I SOUTHERNGREATPLAINS

StephenJ. Dinsmore,Paul Dunbar,Rick Seibel (DSe), Diane Seltman,Scott Seltman, Eades,Larry Einemann, Larry & CarolFalL, StevenSeltman (SSI), Tom & SaraShane, Jim William Flack,John Flavin,Lonnie Frimann, Shroyer(JSh), W. RossSilcock, Tom Taggart, Jay Gilliam, CarlosGrandes, Joe Gubanyi Dan Thaiman,Max Thompson,Don & Fran (JGu),Carolyn Hall (CHa),JohnW. Hall,Bar- Vannoy,Bunnie Watkins (BWa), Rod Wedel, bi Hayes(BHy), Derek Hill, Glen& Wanda Wichita Audubon Society (WAS), Brad Hoge,Helen K. Hughson,Bill E Huser,Mar- Williamson, Gene Young. OKLAHOMA: shallJ. Iliff, JanJohnson, Stephen Jones, Joel RandyAnderson, Dave Arbour,James W. G. Jorgensen, Alice Kenitz, Ciera N. Arterburn,Jim Bates,Eric Beck,Sandy Berg- Klaphake,Thomas E. Labedz,Kay Niyo, er, Bill Carrell,Tom Curtis, Melinda Droege, Loren & BabsPadelford, Don & Jan Paseka, Max Fuller,P Gay,Joseph A. Grzybowski, AllenReyer, Tommie Rogers, Paul Roisen, Bill Dick Gunn, Brad Harris (BHa), Berlin Heck, Scheible(BSc), Don Showen (DSh), Rueben JimHoffman, Bob Holbrook (BHo), George & ThisChestnut-collared Longspur inAdams County, Nebraska Siegfried(RSg), W. RossSilcock, Larry Sny- Martha Kamp,Jo Loyd, Mike & Merry 24September 2006 provides the first documented record for der,Jon Strong (JSt), T. J. Walker,Scott Wes- Ludewig,Larry Mays (LMa), Jeri McMahon, theeastern part of the state. Photograph byPaull)unbar. sel, Cole Wild, Lin & Steve Willet, Duane Lynn McRill (LMc), Kurt & SharonMeisen- Nebraska.A Bullock'sOriole in Canadian,OK Wolff. KANSAS:Dave Bryan,Doris Burnett zahl,Steve Metz, Terry Mitchell (TMi), Mike 17 Sep(JW) was easterly and tardy The few (DBu), BurroughsAudubon Society (BAS), Mlodonow (MMI), Joe Neal ONe), Mark Pe- PurpleFinches reported arrived later than Ted Cable (TCa), Will Chatfield-Taylor terson,Mary Peterson(MAP), Jana Singletary usual;noteworthy were singles as far w. as (WCT), Dave Fischer, Matt Gearheart, Dan (JSi), Jerry Sisler,Ron Shepperd,Brady Scotl,KS 5 Nov (T&SS);the onlyone report- Gish(DGi), PaulGriffin, Kevin Groeneweg, Surber,S. Tedder,Jim Thayer,Lou & Mary ed in Nebraskawas in Platte 23 Nov (MB). A KellyeHart, Dave Henness (DHe), Larry Her- Truex, Laura Upshaw,R. VanZent,Don & Cassin'sFinch was found in Morton, KS 22 bert, Leon Hicks (LHi), RobertHighgate, JoyceVarner, Pat Velte, Nancy Vicars, Noel Oct (SS).Quite rare was a LesserGoldfinch in Chris Hobbs, Pete Janzen, Don Kazmaier, Warner, Cynthia Whittier (CWh), Anne ScottsBluff, NE 3 Sep(fide AK). Mark Land,Jane Leo (JLe),Nancy Leo, Patty Wilbur,Ken Williams, Jim Woodard. • Marlett, Kathy McDowell,Ross McHenry, Citedobservers (subregional and State com- AaronMitchell, Lloyd Moore, Jackie Nooker, JosephA. 6rzybowski, 715 Elmwood Drive pilersin boldface):NEBRASKA: Sue Amiotte, Marie Osterbuhr,Chuck Otte, SebastianPatti, Norman,Oklahoma 73072, ([email protected]) Elliott Bedows (EBd), Eric Bents (EBn), Galen Pittman, Mike Rader, Dave Rimoul, W. RossSilcock, P.O. Box 57 Aaron Brees,Mark Brogie,Kathy Dekara, MarkRobbins (MRo), CarolynSchwab, Dave Tabor,Iowa 51673, ([email protected]) lTexas

of rainfell on 1 Augustalone! Abundant rains Therewas no realpush of montaneirrup- continuedthrough mid-October, with scat- fives.Jays, nuthatches, and winter finches teredlocations in El PasoCounty receiving were conspicuouslyabsent from the Trans- over100 cm of rainfor theperiod! The Davis Pecos and northwestern . However, Mountainsand region also saw over Westernand Mountain Bluebirds made good halfof year-to-daterainfall totals during Au- showings.Rarities were in themselvesa rarity gust.Welcome rains also fell duringOctober thisfall, but thatis not to saythere were not in the SouthTexas Brush Country and along sometantalizing finds during the season. The the Coastal Prairies. The remainder of the highlights of the seasonwere a Barred statewas more on the dry side,with water Antshrikein Harlingen,discovered in oddcir- levels in reservoirsand ponds dropping cumstances,and a