[texbirds] Guadalupe, Comal, and Kendall cos. 11/3/12 - nuthatches, Reddish Egret

From: Rich Kostecke <rkost73@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Texbirds <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2012 07:57:53 -0800 (PST)
On 11/3/12, Anthony Hewetson and myself birded our way southeast of Austin into 
Guadalupe Co., then west into Comal Co. where we stopped at Canyon Lake, and 
then over into Kendall Co. where we stopped at the Boerne City Lake.  It was a 
long, birdy day, so I will only mention the highlights.  I have submitted eBird 
lists for several of our stops.
 
First stop was on this foggy morning was the San Marcos River access on the 
south side of the riverr (just in Guadalupe Co.) across from Zeller Mill.  
Zeller Mill (Caldwell Co.) is marked as an eBird hotspot, but the river access 
on the Guadalupe Co. side is not.  Highlights included 1 Yellow-bellied 
Sapsucker, 1 Pileated Woodpecker (photographed), 1 Blue-headed Vireo, 1 
Red-breasted Nuthatch (heard only - likely on the Caldwell Co. side of the 
river), 4 House Wren, and the typical array of resident and winter birds.
 
We then moved on to a fog-shrouded Salt Lake, birding the entire length of Salt 
Lake Rd (from Hwy 80 to the Gonzales Co. line).  The fog eventually lifted a 
bit and we were able to observe a nice array of waterbirds.  Highlights on lake 
included a flock of Greater White-fronted Geese overhead (heard only), 6 
Gadwall, 21 American Wigeon, 34 Ring-necked Duck, 4 Lesser Scaup, 1 drake 
Hooded Merganser, 4 Ruddy Duck, 1 Pied-billed Grebe, 2 Double-crested 
Cormorant, 1 Great Blue Heron, 1 Great Egret, 2 American Coot, 16 Killdeer, 1 
Greater Yellowlegs, 3 Long-billed Dowitcher, and 3 Wilson's Snipe.  Along the 
road itself, we were able to kick up 2 Grasshopper Sparrow and 2 Le Conte's 
Sparrow.
 
 
The rest of our birding in Guadalupe County was along roads.  Off of Hwys 
1150/80, the mesquite brushland along Windy Point and CR 217B-Kelly Rd was 
quite birdy.  Highlights in that area included a Common Ground-dove (heard 
only), 2 Golden-fronted Woodpecker (viewed side-by-side with Red-bellieds), 1+ 
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and 1 (maybe 2) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.  At the 
southern end of Zidler Rd (off of Hwy 80), we had 1+ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 
(if I recall correctly), 1 White-eyed Vireo, and 2 (maybe 3) Red-breasted 
nuthatch.

Our first stop in Comal Canyon was the Guadalupe River below Canyon Lake dam.  
Fighting the throngs of bicyclists who were racing there, we accessed the trail 
along the Guadalupe River in Guadalupe Park from the Hidden Valley Sports Park 
(off the South Access Rd).  The primary highlight there was 3 Red-breasted 
Nuthatch, though we also had a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

Our 2nd stop in Comal Country was at Canyon Park on Canyon Lake.  The highlight 
there was an immature, dark-morph Reddish Egret.  Other birds present included 
2 Gadwall, 3 American Wigeon, 4 Northern Shoveler, 4 Green-winged Teal, 20 
Ring-necked Duck, 2 Common Loon, 2 Pied-billed Grebe, 2 Great Egret, 219 
American Coot, 2 Killdeer, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, and 1+ Grasshopper Sparrow.  I 
think Anthony may have also had a Le Conte's Sparrow there.

Our final stop of the day was at Boerne City Lake in Kendall Co.  Birds 
included 14 Northern Shoveler, 1 Green-winged Teal, 10 Redhead, 1 Lesser Scaup, 
1 drake Bufflehead, 258 Ruddy Duck, 14 Pied-billed Grebe, 1 Double-crested 
Cormorant, 2 Great Egret, 1 Osprey, and 208 American Coot.  Only songbird of 
note was a female Nashville Warbler.

Richard Kostecke, Ph.D.
The Nature Conservancy
318 Congress Ave., Austin, Texas 78701
Email: rkost73@xxxxxxxxx or rkostecke@xxxxxxx

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[texbirds] Guadalupe, Comal, and Kendall cos. 11/3/12 - nuthatches, Reddish Egret

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