MATAGORDA COUNTY MAD ISLAND MARSH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
16 December 2002
243 SPECIES!
Completed the 10th season and the weather was not a major factor in limiting
productivity. Pleasant temperatures, mild winds, and few mosquitoes. Quite a
change from past years of rain and strong winds. East Matagorda Bay was
protected from winds and the resulting calm bay aided in studying loons and
grebes. Weather prior to the count produced some unusually wet conditions and
it might be debated if it helped or hindered finding species. Relatively mild
weather weeks prior to the CBC season probably contributed to numerous
neotropical migrants lingering. The Colorado River was much higher than normal
and it forced many shorebirds to a few high spots where we were able to locate
many of the birds, but high river waters also caused delays in the locks and
all boat parties having to past through them lost hours of time. Extremely wet
fall again flooded much of the Colorado River floodplain and caused
difficulties in accessing some sites. Extremely lush grasslands provided for
much lower densities of grassland birds because they were spread out across
many more acres of suitable sites.
Our team of 121 birders produced 243 species for a new National record. This
will be Number ONE for the 6th year in a row!! These outstanding results were
the culmination of much work by many people and all members of the Mad Island
Team (birders, landowners, boat operators & sponsors) should be proud of the
results we have obtained.
Extra time was put into finding hummingbirds in Matagorda and
Selkirk Island this year. Charlie Brower spent several days working with
feeder operators, but it did not help add species. The western hummers just
did not show up. However, Charlie was able to make one very unusual
hummingbird connection between Palisade, Colorado, and Selkirk Island, Texas.
Steve and Debbie Bouricius which are friends of ours banded a Black-chinned
Hummingbird in their orchards near Grand Junction and Charlie recaptured it at
Jo Ann Williamson’s house. It made the record book by being the longest
distance (1000 miles) between banding and recapture for this species.
Remember 9/11. It created safety and logistic issues to access
local industry property. Each safety issue took away from birding time. STP
required names of birders one month in advance and Equistar & STP staff needed
to escort all birders on their land. However, the birding teams we sent there
did very well. And of course, our banquet host Equistar, contracted for an
outstanding meal at the Wadsworth Community Center again.
And lastly, this has been a very memorable count for me. I have
been conducting this CBC for 10 years (1993-2002). In some ways it seems like
a lifetime, and in other ways it seems like it was only yesterday a group of
birders joined Jim Bergan and I at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) visitor center
to team up and develop plans for the 1st running of the count. To replicate
the beginning of the first count, Judy Boyce again volunteered to join me and
start at mid-night for owling. We managed to locate 4 Barn, 1 Short-eared, 5
Barred and 2 Great Horned during the first two hours.
It is also a passing of time. TNC decided to pass its leadership
role in this count over to the new Matagorda County Birding Nature Center.
Marilyn Sitz took over Mark Dumesnil’s duties of arranging for T-shirts and
obtaining sponsors.
BEST BIRD
The Thick-billed Kingbird found at STP by Dennis Myers, Steve Gast and Jim
Stewart was the best for this year and was later voted as the Best Bird for the
first 25 years of this CBC. This is a species that was only known to occur in
Brewster County in Texas. It is a southwestern species whose range barely
makes it to the US. It had been reported about 20 times on CBCs by 2002;
mostly in Arizona and California, with one record from Big Bend during the 71st
CBC.
