* * *
HIGH ISLAND - HILL COUNTRY MBWEEK SUMMARY
April 19 - 27, 2014
Well, where do you start with a summary of the highlights of the MBWeek with the largest-ever species total? By my count we came up with a grand total of 269, no fewer than 31 species more than on this trip in 2012! The total of 238 on that MBWeek had been our previous record; runners-up were the 230 species on the one-week California-Arizona MBW in 2010, and 228 on the 2012 South Texas MBW. (There have also been totals of 250 on both the 2011 and 2012 California & Arizona MBWeeks, but that was over two weeks.)
The Houston-Big Thicket-High Island-Bolivar Peninsula-Beaumont area portion of this trip through the morning of April 24 yielded 214 species (there were "only" 198 in this region in 2012), and no fewer than 124 species on the Hill Country portion from the afternoon of April 24 on (26 more than the 96 species here in 2012). I suppose part of this year's improvement was due to a couple of changes in the itinerary: staying in Jasper rather than Houston the first night gave us more time in the Big Thicket, and basing the Hill Country portion in Uvalde rather than Kerrville made for shorter drives to Garner State Park (my favorite!), Neal's Lodge, the bat cave, Cook's Slough, and Chalk Bluff Park.
It's also curious that we were able to see so many birds given that the weather was not in our favor. True, there was virtually no rain and the winds were on the light side, but at the same time there were no "fall-out" conditions to ground warblers and other passerines at High Island or Sabine Woods. And despite that we still managed to come up with no fewer than 35 warbler species! In addition, though there was only one known flooded rice field around the Winnie area, we listed an impressive total of 34 shorebirds! Note as well that it was too hot in the Hill Country (the Thursday to Sunday highs in Uvalde were 97, 93, 88, and 97 degrees), but the birding there was much better than in 2012 as noted above.
I readily admit that birding success is often a matter of luck, and by my count there were about 35 species on our long list that were represented by a single individual, so that our total could easily have been more modest. And certainly not everyone in the group saw all 269 of them – there are always individual misses on any birding trip, and I counted a dozen or so that I missed myself. Another number worth noting is that our total of "non-Minnesota" species was 83 (see those boldfaced below).
Of the 34 shorebirds we found, I suppose that Ruff at Anahuac had to be the best of these, while the Worm-eating, Swainson's, Golden-cheeked, and Rufous-capped were probably the highlights in our list of 35 warblers. Other special highlights were finding both Mississippi and Swallow-tailed kites near Liberty and the Trinity River; hearing both Common Poorwills and a Chuck-will's-widow after our visit to the bat cave; simultaneously seeing Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Bachman's Sparrows, and Brown-headed Nuthatches in a patch of piney woods near Jasper; the cooperative pair of Black-capped Vireos at Neal's Lodge, along with 5 singing males along the Davis' road; and our private tour of the Beaumont sewage treatment facility to see Fish Crows and other birds.
Special thanks are first due to Paul and Betty Rae Davis, of course, for our day with them on the 26th – hosting our lunch at their "rustic-cabin-in-the-woods", providing their 4-wheel drive vehicle for our drive farther up the driveway, and certainly as we were their guests for dinner at The Laurel Tree! We also thank George Newsome in Beaumont for showing us around the sewage treatment plant.
ITINERARY
April 19: Meet at IAH car rental center at 2:30 pm, brief visit to Jesse Jones Park, and drive to Jasper; mediocre dinner at Casa Olé and night at Super 8.
April 20: Morning at CR-54 Red-cockaded colony near Sam Rayburn Reservoir and at Martin Dies State Park; afternoon at Gore Store Rd and Big Thicket Visitors Center; drive to Winnie for first of 4 nights at Days Inn (and first of 3 dinners at Al T's).
April 21: Morning at Anahuac NWR and afternoon at High Island's Boy Scout Woods & Smith Oaks.
April 22: Fairview Road, Smith Oaks at High Island, Bolivar Peninsula, and return to Boy Scout Woods & Hooks Woods at High Island.
April 23: Sabine Woods, Sea Rim State Park, Beaumont sewage plant, Tyrrell Park, FM 1941 rice field, and final return to High Island.
April 24: Morning at pastures/crayfish ponds near Nome and successful kite searches at Liberty/Trinity River & vicinity; afternoon drive to Uvalde via lunch at Joel's BBQ in Flatonia, mediocre dinner at Napoli's, and first of 3 nights at Quality Inn in Utopia.
April 25: Morning at Garner State Park (old entrance road) and Neal's Lodge; afternoon along FM 2690 and Cooks Slough, return to Neal's for early dinner, and evening tour at Frio River bat cave.
April 26: Lost Maples State Natural Area, Paul & Betty Rae Davis' "cabin", Utopia City Park & vicinity, and dinner at The Laurel Tree.
April 27: Morning along Hwy 55, Chalk Bluff Park, and return to Cooks Slough; afternoon drive to San Antonio for return flights home (well, I'm told a few of you made it home before midnight!).
