Justin,
To add to the Eared Grebe nesting mix, Kim Garwood and I found two pairs of
nesting Eared Grebes at Padre Island National Seashore, Kleberg County this
past Saturday (June 13th). One pair had two young while the other pair had one
youngster. The marshes are brimming with water on the barrier islands. The
grebes were in a marsh just past the park headquarters on the right as you're
going towards the visitor center.
Kim spotted an American Bittern in a marshy area next to the road directly
across the Eared Grebes! I think the nesting grebes and bittern are a result
of near historic wet conditions in South Texas and other parts of the state.
The known status of Eared Grebe as a nester in the state is sporadic at best.
I don't know of any nesting records for Nueces and Kleberg Counties. I know
that it has nested at Mitchell Lake in San Antonio at least once in the past.
I'm sure the birds are taking advantage of the excellent conditions for
breeding.
Willie Sekula
Falls City
-----Original Message-----
From: texbirds-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:texbirds-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Justin Bosler
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2015 9:42 PM
To: leasbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [texbirds] Eared Grebes nesting in Floyd County
Hello all,
This afternoon I stumbled upon no fewer than 15 breeding-plumaged Eared Grebes
at a large playa between Floydada and Dougherty in Floyd County.
Upon closer inspection, I spied a few of those birds constructing nests out of
the aquatic vegetation. Admittedly, I am unsure of the species breeding status
in the region, though I'd suspect it's highly unusual judging by the lack of
summer season reports. This is just another testament to the historic rainfall
total we've had in the last month and a half.
Good birding,
Justin Bosler
P.S. - please contact me off-list if you're interested in specifics.
​
--
Graduate Research Assistant
Natural Resources Management
Texas Tech University
​Lubbock, TX, USA ​79409
717-475-9998
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