictures just leaving the trail. He said he hadn't seen many birds at all.  Because of the heat, I just went down the Chat Trail to the barrow pit and back--a sum total of 30 minutes. If there had been many birds, I would have stayed in spite of the temperatures, but no luck. Just as I was coming back, I did have two sightings that saved the morning: a yellow warbler and a blue-gray gnatcatcher. Other birds included: Eurasian collared dove, blue jay, robin, northern cardinal, northern mockingbird, black-chinned hummingbird, great-tailed grackle and a woodpecker. The woodpecker could have been either a downy or a ladder-backed--it was the right size for either, but it was just flying across the trail and I just didn't have time to be sure.

I decided to try Lucy Park on Monday. Another late start, but I was there by 8:30. Once breeding season is over, the birds are very quiet. The great-tailed grackles have molted. During those few weeks they don't have tails, they skulk around in the bushes, uncharacteristically quiet. You would think they are embarrassed because they are half dressed. Soon they will look gorgeous once again. If it wasn't for the blue jays, the woods would have been nearly silent.

It is easy to see the level of the flood waters due to the mud line on the trees. Although many of the wonderful birding areas have been torn out for supposed flood control, there are still some good birding opportunities in the park. Not as many as there were certainly. Now, if the people who cut down all of the wonderful trees had just torn out all of the salt cedar--but a rant for another day.

Red-headed woodpecker. Photo by Andy Reaga and Chrissy McClellan,
Wikimedia Commons

This was another day that was very disappointing, until near the end, when a pair of red-headed wookpeckers started chasing each other through the trees, chattering to one another. I donb't see red-headed woodpeckers so often that it isn't a thrill to catch a good sighting. There were also several small kettles of Mississippi kites circling the park with a few turkey vultures. I figured they were getting ready to ride the front that was predicted to move through the area in the next day or two. (The front did come through and I haven't seen or heard a Mississippi kite since.) Other than these birds, the only birds seen/heard that morning were: blue jay, cardinal, Carolina chickadee, yellow warbler, great-tailed grackle, starling, Canada goose, mallard (not the ones at the duck pond--on the river) and Canada goose.

Overall, not a great weekend, but a few good birds to make it all worthwhile.

Good birding!

A Couple of Nice Birds

Saturday morning I took a short stroll down the chat trail to the barrow pit in Lake Wichita Park. The drought is hitting the trees hard as you can see by the photo. Usually the trees are not this stressed for another month. As you can see, the tress are growing right next to the water, so it is not a matter of a lack of water to the roots, but the heat and water loss through the leaves. The leaves are dropping off many of the trees as they try to conserve water.

I did see a couple of nice birds: a blue-gray gnatcatcher and a Bullock's oriole.

Photo: blue gray gnatcatcher from Wikimedia Commons, Photographer: mauricholas.

The little gnatcatchers are often difficult to see as they tend to skulk around in heavily wooded areas and they are constantly on the move. They remind me in general shape of a tiny mockingbird and the white outer tail feathers on the tail are very helpful in identification of this fast-moving little bird. The Bullock's oriole was another matter--the male was making plenty of noise fussing at something in the reeds along the water. Between his loud scolding and bright colors, there was no way he was going to go unnoticed.

The barrow pit is nearly dry, although a very shallow pool remains in the center. A few black-necked stilts were still arounds as well as three greater yellowlegs and some killdeer. It won't be long before the pond is completely dry if we don't get rain soon. Tonight there have been some thunderstorms to the west of us, but none for us--again.

Good birding!