BIRD LIST
- HI = seen/heard on High Island portion of MBWeek, April 19 – April 24 (morning)
- HC = seen/heard on Hill country portion of MBWeek, April 24 (afternoon) – April 27
- boldfaced species = "non-Minnesota" species (i.e., absent/accidental/casual on MN list)
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck HI,HC
Fulvous Whistling-Duck HI (especially at Anahuac NWR)
Wood Duck HI
Gadwall HI
American Wigeon HI
Mottled Duck HI
Blue-winged Teal HI,HC
Cinnamon Teal HI (a write-in at Anahuac)
Northern Shoveler HI
Green-winged Teal HI
Northern Bobwhite HI,HC (Bill's #1 target species)
Wild Turkey HC
Pied-billed Grebe HI,HC
Neotropic Cormorant HI,HC (incl nests at High Island)
Double-crested Cormorant HI
American White Pelican HI
Brown Pelican HI
American Bittern HI (Anahuac)
Least Bittern HI (or was this Bill's #1 target?)
Great Blue Heron HI,HC
Great Egret HI
Snowy Egret HI
Little Blue Heron HI
Tricolored Heron HI
Reddish Egret HI
Cattle Egret HI
Green Heron HI,HC
Black-crowned Night-Heron HI,HC
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron HI
White Ibis HI
White-faced Ibis HI,HC
Roseate Spoonbill HI (also nesting at High Island)
Black Vulture HI,HC
Turkey Vulture HI,HC
Osprey HI,HC
Swallow-tailed Kite HI (3 at the "usual spot" along Hwy 90!)
Mississippi Kite HI (best sighting at Liberty)
Northern Harrier HI
Cooper’s Hawk HC
Harris’s Hawk HC
Red-shouldered Hawk HC
Broad-winged Hawk HI,HC
Swainson’s Hawk HI,HC
White-tailed Hawk HI (thanks to a tip from VENT)
Zone-tailed Hawk HC (seen twice)
Red-tailed Hawk HI,HC
Clapper Rail HI (Yacht Basin Rd)
King Rail HI (standing on the lawn at Anahuac; also babies near Nome!)
Sora HI
Purple Gallinule HI (Anahuac)
Common Gallinule HI
American Coot HI,HC
Black-necked Stilt HI
American Avocet HI
American Oystercatcher HI
Black-bellied Plover HI
American Golden-Plover HI
Snowy Plover HI (Sea Rim State Park pair)
Wilson's Plover HI
Semipalmated Plover HI
Piping Plover HI
Killdeer HI,HC
Spotted Sandpiper HI,HC
Solitary Sandpiper HI
Greater Yellowlegs HI
Willet HI
Lesser Yellowlegs HI
Upland Sandpiper HI (pastures near Nome)
Whimbrel HI
Hudsonian Godwit HI (at the only flooded rice field)
Marbled Godwit HI
Ruddy Turnstone HI
Red Knot HI (1 at Bolivar mostly in winter plumage)
Ruff HI (difficult but diagnostic view at Anahuac)
Stilt Sandpiper HI
Sanderling HI
Dunlin HI
Baird's Sandpiper HI (Sea Rim)
Least Sandpiper HI
White-rumped Sandpiper HI (briefly at Sea Rim)
Pectoral Sandpiper HI
Semipalmated Sandpiper HI
Western Sandpiper HI
Short-billed Dowitcher HI
Long-billed Dowitcher HI
Wilson’s Phalarope HI (= 34 shorebird species!)
Bonaparte's Gull HI
Laughing Gull HI
Franklin's Gull HC (1 at Cooks Slough)
Ring-billed Gull HI
Herring Gull HI
Glaucous Gull HI (unexpected fly-by at Bolivar)
Least Tern HI
Gull-billed Tern HI
Black Tern HI
Common Tern HI
Forster's Tern HI
Royal Tern HI (but no Caspians)
Sandwich Tern HI
Black Skimmer HI
Rock Pigeon HI,HC
Eurasian Collared-Dove HI
White-winged Dove HI,HC
Mourning Dove HI,HC
Inca Dove HI,HC
Common Ground-Dove HC
Yellow-billed Cuckoo HI,HC
Greater Roadrunner HC
Eastern Screech-Owl HI (heard-only at Jones Park)
Great Horned Owl HC (2 babies at Lost Maples)
Lesser Nighthawk HC (fly-bys near Uvalde)
Common Nighthawk HI
Common Poorwill HC (heard well near the bat cave)
Chuck-will's-widow HC (ditto)
Chimney Swift HI,HC
Ruby-throated Hummingbird HI,HC
Black-chinned Hummingbird HC
Belted Kingfisher HI
Green Kingfisher HC (1 seen by Bill at Cooks Slough)
Red-headed Woodpecker HI
Golden-fronted Woodpecker HI,HC (incl 1 out-of-range at Sabine Woods)
Red-bellied Woodpecker HI
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker HI
Ladder-backed Woodpecker HC
Downy Woodpecker HI
Red-cockaded Woodpecker HI (cooperative staked-out pair)
Northern Flicker HI (heard-only)
Pileated Woodpecker HI
Crested Caracara HI,HC
American Kestrel HI
Merlin HI (1 at Anahuac)
Eastern Wood-Pewee HI,HC
Acadian Flycatcher HI,HC
Least Flycatcher HI
Black Phoebe HC (Neal's Lodge)
Eastern Phoebe HC
Vermilion Flycatcher HC
Ash-throated Flycatcher HC (imitating Brown-cresteds?)