Black-ventedOriole in Big throughthe season. Bend.Also of interestwas a strongcold front In manyways, good shorebird habitat was in late Octoberthat pushedmany species created in the areas where rainfall was abun- downto the coastfor early,or in somecases, dantdue to localizedflooding of agricultural producedmost unexpected records--such as fieldsand in the Rio Grandefloodplain, as McCown'sand LaplandLongspurs on the well asin thedrier regions of thestate, where beachesof BrazoriaCounty. MarkW.Lockwood I Eric Carpenter mudfiatswere exposed by recedingwater lev- Willie Sekula els.In thewestern half of thestate, humming- WATERFOWLTHROUGH STORKS bird numberswere reduced at feeders,pre- An amazingcount of over2000 Canvasbacks sumablya resultof increasednatural food was noted at Sti]]honseHollow Res., Bell 4 madein the El Pasoarea. This region sources.Migrant passerines also appeared to Nov (]Ha). Two GreaterScaup near Grass- nofthe the weatherstate averages front, thejust big 15.24newscm wasof bein reduced numbers, as they were less con- land,Lynn 25 Nov (AHe) werethe only ones precipitationeach year; however, over 40 cm centratedin oasesvisited by birders. reportedon the SouthPlains. In]and Surf

100 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS TEXASI

Two White-tailed Kites w. of Girard, Kent 21 Oct (AHe) and one near SodaL., Midland 26 Sep(DMe, tJMe, SE) werecounty firsts and addedto a growinglist of (at leastformerly) extralimitalsightings in the w. half of the state.Other wandering White-taileds of inter- estincluded one in Bell6 Sep(RPi) and 3 in Angelina29 Sep(NB). An ad.and 2 fledgling MississippiKites in RoundRock 4-7 Aug (TFe) provideda first nestingrecord for Williamson. The Smith Point Hawkwatch re- portedtheir record-high 7 Bald Eagles, with a one-daycount of 4 birds28 Oct.A Common Black-Hawkwas carefully studied along the NuecesR., Uvalde13 Aug(MHe, MO). Well out-of-rangeHarris's Hawks included singles in WichitaFalls, Wichita 18 Sep (BoL,PLi) and Gray 20 Sep-28Oct (JEI,KG). Harris's Hawksalso made a strongshowing on the U.T.C.,with severalsightings from Brazoria to Chambers.Perhaps part of thesame move- ment,Harris's Hawks were also reported from Thiscooperative Red Phalarope delighted many during its extended stay along the shore of Stallhouse Hollow Lake, Bell Bastrop,Hays, Travis (m.ob.), and mostno- County,Texas 23 (here 29) October through 14 Hovember 2006. Photograph byTony Frank. tablyone at RichlandCreek W.M.A., Navarro 26 Aug (DDC, DLi). In the Midland area, Scotersincluded one at HornsbyBend, Travis inlandand presumably a county first record, a Red-shoulderedHawks made an impressive 19 Oct (EC), one at KirbyL., Taylor24 Oct ReddishEgret was at ProctorL., Comanche3 showing,with 7 single-birdsightings and two (LP), and one at BraunigL., Bexar24 Oct Sep (DDC, DLi). Other well-inlandReddish sightingsof multiplebirds (BLu). Perhaps (MMS). Two White-wingedScoters visited Egretsincluded one alongthe NuecesR., that also explainssingle Red-shouldered Pat CleburneL., Johnson2-4 Nov (ph.JoS). Uvalde13 Aug (MHe) andanother at Canyon Hawksat BuffaloLake N.W.R., Randall 23 Oct White-wingedScoters were also found at sep- L., Comal14 Aug (DPu).Sightings of single (BP,PT), Coyanosa,Pecos 8 Oct (ML), andw. arateGrayson locations 26 Nov,one at Ran- imm. ReddishEgrets in se.Austin, Travis 29 JeffDavis 10 Oct(DLa, JPO). Providing a rare dell L. and another in Sherman(WM). The Sep(SY), below Longhorn Dam, Travis 2-20 El Paso record was a Zone-tailed Hawk 5 Oct lone Long-tailedDuck of the seasonwas at Oct (HR, m.ob.), and StillhouseHollow Res., (BZ). A GoldenEagle over Smith Pt., Cham- HagermanN.W.R., Grayson 23-25 Nov (LBa). Bell28 Oct+(ES, m.ob.) may all pertain to the bers20 OctOK, HT, JvD) and one in w.Jeffer- A notablyhigh countof 85 HoodedMer- same individual. Wood Storks wandered n. to son11 Nov OW et al.) weregood records for ganserswas madein Longview,Harrison 9 Smith,with 3 nearTyler 9 Sep(m.ob.) and the U.T.C. Nov (DBr, MEd). oneat CampTyler 13-19 Sep (SLo, PB et al.). Theonly reported Pacific Loon for thesea- PLOVERSTHROUGH TERNS son was 4-20 Nov at L. Tawakoni, Rains FLAMINGOTHROUGH RAPTORS A SnowyPlover at L. Tawakoni,Rains 23 Nov (MW), wherethe onlyreported Red-throated The bandedGreater Flamingo that has been (MW) anda PipingPlover at the sameloca- Loon was seen20 Nov (MW). A Clark'sGrebe wanderingalong the cen. coast for more than tion3 Oct (ph.MW) werelate migrants. The lingeredin Lubbock7 Aug-15 Sep (AW, a yearcontinued near Bayside, Refugio until at last of a few mid-Nov American Golden- m.ob.), while a Western Grebe in Randall 28 least9 Sep(m.ob.). It wasthen relocated on Ploverswas one at DrumPt., Kleberg 23 Nov Oct (BP,m.ob.) was the onlyone reported in the AransasN.W.R., Calhoun20 Nov+. In ad- (ACo,MC). Exceptionallyearly was a Moun- the Panhandle.The only organizedpelagic dition,3 flamingoswere observed near Indi- tain Plover in its usual haunts around trip of theseason out of Cameronon 19 Aug anola,Calhoun 30 SepO'L&PS); these appar- GrangerL., Williamson3 Sep(TFe); rareon yielded20 Cory• Shearwaters,29 Audubon's entlyincluded the above-mentionedGreater the coast,one was at Bolivar Flats, Galveston Shearwaters,a Band-rumpedStorm-Petrel, (American),an escapedGreater (Eurasian), 28 Oct(WB, ph. BA). Having last been docu- and3 MaskedBoobies (BMc et al.). A Mag- andone unidentified flamingo. Black Vultures mentedin the statein 1994, a mini-invasion nificentFrigatebird from the BolivarFerry, wanderedw. of the expectedrange into ne. of NorthernJa•ana in Hildagoprovided some Galveston10 Nov (WB) was the last of the Archer,with onethere 14 Sepand 8 seen21 excitementfor theLower Rio Grande Valley. season. Two American Bitterns were detected Sep(ScL). Numbers of post-breedingSwal- Three were documented: one at Estero Llano in Carson31 Oct (RC), while one was at the low-tailed Kites were detected from Freestone GrandeS.E 5-19 Aug and 3 Sep-14Nov (tRZ, Uvaldefish hatchery20 Oct and 17 Nov s. to Wallerand w. to Bastrop6 Aug-16Sep. MM, m.ob.);one at BentsenS.E 10-18Aug (MHe). In Lubbock,3 Great Egretsand 3 Eightsightings (m.ob.) of betweenone and 3 (,JBo,tMGu, m.ob.); and anotherin Mission SnowyEgrets lingered through the period, birdswere noted, including a few that lin- 22 Aug O'DDa).Very late was an Upland continuingthe trendby both speciesof re- geredin thesame area for a fewdays; 5 were Sandpiperin se.Bell 5 Nov (RPi).Unusual in mainingfarther n. into early winter (FIR, seenat theBrazos R., Waller2 Sep(EC). The w. El Paso was a Marbled Godwit 14 Oct AHe, BB). A Little Blue Heron was at Wild Hazel BaremoreHawkwatch, Nueces recorded (JPa).A RuddyTurnstone was at Sundown HorseL, Potter21 Aug (LSa). Remarkably far a highof 21 Swallow-taileds17Aug (fideJSi). Playa,Randall 6 SepO'LSa); this species is a

VOLUME 61 (2007) - NUMBEft 1 lol ITEX^S

casualvisitor to the Panhandle.A Sanderling Utopia,Uvalde 11 Sep (MHe) madea finefall Hummingbird at a feeder in Harlingen, at MuleshoeN.W.R., Bailey 7 Oct (AHe,JHe, recordfor the Hill Country.Late migrant Cameron9 Sep provideda rare Lower Rio JJ) was the first reportedfrom the South Black-billedswere at Smith Pt., Chambers24 GrandeValley record (MHa). The two sum- Plains since 2002. Five Dunlins at L. Mered- Oct (HT) and High I., Galveston29 Oct meringWhite-eared Hummingbirds in the ith, Moore4 Nov (BP) wasa high countfor (DVe).An earlyBurrowing Owl wasfound in DavisMountains Resort, Jeff Davis lingered the Panhandle.A Stilt Sandpiperat Lubbock, Williamson15 Oct (TFe).A road-killedLong- until 17 Sep (fideML). Two Black-chinned Lubbock19 Nov (BB) was very late. Repre- earedOwl waspicked up in ne.Austin, Travis Hummingbirdsvisited feeders in Rusk12 Sep sentinga significantportion of the estimated l Nov (fideEC), and onewas heard calling (PHa). CalliopeHummingbirds of particular worldpopulation of thisspecies, a phenome- pre-dawnat DaughtreyW.M.A., Live Oak 19 noteincluded singles near