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Birds of Hornsby Bend
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2008 Sightings:
Name: Chris Layden
Date of sighting: May 6, 2008
Date posted: Wed May 7 12:57:43 2008
Didn't make it to Hornsby today so the birds came to me! There must have been a push of migrators through Austin yesterday. We live along Shoal Creek in the Allandale neighborhood and had a nice group of warblers, buntings and orioles including chestnut-sided, wilson's, yellow and nashville warblers. We also had indigos and orchard orioles. The weather conditions and our high and dense tree canopy made for difficult viewing and a couple of flashes of yellow made it by without id.
Name: Chris Layden
Date of sighting: May 5, 2008
Date posted: Wed May 7 12:47:05 2008
Sorry for the delayed post. The storm last Sunday fried our computer so I couldn't get access until this morning. I birded Hornsby on Monday spending a little time in all areas including Platt. Weather was overcast with intermitent showers and little wind. Turned out to be a GREAT day to see a variety of birds with a few surprises (including a male prothonotary warbler). The birds, however, turned out to be the least exciting part of the day (see below). The ponds had a nice mix of shore and wading birds but nothing too unique. Highlights include:
-Am Gld Plover (drying basin)
-Yellow-headed Blackbird (single male)
-Semipalmated Plover (3)
-Wood Duck (single male touch and go)
Pond 2
-pair of Am Widgeons
-Redheads (5 w/several phalaropes in tow!)
-Lesser Scaup
-Least Grebe pair at the Western edge
-Mallard (2 females)
-Green heron (fly-over)
The Woods and River Trail
-ORIOLES, ORIOLES, ORIOLES! Dozens of Orchard with a few Balimores mixed in.
-Hundreds of Cedar waxwings
-Franklin gull (FO)
-Yellow warbler
-Nashville
-Prothonotary Warbler (a cooperative singing male through the scope!)
-Common Yellowthroat
-Buntings (Painted, Indigo)
-Eastern Wood Pewee
-Gray Catbird
-Ladder backed WP (female)
-Eastern Bluebird
Platt Ln
Not a great variety of sparrows but did have a few nice birds
-Wh Crwn Sparrow
-Rose-breasted Grosbeak (female)
-Gr Crested Flycatcher
-Louisiana Watertrush (river overlook)
As I was walking back to the car along the trail no more than a hundred yards from the gate, a stepped within five feet of a Western Diamondback! The overcast conditions made it difficult to see as it lay accross the trail. After backing up a bit, I tossed a few pebbles his (her) way. He didn't like this and coiled up in the strike position for a few moments and then slithered away. Moral to the story-stay on the trail (I think)! Loose total of 80 species not including a few sounds that went unidentified. Great day!
Name: Eric Stager
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Sun May 4 20:49:56 2008
Today I birded the trails between Black Willow and Upper Island View, the ponds, and Platt Lane. I ticked 75 species.
Highlights: 7 warbler species including Bay-breasted, Chestnut-sided, and Bl.-thr. Green; numerous catbirds, Swainson's Thrushes, and Baltimore Orioles feeding on mulberries; several Least Flycatchers and a E. Wood-Pewee along the Platt trails; 200 Wilson's Phalaropes on Pond 2; and best of all a Peregrine tormenting the peeps on Pond 1W.
Name: Claude Morris
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Sat May 3 17:38:14 2008
Location: Utley (Hwy969) bridge to Fuller Ranch
Observation date: 5/3/08
Windy was the word for this day. At one point when the wind was at our backs I wondered if today was a paddle event or a sailing event. In one section of the river there were even white caps.
I think the strong gusty winds kept our species count low as we were only able to tally 38 species. But in that list we had some very nice finds. Mississippi Kite, Green Kingfisher, Pileated Woodpecker, and Franklin Gulls were the stars of the day.
Speaking of stars, our human stars of the day were Sam Byars and Jim Rankin. Thanks for dealing with the wind and helping today.
Again the LCRA gets a gold star. Their overnight release gave us a great flow rate throughout the day.