Great Crested Flycatcher HI
Brown-crested Flycatcher HC (best at Cook's Slough)
Couch's Kingbird HC (incl 1 in the Quality Inn parking lot)
Western Kingbird HC
Eastern Kingbird HI
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher HI,HC (Bernice's favorite?)
Loggerhead Shrike HI
White-eyed Vireo HI,HC
Bell’s Vireo HC
Black-capped Vireo HC (best at Neal's; plus 5 singing males on the Davis' land)
Yellow-throated Vireo HI,HC
Blue-headed Vireo HI,HC
Hutton’s Vireo HC (incl a nest at Lost Maples)
Warbling Vireo HI
Philadelphia Vireo HI
Red-eyed Vireo HI,HC
Blue Jay HI,HC
Western Scrub-Jay HC
American Crow HI,HC
Fish Crow HI (thanks to George at the sewage treatment plant)
Common Raven HC
Purple Martin HI,HC
Tree Swallow HI
Northern Rough-winged Swallow HI,HC
Bank Swallow HI
Cliff Swallow HI,HC
Cave Swallow HC (best at the bat cave)
Barn Swallow HI,HC
Carolina Chickadee HI,HC
Tufted Titmouse HI
Black-crested Titmouse HC
Verdin HC (best at Cooks Slough)
White-breasted Nuthatch HI (heard-only)
Brown-headed Nuthatch HI (at the Red-cockaded/Bachman's spot)
Canyon Wren HC (heard-only)
House Wren HC
Sedge Wren HI (several heard-only)
Marsh Wren HI
Carolina Wren HI,HC
Bewick's Wren HC
Cactus Wren HC
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher HI,HC
Ruby-crowned Kinglet HI
Eastern Bluebird HI,HC
Veery HI
Gray-cheeked Thrush HI
Swainson's Thrush HI
Wood Thrush HI
Gray Catbird HI
Brown Thrasher HI
Curve-billed Thrasher HC (along Hwy 55)
Northern Mockingbird HI,HC
European Starling HI,HC
Cedar Waxwing HI,HC
Ovenbird HI
Worm-eating Warbler HI (finally seen by Pete at High Island)
Louisiana Waterthrush HI,HC
Northern Waterthrush HI
Golden-winged Warbler HI
Blue-winged Warbler HI (only seen once by a few at Sabine Woods)
Black-and-white Warbler HI,HC
Prothonotary Warbler HI
Swainson's Warbler HI (best at Martin Dies State Park)
Tennessee Warbler HI,HC
Orange-crowned Warbler HC (1 lingering at Neal's)
Nashville Warbler HI,HC
Kentucky Warbler HI
Common Yellowthroat HI
Hooded Warbler HI
American Redstart HI
Cerulean Warbler HI
Northern Parula HI,HC
Magnolia Warbler HI
Bay-breasted Warbler HI (1 at Sabine Woods)
Blackburnian Warbler HI
Yellow Warbler HI,HC
Chestnut-sided Warbler HI
Blackpoll Warbler HI
Palm Warbler HI (1 lingering at Sabine Woods)
Pine Warbler HI
Yellow-rumped Warbler HI
Yellow-throated Warbler HI,HC
Prairie Warbler HI (Gore Store Rd only)
Golden-cheeked Warbler HC (especially at Garner and at the Davis')
Black-throated Green Warbler HI
Rufous-capped Warbler HC (species #269 at Chalk Bluff Park)
Canada Warbler HI
Wilson's Warbler HI
Yellow-breasted Chat HI,HC (= 35 warbler species!)
Olive Sparrow HC (best at Neal's)
Spotted Towhee HC
Eastern Towhee HI (heard-only)
Rufous-crowned Sparrow HC (Lost Maples)
Cassin’s Sparrow HC
Bachman's Sparrow HI (singing in the shadows of the Red-cockaded pines)
Chipping Sparrow HC
Clay-colored Sparrow HC
Field Sparrow HC (heard-only)
Lark Sparrow HC
Black-throated Sparrow HC (along Hwy 55)
Savannah Sparrow HI
Grasshopper Sparrow HC
Seaside Sparrow HI (close views on Tuna Rd)
Lincoln's Sparrow HC
Swamp Sparrow HI,HC
White-throated Sparrow HI
White-crowned Sparrow HI,HC
Summer Tanager HI,HC
Scarlet Tanager HI
Northern Cardinal HI,HC
Pyrrhuloxia HC (also along Hwy 55)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak HI
Blue Grosbeak HI,HC
Indigo Bunting HI,HC
Painted Bunting HI,HC
Dickcissel HI,HC
Red-winged Blackbird HI,HC
Eastern Meadowlark HI
Common Grackle HI (where was Jeff?)