Greenwood, Wise nal flock of over 1000 Buff-breasted Sand- Nov (RW, BLi, DPe). An ad. Northern Saw- 2-7 Sep(CC) andin LiveOak 29 ¸ct-5 Nov piperswas noted between Harlingen and La- whetOwl in theDavis Mountains Resort, Jeff (GB).Broad-tailed Hummingbirds were noted guna AtascosaN.W.R., Cameron27 Aug Davis24 Oct (ph. KB)was a greatfind for the more frequentlyin areasaway from West (PW), with severalhundred birds lingering state.Very unexpected was a groupof 5 Less- Texasthis fall. Mostnotable were singles at until 29 Aug.An AmericanWoodcock in w. er Nighthawksin Cisco, Eastland3 Sep WichitaFalls, Wichita 23 Aug(BoL) and Rusk Clay 11 Nov (ScL,DHo) wasa rare find for (DDC,DLi). LingeringCommon Nighthawks 26 Aug-ll Sep(PHa), the latterproviding a the WichitaFalls region. Single Red-necked were noted in Friendswood,Harris 7 Nov 2nd recordfor the Pineywoods.The U.T.C. Phalaropeswere good finds at Hagerman (MA) andin HighI., Galveston12 Nov(AHe). had 2 this fall: one at Friendswood,Harris 21 N.W.R., Grayson27 Aug 0Sc) and 23 Sep Oct (MA) and an imm. male in w. , (GC, TR); 2 morewere on L. RayHubbard, Harris 12 Nov (JHi); an imm. male was seen Dallas18-19 Sep (CRu, GC). Numerousbird- feedingon shrimpplant near Poth, Wilson 17 erswere treated to a RedPhalarope during its Nov (WS). Allen's Hummingbirdswere prolongedstay at StillhouseHollow Res., Bell recordedat severallocations, with an ad. male 28 Oct-14 Nov (tRPi, m.ob.); one also lin- returning to a w. Houston yard 12 Nov+ geredbriefly in w.Je.[ferson 18-21 Nov (iSM et :... L "1 (SW), anotherad. male in w. El Paso2-4 Aug al.). (JPa),and a femaleAllen's recaptured 2 Aug at A PomarineJaeger was observedat L. the bandingstation near Victoria,Victoria Tawakoni,Hunt 10 Oct (MW). Also of inter- (Bo). est was a ParasiticJaeger harassing Black RingedKingfishers made news in the Con- Ternsat SundownPlaya, Randall 4 Sep(BP). choValley, with an ad. femaleat SanAngelo Another inland jaeger, not identified to S.E,Tom Green 7 Oct (ph.JaP) and one along species,was at L. Palestine,Henderson 1 Sep the ConchoR. in SanAngelo, Tom Green 22 (RG). In whatis becomingan annualoccur- Nov (TMa). One on w. Galveston I. 6 Nov rence,an ad. Little Gull visited L. Tawakoni, 0St) furnishedjust the 5th recordfor the Hunt 21-22 Nov (MW, tRG). A California U.T.C. An imm. Red-headedWoodpecker Gull was seen on Bolivar Flats, Galveston17 within earshotof the surfat Quintana,Brazo- Nov (MA), and up to 4 were noted at L. ria 19 Sep (RW) was unexpectedin that Tawakoni,Rains/Van Zandt 4-24 Nov (MW, Althoughthere have been suggestions thatNorthern Saw- coastallocation. Once again, a smallgroup of RKi, RB).A first-winterThayerg Gull wasat whetOwls might be rare residents ofthe Guadalupe Moun- AcornWoodpeckers was detected in a w. El L. Tawakoni,Rains 19 Nov (MW). An early tainsin the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, the discovery ofone Pasoneighborhood in early Nov (m.ob.). The Lesser Black-backed Gull was at Surfside, ofthese owls in the state is always newsworthy. This one was presenceof thisspecies over the past several Brazoria 2 Oct (SLo). Sabine'sGulls were ina standof PonderosaPines in the Davis Mountains, Jeff winters,along with a Jun 2006 report,sug- againwidely represented in thestate this fall; DavisCounty on 24 October 2006. Photograph byKelly Bryan, geststhat this species may have taken up res- singlesnear Pantex,Carson 11 Sep (MKe, A nighthawkat Quintana,Brazoria 23 Nov idence in this area. A stunning male LR), PadreIsland N.S., Kenedy/Willacy 16 Sep (RW) wasnot identifiedto species.A Com- Williamson'sSapsucker was at HarrisTank, (ph. BSa),and MuleshoeN.W.R., Bailey 23 mon Poorwill at Union Grove W.M.A., Bell I Midland 4 Nov (ph. BLuet al.). A well- Sep(BB) were the most notable. A first-winter Nov(RPi) was tardy. A Chuck-willg-widowat markedmale Red-napedSapsucker in Tem- Black-legged Kittiwake at San Bernard HarrisTank, Midland 28 Sep(RMS, FRo) pro- ple, Bell4 Nov (RPi) provideda new county