Hi birders,
Today Kathy and I walked up Can Creek at Lost Maples a bit past
the ponds. We heard over a dozen and saw about 8 Golden-cheeked
Warbler, many greatly. As many Black-and-white, my earliest yet
(n~16 springs here) return date for a singing territorial Louisiana
Waterthrush, my earliest migrant Nashville Warbler locally, my FOS
Yellow-throated Vireo was not my earliest. At least 10 Orange-
crowned is a wave of migrants as was a dozen Myrtle Warbler. A
few Yellow-throated are singing as well. Seven species of warblers
is pretty springy here. The now-flowering Maples were where most
of the action was. Madrone and Redbud were in bloom too.
We heard one Olive Sparrow, a few White-tipped Dove, some singing
Canyon Wrens, saw a female Scott's Oriole, Rufous-crowned
Sparrow, Inca Dove, a Zone-tailed Hawk briefly, did not see the
Hammond's Flycatcher that was wintering, and did not hear any
Black-capped Vireo. Lots of Wide-eyed and Hutton's Vireo though,
texana Scrub-Jay. A mile and change south of Vanderpool on the way
up there was my earliest ever local Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on a
fenceline. I have heard an old saying that once you see one, it
won't freeze. It was 34dF here when we left Utopia, and HQ said
it had to have been 32 there at Lost Maples.
It was pretty birdy despite lots being yet to arrive.
Mitch Heindel
Utopia,
P.S. I can't think of any good birder I trust that does not
trust in Oberholser. Apparently I don't trust anyone that
doesn't trust Oberholser/BLOT. In Oberholser we trust.
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