Boat-tailed Grackle HI
Great-tailed Grackle HI,HC
Bronzed Cowbird HI,HC
Brown-headed Cowbird HI,HC
Orchard Oriole HI,HC
Hooded Oriole HC (chasing the kingbird at Quality Inn)
Bullock's Oriole HC (1 elusive bird at Cook's Slough)
Baltimore Oriole HI
Scott’s Oriole HC (Lost Maples)
House Finch HC
Lesser Goldfinch HC
House Sparrow HI,HC
* * *
HIGH ISLAND - HILL COUNTRY MBWEEK
April 23 - May 1, 2016
"There are no good snakes or bad snakes. A snake is just a snake.”
–Ranger Amy, Martin Dies State Park, April 24, 2016
So, I wonder if you could say the same thing about birding tours. Neither good nor bad. A tour is just a tour. I’ll have to think about that….
I suppose there were some things that didn’t work out as well as we had hoped, but offhand I can only think of a couple, and I doubt that “bad” is the way to describe them. The bland weather during our days in the woods at High Island/Sabine Woods failed to provide many migrant passerines, and I think we had only 17 warblers there. And the 5-6 Black-capped Vireos we heard in the Hill Country were frustrating and elusive, but unfortunately this is the norm when a couple of those in a group never manage to get a clear view of this most secretive species.
But that was about it. One might be tempted at first to think of our final species total of 249 as disappointing compared to the 269 on the 2014 MBW, but it was still a decent number and more than the 238 we had in 2012. And while migrant warblers were scarce at High Island, we did eventually manage a total of 28 species in all – though less than the amazing total of 35 in 2014, this was only a few shy of our 31 species in 2012. As for shorebirds, we came up with a respectable total of 31 species: a few less than in 2014 (34), but a couple more than in 2012 (29).
As might be expected, the first five days of this MBWeek in the High Island region (from Jesse Jones near IAH to Edith Moore Sanctuary in Houston) had the most birds: 201 species, while the last three days in the Hill Country (from our arrival in Uvalde to the SAT airport) listed 110 species with far fewer water birds available for us to see. Note that 139 of the birds on our list were only found on the High Island portion, while 48 were only in the Hill Country portion.
With so many birds on our list, there was certainly a long list of highlights. Dawn on our first morning in the Piney Woods featured Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatches, and some uncharacteristically elusive Bachman’s Sparrows, and later that day at Martin Dies State Park and elsewhere in the Big Thicket we found Swainson’s Warblers surprisingly easy to see.
The next day at High Island may not have turned up many warblers, but the rookery at Smith Oaks was most entertaining with its nesting spoonbills, egrets, and cormorants, along with our first Purple Gallinule. The nearby Bolivar Peninsula provided us with lots of shorebirds (especially Wilson’s, Snowy, and banded Piping plovers), along with fuzzy black Clapper Rail chicks, and both Seaside and Nelson’s sparrows on Tuna Road. And at least three invisible Black Rails called clearly by day from the marshes at Anahuac NWR, while elsewhere in and around the refuge both whistling-ducks and King Rails were seen.
Our drive west to the Hill Country was highlighted by a stop at Liberty Municipal Park where at least three Mississippi Kites appeared close at hand just as we were about to leave the park, including a copulating pair and the male bringing sticks to its nest. Meanwhile, our only Swallow-tailed Kite of the trip happened by as well.
Our first Hill Country day featured many memorable birds: great looks at Golden-cheeked Warblers plus Hutton’s Vireos at Garner State Park; our first uncooperative Black-capped Vireo, more singing Golden-cheeked Warblers, a surprising White-tipped Dove, and several other species of note at Lost Maples; an unexpected Tropical Parula in full song interrupting our checklist session outside Neal’s Dining Room; and the usual spectacular flight that evening at the Frio Bat Cave – not only were there countless numbers of bats, but Cave Swallows circled above the cave, and we were serenaded by Chuck-will’s-widows and Common Poorwills after dark.
The next day began at Cook’s Slough where we found Olive Sparrow, Green Kingfisher, and other noteworthy species; then a drive up Highway 55 out of Uvalde provided an impressive array of birds characteristic of arid grasslands (including skylarking Cassin’s Sparrows); a lunch stop at Paul and Betty Rae Davis’ private ranch followed (with still more vocal and invisible vireos), and the Davises’ generous hospitality extended even farther as we (along with the VENT group) were all their dinner guests at the unique and elegant Laurel Tree Restaurant.
….No, come to think of it, Ranger Amy’s philosophical view on reptiles doesn’t really apply to birding tours. This tour was a MBWeek and, as usual, it was a good one!
Itinerary
April 23 – Meet at IAH, with time for most at nearby Jesse Jones Park, then drive to Lufkin for the night; dinner at Ralph & Kacoo’s.
April 24 – Pre-dawn departure for Piney-Woods specialties along Boykin Springs Rd, Martin Dies State Park, Gore Store Rd, Big Thicket Visitors Center, and sod farm N of Nome; dinner at Al-T’s and first of 4 nights in Winnie.