N.W.R., Brazoria 12 Nov (tRW) was the 3rd videda rare recordfor the area.Two excep- record. Adding to a growingnumber of earliestfall recordfor theU.T.C. Single Com- tionallylate Whip-poor-willswere found in records from the U.T.C., a Ladder-backed mon Ternsin Lubbock,Lubbock 20-21 Aug this fall: one was heard at L. Rat- Woodpeckerwas at Lafitte'sCove, Galveston (EM, RM) were notable for the SouthPlains. cliff, Houston10 Nov; the other was a road- from 29 Oct-19 Nov (DMc, MBr et al.). A A singleBridled Tern and 34 SootyTerns were killedindividual in Angelina11 Nov (AHe). HairyWoodpecker at AnnandBayou Nature seenon the 19 Augpelagic trip out of South Chaetura swifts tantalized Texas birders Center,Harris 21 Oct (LF) waswell s. of this Padre I., Cameron(BMc). Severallate Black this season.A lone bird seen in E1 Paso, El species'normal range on theU.T.C. Terns were seen at Brazoria N.W.R., Brazoria Paso29 Sepwas thought not to bea Chimney 6 Nov (DPe). Swift (BZ), while one in late Oct near Peder- ANTSHRIKETHROUGH SWALLOWS nalesFalls S.P, Blancopassed through three A BarredAntshrike (Thamnophilus doliatus) DOVESTHROUGH WOODPECKERS weeksafter Chimney Swifts had left the ob- was clearlyrecorded, but not observed,at A femaleRuddy Ground-Dove was reported serversthree swift towers(fide P&GK). A Hadingen,Cameron 1 Sep(acc., ?MHa). The at LlanoEstero Grande S.P, Hidalgo 9-17 Sep GreenViolet-ear graced a Bowiefeeder in ne. circumstancesof the discovery are unusual in (tMO, tTB). A Black-billedCuckoo seen in Texas9-10 Sep (ph. JAm). A Broad-billed thatthe bird was singing from a hiddenperch

102 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS TEXASI

afterdark under a brightoutdoor light. Sub- Jayspersist in theUnited States, at the now- SabineWoods and Sea Rim S.P.,Jefferson 24 sequentsearches the following day, including altered Chapefiosite (m.ob.), where they Sep(DVe). Two Hermit Thrushes at Muleshoe the use of playback,were unsuccessful. have become difficult to find. More than 875 N.W.R.,Bailey 19 Aug (BB) were a month Thamnophilusantshrikes are not knownto TreeSwallows at MuleshoeN.W.R., Bailey 2 aheadof schedule.A lingeringWood Thrush vocalizeat night, but many other diurnal Sep(BB, DLu, AHe) wasan amazingcongre- was presentin , Bexar 1 Nov specieshave been attracted to insectsthat are gationfor theSouth Plains. (BW), onlyto be outdoneby oneat HighI., drawn to the bright lightsat this location. Galveston25 Nov (TE). A Varied Thrush was This is the firstreport of any speciesin the NUTHATCHESTHROUGH WARBLERS a one-daywonder al GuadalupeMountains Thamnophilidaein the UnitedStates. Barred Nuthatcheswandering unusually close to the N.P., Culberson15 Nov (?SH). Antshrike is a common resident in southern coast included a Red-breasted on w. Galve- An impressiveconcentration of 500 Gray Tamaulipas;the closestpopulation is found ston I., Galveston7 Nov 0St) and a Brown- Catbirdswas discovered at SabineWoods,Jef- within 250 km of the Texas border. headedin s.-cen.Jefferson 17 Sep(RJ, KS). A ferson21 Oct (JW et al). SingleSage Thrash- An Olive-sidedFlycatcher on PleasureI., RockWren at L. WrightPannan, Bowie 5 Nov ers made early appearancesat Muleshoe Jefferson3 Aug OK) wasthe 3rd earliestever (MD) was the easternmostin Texassince the N.W.R.,Bailey 2 Sep(BB, AHe, DLu) and near for the fall on the U.T.C. A Greater Pewee was 1960s.Slightly more expected were 2 at Lake Whiteface,Cochran 22 Sep(AHe). Even more at Big Bend• CottonwoodCampground 30 TawakoniS.P., Van Zandt 7-28 Nov (RKi) and unusualwas the appearanceof SageThrash- Sep-7Oct ($RR,$SLo, $Dke et al.). An East- anotherat L. Tawakoni,Hunt 7 Nov (RKi). erson theU.T.C., with singlesnear Smith Pt., ern Wood-Peweewas singing in Chambers 24 Oct (HT), Brazoria ThompsonGrove, Dallam 2 Sep(BP). N.W.R.,Brazoria 28 Oct (ph. GLa), A Hammond'sFlycatcher was identi- and Sea Rim S.P.,Jefferson 3 Nov fiedby fieldmarks and voice near Ut- (DVe).An AmericanPipit in Rusk16 ley,Bastrop 27-28 Aug (BFr). Single Aug(PHa) was early by a month,pro- Dusky Flycatchersat Harris Tank, vidinga firstAug record for ne. Texas. Midland11 Sep(RMS, FRo) and L. A Tennessee Warbler was well out RansomCanyon, Lubbock 8 Oct (BB) w.in E1Paso 30 Oct(BZ). An Orange- werenoteworthy Single Great Crest- crownedWarbler in Hams 31 Aug ed Flycatchersat RioGrande Village, (DDi) providedthe 3rd earliestfall Brewster31 Aug(MF) andin E1Paso record for the U.T.C. Nashville War- 4 Sep (BZ) were significant fall .