[texbirds] Highlights from a trip to Muleshoe NWR and back

From: Anthony Hewetson <fattonybirds@xxxxxxxxx>
To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, leasbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, Anthony Hewetson <fattonybirds@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 4 May 2014 16:52:36 -0500
Greetings All:
The big adventure of the weekend for me was a trip to my favorite, local
National Wildlife Refuge.

I left early enough to arrive in time for the dawn chorus at the
Headquarters/Campground woodlands - a dawn chorus composed, so far as I
could hear, entirely of two Northern Cardinals attempting to be heard over
the early morning rave of Western Kingbirds.  It can be better than this
but it was what it was today.  By the by, the refuge is incredibly dry;
quite illustrative of the fact that my region is almost entirely in the
worst of the five drought categories depicted in the US Drought Monitor - a
couple of more weeks of no rain and I would not be surprised to see my
entire region slip into this category.

I spent a couple of hours working the shrubbed and wooded draw associated
with the campground/headquarters area, tallying 47 species including 1 Gray
Flycatcher, 1 Western (most likely Cordilleran) Flycatcher, 2 Say's
Phoebes, 1 vigorously singing Bell's Vireo, 2 House Wrens, 2 Swainson's
Thrushes, 4 Hermit Thrushes, 1 Gray Catbird, 1 Nashville Warbler, 1 Yellow
Warbler, 2 Yellow-rumped Warblers, 4 MacGillivray's Warblers, 6 Wilson's
Warblers, 1 Yellow-breasted Chat, 2 Spotted Towhees, 7 Green-tailed
Towhees, 6 Chipping Sparrows, 1 Clay-colored Sparrow, 2 Brewer's Sparrows,
1 Grasshopper Sparrow, 1 female Western Tanager, and 1 male Bronzed Cowbird.

The nearby 'boneyard' kicked out 2 Scaled Quails.

A quick drive to Paul's Lakes yielded two highlights: 1 Say's Phoebe and 57
Lark Buntings.

An hour spent at Paul's Lakes produced a few highlights though drought has
this complex, the only standing water left on the refuge, down to a largish
puddle at the springs: 2 Cinnamon Teals, 2 Black-necked Stilts, 2 American
Avocets, 4 Baird's Sandpipers, 1 Common Yellowthroat, 1 Wilson's Warbler, 1
Chipping Sparrow, 37 Lark Buntings, and 3 male Yellow-headed Blackbirds.

The last highlights from Bailey County were 1 Ring-necked Pheasant (a hen)
just west of Bula and 19 Lark Buntings just east of Bula.

The only Lamb County highlights were 80 Lark Buntings just west of
Littlefield and 35 Lark Buntings just southeast of Littlefield.

Hockley County highlights included 2 Vesper Sparrows and 28 Lark Buntings
just north of Smyer and 2 Black-necked Stilts, 3 American Avocets, 1 Stilt
Sandpiper,  2 Least Sandpipers, 1 Baird's Sandpiper, 2 Semipalmated
Sandpipers, 4 Western Sandpipers, 1 Pectoral Sandpiper, 1 Wilson's
Phalarope, 1 Yellow Warbler, 2 Wilson's Warblers, 26 Lark Buntings, 2 male
Yellow-headed Blackbirds, and 2 male Bronzed Cowbirds at the Smyer Playa
(what very little is left of it).

Lubbock County highlights included 1 Black-necked Stilt, 6 American
Avocets, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, 14 Wilson's Phalaropes, 1 Northern
Waterthrush, 1 Nashville Warbler, 3 Yellow-rumped Warblers, 66 Chipping
Sparrows, 8 Clay-colored Sparrows, 2 Brewer's Sparrows, and 1 male Indigo
Bunting at Reese Center as well as 2 Black-necked Stilts at Higginbotham
Park and 4 American Avocets in the parking lot runoff zone of the United
Supermarket at 19th Street and Quaker Avenue.

This, by the by, may sound like a pretty good day but, based on days spent
at MNWR during migration in the past, I would have to say that migration,
thanks to favorable weather for migrants, continues good for the birds; not
so good for the birders.

Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson; Lubbock


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[texbirds] Highlights from a trip to Muleshoe NWR and back

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