[texbirds] Edwards Plateau - 4/4 to 4/8

From: Chuck Sexton <gcwarbler@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: TexBirds Posting <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2013 00:35:24 -0500
TexBirders,

Pardon this delayed post; I'm just back from 5 days spent wandering  
the western and central Hill Country, almost entirely (happily) out  
of cell phone/computer range.  It was fun padding a few county lists  
(e.g. Mason, Kimble, Edwards, Uvalde), seeing some incredible  
terrain, and learning some new county roads (some good for birds,  
some not).  With the exception of numerous Yellow-rumpeds, Orange- 
crowneds, and Kinglets, there was just a smidgeon of evidence of  
passerine migration, but the resident and early breeding species took  
up the slack.  Some highlights:

--  Certainly one highlight of the trip was an adult (ASY unbanded)  
male Golden-cheeked Warbler found by Barry Noret at Cook's Slough in  
Uvalde, seen by 4 of us and well photographed, apparently a first  
report for that site.  Presumably this was a late migrant; the bird  
was not singing and this is about 15 miles S of the nearest breeding  
habitat in the Hill Country that I'm aware of.

--  Uvalde County produced about 90 spp for us on Friday the 5th,  
including a previously documented Tropical Parula at Neal's Lodge and  
a fly-by Ringed Kingfisher there as well.

--  The 4 of us visited a private ranch in e. Edwards County on 4/6  
which had nice numbers of Black-capped Vireos and Golden-cheeked  
Warblers.

--  On Sunday, 4/7, I spent time birding CR 350 and 353 NW of  
Barksdale, highlighted by a singing male Tropical Parula along 353.   
This is apparently a new location for the species and it may be a new  
Edwards County report (none on eBird or in the 1st edition  
Handbook).  It is a curious area with singing/breeding Olive  
Sparrows, Couch's Kingbirds, Golden-cheeks, Yellow-throated Warblers,  
Yellow-breasted Chats, and the Tropical Parula, all within a few  
hundred yards of each other.  Two days exploring Edwards County  
netted 78 species with precious few waterbirds to be found.

--  Two passes through Mason county on 4/4 and 4/8 netted 96 species  
including a few Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks (Mason landfill),  
Scott's Orioles, and several Black-capped Vireos.

--  Similar passes through Kimble county, including a stay at South  
Llano River SP, netted 98 spp with plenty of Golden-cheeks, Black- 
caps, and a few Scott's Orioles.  I could not find the Townsend's  
Solitaire at the SP (Walter Buck area) on Monday morning.  I might  
have heard a Ringed Kingfisher in Junction at Flatrock Rd crossing  
(FM 2169) but I have to discount it due to noise interference; I did  
have a Green Kingfisher there.  I heard Couch's Kingbirds at three  
locations along the S. Llano and Llano Rivers including as far N as  
the CR 314 crossing of the Llano, SE of Teacup, TX.

Chuck Sexton
Austin, TX
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[texbirds] Edwards Plateau - 4/4 to 4/8

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