April 25 – French Rd rice paddies, Boy Scout Woods & Smith Oaks in High Island, and Bolivar Peninsula; dinner at Steve’s Landing.
April 26 – Anahuac NWR, Sabine Woods, and Tyrell Park; dinner at Tony’s Barbecue.
April 27 – FM 1986 & Anahuac NWR entrance, return to High Island and Bolivar Peninsula; dinner at Al-T’s.
April 28 – Liberty Municipal Park and Edith Moore Sanctuary; afternoon drive to Uvalde for the first of 3 nights; dinner at Herradero de Jalisco.
April 29 – Garner State Park, Lost Maples State Natural Area, birding & dinner at Neal’s Dining Room, and Frio Bat Cave.
April 30 – Cook’s Slough, Highway 55, and Paul & Betty Rae Davis’ property; dinner at Laurel Tree (as guests of Paul & Betty Rae).
May 1 – Drive to SAT for return flights home, plus visits to Frank Madla Park (more Golden-cheeked Warblers) and Crownridge Canyon with John, Brian, and Jeff who had later departures.
Bird List
• HI = High Island & vicinity (April 23-morning of April 28; incl Piney Woods/Big Thicket region)
• HC = Hill Country (late afternoon of April 2 -May 1)
(species not annotated HI or HC were seen on both portions of MBWeek)
• boldfaced species = “non-Minnesota” birds (i.e., absent, Accidental, or Casual in MN)
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Fulvous Whistling-Duck HI
Wood Duck HI
Mottled Duck HI
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Bobwhite
Wild Turkey
Pied-billed Grebe HI
Neotropic Cormorant HI
Double-crested Cormorant HI
Anhinga HI
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican HI
American Bittern HI
Least Bittern HI
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret HI
Snowy Egret HI
Little Blue Heron HI
Tricolored Heron HI
Reddish Egret HI
Cattle Egret HI
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron HI
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron HI
White Ibis HI
Glossy Ibis HI
White-faced Ibis HI
Roseate Spoonbill HI
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey HI
Swallow-tailed Kite HI
White-tailed Kite HI
Mississippi Kite HI
Bald Eagle HI
Northern Harrier HI
Cooper’s Hawk HI
Harris’s Hawk HC
White-tailed Hawk HI
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Swainson’s Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Black Rail HI (heard-only)
Clapper Rail HI
King Rail HI
Sora HI (heard-only)
Purple Gallinule HI
Common Gallinule HI
American Coot
Black-necked Stilt HI
American Avocet HI
American Oystercatcher HI
Black-bellied Plover HI
American Golden-Plover HI
Snowy Plover HI
Wilson's Plover HI
Semipalmated Plover HI
Piping Plover HI
Killdeer HI
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper HI
Greater Yellowlegs HI
Willet HI
Lesser Yellowlegs HI
Upland Sandpiper HI
Whimbrel HI
Long-billed Curlew HI
Marbled Godwit HI
Ruddy Turnstone HI
Stilt Sandpiper HI
Sanderling HI
Dunlin HI
Least Sandpiper HI
White-rumped Sandpiper HI
Pectoral Sandpiper HI
Semipalmated Sandpiper HI
Western Sandpiper HI
Short-billed Dowitcher HI
Long-billed Dowitcher HI
Wilson’s Phalarope HI
Laughing Gull HI
Ring-billed Gull HI
Herring Gull HI
Least Tern HI
Gull-billed Tern HI
Caspian Tern HI
Black Tern HI
Common Tern HI
Forster's Tern HI
Royal Tern HI
Sandwich Tern HI
Black Skimmer HI
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Inca Dove
White-tipped Dove HC (heard-only)
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Black-billed Cuckoo HI
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Greater Roadrunner HC
Great Horned Owl HI
Common Nighthawk
Common Poorwill HC (heard-only)
Chuck-will's-widow HC (heard-only)
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird HI
Black-chinned Hummingbird HC
Belted Kingfisher HI
Green Kingfisher HC
Red-headed Woodpecker HI
Golden-fronted Woodpecker HC
Red-bellied Woodpecker HI
Ladder-backed Woodpecker HC
Downy Woodpecker
Red-cockaded Woodpecker HI
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker HI
Crested Caracara
Peregrine Falcon HI
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Acadian Flycatcher
Black Phoebe HC
Eastern Phoebe HC
Vermilion Flycatcher HC
Ash-throated Flycatcher HC
Great Crested Flycatcher
Brown-crested Flycatcher HC
Couch's Kingbird HC
Western Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Loggerhead Shrike HI
White-eyed Vireo
Bell’s Vireo HC
Black-capped Vireo HC
Yellow-throated Vireo
Hutton’s Vireo HC
Warbling Vireo HI
Philadelphia Vireo HI
Red-eyed Vireo
Green Jay HC
Blue Jay HI
Western Scrub-Jay HC
American Crow
Fish Crow HI
Common Raven HC
Horned Lark HI
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow HI
