Winter Warblers Back

Today I decided to bird Lucy Park. I haven't been there in a while and it is a good habitat for warblers and sparrows. Although the woods were a little empty today, it was a great morning. The weather was clear and in the 60's.

It is a little hard to bird Lucy Park because it is adjacent to Hwy 287 and there is constant traffic, that makes it difficult to hear small birds in the underbrush. If you aren't right next to a bird, you aren't likely to hear it; you have to see it. I am sure if it was a little quieter, I would get lots more birds. But that's just the way it is.

I saw my first of the season brown thrasher. He was scolding up a storm--one bird I did hear. Two winter warblers back in good numbers in the park were yellow-rumped and orange-crowned. As usual there were several ruby-crowned kinglets--they will practically get in your face. Two special sparrows migrating through that were present in fairly large numbers were clay-colored sparrows and chipping sparrows.

Lucy Park is a good place to look for cavity nesters. Carolina chickadees, tufted titmice and woodpeckers are normally easy to find and that was the case today. Downy woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers and flickers were all over the park. If you haven't birded Lucy Park in a while, you're due for a visit.

Good birding!

Sunday Birding

Turkey display at Rosemont cemetery.

I decided to bird Lake Wichita on Sunday. It was a pretty morning on the trail. I walked along the chat trail, around the barrow pit and across the bridge to the opposite side of the wooded area along the drainage area and then headed over to the spillway.

When I got out of the truck, I heard singing in the live oaks at the head of the chat trail. There are usually pretty good birds there and that held true on Sunday with several clay-colored sparrows and a few warbling vireos flitting among the leaves. Several white-crowned and at least one white-throated sparrows were on the ground below. I saw my first chimney swifts of the season. They are among my favorite birds. I decided to drive to the spillway instead of walk the dam. On the way, I pulled into Rosemont Cemetery. I don't often see many good birds, but I do often see turkeys and I was in the mood to try to catch a glimpse. Sometimes, it is better to be lucky that good as I had the opportunity to watch a tom turkey doing his best to court a hen. She wasn't paying him much attention. I don't know how she could resist--he was definitely a handsome fellow. I was able to get reasonably close in the truck and get a couple of good shots without scaring the birds.

This is a good time of year to bird--many of the winter birds are still here, the summer birds are arriving and migrants are passing through. Couple that with some decent weather and you have the makings for a good morning of birding. In the short time I was out, here are my sightings: mallard, ruddy duck, northern shoveler, bufflehead, blue-winged teal, pied-billed grebe, earred grebe, American coot, double-crested cormorant, American white pelican, Canada goose, mourning dove, snowy egret, great blue heron, killdeer, black-necked stilt, turkey vulture, red-tailed hawk, Eurasian collared dove, white-winged dove, rock pigeon, wild turkey, house finch, red-winged blackbird, brown-headed cowbird, great-tailed grackle, European starling, blue jay, chimney swift, cliff swallow, northern cardinal, robin, brown thrasher, cedar waxwing, Eastern phoebe, scissor-tailed flycatcher, northern mockingbird, yellow-rumped warbler, warbling vireo, American pipit, Carolina wren, spotted towhee, white-crowned sparrow, white-throated sparrow, clay-colored sparrow, lark sparrow, and house sparrow.

Good birding!

A Brillant Morning at Lake Wichita

It was a gorgeous morning on Lake Wichita and a great day for birding. I decided to start at the spillway, cross the dam and then bird the chat trail and the barrow pit.

When I got out of the car at the spillway, I knew it was going to be a great morning, even if I didn't see another bird. I heard dozens of clay-colored sparrows as soon as I got out of the car and as soon as I looked into Holliday creek, there were 12 snowy egrets. Things continued to get better with a flock of yellow-headed blackbirds at the top of the dam.

Even a poor day birding is a good day, but some days you remember for a long time. Today was one of those days. The thistle plants were all going to seed along the dam and there were hundreds (and probably thousands) of chipping and clay-colored sparrows rising up all around me as I walked. In fact, sparrows were good all the way around: in addition to chipping and clay-colored sparrow, I saw house sparrow, song sparrow, lark sparrow, savannah sparrow, and white-crowned sparrow.

A couple of first of season birds: yellow-billed cuckoo and male orchard oriole.

Here's my bird list for the two hours this morning (51 species): common grackle, great-tailed grackle, European starling, mourning dove, house sparrow, cliff swallow, killdeer, great egret, red-winged blackbird, snowy egret, great blue heron, Canada goose, eastern meadowlark, scissor-tailed flycatcher, yellow-headed blackbird, white pelican, chipping sparrow, song sparrow, Western kingbird, Savannah sparrow, American coot, yellow warbler, yellow-rumped warbler, barn swallow, chimney swift, double-crested cormorant, cedar waxwing, mallard, cardinal, turkey vulture, robin, house finch, blue-winged teal, ruddy duck, brown-headed cowbird, white-crowned sparrow, mockingbird, eared grebe, spotted sandpiper, red-tailed hawk, white-winged dove, blue jay, rock pigeon, American pipit, white-faced ibis, Eurasian collared dove, Carolina wren, orchard oriole, American goldfinch, yellow-billed cuckoo, and lark sparrow.

Good birding!

Sparrows

The white-crowned sparrows are still here--it makes you wonder how they will have enough time to raise a brood when they return to the north. But according to The Birds of North Central Texas, the bird checklist maintained by the North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club, the birds are normally here until mid-May.

Out the window at Wild Bird Rescue today is a small flock (5 birds, at least) of clay-colored sparrows sorting through the wet vegetation for seeds.

Good birding!