I spent a good part of Friday on the Katy Prairie and ending up in Stephen F. Austin State Park. Birds were scattered and hard to find. Some species that did not do well in the freezes like orange-crowned warbler and ruby-crowned kinglet were not seen all day. Sparrows had abandoned many of the hot spots from last month as did a lot of the hawks. Oddly I had no waxwings or robins for the day either as some have gone north and others are concentrated where there is food. Yaupon berries seemed to be gone. I started on Porter looking for the short-eared owls without any luck. The horned owl around the corner on Longenbaugh did hoot and bobwhites rallied before sunup. The owls may have moved on due to food shortage as the northern harriers that roosted to the northeast were not present either except for one bird hunting to the west. They were hard to find all day and red-tailed numbers were way down too. I did have a smallish kettle of red-tailed hawks generally following the Brazos north when I was down in the river bottoms on Harpers Church Road. A single peregrine falcon was moving with and among the red-tails. Zero birds on the sod farm which did not suffer the frosts well and was completely dry. No sparrows at the Longenbaugh bridge but savannahs were scattered around all day but in small flocks widely spaced. New grass growth is starting to seed and a flock of 35 or so lark sparrows was along Cochrane feeding on the new growth http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628156 http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628160 Red-shouldered hawks were commoner than usual along my route. This young of last year was along Hebert east of the Katy Prairie prairie http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628161 It glared disapproval of the camera but generally ignored me http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628163 It was enjoying the sun http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628165 http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628167 But was not finding anything to eat in the ditch http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628168 Further out Hebert, the white-tailed hawk that played with the caracara a month ago was on its usual perch http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628176 It has molted some and grown more white feathers since then http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628179 It ignored me and traffic until a fleet of trucks from the pipeline work came by http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628181 But it did not go far http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628182 A yellow-breasted sapsucker was preening in the sun http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628183 It did show its side stripe http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628184 But with the feathers fluffed the stripe vanished http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628185 http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628188 Stephen Austin had several calling red-shouldered hawks announcing spring http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628195 Titmice and chickadees were feeding on the ground. The tufted mice have darker crests here than at home in Houston and the black patch over the eye is bigger too http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628197 There is some black edgings on head feathers here that my home birds do not have. Perhaps a little gene flow from further west. Only one bird called a bit after lunch and it was maybe not the usual Houston call either http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628199 A pair of yellow-shafted flickers were working around a hole in stub in the state park but were feeding on termites rather than nesting. Normally they head for the hills when they see me coming with a camera and these are my first ever flicker pictures. http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628269 they would whack a little and then get the tongue up into the opened area http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628271 They showed how the tail is used to brace while they are whacking http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628277 http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628279 they showed off their white rumps while feeding http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628280 The stripe on the face was black and the wing lining all yellow but there was a little orange in the tail feathers and shafts http://www.pbase.com/joseph_kennedy_36/image/154628287 Lots of good habitat along the river bottoms down Mt Zion and Diemer roads, but it is mainly inaccessible to birding. Still with the bridge on Mt Zion officially closed there is little traffic and one can stop and bird from the pullouts. It does have great numbers of painted buntings in season. -- Joseph C. Kennedy on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx Edit your Freelists account settings for TEXBIRDS at //www.freelists.org/list/texbirds Reposting of traffic from TEXBIRDS is prohibited without seeking permission from the List Owner