N. Rough-winged Swallow HI
Cliff Swallow
Cave Swallow HC
Barn Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse HI
Black-crested Titmouse HC
Verdin HC
Brown-headed Nuthatch HI
Canyon Wren HC
House Wren HC (heard-only)
Sedge Wren HI (heard-only)
Marsh Wren HI
Carolina Wren
Bewick's Wren HC
Cactus Wren HC
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher HC
Eastern Bluebird HI
Veery HI
Gray-cheeked Thrush HI
Swainson's Thrush HI
Wood Thrush HI
American Robin HI
Gray Catbird HI
Curve-billed Thrasher HC
Brown Thrasher HI
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Ovenbird HI
Louisiana Waterthrush HC
Northern Waterthrush HI
Blue-winged Warbler HI
Black-and-white Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler HI
Swainson's Warbler HI
Tennessee Warbler HI
Nashville Warbler HC
Kentucky Warbler HI
Common Yellowthroat HI
Hooded Warbler HI
American Redstart HI
Northern Parula HI
Tropical Parula HC
Magnolia Warbler HI
Bay-breasted Warbler HI
Blackburnian Warbler HI
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler HI
Blackpoll Warbler HI
Pine Warbler HI
Yellow-rumped Warbler HC
Yellow-throated Warbler
Prairie Warbler HI
Golden-cheeked Warbler HC
Black-throated Green Warbler HI
Yellow-breasted Chat
Olive Sparrow HC
Rufous-crowned Sparrow HC
Canyon Towhee HC
Cassin’s Sparrow HC
Bachman's Sparrow HI
Chipping Sparrow HC
Clay-colored Sparrow HC
Field Sparrow HC (heard-only)
Lark Sparrow HC
Black-throated Sparrow HC
Savannah Sparrow HI
Grasshopper Sparrow HC
Nelson's Sparrow HI
Seaside Sparrow HI
Lincoln's Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow HI
White-crowned Sparrow HC
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager HI
Western Tanager HI
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak HI
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Painted Bunting
Dickcissel
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark HI
Common Grackle HI
Boat-tailed Grackle HI
Great-tailed Grackle
Bronzed Cowbird HC
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole HI
Scott’s Oriole HC
House Finch
American Goldfinch HI
House Sparrow
A partial list of signs (compiled by Mary):
Goody Goody Liquor Store
Joy Juice Liquor Store
Best Coffee on the Interstate (on back of gasoline truck)
Broken Life Repair Shop (Baptist Church)
Casters & Blasters Ministry to Outdoorsmen
Cowboys for Christ
Red Neck Snack Shack
Redneck Riviera RV Park
Dust Bunnies Corner
Buy Shrimp Here. I Need Money.
Pyroshack Fireworks
Happy Chaps Exxon
Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Anahuac NWR, 2014 (KRE photo)
Roseate Spoonbill, Smith Oaks, 2016 (KRE photo)
Mississippi Kite, Liberty Municipal Park, 2016 (KRE photo)
King Rail, Anahuac NWR, 2014 (KRE photo)
Clapper Rail chicks, Bolivar Peninsula, 2016
Zone-tailed Hawk, Chalk Bluff Park, 2014
Purple Gallinule, Smith Oaks, 2016
Least Tern, Bolivar Peninsula, 2014 (KRE photo)
Wilson's Plover, Sea Rim State Park, 2014 (Roy Zimmerman photo)
American Oystercatcher, Bolivar Peninsula, 2012 (KRE photo)
Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Jasper CR 54, 2014
Black-capped Vireo, Neal's Lodge, 2014
Brown-headed Nuthatch, Boykin Springs Rd, 2016
Swainson's Warbler, Taylor’s Bayou, 2012 (KRE photo)
Tropical Parula, Neal’s Lodge, 2012 (KRE photo)
Golden-cheeked Warbler, Davis' ranch, 2014 (Roy Zimmerman photo)
Rufous-capped Warbler, Chalk Bluff Park, 2014
Seaside Sparrow, Bolivar Peninsula, 2014 (Roy Zimmerman photo)
Painted Bunting, 2016
* * *
PHOTO GALLERY
(photos by Jeff Stephenson unless otherwise noted)
Black-chinned Hummingbird, 2023
Limpkin, Sheldon Lake State Park, 2023
leucistic Lesser Yellowlegs, 2023
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, 2023
Long-billed Thrasher, Cook's Slough, 2023
Scaly-breasted Munia, Houston, 2023
Also see the PHOTO GALLERY
following the summaries of the 2023, 2016, and 2014 MBWeeks
_________
HIGH ISLAND & HILL COUNTRY MBWEEK
April 18 - 26, 2023
This MBWeek has always been one of my favorites – typically featuring 30 or so warbler species plus other passerines migrating through High Island and elsewhere along the Texas Gulf Coast...about the same number of shorebirds at nearby sod farms, rice fields, and Bolivar Flats...and the nesting specialties of the Big Thicket region (especially Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Brown- headed Nuthatch, Bachman’s Sparrow, Swainson’s Warbler) and of the Hill Country (Black-capped Vireo, Golden-cheeked Warbler). What’s not to like about a trip list approaching – or even exceeding – 250 species in just over a week?
