[texbirds] Highlights from the Dougherty Breeding Bird Survey - Today
- From: Anthony Hewetson <fattonybirds@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, leasbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, Anthony Hewetson <fattonybirds@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 29 Jun 2014 19:05:40 -0500
Greetings All:
I braved the muddy and, in some places, deeply rutted route running along
CR 290, CR 121, and CR 318 from a point just south of Dougherty to a point
somewhat southwest of Floydada. The worst of it: places where farm
equipment had turned onto the road, creating ruts a foot wide and more than
a foot deep that had to be traversed; said ruts necessitating the
construction of mini-bridges with clots of dried soil. Thank goodness I
always carry a shovel in my car:) The other excitement: several stretches
where I backed up a ways, gunned it, and went, as Paul Simon might have put
it, 'slip-sliding away'.
On the way to the route I had a few Floyd County highlights: 1 Common
Poorwill at the Highway 297 crossing of White River; 2 Common Poorwills
just south of Dougherty.
Highlights from the route were (in order of appearance): 10 Blue-winged
Teals and 3 Snowy Egrets just west southwest of Dougherty; 8 Blue-winged
Teals and 4 American Avocets a bit further to the west; 1 Black-necked
Stilt and 8 Purple Martin (2 adults, 6 youngsters) just east southeast of
Floydada; 3 American Avocets and 1 Greater Yellowlegs southeast of
Floydada; 4 American Avocets and 1 male Bronzed Cowbird south of Floydada;
2 Cattle Egrets, 4 White-faced Ibises, and 2 American Avocets southwest of
Floydada; 1 White-faced Ibis and 3 Greater Yellowlegs west southwest of
Floydada.
Highlights from Hale County - on the way home: 2 American Avocets on the
eastern outskirts Petersburg; 7 Cattle Egrets, 8 White-faced Ibises, 4
Black-necked Stilts, and 14 American Avocets at the TTx54 Playa; 8 Cattle
Egrets and 1 Greater Yellowlegs just north of Abernathy.
My best guess, based on the complete absence of Greater Yellowlegs from the
region, despite repeated visits to favorable locales for summering birds,
earlier in June, is that the Greater Yellowlegs encountered today represent
the start of the species' southward movement through our region.
Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson; Lubbock
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