[texbirds] Highlights from recent trip to Houston area and back

From: Anthony Hewetson <fattonybirds@xxxxxxxxx>
To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, leasbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 1 May 2014 11:36:00 -0500
Greetings All:
I just got back from the Spring TOS meeting in Lake Jackson, took a day to
recuperate, and am dealing with electronica, to a certain extent, for a
bit.

I wandered from Lubbock to Lake Jackon on the 23rd and 24th, via Gonzales,
DeWitt, and Jackson Counties (all TCC targets).  On the 25th I visited some
local hotspots in Brazoria and Matagorda Counties.  On the 26th I spent a
big chunk of time in Wharton County (a TCC target).  During the 27th, 28th,
and 29th I made my way directly back to Lubbock via Liberty, Orange,
Newton, and Jasper Counties (more TCC targets).  This was not the week, as
several others have noted, to chase migrant songbirds just inland from the
gulf coast but I drove the backroads, hiked the trails, and crashed the
thickets to the best effect possible.

One thing I noted during this trip is that I need to get back to my old
habit of camping.  I have grown lazy and a bit dependent on cheap hotels
during my travels, tallied only 79 hours of birding (including road
birding) during the seven day trip, and had far too few nocturnals:)

Highlights during this trip were very subjective.  Critters that, during
most years, might not warrant notice were, due to drought and current
weather, hard to come by and, in my opinion, warrant attention.

Day One - 23 April 2014

The first highlight, a Least Flycatcher just south of Fredericksburg
(Gillespie County) was the only non-Acadian Flycatcher empid seen during
the entire trip.

The only highlight from Caldwall County was 1 Tree Swallow just south of
Luling.

I spent the bulk of the day, by dint of leaving Lubbock very early, in
Gonzales County.  Highlights at Palmetto State Park included 1 Broad-winged
Hawk, 1 Swainson's Warbler, and one Chestnut-side Warbler.  This was the
only Chestnut-sided Warbler seen during the trip.  The drive from Gonzales
to Lake Wood Recreation Area went by a drying pond in the middle of a
grassland and over a small creek, allowing for a good shorebird list
including 1 Solitary Sandpiper, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Stilt Sandpiper, 4
Baird's Sandpipers, 7 Least Sandpipers, and 2 Pectoral Sandpipers - more
shorebirds than I expected to locate in the county.  Lake Wood Recreation
Area was a real gem and, in an ordinary year, might kick out some stunning
numbers of migrants.  During this visit I lucked into a Black-and-white
Warbler and a gorgeous male Scarlet Tanager.  This was the only Scarlet
Tanager seen during the trip.

Day Two - 24 April 2014

I spent the bulk of the day in DeWitt County wherefrom I draw all the
highlights for the day.  Woodlots and shrubberies along Old Yoakum Road and
Edgar-Leesville Road kicked out 1 Wood Thrush, an astonishing BLUE-WINGED
WARBLER, 1 Magnolia Warbler, and 1 Baltimore Oriole.  The Blue-winged
Warbler was another one-fer for the trip.  Ponds and drying down creeks
along Wolf Hollow and Friar Roads produced 1 Solitary Sandpiper, 2 Baird's
Sandpipers, and 1 Northern Waterthrush.  Also of interest: a huge kettle
(120+) of Mississippi Kites over Cuero and 1 White-tailed Kite along the
Edgar-Leesville Road - it was nice to score two of the three anticipated
kites so early in the trip.

Day Three - 25 April 2014

The Matagorda County Birding and Nature Center looks spectacular and I am
willing to bet that less favorable (for migrants) weather would really rock
this arena but I was happy to find 1 Ovenbird, 1 Blackpoll Warbler, 1
Kentucky Warbler, and 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak during my almost three hour
visit.  The Blackpoll Warbler was probably pretty good for this site and
was another one-fer for the trip.

I picked up my first Swallow-tailed Kite of the trip when it flew over 332
just west of Wilderness Park (Brazoria County) - which seems a bit west for
this species.

The highlight during an hour of walking at Wilderness Park was 1 Magnolia
Warbler.  I also saw a pair of copulating Purple Gallinules but was assured
by a GCBO volunteer that neither the species nor the activity was
particularly noteworthy at this site.  It is nice to know, however, that
Purple Galllinules are still in production:)

Day Four - 26 April 2014

This was my big day for exploring Wharton County and I covered the
southeastern quarter as well as I could in the time allotted.  I flushed an
Eastern Whip-poor-will and spotted my first Tennessee Warbler of the trip
while walking the roadside just west of the 442 crossing of the San Bernard
River.  442 proved to be very productive in terms of shorebirds, with some
ponds and flooded fields somewhat east of Lane City kicking out 1 Spotted
Sandpiper, 4 Greater Yellowlegs, 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, 4 Upland Sandpipers,
3 Baird's Sandpipers, 1 Least Sandpiper, and 1 Pectoral Sandpiper - more
shorebirds than I expected in the county.  Wharton Riverfront Park was
something of a surprise - a real gem and another potential migrant trap.
It kicked out the best warbler of the trip: a gorgeous male BLACK-THROATED
BLUE WARBLER keeping company - at eye level -with an American Redstart.  It
also produce one of only two Warbling Vireos I saw during the trip and a
stonking male Blackburnian Warbler.  Working 1229 south of Wharton proved
to be worthwhile in terms of shorebirds with another set of flooded fields
and 9 Semipalmated Plovers, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, 9 Lesser Yellowlegs, 7
Upland Sandpipers, 2 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS, and 3 Wilson's Snipes.  Last
but not least, Don Tol Road kicked out another 2 Upland Sandpipers and 2
Nashville Warblers.

