[texbirds] Belated Lubbock, TX report (11/28-11/29) and return birds coming back to Houston

From: Scott <scottratkinson@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2014 19:10:05 -0800
Well it has been over a year and a half, but fate brings me once again to the 
best birding in the country, here in Texas.     1.  1272 south of Muleshoe 
11/28.  I chased the COMMON CRANE like so many  others, and thanks to Justin 
Bosler (who advised an afternoon search), I ran into him and another birder 
along Rt 1272 south of the Muleshoe NWR yesterday at about 3, and they were 
already on the bird.  He also detected (and several of us saw and heard) five 
CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS at the same site, flyovers.
 2.  South side of 50th Street, heading out of Lubbock.  Before the turnoff for 
Buffalo Lake, there is a very productive edge along the south side of the road 
looking very slightly uphill southward at what appears to be an active energy 
plant, with large steaming tanks.  Here near the active prairie-dog town early 
yesterday 11/28 I had 4 FERRUGINOUS (all light morph) and 1 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK 
(light morph); a juv. PRAIRIE FALCON also flew through.  Along the north side 
of the road at this stop, I had a CURVE-BILLED THRASHER that didn't entirely 
fit the expected oberholseri plumage, in that the upper breast spots were not 
distinct and in fact smudged altogether--below there were round spots, but they 
were not especially crisp.  The photos (first three) posted to flickr don't 
show the wings or tail well, but in general there was little evidence of white 
in the tail (some on the underside) and no evident wingbars.   These are not 
clear but here are the photos just the same: 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/14115261@N05/15909734042/in/photostream/ Comments 
on this bird are welcome.  Very close here there is a dirt road heading north 
through more prairie-dog habitat (has a sign marking Panhandle Birding trail), 
I found one BURROWING OWL. 3.  Early 11/28, at the Lubbock Cemetery, I had a 
RED CROSSBILL (heard-only) right at the entrance.  It gave one good flight 
call, comprised of 3-4 notes in fly-away, research on line indicates to me that 
it was Type 6 (s. AZ and s. NM reportedly within its range), although a few of 
the Type 5 recordings on xeno canto (particularly the higher-pitched, more flat 
calls) come close.  Later the same day, I had a fleeting view of two Carpodacus 
finches, one looked very good for a female CASSIN'S FINCH.  It was in the 
northeastern part of the cemetery, close to exit for the Canyon Lake property.  
Both birds were very skittish and landed briefly in the treetops before moving 
north.  Justin was with me but did not get a look, we waited for return but to 
no avail.  The bird I was able to study fleetingly and from some distance had 
what appeared to be white underparts and a plump, short-tailed gizz, I figured 
from the distance streaking was pretty much obscured.  The head had a 
Purple/Cassin's type pattern but was not seen well.  We also figured among the 
EASTERNS that five WESTERN BLUEBIRDS were here, and I have a photo of one male 
somewhere with rust in the scapular. Later, thanks to Greg Cook, I was able to 
track down one of the six COM. MERGANSERS on adjoining Canyon Lake, but there 
was no sign of the RN PHEASANT posted to EBird recently.    4.  Departure 
birds.  On the way back to Houston today, 11/29, I had an interesting stop at 
the southeast edge of the town of Ballinger in Runnels Co.  I don't know if 
these are normal here, but among a good flock of passerines were two 
PYRRULOXIA, and in the marshy matted grasses I heard a LE CONTE'S SPARROW, in 
close quarters with about 5 LINCOLN'S.  Later, near the Brown-Coleman County 
line, between the communities of Bangs and Brownswood, an adult GOLDEN EAGLE 
was soaring over a hillside to the north. Final notes--close to dusk 11/27 at 
Paul's Lake, while enjoying the dark-morph FERRUGINOUS HAWK there, a PINE 
SISKIN flew over (heard only).   Scott AtkinsonLake Stevens, WAmail to:  
scottratkinson@xxxxxxxxxxx


    



    



            



          





          



          



              

    

    

  

    



              



            

          



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[texbirds] Belated Lubbock, TX report (11/28-11/29) and return birds coming back to Houston

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