The discussion of the recent Sabine's Gull that Tim Fennell found at Granger
Lake has brought up the query as to where else this species has been found
in the Oaks & Prairies region.
I have found only one reference to Sabine's Gull in Williamson County. In
Kutac & Curan (1994), Birds & Other Wildlife of South Central Texas, they
mention it as accidental in fall and cite three locations: Granger Lake,
Hornsby Bend ponds, and Mitchell Lake. I have not uncovered any details
about their claim for Sabine's Gull at Granger Lake. As far as I know, the
record did not appear in American Birds or its succession journals.
Here are the twelve documented historical records for the Oaks & Prairies
Region. All are fall or early winter records, from September 2 to December
20:
09/22/1969 Hornsby Bend: Travis County. Published by Fred S. Webster Jr.,
South Texas Region, Audubon Field Notes, 24, 1 (February 1970), p. 68, "An
immature Sabine's Gull was observed by many birders at the Austin sewage
ponds on Sept. 22 and 23 (Robert H. Eakens, Robert B. Hill, Edgar B. Kincaid
Jr., et al.).
10/02-04/1978 Travis County. TPRF# 139. Sabine's Gull, Xema sabini, from 2
October 1978 to 4 October 1978 in Travis County, Austin, Platt's Pond.
First documented county record. Discovered by Greg W. Lasley. Photographed
by Greg W. Lasley. Submitted by Greg W. Lasley. Photo type is 35mm slides.
09/12-18/1985 Austin: Travis County. Published by Lasley, G. W., and C.
Sexton 1986. South Texas region, Amer. Birds 40(1) 138-41.] "An imm.
Sabine's Gull was in Austin Sept. 12-18 (ph. to T.P.R.F., Carl Haynie,
m.ob.); there are fewer than 10 state records, 3 of them from Austin."
[photo taken 17 Sep and published].
TPRF# 351. Sabine's Gull, Xema sabini, from 12 September 1985 to 18
September 1985 in Travis County, Austin, Williamson Creek Wastewater Plant.
Seventh documented Texas record. Discovered by Carl B. Haynie.
Photographed by Carl B. Haynie, Greg W. Lasley. Submitted by Carl B.
Haynie, Greg W. Lasley. Photo type is 35mm slides. Documentation: notes.
09/02/1989 Mitchell Lake wetlands: Bexar County. Published by Lasley, G.
W., and C. Sexton. 1990. Texas region. Amer. Birds 44(1):118-27.] "An ad.
breeding-plumaged Sabine's Gull at Mitchell L. Sept. 2 (Willie Sekula)
provided the first Bexar record as well as the first record of an adult in
Texas."
10/17/1990 Lake Waco: McLennan County. Published by Carl B. Haynie, Bull.
TOS 25 (1): 1992, "Accepted Records: ... Sabine's Gull (22). One juvenal
plumaged bird was at Lake Waco, McLennan on 17 October 1990 (John Muldrow;
1990-130)." McLennan County Records Committee accepted: Waco Lake, John
Muldrow, (CTBRC 1990-01) (TBRC 1990-130) (7-0 vote 29 Jun 2005).
10/20/1991 Lake Waco: McLennan County. Published in Bull. Texas Ornith.
Soc., 26 (1&2): 1993. Texas Bird Records Committee Report for 1993, Carl B.
Haynie. p 8. "Sabine's Gull ... Another juvenal plumaged bird was
photographed at Lake Waco, McLennan on 20 October 1991 (John Muldrow;
1992-55, TPRF #1112)."
Also published by Lasley, G. W., and C. Sexton. 1992. Texas region. Amer.
Birds 46(1):120, "Sabine's Gulls are rare yet regular fall visitors to
Texas. This year's, all juveniles, included two at Lake Balmorhea Sept.
25-29 (ph. ML, DT), one at Lake Waco Oct. 20 (ph., John Muldrow), and one at
San Antonio's Braunig Lake, Oct. 31 - Nov. 7 (Willie Sekula, m.ob.)."