•, bler madenews, with onein Nacog- records for . A Great doches4 Sep(DW) providinga new Kiskadeewas present at Webberville earlyrecord and late lingeringbirds Park, Travis7 Nov (BFr); far lessex- found 19 Nov in Bell (RKo) and • .• ,- • J•.'.', - , pectedwas one at Abilene,Taylor 14 • ;. •, '.., s. ß Travis(EC, RKa). A Blue-winged Sep+(LP, ph. JEn, m.ob.). A Sulphur- Warblerat SpringBranch, Blanco 16 GreatKiskadees areknown to wander away from their normal range, but this bird at bellledFlycatcher was reported from Abilene,Taylor County, Texas, found 14 (here 17) September 2006, was unexpected Sep(LL) provideda firstfall record SabineWoods, Jefferson 10-11 Sep sofar to the northwest. Photograph byJohn English. for theHill Country.Rare fall records ($JoH),while a Gray Kingbirdde- wereprovided by 2 Blue-wingedWar- lightedobservers at HazelBazemore County Winter Wrensmade a goodshowing in the blersin Austin,Travis 20 Sep(A&JB) and 2 Park in CorpusChristi, Nueces 26-29 Oct Trans-Pecos,with onein the DavisMts. 13-15 Golden-wingedsthere 25-26 Sep(MR, KA). (LE, DaF,?MC et al.) andrepresents the 7th Oct (RPi),singles at threedifferent Big Bend Three Chestnut-sided Warblers at L. Sam record for the state. N.P.locations during Nov (m.ob.),and one in Rayburn,Angelina 21 Oct(DW, RT) were late. SingleNorthern Shrikes at k. Meredith, Alpine,Brewster 20 Nov (ML). A stronginva- It was a banner fall for Black-throated Blue Moore4 Nov (BP) and in Dallam 18-24 Nov sionof Golden-crownedKinglets was detect- Warblersin Texas,with at least 12 individuals (TeFet al.) wereclose to averagefor the Pan- ed throughoutthe e. halfof thestate; the first reported;most noteworthywere singlesin handle.Far moreunexpected was an imm. individualswere reportedon 20 Oct, and Randall5 Oct(BMu) and San Angelo S.P, Tom Northern Shrike at HagermanN.W.R., goodnumbers were subsequently tallied in Green7 Oct (ph.JAP). A Yellow-rumpedWar- Grayson7 Nov + (KHa,m.ob), providing only numerouslocations. An earlyRuby-crowned bler at L. Tawakoni,Rains 10 Sep(RB) was the 3rd record for n.-cen. Texas. A Plumbeous Kingletwas noted at Quintana,Brazoria 13 record early Eastward-wanderingBlack- Vireoat HighI., Galveston(DVe) was only the Sep(JAr). Western Bluebirds were well repre- throatedGray Warblersincluded singles at 5th for the U.T.C., while anotherat RoseHill sentedin nw. Texas,with the most notewor- San Antonio, Bexar 4 Oct (DaL), Port Cemeteryin CorpusChristi, Nueces 4 Nov thy sightingsincluding 50+ at Blackwell, O'Connor, Calhoun 18 Nov (BFr, PHo), and (MC) wasat the samespot where this rare Coke28 Oct (ph. JGr) and 5 nearQuanah, Pleasanton,Atascosa 27 Nov (MP). A countof wintervisitor has occurred several times pre- Hardeman2 Nov (BFr). Mountain Bluebirds 6 Black-throated Green Warblers was tallied viouslyA PhiladelphiaVireo at BuffaloLake arrivedearly and in largenumbers in thePan- in Fayette8 Nov (BFr). A HermitWarbler in N.W.R.,Randall 4 Sep(BP) was an exception- handle,with 300+ at L. Meredith, Mooreand E1Paso 30 Sep0Pa) wasa nicefind for that al find for the Panhandle.A Yellow-green 700+in Potter27 Sep(BP); the easternmost lowland location. A Blackburnian Warbler Vireo was at SantaAna N.W.R.,Hidalgo 27 reportof thisspecies was 8 in Mason22-23 wasin Lubbock,Lubbock 17 Sep(JC), and Aug(DJ). A GreenJay was apparently present Nov (DFe, BoF).A very late Gray-cheeked therewas a lingeringbird on w. Galveston1. for abouttwo weeksin Sepnear Copperas Thrush at L. Ratcliff,Houston 10 Nov (?AHe) 10 Nov (JSt).A Grace•Warbler in E1Paso 16 CreekCampground at Bastrop-BuescherS.P, provideda first fall recordfor the Piney- Aug (BZ) wasnotable at that low elevation. Bastrop(fide TMc). Apparently, just 3 Brown woods.Early Swainson'sThrushes were at SinglePine Warblers were at RioGrande Vil-