Number of species: 38
Wood Duck 1
Great Blue Heron 2
Snowy Egret 3
Little Blue Heron 3
Cattle Egret 42
White-faced Ibis 12
Black Vulture 22
Turkey Vulture 17
Mississippi Kite 3
Red-shouldered Hawk 6
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Crested Caracara 7
Spotted Sandpiper 18
Franklin's Gull 6
Mourning Dove 4
Belted Kingfisher 1
Green Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 7
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Eastern Phoebe 2
Great Crested Flycatcher 8
Eastern Kingbird 1
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 1
White-eyed Vireo 6
Red-eyed Vireo 2
American Crow 26
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 7
Cliff Swallow 100
Barn Swallow 1
Carolina Chickadee 28
Tufted Titmouse 22
Carolina Wren 11
Lincoln's Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 58
Painted Bunting 9
Red-winged Blackbird 4
Great-tailed Grackle 12
House Sparrow 15
Name: Eric Stager
Date of sighting:
Date posted: Sun Apr 20 20:24:51 2008
I birded the ponds from 4 to 6:30 this afternoon. It was a good evening to study peeps, with all five species present. A single White-rumped Sandpiper was in a mudflat near the SE corner of Pond 1W, along with a Semipalmated and a few bright Westerns. A Baird's was in the NW part of the pond. The Ruff was still present in the same area. A group of Franklin's Gulls also flew over the ponds.
Name: Tim Fennell
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Sat Apr 19 18:45:59 2008
I noticed I put the wrong date on today's bird list. It should be 4/19/08, not 4/18.
Name: Tim Fennell
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Sat Apr 19 18:37:03 2008
Byron Stone and I led a great group of birders on the April Hornsby Bend Bird Walk today and the Reeve was still present. At about 8:30 am, the bird was seen from the north dike road on Pond 1 West, just east of the closed portion of the dike. It then flew back to the NW corner of the pond near the bluish pipe where it has been seen all week. It was seen at the bluish pipe at various times until noon when we left. Sometimes it was on the north side of the pipe (and therefore difficult to see) and sometimes it was in the open at the pipe’s mouth. See previous TEXBIRDS post for directions.
Another highlight of 72 species recorded was an American Bittern that sat out in the open on Pond 1 West before we met the group at 7:30 am. We spent most of the time on Pond 1 West but we did take a walk along the Riparian Trail along the river south of Pond 2. The woods were pretty quiet. Today’s list is below.
4/18/08; Hornsby Bend April Bird Walk; 7:30 am- noon; 50’s-70’s, sunny, S 5-15 mph; 72 species
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 3
Wood Duck 1 drake
Blue-winged Teal 40+
Northern Shoveler 400+
Green-winged Teal 1 drake
Redhead 3
Lesser Scaup 1
Bufflehead 1 hen
Ruddy Duck 20+
Eared Grebe 10+
Neotropic Cormorant 1
American Bittern 1
Snowy Egret 1
Little Blue Heron 1
Cattle Egret 20+
White-faced Ibis 2
Osprey 1
Swainson's Hawk 3
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture 2
Virginia Rail 1 HO
Sora 1
American Coot 200+
American Golden Plover 5+
Semipalmated Plover 2
Killdeer 20+
Black-necked Stilt 20+
American Avocet 50+
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 30+
Solitary Sandpiper 4
Spotted Sandpiper 10+
Upland Sandpiper 9
Semipalmated Sandpiper 2
Least Sandpiper 200+
Baird's Sandpiper 1
Pectoral Sandpiper 75+
Stilt Sandpiper 10+
Ruff 1
Long-billed Dowitcher 15+
Wilson's Phalarope 20+
Rock Dove 10+
White-winged Dove 2
Mourning Dove 5
Chimney Swift 1
Western Kingbird 1
Eastern Kingbird 3
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 2
White-eyed Vireo 3 HO
American Crow 2
Purple Martin 30+
Cliff Swallow 5+
Cave Swallow 10+
Barn Swallow 10+
Carolina Chickadee 2 HO
Carolina Wren 3 HO
Marsh Wren 1
Eastern Bluebird 1 HO
Northern Mockingbird 2
American Pipit 40+
Nashville Warbler 2 HO
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 HO
Summer Tanager
Savannah Sparrow 100+
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 5
Indigo Bunting 1
Red-winged Blackbird 10+
Yellow-headed Blackbird 2
Great-tailed Grackle 10+
House Finch 1
House Sparrow 5
Name: Eric Stager
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Sat Apr 19 16:48:39 2008
Debbie Blackburn and I birded Platt Lane this morning, followed by a visit to the ponds. We tallied 68 species for the morning. Highlights along Platt included:
Lots of sparrows along the road including Lark, Clay-colored, and several singing Grasshoppers, Orchard Oriole, several Indigo and one Painted Bunting, a Black-throated Green Warbler and many singing Nashvilles, Red-eyed Vireos, and Wood Duck along the river.
Name: Peter English
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Sun Apr 13 23:44:13 2008
Reeve was in the same location as of 6p today. Great find!
