[texbirds] Colorado Co. - 6/22

From: Chuck Sexton <gcwarbler@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: TexBirds TexBirds Posting <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 22:39:00 -0500
TexBirders--

I took a long day-trip to explore and experience the June doldrums of  
Colorado County (Columbus, Eagle Lake, etc.).  Not surprisingly, my  
13-hr effort netted a paltry 66 species, including one warbler, one  
sparrow (literally, one each), and zero non-nesting shorebirds.   
Parts of the county are particularly dry; water resources in the form  
of marshes and prairie potholes were few and far between.  (Of  
course, viewing access to the abundant water features in the gravel  
quarries is almost non-existent.) Attwater Prairie-Chicken NWR was  
essentially bone dry.

Other than a hen Wood Duck in the early a.m. in the oak woods N of  
Columbus, it took me until late afternoon to find any other  
waterfowl, consisting of a mixed flock of 2 Black-bellied Wh-Ducks  
and one Mottled.  The usual pasture and rice paddy egrets were  
abundant enough, but I had only 4 White-faced Ibis all day and I  
missed White Ibis and Great Blue Heron!  A single drying marsh on  
Calhoun Road W of Eagle Lake had a concentration of Common Moorhens  
but not enough water to float them.  I found no rails or grebes  
anywhere.

The least expected bird was probably an Osprey which was perched on a  
power pole near the Pintail Hunt Club (a.k.a. Kallina Reservoir, S of  
Rock Island).  I had no access to that reservoir itself and nearby  
Crooked Creek Lake (= Lake Sheridon) had only a single egret on it.   
The LCRA "plant road" on the S edge of Eagle Lake was closed and  
locked; presumably that site is available on week days (?).

I had a single Belted Kingfisher on a pond N of Columbus, a family of  
Pileated Woodpeckers at LCRA's Beason's Park on the Colorado River at  
Columbus, and a pair of Red-headeds on Reese Lane NE of Columbus late  
in the day.

So now I've seen how slow it can be; I can't wait for the Fall  
migration to get started!

Chuck Sexton
Austin, TX
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[texbirds] Colorado Co. - 6/22

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