VOLUME 61 (2007) NUMBER 1 103 ITEXAS

wasa Henslow'sSparrow at WillisCreek Park, Williamson26 Nov (ph. TFe,BSt), providing a veryrare record from the Blackland Prairies region.An impressivecount of 35 Le Conte's Sparrows was recorded at Granger L., Williamson 26 Nov (TFe, BSt). A Harris's Sparrowat theBaytown Nature Center, Harris 25 Nov (DwL) was e. of the normalrange. Not onlywas a McCown'sLongspur near the QuintanaJetty, Brazoria 28 Oct (ph.RW) just the5th for theU.T.C. and a countyfirst, but it alsoprovided an earlyrecord for thatarea. A LaplandLongspur at BryanBeach, Brazoria 22 Oct(ph. MGr, CRi) also was a countyfirst. NorthernCardinal is generallyabsent from El Paso,so a maleat theRio Bosque Wetlands Park8-21 Oct (JoG,JSp) was a goodfind. Black-headed Grosbeaks were found at scat- tered locations in the e. half of the state: one in Washington18 Sep(DVo), 2 ad. malesin Harris24 Sep(LC), oneat Quintana,Brazoria 14-15Oct (MA, JSt), one at AlazanBayou W.M.A.,Nacogdoches 14 Oct (DW, RT), and NorthernShrikes are rare winter residents inthe , but they are casual to accidental anywhere else in the oneat La Grange,Fayette 8 Nov (BFr), the state.This immature atHagerman , Grayson County stayed 7 November 2006 and into winter (here 16December), the third documented record for north-. Phota9ral#•l•yChrisEasley. latter furnishinga first countyrecord. Two earlyIndigo Buntings were found at Sabine lage,Brewster 27 Nov (ph. CL), in Randall20 Nov (AHe). A late Canada Warbler was at Woods,Jefferson 20 Aug (DVe).A lingering Sep(BMu), and at Spur, Dickens 5 Nov (AHe). Galveston Island S.P., Galveston 12 Nov PaintedBunting remained at Quintana,Bra- FallBlackpoll Warblers are always of interest; (AHe).The Rufous-cappedWarblers present zoriathrough 16 Oct (JSt,RW et al.). singleswere found at RitaBianca L., Hartley at Concan,Uvalde since the springwere seen A WesternMeadowlark at L. Rayburn,San 14 Oct (BPLSa) and Sabine Woods, Jefferson again6 Oct,and one was still present 25 Nov Augustine13 Oct (DW) wasthe earliestever 16 Oct (LBa). (MHe). for the Pineywoodsby twoweeks. A female A ProthonotaryWarbler was westerly at Orchard Oriole near Afton, Dickens 7 Oct Amarillo,Potter 8 Aug(LSa), and a lingering TANAGERSTHROUGH FINCHES (BB) provideda late recordfor the South bird was at San Bernard N.W.R., Brazoria 12 A bandedSummer Tanager was seen at Bel- Plains.The rarityof the seasonwas the ad. Nov (RW). A nice find was a Worm-eating laire, Harris 20 Oct (DVe) and is believedto Black-ventedOriole reported from Big Bend's Warblerat LakeTawakoni S.P, Hunt 21 Sep be the samebird that hasspent the previous Rio GrandeVillage 6 Oct (?MF). Palingin (RKi). A Swainson• Warbler at Quintana, three winters at the same location. A male comparisonto the Black-vented,but still an Brazoria 13 Oct (RW) and an Ovenbird at ScarletTanager at SabineWoods, Jefferson 3 excellentrarity for thatarea, a maleBaltimore High I., Galveston25-26 Nov (TE,JMa) were Nov (DVe) was late. An EasternTowhee in Oriolewas also at Rio GrandeVillage 9 Nov bothlate. Lingering Louisiana Waterthrushes Lee21 Oct (DVo,MBa) tied the earlyarrival (BG, DHi). ThreeHouse Finches were located includedsingles in Travis20 Oct (KA) and datefor thearea. A realsurprise was provided in Brownsville,Cameron 7 Nov (MJI); these Bear Creek Park, Harris 18 Nov (?DDi). A byan American Tree Sparrow on NorthPadre birdsare either part of an isolatedpopulation MourningWarbler at SabineWoods,Jefferson I., Nueces18 Nov (LJ); this bird was m the or potentiallyearly founders of the continu- 20 Aug(DVe) was early. An eastward-wander-same spot as the first CoastalBend record ing southwardexpansion of the population. ing MacGillivray'sWarbler at Houston,Harris fromDec 2004. Two rather early Clay-colored PineSiskius were scarce in manyparts of the l0 Sep(BH) wasthe earliestever fall record Sparrowswere at WebbervillePark, Travis 1 state,which makes 6 earlyarriving birds at for the U.T.C.; one window-killed at Texas Sep(BFr), and there were 3 reportedfrom the Fort ParkerS.P, Limestone 26 Oct (RS) all the A&M University20 Sep(AnC, *TCWC) pro- U.T.C.:in Harris21 Sep(JBe), on w. Galve- more interesting.Single Lesser Goldfinches vided the first countyrecord since 1980. A stonI. 