Name: Barry Lyon
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Sun Apr 13 00:53:57 2008
This afternoon marked the final day of field trips for Victor Emanuel Nature Tours's Austin, Texas Birding & Nature Festival.
At approximately 3:00 this afternoon Michael O'Brien & David Wolf found a female RUFF (Reeve) among the numerous other shorebirds on the western side of pond 1W. From the barrier fence at about the mid-way point of the levee, the bird was found on the mudflats beyond, toward the northwest corner of the basin.
The bird appeared to be a basic plumaged adult female, although others who studied the bird longer might disagree. Besides O'Brien and Wolf, many other observers were present including Brennan Mulrooney and Victor Emanuel and their tour group; Greg Lasley; Eric Carpenter; and Julia Belinsky. I and TaV Garvin showed up around 5:30. My guess is that this bird will likely remain until tomorrow.
Good luck,
Barry Lyon
Name: Desha Melton
Date of sighting: 4/10/08
Date posted: Fri Apr 11 10:05:11 2008
I dropped by after work to see what the storm blew in. Didn't seem to be any additions on ponds 1E and 1W from from when I was there last Sunday, but as I drove past the blind along Pond 2 I was rewarded for my efforts...there were three American Avocets swimming close by some N. Shovelers. I've always viewed them on shore, never swimming with ducks, so they almost seemed like different birds seen in this context, quite elegant. There were two B.N. Stilts on Pond 1W, always a treat. On my way out of the ponds I saw a Lark Sparrow, which is a FOS for me. Last Sunday the highlight of the day, besides the Swainson's Hawk on Platt Lane, was 2 Pintail drakes on Pond 2.
Name: Barry Lyon
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Fri Apr 11 01:04:45 2008
This week Victor Emanuel Nature Tours is hosting its first-ever Austin, Texas Birding & Nature Festival. We have attracted 43 participants from all over the country to participate in 3 days of field trips and other activities. One of our field trips includes a morning at Bastrop State Park and the afternoon at Hornsby Bend. Today marked the first day of our field trips and I and my co-leader, Louise Zemaitis, brought 14 event participants to the ponds from about 1:00 to 3:30.
Though our time was limited, we had a great time sorting through the high diversity of shorebirds that peppered different parts of pond 1W. Highlights included Least, Western, Semipalmated, Baird's, Pectoral, and Spotted Sandpipers; Long-billed Dowitcher; Lesser Yellowlegs, American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt; American Golden-Plover; Wilson's Phalarope; and White-faced Ibis.
Swainson's Hawks were coursing high over the ponds, heading north while the martin colony at the CER building was flush with breeding pairs.
A special thanks to Kevin Anderson for helping us make our time out there so enjoyable.
Good birding,
Barry Lyon
Name: kevin anderson
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Tue Apr 8 16:14:14 2008
this morning on the trail around Pond 3 - a turkey - only my second sighting at Hornsby Bend since 1995!
Name: Chris Layden
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Mon Apr 7 20:04:56 2008
Spent a couple of hours covering all areas of Hornsby. The vegetation is thick! It was tough to see in the woods. Even the pecan trees are starting to leaf up. Did get a few interesting birds though. FOS Western Kingbird, a group of Black necked Stilts on the pond, Common Yellowthroat (2), Marsh Wrens (4), Redheads (9), and White and Red eyed Vireos (heard only). Also had a couple of hummers zip past without pausing to tell me what they were. A mixture of peeps and waders added to the list. Still probably a couple weeks before the big push.
Name: Claude Morris
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Sat Apr 5 19:24:59 2008
Location: Big Webberville Park - Hwy 969
Observation date: 4/5/08
I am sure the North wind helped us today by slowing some birds down but the migration is happening and what a fun day to be birding. We found migrating hawks, and for me at least, several first of season birds. We totaled 56 species.
Our best birds of the day included Swainson's Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Green Kingfisher, Prothonotary Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Parula, Red-eyed Vireo, Great Crested Flycatcher and Eastern Kingbird.
Another local notable that is always a treat was Barred Owl.
Also, we had a potential Alder Flycatcher. We did not list it but we feel certain it was one. There were lots of chips and churrs and dweeps and peeps that we just could not figure out who they came from.
Could there have been a more picture perfect Spring day. OOoowwww, speaking of pictures, you see, my camera, having forgotten it couldn't swim, was insistent on doing so. Before I could reason it was over the edge. I saw the last few bubbles coming up as I drifted on down.
Marilyn Kircus, Suzette Ermler and I were the survey team this month. Thanks for the help ladies. The LCRA also needs gets an honorable mention. Their overnight release rate of over 1000 cfs gave us a nice current so that the 15 miles went very nicely.
