NASWC Bird Walk

There were 4 of us for the slightly early October NASWC bird walk today. We spent about 3 hours birding the T&C playing fields and the woods and the creek downstream of the fields. It was a beautiful cool and overcast morning including one brief and pleasant rain. We found 38 species of birds with these highlights:

• We got good looks at 2 female Baltimore Orioles in the dead tree between the parking lot and the tributary creek.
• There was a Red-shouldered Hawk perched in another dead tree across the creek.
• We saw a tiny Blue-gray Gnatcatcher by the edge of the soccer fields. This little bird is a very common fall migrant in the neighborhood but they're hard to see!
• Nearby we found 2 American Goldfinches -- the first I've seen this season.
• We got a good look at a Spotted Sandpiper on the creek. We saw both is distinctive wing flapping and tail bobbing.
• A female Indigo Bunting popped up on a tall reed in the creek letting us get a distant but pretty good look.
• We watched a Cooper's Hawk circling over the creek being escorted by a flock of 10-15 starlings. It was interesting to see the starlings flock tighter together for defense since they were so close to a predator.

This bird walk was the 1 year anniversary of my NASWC bird walks! Many thanks to everyone who has shown an interest or come on a walk or two. For me it has been great fun meeting a few neighbors and sharing birding with them.

Broadwings over Lake Creek

A little after 10:15 this morning I was on the flood plain property puzzling over a juvenile Indigo Bunting when I looked up and saw a kettle of migrating Broad-winged Hawks! There were over 40 of them. I got this picture of the kettle as it rose. (The larger darker birds are Black Vultures.) Soon after, the hawks peeled off one-by-one heading south. Steven McDonald who lives nearby told me he had an even larger group right over his house this morning. Broad-winged Hawks are migratory and winter in Central and South America. They migrate in huge flocks. This time of year there are places along the Gulf Coast where you can see literally thousands in flight together, kettling to catch a thermal and gain altitude, and then streaming off to the south. It's an amazing sight to see so many hawks together. When there are so many of them together so high, they can look like a cloud of gnats! I got a little taste of this amazing phenomenon in our neighborhood today!

Butterflies, Hawks, and Firsts

Saturday morning I birded the flood plain property and found this exotic-looking butterfly. The long streamers on the end of the wings really caught my eye. It's a White-striped Longtail (Chioides albofasciatus) and it's in the Skipper family. I was surprised to read that its range extends all the way south to Argentina, but Austin is about its northern limit. Its habitat is described as edges of tropical and subtropical forest. The most interesting bird of the morning was a House Wren squawking near the future hike-and-bike trail parking lot. House Wrens are winter residents in the neighborhood and this was the first time I've seen one since last winter.

Today I birded the T&C playing fields and the future hike-and-bike trail area east of the fields. On Lake Creek at the eastern edge of the fields I got this picture of two common neighborhood birds: a Blue Jay and a Red-shouldered Hawk. Blue Jays often perch close to hawks or owls and scold them. A little further downstream I ran into a small mixed species foraging flock that included some neat migrants: Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-headed Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, Black-and-white Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Nashville Warbler, and Least Flycatcher. Like the House Wren yesterday, the Kinglet and the Blue-headed Vireo were first-of-season sightings for me. I got this mediocre picture of the Black-and-white Warbler. They sure are fun to watch. Their black and white pattern is striking. And they cling to the trunks and thick branches of trees almost like a woodpecker.

Terns and a Plover

This morning I drove instead of walked to the T&C playing fields, so I could be there as the sun rose. And because I wanted to walk further downstream than I usually do. I got this neat picture of a Red-shouldered Hawk while the sun was still low and the light was soft and pink. There's a lot of bird activity on and around these fields first thing in the morning. I found a neat mixed flock of migrating songbirds at the edge of the north parking lot, next to a dumpster. (Ah, the exotic locations we birders find!) It included 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, a Black-throated Green Warbler, a Yellow Warbler, and a Mourning Warbler. Nearby I found a Wilson's Warbler and then about 10 Baltimore Orioles flew over me.

What happened next was a big surprise. I heard an unfamiliar croak, looked around, and saw 2 Caspian Terns flying over! They were heading south, probably following the creek. This is a very rare fall migrant for the Austin area, and it made #168 on my neighborhood list. Seeing them made me feel like I was on the coast. Later I was downstream of the playing fields in the undeveloped area by the creek. I was looking for shorebirds on a wide, flat area of the creek bed. There I found another new bird for my list -- Semipalmated Plover -- taking it up to 169 species! I got this picture of the plover standing between 2 Least Sandpipers. It looks like a mini-Killdeer with only one breast band instead of the Killdeer's 2.

Bell's Vireo and Other Migrants

I got these pictures of a Bell's Vireo this morning. Even though Labor Day was the first time I ever saw this species in the neighborhood, I found 2 on the flood plain property this morning. This one was singing. It has an unmistakable silly-sounding song which you can hear if you follow the link above.

Several birds today were first-of-season sightings for me. While I was standing in the tributary creek bed near the end of Meadowheath I saw my first American Kestrel this fall. It was flying high and headed south. In the same spot I also found my first Nashville Warbler and Common Yellowthroat of the season. They were with 4 female Painted Buntings foraging in the tall reeds.

