[texbirds] Highlights from weekend in Somervell and Hood Counties
- From: Anthony Hewetson <terrverts@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "leas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <leas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 13 May 2013 08:25:21 -0700 (PDT)
Greetings All:
I spent the weekend chasing hundreds in Somervell and Hood Counties.
Considering the warbler reports that have been trickling in on texbirds, I
would have thought I would have kicked out more warblers during the weekend but
two things were working against me: these two counties are a bit on the western
edge of Texas' swath of migratory warblers and the weather was altogether too
pleasant. Working for me: Wheeler's Branch Park in Somervell County - public
access to water in Somervell County - WooHoo. Also working for me: Squaw Creek
Lake Park, Hunter Park, and Thorp Springs Park - public access to hikable water
edges in Hood County. For the heck of it, I am including every warbler sighted
- to show that, compared to sights east and south, this trip was a real
tooth-puller for warblers.
I had no highlights during the overnight drive from Lubbock to the
Erath/Somervell County line though I did have many entertainingly close
encounters with deer.
I spent 0440 to 1240 on Saturday birding Somervell County, focusing my efforts
on creek crossings along CR 1008 until Dinosaur Valley State Park opened, a
three hour hike at Dinosaur Valley State Park, and almost an hour at Wheeler's
Branch Park. Highlights from CR 2008: 1 Least Flycatcher, 1 Ash-throated
Flycatcher, 1 Nashville Warbler, and 1 Northern Parula. Highlights from
Dinosaur Valley State Park: 2 Blue-winged Teals, 38 Cattle Egrets, 2 Spotted
Sandpipers, 1 Solitary Sandpiper, 1 Black-capped Vireo, 1 Yellow-throated
Vireo, 1 Swainson's Thrush, 1 Northern Waterthrush, 2 Black-and-white Warblers,
2 Tennessee Warblers, 1 Yellow Warbler, 2 Golden-cheeked Warblers, and 1
Yellow-breasted Chat. Highlights from Wheeler's Branch Park: 1 Magnolia
Warbler and 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
I spent 1240 to 1840 on Saturday birding Hood County, focusing my efforts on a
three hour hike at Squaw Creek Lake Park and a three hour exploration of the
Fall Creek area just southeast of Granbury. Highlights from Squaw Creek Lake
Park: 3 late Redheads, 5 Franklin's Gulls, 76 Black Terns, 1 Swainson's Thrush,
1 Black-and-white Warbler, and 2 Nashville Warblers. Highlights from Fall
Creek Cemetey: 1 Alder Flycatcher (good looks for what that is worth and I was
able to elicit, legally, some call notes), 1 Golden-winged Warbler, and 1
Yellow Warbler. Highlights from Fall Creek itself: 2 Blue-winged Teals, 1
Spotted Sandpiper, 1 Wood Thrush, and 1 Louisiana Waterthrush.
I spent from 0630 to 1300 on Sunday birding Hood County, focusing my efforts on
Hunter Park, Thorp Springs Park, Evergeen Cemetery Road, Lipan, and creek
crossings just west of Lipan. Highlights from Hunter Park: 1 Gray Catbird, 1
Orange-crowned Warbler, 1 American Redstart, 2 Yellow Warblers, 1 Blackburnian
Warbler, 1 Black-throated Green Warbler, 2 Chipping Sparrows, and 6
Clay-colored Sparrows. Highlights from Thorp Springs Park: 1 Greater
Yellowlegs, 4 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 7 Least Sandpipers, 4 Baird's
Sandpipers, 1 Wilson's Phalarope, 1 Tennessee Warbler, and 1 Yellow Warbler.
Highlights from Evergreen Cemetery Road: 1 Cooper's Hawk, 1 Red-headed
Woodpecker, and 1 Wilson's Warbler. Highlights from Lipan and associated creek
crossings: 1 Acadian Flycatcher, 2 Black-capped Vireos, 1 Red-eyed Vireo, 1
Mourning Warbler, 1 Northern Parula, 1 Yellow Warbler, and 1 Hooded Warbler.
Highlights from Palo Pinto County: 1 Nashville Warbler and 1 Yellow Warbler at
a creek crossing just west of the Hood/Palo Pinto County line.
Highlights from Stephens County: 1 Franklin's Gull and 9 Yellow-headed
Blackbirds at the Hubbard Creek Reservoir; 1 Least Flycatcher, 1 Orange-crowned
Warbler, 1 Nashville Warbler, 1 MacGillivray's Warbler, 2 Yellow Warblers, and
1 Wilson's Warbler in a thicket where CR 336 is now - inexplicably - closed to
lakeside passage.
Highlights from Shackelford County: 1 Eastern Wood Pewee, 1 Bell's Vireo, 1
Nashville Warbler, 2 Yellow Warblers, and 1 Wilson's Warbler in thickets at the
closed bridge (Highway 180) just west of the Stephens/Shackelford County line.
Highlights from Jones County: 1 Chuck-will's-widow, 1 Bell's Vireo, 1 Northern
Waterthrush, 2 Common Yellowthroats, 1 MacGillivray's Warbler, 1 Yellow
Warbler, 1 Wilson's Warbler, 4 Yellow-breasted Chats, and 1 Summer Tanager at
what's left of the riparian area below what is left of the completely dried
down South Lake.
In summary (for you warbler fans): twenty four hours of birding in decent
habitat in the western portion of north central Texas and points west kicked
out a grand total of 1 Louisiana Waterthrush, 2 Northern Waterthrushes, 3
Black-and-white Warblers, 1 Golden-winged Warbler, 2 Orange-crowned Warblers, 6
Nashville Warblers, 3 Tennessee Warblers, 3 Common Yellowthroats, 1 Mourning
Warbler, 2 MacGillivray's Warblers, 1 American Restart, 2 Northern Parulas, 12
Yellow Warblers, 1 Magnolia Warbler, 1 Blackburnian Warbler, 1 Black-throated
Green Warbler, 2 Golden-cheeked Warblers, 1 Hooded Warbler, 4 Wilson's
Warblers, and 5 Yellow-breasted Chats. Put more simply: 53 individuals
scattered across 20 species of warblers in twenty four hours of birding - or a
good hour or two at Warbler Woods or any of the other warbler hotpots folk have
been posting about over the weekend:)
On the other hand; I boosted my Somervell County list from 67 species to 107
species (my first visit during migration) and my Hood County list from 62 to
141 (my only previous visit was in the depths of winter) - adding two somewhat
difficult counties to my TCC list.
Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson; Lubbock
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