Other outstanding birds found during the count were: Peninsula Section – 11
birders, 115 species, 8 exclusives -Jaeger, sp. (spotted by Sandy Dillard & Jim
Hargove flying low over Gulf waves), House Finch, Couch’s Kingbird,
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Sandy Dillard and Jim Hargrove) and Baltimore
Oriole; Matagorda-East – 8 birders, 122 species, 4 exclusives - a Lesser
Nighthawk was photographed at the same location as last year (Sumita Prasad &
her team took the time to show me the bird later in the day after I finished
the bay surveys), 20 Ash-throated Flycatchers (Mark Scheuerman has phenomenal
hearing and could locate them much further than I), Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
(Sumita Prasad crew), Black-throated Green Warbler and Harris’s Sparrow;
Matagorda – 13 birders, 125 species, 5 exclusives - Greater Roadrunner
(observed running across road at the cemetery by Francine Sanders, Sherry Head
and Chuck Swaboda. Francine continued to bring up her surprise 15 years later
of being required to provide details), Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher, Kentucky Warbler (Francine Sanders, Sherry Head and Chuck Svaboda
found in low bushes bordering Cemetery Road), Clay-colored Sparrow (Charlie &
Olivia Browers) and House Finch; Selkirk Island – 9 birders, 104 species, 5
exclusives - Solitary Sandpiper (Noreen Damude crew), Black-chinned Hummingbird
that was originally banded in Colorado was recaptured by Charlie Brower,
Tropical Parula (Paul Miliotis, Jane Wicker, Jimmy Jackson and Judi Williamson
found foraging in liveoaks), Nashville Warbler, Hooded Warbler (Bob Barth,
Noreen Damude, and Roy Poinsett flushed from ground under trees), and Painted
Bunting (Jimmy Jackson crew); Equistar – 8 birders, 106 species, 6 exclusives -
Hairy Woodpecker (Dick Park), E. Wood-Pewee (John Eriksson, Dale Friedrichs),
Least Flycatcher, Wood Thrush (Dick Park at 10 yards), Tennessee Warbler (Dale
Friedrichs), Nashville Warbler, Canada Warbler (Bob and Dale Friedrichs along
woodland edge), and Yellow-breasted Chat; STP – 9 birders, 134 species, 4
exclusives - Ferruginous Hawk, Franklin’s Gull (James Stewart, etc.), Com.
Nighthawk (Bill Baker and crew before daylight), Least Flycatcher, Thick-billed
Kingbird (James Stewart, Steve Gast and Dennis Myers found in riparian habitat
bordering Colorado River), and W. Tanager (Steve Gast, and Cammy & Dennis Myers
riparian); W. Roads – 5 birders, 88 species, 1 exclusive - E. Kingbird and
Ferruginous Hawks; Smith’s Ranch Marsh – 4 birders, 102 species, 1 exclusive -
W. Kingbird (Michael Manson and Mark Shavers found in small motte in fresh
marsh), and Yellow Warbler (Michael Manson riparian); The Nature Conservancy
Preserve – 21 birders, 134 species, 3 exclusives - Aplomado Falcon
(photographed by Derek Muschalek and Malcom Swan), Black Rail, W. Flycatcher
(photographed by Derek Muschalek and Malcom Swan. Ross Dawkins and I tried
mis-netting bird the day after the count, but it avoided capture), Say’s Phoebe
(Derek Muschalek etc.), and Couch’s Kingbird; TPWD Mad Island Wildlife
Management Area – 7 birders, 147 species, 3 exclusives - Cinnamon Teal,
Harris’s Hawk, Black Rail, and Burrowing Owl; Bays – 7 birders, 98 species, 3
exclusives - Pacific Loon found in the clearer water of E. Matagorda Bay; River
– 7 birders, 137 species, 1 exclusive - Green Kingfisher (Terry Donohoe);
Rovers – 8 birders, 119 species, 1 exclusive - Least Grebe (Arlene Bennett at
STP ponds), Ferruginous Hawk, Couch’s Kingbird, and Nashville Warbler.
RESULTS
243 SPECIES and 4.5 million birds. Nine species (Franklin’s Gull, Greater
Roadrunner, W. Flycatcher, W. Kingbird, Thick-billed Kingbird, Tropical Parula,
Kentucky Warbler, Canada Warbler, and House Finch) new to the count bringing
the total for 10 years of CBCs to 308 species at Mad Island in southern
Matagorda County. We had 12 species of flycatchers and 17 species of warblers.
SPECIES NOT FOUND
Even as good as our birders are, we still missed species that regularly occur
in the area. This year Glossy Ibis, Black Scoter, Yellow Rail, Stilt
Sandpiper, Wild Turkey, Groove-billed Ani, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Dark-eyed
Junco, W. Meadowlark and Bronzed Cowbird were not found by the 121 birders.
Just think - if we obtained ideal weather conditions, access to all of the land
in the count circle and had a few dozen more skilled birders - how many species
we could tally. Our record is 243 for one day and 308 species for 10 years.