Also TPRF# 1112. Sabine's Gull, Xema sabini, from 20 October 1991 to 20
October 1991 in McLennan County, Lake Waco. Review species. TBRC no. =
1992055. Discovered by John Muldrow. Photographed by John Muldrow.
Submitted by John Muldrow. Photo type is 4 x 6 color prints.
Documentation: Details; 3rd documented Edwards Plateau, 1st county record.
12/20/1991 Airport Beach Park, Lake Waco: McLennan County. Observed by John
Muldrow. CTBRC
11/25/1993 Alcoa Lake: Milam County. Published in Bull. Texas Ornith. Soc.,
28 (2): Nov-Dec 1995. Texas Bird Records Committee Report for 1994, Carl B.
Haynie. p 35. "Sabine's Gull (Xema sabini) (31). Unless otherwise noted,
all birds were juvenal plumages. ... One extremely late bird was at Lake
Alcoa in Rockdale, Milam on 25 November 1993 (Brush Freeman; 1993-151)."
Also published in NAS American Birds, Vol. 48, No. 1 (Spring 1994), Greg W.
Lasley and Chuck Sexton, p. 127, "This was a good year for Sabine's Gull
with a total of eight singles: ... and L. Alcoa, Milam, Nov. 25 (Brush
Freeman)."
Also reported by Freeman, B. 1993. Central Prairie. Newsletter Texas Ornith.
Soc. 41(4):6.] Brush Freeman "Very rare."
11/24/1994 Alcoa Lake: Milam County. Personal correspondence from Brush
Freeman, "I have had Sabine's Gull there (11/24/94)", in an email to Bert
Frenz dated 11 Sep 1997.
10/05/2000 Airport Beach Park, Lake Waco: McLennan County. fide E. G.
White-Swift, Waco RBA, "Last Thursday, October 5, John Muldrow found a
juvenile SABINE'S GULL off the Airport Beach area at Lake Waco. John also
found the two previous records for this gull in McLennan County in October
1990 and October 1991. This gull has not been refound around the lake and
most likely moved out of the area on the strong winds last Friday. It is
worth noting that other observers have found Sabine's Gulls on other north
Texas lakes this fall."
10/11-12/2000 Lake Fayette near Fayetteville, Fayette County. E-mail from
Brush Freeman, "This morning there was an imm. Sabine's Gull on Lk. Fayette
in Fayette Co. near Fayetteville which is southeast of La Grange. The bird
was seen from the lake shore behind the cabins in the Oak Thicket park just
off highway 155. There were a number of other larids on the lake but there
are only two accesses to open to the public to view this power plant lake.
The heat waves coming off the lake were just too hard to deal with for
seeing many of the distant larids. The lake is about 70-75 miles SE of
Austin and maybe 18-20 miles N. of Columbus off 71. If you go, check out
the nature trail at the entrance to Oak Thicket park...It was teeming with
birds today. There were hundreds of migrants in the area though mostly
warblers with most of those being Nashville etc. A few empids (2-3) and a
Pewee were also seen as were numerous B. Thrashers, both seen and heard.
Passerine migrants are everywhere today in my part of the state today."
[photographed by Freeman on 10/12/2000].
10/05/2003 Speegleville II Park, Lake Waco, McLennan County. E-mail from
Frank Bumgardner, "This morning between 11:35 am and noon John Muldrow and I
had two immature Sabine's Gulls on Lake Waco, McLennan County, just off
Lacy's Point in Speegleville II Park. There may have been a third bird, but
we were unable to confirm it. The two birds were observed on the water and
in flight for approximately thirty plus minutes."
Bert Frenz
Oaks & Praries of Texas
NAB subregional editor, north-east Texas
Bert2@xxxxxxxxxxx
www.bafrenz.com
-----Original Message-----
From: texbirds-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:texbirds-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Tim Fennell
Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2015 7:13 AM
To: TEXBIRDS
Subject: [texbirds] Granger Lake Sabine's Gull continues 8/15/15
I received a report from Karen McBride that the Sabine's Gull flew by the
Friendship Park swimming beach at 7:30 am this morning.
Tim Fennell
Round Rock, TX (15 miles north of Austin) Edit your Freelists account
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