Day Five - 27 April 2014

This was a day dedicated to polishing off Liberty, Orange, and Newton
Counties - TCC-wise - as I already had good lists in all three counties
based on exclusively winter visits.  I figured it would be pretty easy:
just find one park full of migrants in each county and call it a day but
migrants remained few and far between and I had to work harder and longer
than expected.

The Liberty Boat Ramp looked fantastic for migrants and kicked out - 1
Nashville Warbler.

A field just south of Highway 190 just west of Felicia (still in Liberty
County) was the best stop in Liberty County and was the only stop where I
hit the 'grasspiper trifecta' - 14 American Golden Plovers, 13 Upland
Sandpipers, and 54 Buff-breasted Sandpipers picked out, slowly, by spotting
scope from Rice Belt Road.

A woodlot south of Vidor (Orange County) yielded the sole Gray-cheeked
Thrush of the trip.  That this was the only Gray-cheeked Thrush of the trip
was not too surprising, though, as thrushes were in incredibly short supply
throughout the journey.

A hike at the nature trail at the Deweyville Boat Ramp (still Orange
County) produced a Tennessee Warbler and a Magnolia Warbler but the turtles
outnumbered the warblers in both numbers and diversity.

My second Swallow-tailed Kite of the trip was really getting the business
from a pair of Eastern Kingbirds AND a pair of Great Crested Flycatchers
just east of Buna - the only bird that really stood out during several
hours of birding in Newton County.

Day Six - 28 April 2014

This was a day dedicated to polishing off Jasper County and, finally,
working my way back towards Lubbock via Tyler and Polk counties.

My first bird of the day was a Common Nighthawk over my hotel in Kirbyville
- not too shabby.

Three hours along the Slough Trail at Martin Dies Jr. State Park (Jasper
County) kicked out my third Swallow-tailed Kite of the trip as well as 1
Louisiana Waterthrush, 1 Swainson's Warbler, 1 Kentucky Warbler, 1 Prairie
Warbler, and 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak.  Also: an absolutely gorgeous
Copperhead and an equally stunning Eastern Rat Snake.

Over an hour along the Island Trail at MDJSP (Jasper County) produced 1
Tricolored Heron, 1 Worm-eating Warbler, 2 Magnolia Warblers, and 1
Blackburnian Warbler.

Almost two hours at the Cherokee Unit of MDJSP (Tyler County) yielded my
fourth Swallow-tailed Kite of the trip as well as 1 Swainson's Thrush, 1
Louisiana Waterthrush, 1 Nashville Warbelr, 1 Kentucky Warbler, and 1
Magnolia Warbler.

Whilst settling into my hotel room just south of Livingston (Polk County) I
spotted another Common Nighthawk - I don't know if the species is simply
rare in 'The Pineywoods' or if this is normal timing for arrival of the
first few birds of the season - but I saw very few nighthawks during the
eastern Texas portion of the trip.

Day Seven - 29 April 2014

A day dedicated to Polk County and making my way home, with a few stops at
birdy cemeteries or rest areas for snacks and/or naps.

I started with three hours at Lake Livingston State Park (Polk County)
noting a BROWN PELICAN which seemed a bit far from the coast for this time
of year.  Also at the park: 1 Tricolored Heron,  my fifth Swallow-tailed
Kite of the trip, 3 Franklin's Gulls, 4 Forster's Terns, 1 Swainson's
Thrush, 1 Worm-eating Warbler, 1 Magnolia Warbler, and 1 Prairie Warbler.

A stop at the Post Oak Cemetery (south of Donie, Freestone County) was
actually pretty good with 1 Swainson's Thrush, my only Veery of the trip, 2
Nashville Warblers, 1 Yellow Warbler, 1 Wilson's Warbler, and 1
White-throated Sparrow.

My last highlights for the day and for the trip were 2 Common Nighthawks,
my second Warbling Vireo of the trip, 2 Nashville Warblers, and 1 Wilson's
Warbler at the rest area south of Meridian (Bosque County).

I hope to get a lot of my notes (particularly for counties I was adding to
my TCC list) during the next few weeks but thought the highlights reel
might be of interest to some - particularly as it seems to reinforce the
general notion that diversity and numbers of migrant songbirds were a bit
iffy away from the immediate coast during this period and as I know, based
on some e-bird and texbirds archives research, that some of these sites can
do better during late April in years when winds are less favorable for
birds but more favorable for birders.

Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson; Lubbock


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[texbirds] Highlights from recent trip to Houston area and back

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