Greetings All:
Part of this long trek towards seeing 100 species of bird in all 254 Texas
Counties has been, put simply, never taking it easy. Accordingly, having
gotten a bit ahead the day before, I abandoned the original plan and worked
to stay ahead today. This meant trying to nail down both Morris and Titus
counties in a single day.
This was my earliest morning as I had the longest drive to my first point
of the entire expedition. I buckled down and crossed Wood County and
Upshur County in the dark, making it to Lake Lone Star (Morris County) a
little before first light (owls!!). I spent quite a bit of time at the
very solid Lake Lone Star Public Boat Launch and Park, then ambled up
Highway 259 and Highway 997 to the north end of the lake where I spent some
time at the Fire Station Boat Launch and along the dam, then along FM 144
to Cason, Highway 11 to Daingerfield, Highway 259 and FM 144 to Omaha, and
Highway 67 to the Morris/Titus County line. Deep water, woodlands, open
lands with duck-sporting ponds - the same old, same old - paid off and I
worked the list up from 51 (tallied during visits in May of 2005 and
October of 2014) to 103 - all between 6:50 and 12:30. Number 100 was a
Hairy Woodpecker near Omaha. Pad species: White-crowned Sparrow at 101,
Mallard at 102 (yes, really, Mallard!), and Greater Yellowlegs at 103.
Highlights included a singing male Purple Finch at Lake Lone Star and a
pair of copulating Wood Ducks near Omaha.
Morris County became TCC county 249.
Titus County proved even easier (being just a tad north than in earlier
days really seemed to have a positive effect on both ducks and winter
sparrows and I worked the list up from 53 (acquired during visits in August
of 2001, May of 2003, and October of 2014) to 102 with just a little over
four hours of effort, wrapping up the day's 'work' at 4:40. The route:
continuing along Highway 67 to Cookville, dropping down CR 1000 to Center
Point, working my way along Highway 49 and CR 1755 to what my atlas
insisted was Shaw Reservoir but signs insisted was Welsh Reservoir ('was I
so tired, at this point, that I went to the wrong reservoir?' I asked
myself). then along CR 4855, Highway 11, CR 2348, CR 4000, CR 3417, and FM
127 to Lake Bob Sandlin and the outstanding deep waters at the northeast
park and dam, then along CR 3417 and FM 127 to Monticello Park, and,
finally, along FM 127 and Highway 21 to the Titus/Camp County line. Number
100 came in the form of a pair of courting (or mated) Red-shouldered Hawks
at Monticello Park. Pad species: White-breasted Nuthatch at 101 and
American Goldfinch at 102. Highlights were a heart attack (this is going
to do me in some day) flushing of a Wilson's Snipe near Center Point and
lots of Falcate Orangetips and Red-banded Hairstreaks at Monticello Park -
gotta give mad props to the non-birds now and then.
*Two hundred and fifty counties down; four to go!*
Having had such an early morning I wasted little time crossing Camp and
Wood Counties to get to Mineola, nudging the Wood County list up to 76
along the way and really, really, really enjoying that first sip of
ice-cold cider when I got to my short-term home.
Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson; Lubbock
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