And this year’s High Island & Hill Country trip was no exception. So, it seems odd to describe a MBWeek as a bit below average when it lists 31 shorebirds, 29 warblers, and an overall total of 243 species. But that could be one way to characterize this April trip, our fourth HI & HC MBWeek. The first time we tried this was in 2012 when our inaugural species total was 238, we then somehow found no fewer than 269 species (!) in 2014, and we came up with 249 in 2016. With this year’s total, that works out to an average of 250, a lofty and impressive number that was a bit beyond our reach this time.
But given the less-than-cooperative weather, it wasn’t too surprising that our numbers were off a little. The conditions were decidedly bland and generally not conducive to grounding migrants at High Island and vicinity, since there was rain only once on one night, and no cold fronts to speak of to concentrate birds. Then on the days when we were in search of nesting birds (e.g., in the Thicket, Houston, and the Hill Country), many were not singing and thus harder to find due to mostly cool and overcast weather.
As always, there were a lot more species in the High Island region (HI) at the beginning of the MBWeek than during the last few days in the Hill Country (HC). As the HI and HC annotations show in the list below, this disparity was mostly due to the potential for so many more water birds and migrant passerines being present at HI. Note that all 31 of our shorebirds were found there, while only 2 of these were seen in HC, and the scores on gulls/terns (11 in HI, 0 in HC) and waders (14 HI vs 2 HC) were similarly lopsided.
And, as expected, there was a big difference in the warbler totals: 29 in HI compared to only 10 in HC (including Golden-cheeked, however). But at least the Hill Country did better on sparrows than High Island: 11 HC species vs just 4 in HI (though these included Bachman’s and Seaside). And the Hill Country scenery has much more to offer than High Island and vicinity. (About the only memorable scenery in the HI region came as we drove around and under that labyrinth of petroleum pipelines in Port Arthur!)
With well over a couple hundred birds to choose from, where do you start to single out the highlights? Perhaps some would say the number one highlight was non-avian: i.e., the literally millions of bats emerging from their Frio River cave at dusk! But I suppose Jeff and I might have to choose our time in Houston when we each added 3 new birds to our Texas lists on that single day: 4 Limpkins at Sheldon Lake (hardly any TX records until the sudden irruption of them this year and last), and those now “countable” munias and bulbuls on the campus of Rice University. (Our thanks to Jodi Henricks for providing the coordinates to the exact site, and to local expert Cin-ty Lee who chanced to be there as we arrived to show us around.)
Thanks, of course, is also due to Paul & Betty Rae Davis who again generously provided access to their private ranch property, even though they were unable to be with us this time. This always provides MBWers (and VENT clients) with some very productive birding all to ourselves. We’ll be sure to stop by again the next time we do this MBWeek – when 270 species should be no problem.
Itinerary
April 18 – Arrival at IAH @10:00 am; drive to Lufkin via Jesse Jones Park and Big Sandy Unit of Big Thicket (aka Thick Bigot); night in Lufkin.
April 19 – All morning in Boykin Springs Recr Area & vicinity, followed by lunch at Elijah’s in Jasper (!); afternoon at Martin Dies State Park, Kirby Trail, and Nome sod farms en route to Winnie; first of 4 nights in Winnie.
April 20 – High Island @Boy Scout Woods, and Bolivar Peninsula (incl Rollover Pass, Yacht Basin & Tuna roads, Bolivar Flats).
April 21 – Tyrrell Park & Cattail Marsh (better than Anahuac this year), Texas Point NWR/Sabine Pass/Sabine Woods, and High Island @Smith Oaks.
April 22 – Fairview & Pear Orchard roads, Anahuac NWR, and return to High Island.
April 23 – Drive to San Antonio via Nome area pastures/sod farms, Liberty area, Sheldon Lake State Park, and Houston (incl. the Woodland & Stude parks - Houston Heights corridor, and Rice University); night in San Antonio.
April 24 – Drive to Leakey via Eisenhower Park, Crownridge Canyon, US 90 rest area, Cook’s Slough, and Hwy 55 & FM 334; first of 2 nights in Leakey.
April 25 – Utopia City Park, the Davis’ driveway & ranch house, Lost Maples State Natural Area, and evening at Frio Bat Cave.
April 26 – Return to San Antonio for flights home via old Garner State Park entrance and Neal’s Lodge.