250 species in one day in southern Matagorda County is possible.
APPRECIATION
The compilers, Matagorda County Birding Nature Center, Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department, and The Nature Conservancy of Texas wish to extend a sincere thanks
to all participants of the Christmas Bird Count. A very special thanks is
extended to: Bay City Abstract & Title, Bay City Convention & Visitors Bureau,
Celanese, Equistar Chemicals, Lower Colorado River Authority, and South Texas
Nuclear Operating Company for their continued financial support for the bird
count, and for providing staff and land to help out; Wadsworth for the use of
their Community Center; and the Rivers End Garden Club for attracting and
feeding the birds; boat operators Harold Boles, Bob Gardner and David Sitz for
their time, skills and craft; the private landowners (Carl Anderson, Jack
Miller, Eugene Welfel, Linda Stovall, Glenn & Eddie Douglas, George Harrison,
Bert & Dorothy Huebner-Baer Ranch, Simon DeSota, Greg Holub, Roy Poinsett,
William Smith, Jo Ann Williamson), who manage the land for the birds and
provides us access; and lastly, the Section Leaders who put in numerous hours
scouting their area, contacting birders & landowners, making plans, and
coordinating the survey. Through the efforts of everyone, the Mad Island Marsh
CBC continues to rank highly for Matagorda County, Texas and the Nation.
Brent Ortego
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
2805 N. Navarro, Suite 600B
Victoria, TX 77901
361/576-0022
brent.Ortego@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
David & Marilyn Sitz
Bay City Nature Club
Rt. 1, Box 180
Bay City, TX 77414
979/245-7663
marilynsitz@xxxxxxxxx
2002 DETAILS MATAGORDA COUNTY MAD ISLAND MARSH CBC
16 December 2002
1 Pacific Loon – 5th year – bold – 1 set of details
1 Least Grebe – 5th year – not bold – 1 set of details
1 Aplomado Falcon – 2nd year – bold – 1 set of details, waiting on photos
2 Solitary Sandpiper – 4th year – not bold – 1 set of details
1 jaeger, sp. – 2nd year – bold – 1 set of details
2 Franklin’s Gull – NEW – bold – 1 set of details
4 Least Tern – reduced to tern sp. – not bold – 1 set of details
1 Roadrunner – NEW – not bold – 1 set of details
1 Com. Nighthawk – 3rd year – bold – 1 set of details
1 Lesser Nighthawk – 2nd year – bold – 1 set of details
3 Black-chinned Hummingbird – 6th year – not bold -2 sets of details
1 Green Kingfisher – 2nd year – bold – 1 set of details
1 Hairy Woodpecker – 4th year – bold – 1 set of details
1 E. Wood Pewee – 3rd year – bold – 1 set of details
1 Wood Pewee, sp. – 2nd year – bold – 1 set of details
1 W. Flycatcher – NEW – bold – 2 sets of details
3 Least Flycatcher – 6th year – not bold – 2 sets of details
1 Say’s Phoebe – 4th year – not bold – 1 set of details
1 Thick-billed Kingbird – NEW – bold – 2 sets of details
1 E. Kingbird – 2nd year – bold – 1 set of details
1 W. Kingbird – NEW – bold – 1 set of details
4 Scissor-tailed Flycatcher – 4th year – not bold – 3 sets of details
1 Wood Thrush – 4th year – bold – 1 set of details
1 Catharus, sp. - not bold – 1 set of details
1 Tennessee Warbler – 2nd year – bold - 1 set of details
1 Yellow Warbler – 2nd year – bold – 1 set of details
1 Tropical Parula – NEW – bold – 1 set of details
1 Hooded Warbler – 3rd year – bold – 1 set of details
1 Kentucky Warbler – NEW – bold – 1 set of details
1 Canada Warbler – NEW – bold – 1 set of details
1 W. Tanager – 2nd year – bold – 1 set of details
1 Clay-colored Sparrow – 5th year – 1 set of details
1 Painted Bunting – 5th year – 1 set of details
submitting details on 32 species
Brent Ortego
Victoria, TX