Some other fun birds I found this morning:

• 5 Yellow Warblers
• 3 Wilson's Warblers
• 2 White-eyed Vireos
• 13 Baltimore Orioles - These are such tropical-looking birds. I hope I can get a good picture of one soon.
  
• 2 Red-shouldered Hawks vocalizing in a dead tree
  

Both Owls

I spent about 3 hours birding the neighborhood this morning. I did not find as many migrating songbirds as I did last weekend. There were a few Yellow Warblers and Wilson's Warblers around. I saw only 1 Baltimore Oriole and heard a single Summer Tanager. But I did get great looks at both of our neighborhood owls! Even though they live here year-round, seeing an owl is unusual, so seeing both species in one outing was exciting. I found this Great Horned Owl on the north bank of Lake Creek near the Amber Oaks drainage pond. I was walking upstream along the ridge between the tree line and the creek when I heard a Northern Mockingbird scolding. When I rounded a slight bend, I saw the mockingbird in the top of a tree and this owl below it. I took a few pictures and this one turned out best.

Later I was near the eastern edge of the flood plain property when I heard several Blue Jays and other birds scolding. Often Blue Jays make lots of noise for no obvious reason. But since there were some Northern Cardinals and Carolina Chickadees joining them, I thought they might be mobbing a predator. So I crept up on the group of birds and tried to judge where the activity was centered. Sure enough, right around the center of the group there was a gray Eastern Screech-Owl perched about 7 feet off the ground. I got too close and it flew off before I could try for a picture.

On the flood plain property I didn't see much progress on the hike and bike trail since last weekend. But near the end of Meadowheath I found this giant bridge! It looks like it's fully assembled and ready to be installed over the small tributary creek. Soon I won't have to slog through the tall grass and mud to get to the flood plain property; I'm so excited! A label on the bridge says it has a "vehicle load limit" of 5 tons. So even with Americans' average weights on the rise, this bridge should serve us well!

More Warblers and a New Vireo

I couldn't resist birding all 3 days of Labor Day weekend. I got a late start this morning and followed Lake Creek downstream of the T&C playing fields. There I spent about 3 hours in the wooded area on the north side of the creek. I found a neat mix of migrating birds including:

• Yellow Warbler
• Blackburnian Warbler
• Wilson's Warbler
• Canada Warbler
• Bell's Vireo

I took this picture of the Blackburnian Warbler. Once again, it's a poor image but it's identifiable. This warbler is a very rare bird in the Austin area in the fall. Bell's Vireo is a new bird for my neighborhood list (#167). I didn't even realize I had seen one until I got back home and consulted my field guides. Originally I thought it was a Warbling Vireo but it didn't look quite right. So I wrote down some notes about its appearance as I watched it. Back at home I matched it up to the description and picture of Bell's Vireo in Sibley. The picture of an eastern drab adult was dead-on.

September NASWC Bird Walk

Three of us enjoyed a beautiful overcast and cool morning on the flood plain property. (The only time I saw the sun was in this sunrise picture I took from the T&C parking lot at Meadowheath.) We spent about 3 hours and found 40 species of birds. Here are the highlights:

• A flock of southbound birds flew over us around 7:30 AM in 2 loose "V" formations. They were too high to identify but I'd guess they were Ibis.
• We saw 3 Eastern Kingbirds, the first I've seen this fall.
• Many Baltimore Orioles are still in the area and we saw several, including one great look at a bright black and orange male.
• We found a Wilson's Warbler and a Black-and-white Warbler foraging together very low in dense brush. I've never seen a Black-and-white so low -- sometimes it was even on the ground!
• We all got brief but good looks at an adult Mourning Warbler.
• A Mississippi Kite soared over us. It looked like it was eating something out of its talons while in flight.

Besides the birds, I got this picture of a very cooperative butterfly. My best guess based on a quick internet search is that it's a Black Swallowtail. But I really don't know butterflies very well so if anyone could correct or confirm my guess that would be great!

Orioles and Warblers

I had a very long and very fun morning of birding in the neighborhood today. Fall migration is here. I counted 18 Baltimore Orioles on Stillforest and on the flood plain property. The bright orange and black males are so fun to see. (If you enjoy feeding birds, put some orange halves out and maybe you can attract a few.) I saw my first Cooper's Hawk of the season -- a juvenile getting harassed by 3 crows. And I saw 5 Mississippi Kites passing through the area. On the flood plain property I found 5 species of warblers:

• Yellow Warbler
• Wilson's Warbler
• Mourning Warbler
• Yellow-breasted Chat
• Blue-winged Warbler

The Blue-winged was most exciting since it is very rare to see in the Austin area in the fall. Plus it's a beautiful bird, and I got great looks at it. I've only ever seen this bird in the neighborhood twice before during spring migration. And both times were fleeting glimpses. I even got this picture -- it's pretty poor but I think it's good enough to identify the bird.


Something crazy happened while out this morning. A bird landed on my head! I was standing in the bed of the smaller tributary creek that joins Lake Creek at the end of Meadowheath. I was being very still and watching an Eastern Wood-Pewee when I heard fluttering very close to my left ear. It stopped and I felt something on top of my baseball cap. I moved my head, heard the fluttering again, and I saw an Empidonax flycatcher land in a tree nearby. This small active bird must have been distracted by a bug and mistook me for a good temporary perch. That was a first for me!