Bird List
• boldfaced species = “non-Minnesota” birds (Casual, Accidental, or Casual in MN)
• HI = High Island region, April 18 - 23: incl Big Thicket area, Bolivar Peninsula, Anahuac NWR area, Tyrrell Park/Cattail Marsh, Sabine Woods area, Nome/Liberty area, Houston
• HC = Hill Country region, April 24 - 26: incl San Antonio, Cook’s Slough/Uvalde, Hwy 55/FM 334
(species not annotated HI or HC were found in both areas)
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck HI
Fulvous Whistling-Duck HI
Wood Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Mottled Duck HI
Northern Pintail HI
Ruddy Duck HI
Northern Bobwhite HC
Wild Turkey HC
Pied-billed Grebe
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
White-tipped Dove HC
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Greater Roadrunner HC
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Common Nighthawk HI
Chuck-will’s-widow HC
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird HC
King Rail HI
Clapper Rail HI
Virginia Rail HI
Sora HI
Common Gallinule HI
American Coot
Purple Gallinule HI
Limpkin HI
Black-necked Stilt HI
American Avocet HI
American Oystercatcher HI
Black-bellied Plover HI
American Golden-Plover HI
Killdeer
Semipalmated Plover HI
Piping Plover HI
Wilson’s Plover HI
Snowy Plover HI
Upland Sandpiper HI
Whimbrel HI
Hudsonian Godwit HI
Marbled Godwit HI
Ruddy Turnstone HI
Red Knot HI
Stilt Sandpiper HI
Sanderling HI
Dunlin HI
Least Sandpiper HI
White-rumped Sandpiper HI
Pectoral Sandpiper HI
Semipalmated Sandpiper HI
Western Sandpiper HI
Short-billed Dowitcher HI
Long-billed Dowitcher HI
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper HI
Lesser Yellowlegs HI
Willet HI
Greater Yellowlegs HI
Laughing Gull HI
Ring-billed Gull HI
Herring Gull HI
Least Tern HI
Gull-billed Tern HI
Black Tern HI
Common Tern HI
Forster's Tern HI
Royal Tern HI
Sandwich Tern HI
Black Skimmer HI
Anhinga HI
Double-crested Cormorant HI
Neotropic Cormorant
American White Pelican HI
Brown Pelican HI
American Bittern HI
Least Bittern HI
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret HI
Snowy Egret HI
Little Blue Heron HI
Tricolored Heron HI
Reddish Egret HI
Cattle Egret
Green Heron HI
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron HI
White Ibis HI
White-faced Ibis HI
Roseate Spoonbill HI
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey HI
Swallow-tailed Kite HI
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Bald Eagle HI
Mississippi Kite HI
Harris's Hawk HC
Red-shouldered Hawk HI
Zone-tailed Hawk HC
Red-tailed Hawk
Eastern Screech-Owl
Barred Owl HI
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker HI
Golden-fronted Woodpecker HC
Red-bellied Woodpecker HI
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker HI
Downy Woodpecker HI
Ladder-backed Woodpecker HC
Red-cockaded Woodpecker HI
Pileated Woodpecker HI
Crested Caracara
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon HI
Ash-throated Flycatcher HC
Great Crested Flycatcher
Western Kingbird HC
Eastern Kingbird HI
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Olive-sided Flycatcher HC
Eastern Wood-Pewee HI
Acadian Flycatcher HI
Eastern Phoebe HC
Vermilion Flycatcher HC
Black-capped Vireo HC
White-eyed Vireo
Bell's Vireo HC
Hutton's Vireo HC
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo HC
Red-eyed Vireo
Loggerhead Shrike
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow HI
Common Raven HC
Verdin HC
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse HI
Black-crested Titmouse HC
Bank Swallow HI
Tree Swallow HI
Northern Rough-winged Swallow HI
Purple Martin
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Cave Swallow HC
Red-vented Bulbul HI
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Cedar Waxwing
Brown-headed Nuthatch HI
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Canyon Wren HC
Bewick's Wren HC
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Sedge Wren HI
Marsh Wren HI
Gray Catbird HI
Brown Thrasher HI
Long-billed Thrasher HC
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Eastern Bluebird
Veery HI
Swainson's Thrush HI
Hermit Thrush HC
Wood Thrush HI
American Robin
Scaly-breasted Munia HI
House Sparrow
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch HC
Cassin's Sparrow HC
Bachman's Sparrow HI
Grasshopper Sparrow HC
Olive Sparrow HC
Lark Sparrow HC
Chipping Sparrow HC
Clay-colored Sparrow HC
Field Sparrow HC
White-crowned Sparrow HC
Seaside Sparrow HI
Savannah Sparrow HI
Lincoln's Sparrow
Rufous-crowned Sparrow HC
Spotted Towhee HC
Yellow-breasted Chat
Yellow-headed Blackbird HI
Eastern Meadowlark
Orchard Oriole
Hooded Oriole HC
Bullock's Oriole HC
Baltimore Oriole HI
Scott's Oriole HC
Red-winged Blackbird
Bronzed Cowbird HI
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle HI
Great-tailed Grackle
Worm-eating Warbler HI
Louisiana Waterthrush
Northern Waterthrush HI
Blue-winged Warbler HI
Black-and-white Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler HI
Swainson’s Warbler HI
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler HC
Nashville Warbler HC
Kentucky Warbler HI
Common Yellowthroat HI
Hooded Warbler HI
American Redstart HI
Cerulean Warbler HI
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler HI
Bay-breasted Warbler HI
Blackburnian Warbler HI
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler HI
Black-throated Blue Warbler HI
Pine Warbler HI
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Prairie Warbler HI
Golden-cheeked Warbler HC
Black-throated Green Warbler HI
Canada Warbler HI
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager HI
Northern Cardinal
Pyrrhuloxia
Rose-breasted Grosbeak HI
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Painted Bunting
Dickcissel