Number of species: 56
Wood Duck 7
Blue-winged Teal 18
Double-crested Cormorant 5
Great Blue Heron 4
Great Egret 1
Snowy Egret 2
Little Blue Heron 4
Cattle Egret 42
Black Vulture 41
Turkey Vulture 11
Osprey 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 8
Broad-winged Hawk 2
Swainson's Hawk 3
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Crested Caracara 9
Killdeer 3
Spotted Sandpiper 36
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
White-winged Dove 2
Mourning Dove 5
Barred Owl 2
Belted Kingfisher 7
Green Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 32
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Eastern Kingbird 1
White-eyed Vireo 48
Red-eyed Vireo 3
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 8
Purple Martin 7
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Cliff Swallow 100
Barn Swallow 5
Carolina Chickadee 26
Tufted Titmouse 38
Carolina Wren 48
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Eastern Bluebird 2
Northern Mockingbird 6
American Pipit 4
Cedar Waxwing 32
Northern Parula 3
Pine Warbler 1
Black-and-white Warbler 3
Prothonotary Warbler 6
Chipping Sparrow 2
Lincoln's Sparrow 16
Northern Cardinal 100
Red-winged Blackbird 48
Common Grackle 42
Great-tailed Grackle 12
Name: UT Biology of Birds class
Date of sighting: 3/31/08
Date posted: Fri Apr 4 16:10:56 2008
The Biology of Birds class from UT was out Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week. We were mostly around the ponds, but species included:
Green-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Blue-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
Eared Grebe
Cattle Egret
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Osprey
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Swainson’s Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
American Coot
American Golden-Plover
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Baird’s Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
Stilt Sandpiper
Wilson’s Snipe
Wilson’s Phalarope
Franklin’s Gull
Mourning Dove
White-winged Dove
Chimney Swift
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
White-eyed Vireo
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Purple Martin
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cave Swallow
Black-crested Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
American Pipit
Savannah Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Great-tailed Grackle
House Finch
House Sparrow
Name: Laurie Foss
Date of sighting: 3/15/2008
Date posted: Sun Mar 16 20:45:27 2008
22 birders enjoyed the sunny and warm day on Saturday to find 69 species at the monthly Travis Audubon field trip. Co-led by Laurie Foss, Shelia Hargis and George Kerr, we had a nice variety of birders and birds. What a great combination! Here's our combined bird list from all three groups.
Species
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Redhead
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
Eared Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Crested Caracara
American Coot
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Wilson's Snipe
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Monk Parakeet
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
White-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
American Crow
Purple Martin
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Black-crested Titmouse
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Hermit Thrush
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
American Pipit
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
meadowlark sp.
Great-tailed Grackle
House Sparrow
Name: kevin anderson
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Thu Mar 13 16:05:38 2008
a pair of northern harriers near Platt Lane this morning.
Name: Chuck Smith
Date of sighting: March 13, 2008
Date posted: Thu Mar 13 12:25:45 2008
Spent the afternoon at Hornsby Bend. Wonderful weather and birding.
Best birds for me were:
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
House Wren
FOS Barn Swallow
Ring necked Ducks
lone female Bufflehead
and
my bird of the day, a Common Ground Dove. I almost never see one of these at Hornsby, so it was great.
Name: Barry Lyon
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Sun Mar 9 20:33:20 2008
An afternoon trip to Hornsby today was surprisingly productive and revealed spring migration to be getting started. If you are looking to kick off your birding for 2008 without missing the early stuff, now is a great time to get out there. Aside from large numbers of birds, diversity was high. Many of the FOS birds I saw were seen by Eric and his group the day before. I'd guess that some of the birds (swallows) were coming up from the neotropics, while others were shorter distance migrants moving north from the coast (waterfowl). Platt Pond was very good for a nice assortment of species and I recommend it to anybody interested in side-by-side comparisons of the 2 yellowlegs species. Among the highlights were:
Eared Grebe - Probably 20 or so, with several in breeding plumage
Redhead - 2 drakes and a female
Bufflehead - 1 female
Ring-necked Duck - 2 females, 1 drake
Greater Yellowlegs - 10; Platt Pond
Lesser Yellowlegs - about 10; Platt Pond
Tree Swallow - 1; Pond 1E - nice adult bird; never common here
Rough-winged Swallow - 1
Cliff Swallow - 30
Cave Swallow - 10
Barn Swallow - 50
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 3; including a bright male at the Upper Island Overlook along the River Trail
Ringed Kingfisher - 1 male flying over the River Trail about a quarter mile from the end of Platt Lane.
