[texbirds] Highlights from weekend trip to El Paso - day two
- From: Anthony Hewetson <terrverts@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "leas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <leas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2012 07:35:05 -0700 (PDT)
Greetings All:
Over the past weekend I wandered a big loop that could be described as
Lubbock - Andrews - Kermit - Mentone - Orla - Guadalupe Mountains -
Homestead Meadows - Clint - Rio Bosque Wetlands Park - Tornillo
Reservoir - Fort Hancock Reservoir - McNary Reservoir - Van Horn - Lake
Balmorhea - Pecos - Mentone - Kermit - Andrews - Lubbock. I spent the
first night at a frightfully cheap hotel in Clint and the second night
at a delightfully inexpensive hotel in Van Horn.
As always for these far flung trips, my inclusion of sightings as
noteworthy is shaded by my lack of an intimate knowledge of the region I was
visiting. I will rely on the regional compilers to sort out what
is truly significant and to contact me for details about any sightings
they consider particularly noteworthy. In general I was impressed with
the scatter and diversity of migrant songbirds - particularly empids,
Townsend's Warblers, and tanagers.
Highlights from the first day - Sunday - 2 September 2012
El Paso County: 1 WHITE-TAILED KITE, 2 Western Wood Pewees, 1 WILLOW
FLYCATCHER, 1 Virginia's Wrabler, 1 MacGillivray's Warbler, 1 Yellow Warbler, 1
Townsend's Warbler, and 6 Wilson's Warblers at Rio Bosque Wetlands Park.
El Paso County: 26 White-faced Ibises, 2 Forster's Terns, 1 YELLOW-BILLED
CUCKOO, 5 Wilson's Warblers, and 1 male Western Tanager at/across the highway
from Tornillo Reservoir.
Hudspeth County: 2 Gadwalls, 1 Eared Grebe, 1 subadult Little Blue Heron, 1
White-faced Ibis, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 20 LONG-BILLED CURLEWS, 1 Warbling
Vireo, 1 Hermit Thrush, 1 LUCY'S WARBLER, 1 MacGillivray's Warbler, 1
Townsend's Warbler, 8 Wilson's Warblers, 1 Yellow-breasted Chat, and 1 female
Summer Tanager at/across the highway from Fort Hancock Reservoir.
NOTE: The Lucy's Warbler was in a dense tangle of saltcedar across the highway
from the reservoir and was a most unexpected find. The trees are probably big
enough to support nesting of the speciess and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers were
present; suggesting that cavities would be obtainable. To anybody attempting
to relocate this bird: this thicket is fairly well packed with Verdin nests and
roost balls ... and some folk consider the two species difficult to sort out
when glimpsed in dense thicketry.
Hudspeth County: 48 Aechmophorus grebes (44 of which looked like straight up
Clark's Grebes to me; 4 of which looked like good candidates for Western
Grebes), 1 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Black Terns, and 5 Wilson's Warblers at McNary
Reservoir.
Culberson County: 2 Spotted Sandpipers, 1 Olive-sided Flycatcher, 3 Western
Wood Pewees, at least 3 unidentified empids, 1 Willow Flycatcher, 1 HAMMOND'S
FLYCATCHER, 2 Gray Flycatchers, 1 adult female and 1 adult male VERMILION
FLYCATCHERS, 1 Western Kingbird, 4 Cassin's Kingbirds, 1 Plumbeous Vireo, 1
Northern Waterthrush, 1 Nashville Warbler, 1 MacGillivray's Warbler, 5 Yellow
Warblers, 3 Townsend's Warblers, 6 Wilson's Warblers, 3 Brewer's Sparrows, and
1 male Scott's Oriole at the Van Horn Golf Course.
6 subadult or female Black-chinned Hummingbirds, 1 female Calliope Hummingbird,
2 female Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, and 1 subadult male and 1 adult male Rufous
Hummingbird at various yards in Van Horn.
The Western Kingbird at the Van Horn Golf Course was the only Western Kingbird
seen during the day.
Also of note: not a single meadowlark during day two. This is probably the
most ground I have ever covered in the western half of the state without seeing
a meadowlark.
Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson; Lubbock
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- » [texbirds] Highlights from weekend trip to El Paso - day two - Anthony Hewetson
