[texbirds] Good birding east and northeast of Lubbock today
- From: Anthony Hewetson <fattonybirds@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, leasbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, Anthony Hewetson <fattonybirds@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 11 May 2014 16:51:15 -0500
Greetings All:
Despite the threat of heavy winds and yet another oh so stimulating dust
storm predicted for the afternoon I headed on out to Crosby, Dickens,
Motley, and Floyd Counties today.
If one looks at the US drought monitor, one would discover that almost the
entirety of my 41-county region is dealing with the most severe -
exceptional - stage of drought. These four counties certainly looked it
with standing water down to sewage ponds (in all four counties), a pretty
solid set of springs (in one county), and broken irrigation wells (in one
county). Playas are either bone dry or sporting up to two years worth of
upland weeds. Wildflowers are in short supply, butterflies are scarce,
amphibians all but absent, reptiles scarce, birds scarce, and small mammals
non-existent above ground.
Despite the conditions I had a pretty good day though I would stress that
while diversity was about average numbers of all birds - even typically
common species - are very much down.
The only Lubbock County highlight: 2 Cattle Egrets just east of Idalou.
Crosby County highlights during the morning: 2 Yellow-crowned Night Herons,
4 Black-necked Stilts, 8 American Avocets, 6 Wilson's Phalaropes, 1 Willow
Flycatcher (a very late FOS for me), 1 Warbling Vireo, 1 Yellow Warbler, 1
Wilson's Warbler, 1 Indigo Bunting, and 12 Yellow-headed Blackbirds at the
portion of the Ralls Sewage Ponds visible without trespassing; 2 American
Avocets and 2 Baird's Sandpipers at Gorilla/Triceratops Playa west of
Crosbyton; 5 Cattle Egrets and 1 Swainson's Thrush at Crosbyton City Park;
2 Eastern Phoebes, 2 Canyon Wrens, 1 male American Redstart, 2 Yellow
Warblers, 1 MacGillivray's Warbler, and 2 Wilson's Warblers at Silver Falls
Rest Area.
Dickens County highlights: 2 Common Ravens just west of Dickens; 7 Purple
Martins in Dickens; 2 Cinnamon Teals, 1 Solitary Sandpiper, and 2 Eastern
Phoebes at Dickens Sewage Ponds; 1 Olive-sided Flycatcher (another very
late FOS for me), 1 Canyon Wren, 1 House Wren, 1 Yellow Warbler, 2
MacGillivray's Warblers, 1 Wilson's Warbler, 1 Yellow-breasted Chat, 1
Chipping Sparrow, 1 Field Sparrow, 1 Lincoln's Sparrow, 1 female Summer
Tanager, 1 male Western Tanager, and 1 male Black-headed Grosbeak at
Dickens Springs; 3 Western Scrub Jays flying across Highway 70 just north
of Dickens.
The highlight of the day from a 'wow, that's pretty' perspective: 1 Field
Sparrow bathing at the concrete basin at the springs joined, in order, by a
female Summer Tanager, a Yellow-breasted Chat, a male Black-headed
Grosbeak, and a male Western Tanager - definitely the most exciting field
of view during the day.
Motley County highlights: 1 dead Common Poorwill on Highway 70 just north
of the Dickens/Motley County line; 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers, 2 Eastern
Phoebes, 2 Great Crested Flycatchers, and 1 Wilson's Warbler at the Pease
River crossing just south of Roaring Springs; 1 Cattle Egret, 4 American
Avocets, and 2 Yellow-headed Blackbirds at the Roaring Springs Sewage
Ponds; 1 Double-crested Cormorant, 2 Cinnamon Teals, 1 Greater Yellowlegs,
1 Willet, 2 Least Sandpipers, 3 White-rumped Sandpipers, 2 Semipalmated
Sandpipers, 5 Wilson's Phalaropes, 1 MacGillivray's Warbler, and 2 Wilson's
Warblers at the East Mound Cemetery/Matador Sewage Ponds; 1 House Wren, 1
Swainson's Thrush, 2 Hermit Thrushes, 1 Gray Catbird, 1 Black-and-white
Warbler, 1 Yellow Warbler, and 2 MacGillivray's Warblers at the Campbell
Rest Area just east of the Motley/Floyd County line.
The biggest WOW birds of the day - a tie between a flight-worthy but very
misplaced Double-crested Cormorant at the Matador Sewage Ponds and the
breaking - finally - of The Willet Curse at the same site. Last year I
could not, despite Willets being found left and right by everybody else in
my region, beg, borrow, or steal a Willet. No more - not only did I
finally find a Willet but it was a Weirdly Wocated Willet:)
I apologize, slightly, for the joke - watched The Princess Bride the other
night.
Floyd County highlights: 3 Snowy Egrets just east of Floydada; 2 Cattle
Egrets just south of Floydada; 1 Yellow Warbler, 2 Yellow-rumped Warblers,
and 1 MacGillivrays Warbler at the White River crossing of Highway 207.
Crosby County afternoon highlights: 1 Cattle Egret, 6 White-faced Ibis, 2
Black-necked Stilts, 6 American Avocets, 1 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Silt
Sandpipers, 2 Least Sandpipers, 1 Western Sandpiper, and 3 Long-billed
Dowitchers at the somehow-still-flooded Cone Playa.
Not too shabby for a 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM day that terminated in the high 90s
with stiff winds and occasional patches of blowing dust.
Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson; Lubbock
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