Name: Eric Carpenter
Date of sighting: 8 March 2008
Date posted: Sun Mar 9 18:47:00 2008
Here's the results from Saturday's (8 March 2008) monthly survey at
Hornsby Bend. There were 14 participants in the morning and 7 for the
afternoon session, with a final tally of 91 species. Highlights
include 2 Least Grebes, FOS Western Sandpiper, 6 FOS Long-billed
Dowitchers, 1 Winter Wren, and 1 Grasshopper Sparrow.
Thanks to everyone for participating and hope to see you next month
(12 April 2008). Results follow...
Eric
--
Wood Duck 6
Gadwall 19
Blue-winged Teal 17
Cinnamon Teal 1
Northern Shoveler 1150
Green-winged Teal 137
Redhead 1
Ring-necked Duck 7
Lesser Scaup 16
Ruddy Duck 115
Least Grebe 2 (at the flooding gravel pit pond along Platt)
Pied-billed Grebe 4
Eared Grebe 22
Double-crested Cormorant 13
Great Blue Heron 3
Great Egret 3
Snowy Egret 5
Little Blue Heron 3
Cattle Egret 4
Black Vulture 12
Turkey Vulture 10
Osprey 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 7
Red-tailed Hawk 7
Crested Caracara 1
American Kestrel 1
Sora 1 (heard only at the flooding gravel pit pond along Platt Road)
American Coot 201
Killdeer 37
Spotted Sandpiper 10
Solitary Sandpiper 3
Greater Yellowlegs 10
Lesser Yellowlegs 6 (Platt Pond in the afternoon)
Western Sandpiper 1 (spotted by Roxie on Pond 1West)
Least Sandpiper 180
Long-billed Dowitcher 6 (Pond 1W)
Wilson's Snipe 22
Rock Pigeon 58
White-winged Dove 23
Mourning Dove 11
Inca Dove 5
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 11
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Phoebe 16
White-eyed Vireo 14
Blue-headed Vireo 1
American Crow 6
Purple Martin 15
N. Rough-winged Swallow 2
Cave Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 10
Carolina Chickadee 9
Tufted/Bl. Crested Titmouse 5
Carolina Wren 12
House Wren 3
Winter Wren 1
Marsh Wren 4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 30
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 7
Eastern Bluebird 3
Hermit Thrush 3
Northern Mockingbird 6
European Starling 39
American Pipit 35
Cedar Waxwing 191
Orange-crowned Warbler 13
Yellow-rumped Warbler 79
Common Yellowthroat 2
Field Sparrow 21
Vesper Sparrow 21
Savannah Sparrow 69
Grasshopper Sparrow 1 (northwest fields)
Song Sparrow 3
Lincoln's Sparrow 12
Swamp Sparrow 8
White-throated Sparrow 2
White-crowned Sparrow 5
Northern Cardinal 114
Red-winged Blackbird 370
Eastern Meadowlark 2
Common Grackle 55
Great-tailed Grackle 25
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
House Finch 1
American Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 3
Name: Claude Morris
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Sat Mar 1 22:36:40 2008
Location: Webberville - Big Webberville Park
Observation date: 3/1/08
Imagine if you will, in the misty fogginess of the morning light, you are standing on the bank of the river. You hear it calling before it appears and then flies in low making a wide turn before landing on a gravel bed just across the river. That is the way a mature Bald Eagle presented itself to us this morning even before the boats were unloaded.
The bird lingered as we unloaded our cars. After 5 - 10 minutes of this it flew off downstream with fish in talons.
The morning continued like that as long as the fogginess held. During that time we were seeing Belted Kingfisher, Pileated Woodpeckers, Yellow-belied Sapsuckers, Tufted Titmouse and tons of Northern Cardinals and Red-bellied Woodpeckers.
Our species total for the day came to 51, which includes a Great Horned Owl.
Special thanks to Marilyn Kircus, Suzette Ermler and Sam Byers for their help today.
