* Texas
* Statewide
* April 1, 1999
* TXST9904.01
- Birds mentioned
American Bittern
Swallow-tailed Kite
Broad-winged Hawk
Yellow Rail
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Least Tern
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Acadian Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Yellow-throated Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Bank Swallow
Wood Thrush
Clay-colored Robin
Gray Catbird
Blue-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow-throated Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Palm Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Kentucky Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Blue Bunting* Texas Review Species
Dickcissel
Orchard Oriole
- Transcript
Number: (713) 369-9673
Sighting Reports: (281) 992-2757
WWW: http://texasbirding.simplenet.com/rba.htm
Compiler: John O'Brien, mailto:johnobrien@eye.med.uth.tmc.edu
Andrew Hamlett, mailto:Bachwblr@aol.com
Coverage: Texas Statewide
Transcriber: David Sarkozi, mailto:dsarkozi@flash.net
Thank you for calling the Texas Rare Bird Alert, sponsored by the
Houston Audubon Society. This recording was made Thursday, April 1st at
7:30 a.m. To report your bird sightings please call 281-992-2757.
Highlights of today’s tape are: MIGRANTS and maybe a BLUE BUNTING.
Migration is well underway throughout the state with widespread reports
of many new landbird migrants. Coastal locations were especially
productive in the past several days. On the upper coast, observers at
Sabine Woods, Jefferson Co., High Island, Galveston Co., Galveston,
Galveston Co., and Quintana, Brazoria Co. have reported similar groups
of birds. A total of 15 species of warblers were reported between
Saturday the 27th and Monday the 29th with 7 to 10 species at each
location. Seen at several spots were BLUE-WINGED WARBLER (Vermivora
pinus), NORTHERN PARULA (Parula americana), YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
(Dendroica dominica), BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER (Mniotilta varia),
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER (Protonotaria citrea), LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH
(Seiurus motacilla), KENTUCKY WARBLER (Oporornis formosus), and HOODED
WARBLER (Wilsonia citrina). Some of the early or scarcer warblers seen
include NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH (Seiurus noveboracensis) at Sabine Woods on
the 27th, TENNESSEE WARBLER (Vermivora peregrina) at Boy Scout Woods on
the 28th, and a PALM WARBLER (Dendroica palmarum) at the Xeriscape Park
in Quintana on the 27th.
Also widely reported were EASTERN KINGBIRD (Tyrannus tyrannus), a few
SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER (Tyrannus forficatus), many swallows including
BANK SWALLOW (Riparia riparia), YELLOW-THROATED VIREO (Vireo
flavifrons), RED-EYED VIREO (Vireo olivaceus), WOOD THRUSH (Hylocichla
mustelina), GRAY CATBIRD (Dumetella carolinensis), and ORCHARD ORIOLE
(Icterus spurius). An early YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO (Coccyzus americanus)
was seen at Sabine Woods on the 28th, an ACADIAN FLYCATCHER (Empidonax
virescens) was in Galveston on the 30th, and a GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER
(Myiarchus crinitus), was seen at the Johnson property on Bolivar on the
28th.
At Anahuac NWR, Chambers Co., two YELLOW RAIL (Coturnicops
noveboracensis) were seen during an organized rail walk on the 27th.
Several more rail walks are scheduled in April.
Galveston Co. still hosts some interesting gulls. Two GLAUCOUS GULL
(Larus hyperboreus) were seen together about 4 miles out the Texas City
Dike on Saturday the 27th, and a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL (Larus fuscus)
was at San Luis Pass on the 28th. LEAST TERN (Sterna antillarum) have
returned to the Bolivar Flats where tern and shorebird numbers are
generally high.
At Brazos Bend SP in Fort Bend Co., the PRAIRIE WARBLER (Dendroica
discolor) that wintered near the parking lot for 40 acre lake is now
singing. Also seen at the park was an AMERICAN BITTERN (Botaurus
lentiginosus) on the 28th, an many of the migrants reported elsewhere.
A SWALLOW-TAILED KITE (Elanoides forficatus) seen near the park on the
28th was one of many reported in coastal locations this week. Most
other reports have been from the coastal bend region, including Calhoun
and San Patricio Counties.
DICKCISSEL (Spiza americana) have been staging migratory movements for
over a month now and are still well ahead of their normal arrival dates.
One yard in Port Lavaca, Calhoun Co., has been host to numbers of these
birds for several weeks, and a count last week yielded 45-50 birds.
This week hosted some remarkable flights of BROAD-WINGED HAWK (Buteo
platypterus) at the Hazel Bazemore Co. Park hawkwatch in Nueces Co. An
amazing 61,000 were counted Monday the 29th after storm lines cleared
out and another 31,000 were seen the following day.
In the Rio Grande valley, the CLAY-COLORED ROBIN (Turdus grayi)
continues near the visitor’s center at Santa Ana NWR, and the female
BLUE BUNTING* (Cyanocompsa parellina) continues at trailer site #18 at
Bentsen SP. For information on other Rio Grande Valley specialties,
please call the Rio Grande Valley hotline at 956-969-2731.
Thank you for calling and good birding!
- End Transcript
* Denotes Texas Review Species, sighting reports should be sent to the
Texas Bird Records Committee, Greg Lasley, 305 Loganberry Court, Austin,
TX 78745-6527, contact Greg Lasley (mailto:glasley@earthlink.net)
David Sarkozi, WB5N mailto:dsarkozi@flash.net
Houston, TX
(713) 520-5906
See my webpage, Birds of the Upper Texas Coast
http://texasbirding.simplenet.com/
See the Texas Online Clearinghouse at
http://www.flash.net/~dsarkozi/