Number of species: 51
Wood Duck 3
Gadwall 24
Northern Shoveler 2
Double-crested Cormorant 4
Great Blue Heron 2
Black Vulture 11
Turkey Vulture 7
Osprey 5
Bald Eagle 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 9
Red-tailed Hawk 4
Crested Caracara 7
American Kestrel 1
Killdeer 35
Spotted Sandpiper 8
Greater Yellowlegs 23
Least Sandpiper 20
White-winged Dove 40
Mourning Dove 12
Great Horned Owl 1
Belted Kingfisher 5
Red-bellied Woodpecker 21
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Eastern Phoebe 16
White-eyed Vireo 3
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 7
Cliff Swallow 6
Carolina Chickadee 42
Tufted Titmouse 14
Carolina Wren 14
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 16
Eastern Bluebird 5
Northern Mockingbird 4
European Starling 50
American Pipit 1
Cedar Waxwing 30
Orange-crowned Warbler 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler 44
Chipping Sparrow 4
Savannah Sparrow 33
Lincoln's Sparrow 14
White-crowned Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 75
Red-winged Blackbird 1000
Eastern Meadowlark 21
Common Grackle 20
Great-tailed Grackle 500
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 28
Name: Laurie Foss
Date of sighting: Feb 26
Date posted: Wed Feb 27 08:00:19 2008
Despite the wind I managed 37 species on a quick walk on Platt Ln and a drive around the ponds yesterday. Notable were 20 American White Pelicans on Platt Pond and one beautiful American Wigeon catching the light just right on pond 1E. There are lots of waterfowl on the ponds now, and pond 1W is a fantastic mudflat and worth checking out.
Name: Rebekah Rylander
Date of sighting: 2/16/08
Date posted: Mon Feb 25 20:43:08 2008
I had no idea this recent sightings page existed! So, sorry about the late post! I happened upon a Pine Warbler last weekend and actually snapped a decent shot of him with my camera! He was along the trail by the Upper Island viewing area.
Name: Chris Layden
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Mon Feb 25 18:38:53 2008
I quick to trip through Hornsby/Platt produced a few surprises including a yellow-bellied sapsucker along the river trail. Five American White Pelicans were on Platt Pond.
Name: Tim Fennell
Date of sighting: 2/23/08
Date posted: Sun Feb 24 10:13:07 2008
Below is the complete list from yesterday (2/23/08). In addition to the Scissor-tailed FC mentioned in the previous post, the Cattle Egrets were FOS for me as well.
2/23/08: LASA Bird WS, 8:00- 11:00; clear, 50-70 F
Cinnamon Teal 2
Northern Shoveler 200+
Green-winged Teal 50+
Lesser Scaup 30+
Ruddy Duck 75+
Eared Grebe 5+
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Great Blue Heron 1
Cattle Egret 15
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Black Vulture 6
Turkey Vulture 10
American Kestrel 1
American Coot 300+
Killdeer 30+
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Least Sandpiper 75+
Bonaparte's Gull 1
Rock Dove 30+
Mourning Dove 5+
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 1
White-eyed Vireo 2
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Purple Martin 30+
Carolina Chickadee 10+
Titmouse species 1
Carolina Wren 10+
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 5+
Eastern Bluebird 1
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 5+
American Pipit 5+
Yellow-rumped Warbler 5+
Savannah Sparrow 10+
Northern Cardinal 20+
Red-winged Blackbird 2
Meadowlark species 10+
House Sparrow 10+
Name: Tim Fennell
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Sat Feb 23 20:51:18 2008
While leading a bird ID workshop with my high school students today, I had my FOS Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in the field south of the CER. Also had a pair of Cinnamon Teal and a Bonaparte's Gull on Pond 2.
Cheers,
Tim Fennell
Name: Ken Anderson
Date of sighting: 2/21/07
Date posted: Fri Feb 22 14:18:01 2008
Pond 1 East hosted an unusual duck; looked like a male Shoveler x Cinnamon Teal hybrid. Has most qualities of Shoveler but with a rust colored chest. I would be interested to hear any other opinions on this bird.
A good number of ducks and species were there. Including 16 Redhead, 4 Ring-necked, 2 Bufflehead, 1 Wood Duck, 2 Cinnamon Teal and 6 Blue-winged Teal.
Kenny
Name: Mikael Behrens
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Sat Feb 16 15:59:56 2008
There were 4 of us for the HBBO monthly bird walk today. We spent a cold and wet morning driving around the ponds and peeking into the woods a couple times. We only found 35 species, but highlights were Marsh Wren and Swamp Sparrows at the SW corner of Pond 1 West, and a spectacular look at an Orange-crowned Warbler -- we even saw the orange crown! Also there were 6 Purple Martins by the CER. Here's our species list:
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
Eared Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Purple Martin
Carolina Wren
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
American Pipit
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Sparrow
Name: Rob Fergus
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Wed Feb 13 20:26:33 2008
At least 3 adult male Purple Martins at the gourd rack at the CER building at 11:30am. One male Redhead on Pond 2. 15 Blue-winged Teal Pond 1W.
Name: kevin anderson
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Tue Feb 12 12:52:57 2008
16 white pelicans on the river at the old river crossing this morning...being harassed by the belted kingfisher.
Name: Ken anderson
Date of sighting: Mon Feb 4 2008
Date posted: Tue Feb 5 15:45:20 2008
Had a brief glimpse at Sora on the Western side of Pond 1 West.
2 Least Grebes in pond 2.
2 Least Grebes Platt Lane Loam pit.
Name: Claude Morris
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Sat Feb 2 20:25:05 2008
I know I used this phrase in the last report but I will use it again here. Slathering on sunscreen in 75 degree weather makes for excellent kayaking. I like that word slather. Don't get to use it very often. Especially in the winter in the same sentence with sunscreen.
Not only was the weather beautiful, but the birding was as well. We collected 64 species and unexpected numbers of some of those species. We quit counting Red-winged Blackbirds after many huge flock streamed over. Spotted Sandpipers and Killdeer were very plentiful.
Our highlight birds of the day include a mature Bald Eagle that gave us several nice views and three Pileated Woodpeckers.
Thanks go to Marilyn Kircus, Julia Balinsky, Andy Balinsky, Chris Masey, Eric Carpenter and Alan Kugler.
Location: Austin Colony - Webberville
Observation date: 2/2/08
Number of species: 62
Wood Duck 8
Gadwall 6
Mallard 2
Green-winged Teal 2
American White Pelican 15
Double-crested Cormorant 32
Great Blue Heron 12
Great Egret 7
Snowy Egret 6
Black Vulture 46
Turkey Vulture 48
Osprey 5
Bald Eagle 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 8
Red-tailed Hawk 14
Crested Caracara 12
American Kestrel 1
American Coot 34
Killdeer 62
Spotted Sandpiper 48
Greater Yellowlegs 8
Least Sandpiper 32
Wilson's Snipe 6
White-winged Dove 1
Mourning Dove 12
Belted Kingfisher 8
Red-bellied Woodpecker 24
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 3
Eastern Phoebe 12
White-eyed Vireo 3
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 8
Cave Swallow 26
Carolina Chickadee 36
Tufted Titmouse 15
Carolina Wren 29
House Wren 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 6
Eastern Bluebird 2
Hermit Thrush 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 200
American Pipit 54
Cedar Waxwing 18
Yellow-rumped Warbler 62
Chipping Sparrow 5
Savannah Sparrow 22
Song Sparrow 2
Lincoln's Sparrow 6
Swamp Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 2
White-crowned Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 36
Red-winged Blackbird 1000
Eastern Meadowlark 8
Common Grackle 18
Great-tailed Grackle 200
Brown-headed Cowbird 200
American Goldfinch 8
Name: Chris Layden
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Sun Jan 20 13:52:42 2008
Brrrr! A cold (and brief)morning of birding brought in a few surprises. Highlights included a Mute Swan that looked totally out of place on pond 2 as it swam amongst the grebes, Shovelers, and Ruddy Ducks. With the naked eye and at 250 yards I thought it was a White Pelican at first. It eventually took flight and circled (landed briefly on pond 1W) and then headed north. Other surprises were a nice group of snowy egrets, a lone little blue and a single male Wood Duck. I also had a great view of a pair of Crested Caracaras sunning on the spoils area off Platt.
Name: Kirsti Harms
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Sat Jan 19 15:40:30 2008
4 participants joined me today on the monthly bird walk. It was a bright and chilly morning. We walked the river trail (which kept us out of the stiff, icy breeze), then emerged to take a turn around the ponds. George Kerr and I finished up the morning by going to the Platt area.
The best sighting was along the river trail--an Osprey with a fish being chased by an adult Bald Eagle. NOT a fish story!
--
Gadwall
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Redhead
Lesser Scaup
Ruddy Duck
Least Grebe
Eared Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Little Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Crested Caracara
American Kestrel
Merlin
American Coot
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Wilson's Snipe
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
American Crow
Cave Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Hornsby Titmouse
Carolina Wren
Winter Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Hermit Thrush
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
American Pipit
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Savannah Sparrow
Lincoln Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
meadowlark sp.
Great-tailed Grackle
American Goldfinch
Name: Eric Carpenter
Date of sighting: 12 January 2008
Date posted: Mon Jan 14 19:34:36 2008
Here's the results from Saturday's (12 January 2008) monthly survey at Hornsby Bend. There were 10 participants in the morning and 5 for the afternoon session, with a final tally of 87 species. Highlights include a Gray Catbird in the morning, and then a Greater Scaup (photo'ed on Pond 3) and 3 Sandhill Cranes in the afternoon.
Thanks to everyone for participating and hope to see you next month (9 February 2008). Results follow...
Eric
--
Gadwall 3
Blue-winged Teal 14
Cinnamon Teal 4
Northern Shoveler 367
Northern Pintail 6
Green-winged Teal 455
Redhead 9
Greater Scaup 1
Lesser Scaup 3
Ruddy Duck 295
Least Grebe 4
Eared Grebe 6
American White Pelican 2
Double-crested Cormorant 75
Anhinga 1
Great Blue Heron 5
Great Egret 4
Snowy Egret 13
Little Blue Heron 2
Cattle Egret 4
Black Vulture 17
Turkey Vulture 4
Osprey 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 6
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Crested Caracara 3
American Kestrel 1
American Coot 99
Sandhill Crane 3
Killdeer 28
Spotted Sandpiper 6
Greater Yellowlegs 3
Least Sandpiper 108
Wilson's Snipe 9
Rock Pigeon 100
White-winged Dove 8
Mourning Dove 70
Inca Dove 4
Monk Parakeet 4
Barred Owl 1
Belted Kingfisher 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker 7
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Phoebe 28
Loggerhead Shrike 1
White-eyed Vireo 4
Blue-headed Vireo 3
American Crow 8
Cave Swallow 16
Carolina Chickadee 16
HYBRID Titmouse 7
Brown Creeper 1
Carolina Wren 45
House Wren 6
Marsh Wren 6
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 45
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Eastern Bluebird 2
Hermit Thrush 3
American Robin 29
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 28
American Pipit 25
Cedar Waxwing 27
Orange-crowned Warbler 16
Yellow-rumped Warbler 54
Pine Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 7
Field Sparrow 8
Vesper Sparrow 17
Savannah Sparrow 115
Song Sparrow 4
Lincoln Sparrow 24
Swamp Sparrow 11
White-throated Sparrow 8
White-crowned Sparrow 11
Northern Cardinal 102
Red-winged Blackbird 4300
meadowlark sp. 3
Common Grackle 140
Great-tailed Grackle 1570
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 21
House Sparrow 3
Name: Chuck Smith
Date of sighting: January 13, 2008
Date posted: Mon Jan 14 17:50:43 2008
I spend much of the day at Hornsby Bend, mostly in the fields and on the River Trail. Better birds of the day for me included:
Blue-headed Vireo
Inca Dove
American Pipits (3)
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (2)
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (2)
American Robins (2)
Lincoln Sparrow
Vesper Sparrows (3)
Cooper's Hawk
American Kestrel
Osprey (2)
House Wrens (2)
Orange-crowned Warblers (14)
A great day to be outdoors, especially at Hornsby!
Name: Claude Morris
Date of sighting: Same as date posted
Date posted: Sat Jan 5 18:53:39 2008
Would someone please remind me this is the middle of winter. Slathering on sunscreen in 75 degrees with clear blue skies makes for perfect kayaking.
Making the day even better was the very impressive list of 59 species.
Heading that list were Bald Eagle, Anhinga, and Ringed Kingfisher. We also found a lingering Common Yellowthroat and a White-eyed Vireo. I guess they have not been reminded of the season either.
Kudos are going to five people who helped with this survey. Margie Crisp, Cindy, Michael
Portman, Chris Masey and myself were treated to a very special day of kayaking and birding.
Location: 183-Hornsby
Observation date: 1/5/08
Number of species: 59
Gadwall 36
Blue-winged Teal 2
Northern Shoveler 8
Green-winged Teal 18
Lesser Scaup 7
Bufflehead 4
Pied-billed Grebe 3
Double-crested Cormorant 3
Anhinga 2
Great Blue Heron 11
Great Egret 2
Snowy Egret 4
Little Blue Heron 3
Black Vulture 26
Turkey Vulture 9
Osprey 7
Bald Eagle 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 3
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Crested Caracara 2
American Kestrel 1
American Coot 8
Killdeer 36
Spotted Sandpiper 29
Greater Yellowlegs 15
Least Sandpiper 27
Ring-billed Gull 4
White-winged Dove 33
Mourning Dove 3
Monk Parakeet 14
Ringed Kingfisher 1
Belted Kingfisher 10
Red-bellied Woodpecker 7
Downy Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 6
White-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 9
American Crow 7
Cliff Swallow 1
Carolina Chickadee 28
Tufted Titmouse 5
Carolina Wren 17
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4
Eastern Bluebird 2
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 36
American Pipit 7
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 43
Common Yellowthroat 1
Savannah Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 25
Red-winged Blackbird 200
Brewer's Blackbird 15
Great-tailed Grackle 1
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 28
House Sparrow 7
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