29 Sep(JSt), and at Quintana,Brazoria werenoted at L. Tanglewood,Randall 10 Aug ratherearly push of HoodedWarblers was 13 Oct-3 Nov (JSt,DVe, RW). Two Savannah (BP) and at ,Randall 28 notedby Verser, with s•ngles at SabineWoods Sparrowsat AnahuacN.W.R., Chambers 29 Oct(BP, m.ob.); this species is rarein thePan- andSea Rim S.P,both Jefferson, and at High Sep(JK) were early. A GrasshopperSparrow handlebut appearsto be expandingits range I., Galveston5 Aug. Others at RoundRock 26 at PortBolivar, Galveston 16 Sep(CTL) was northward into the area. Also of interest was Aug (KHo) and at GrangerL. 23 Sep(TFe) one of the earliest ever for the U.T.C. As has an eastward-wanderingLesser Goldfinch near providedoverdue first records for Williamson. becomeexpected, Baird• Sparrows were again Utley,Bastrop 25 Oct (BFr). Early arriving A concentration of 20 Wilson's Warblers at foundon theMarfa Plateau, with up to 4 in w. AmericanGoldfinches appeared at threeloca- Quintana,Brazoria 13 Sep(JAr) was an ex- JeffDavis 7-9 Oct (?DLa,JPO, KB, ML) and tionsin Waco,McLennan during late Aug (fide ceptionallyhigh count for theU.T.C. Very late one sw. of Marfa, Presidio22 Nov (?DBo). MEG). This was perhapsa primerfor the lingeringWilson• Warblers were found in E1 More unexpectedwas one near Lehman, American Goldfinches at Houston's Bear Paso 19 Nov (JPa) and Morton, Cochran4 Cochran4 Nov (?AHe).An outstandingfind CreekPark, Harris 23 Sep(DDi) andArmand

104 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS TEXAS]

BayouNature Center, Harris 14 Oct (MKi), whichprovided new fall earlyrecords for the U.T.C.

Cited observers(subregional A Birder's Guide to editors in boldface): Bruce the Texas Coast Aldfredson, Julia Araburn (JAm), Ken Anderson,John ß•* '- G IDE TO Arvin (JAr), Mike Austin, Ter- ry Baldwin, Andy & Julia Balirisky,Ron Baltzegar,Lynn Barber,Peter Barnes, Mark Bar- tosik (MBa), John Berner (JBe),Brandon Best, Nancy Bird, Gene Blacklock, Jim Booker (JBo), Devin Bosler (DBo),Martha Brogdon (MBr), DavidBrotherton (DBr), Kelly Bryan,Winnie Burkett,Rudy ThisHendow's Sparrow a•Granger Lake, Williamson County 26 November 2006 pro- Cadra,Eric Carpenter,Andy videda veyrare record of thespecies for central Texas. Photograph byTim Fennell. Conkey(AnC), Greg Cook, byMel Cooksey andRon Weel• Revised2006 Arlie Cooksey(ACo), Mel Cooksey(South (JMa), MarcyMartinez, Ray Matlack,Terry 342pages; paper (lay-fiat) Texas:16 TownhouseLane, Corpus Christi, Maxwell(TMa), SteveMayes, Ellen McBride, TX 78412. email:[email protected]. com), LauraCox, Todd McClanahan (TMc), David McDonald Item #413 Jim Crites,D.D. Curde, ClaireCurry, David (DMc), BradMcKinney (BMc), Don Merritt ABA Member Price: $19.96 Dauphin(DDa), Drew Dickert(DDi), Mike (DMe),Joann Merritt (JMe),Wayne Meyer, (List $24.95) Dillon,Sybil Eberhart, Mark Edmund, Jan El- BillMurphy (BMu),John P O'Neill,Brent Or- ston(JEI), John English (JEn), Ted Eubanks, tego,Mike Overton,Jay Packer (JaP), Laura LibbyEven, Tim Fennell(TFe), Terry Fergu- Packer,Jim Paton (JPa) (Trans-Pecos:4325 The habitatdiversity of son (TeF), Dane Ferrell (DaF), Dixie Feuer- BoyScout Lane, El Paso,TX 79922.email: pa- the Texascoast ranges bacher(DFe), Mark Flippo,Laurie Foss, Bob- tonjnC•etzero.net),Mike Paul,Dick Peake from the Pineywoods byeFrazier (BoF), Brush Freeman (BFr), Bert (DPe), BarrettPierce, Randy Pinkston (RPi), Frenz (BeF) (East Texas: 221 Rainbow Dr., David Pueppke (DPu), Lee Read, Roy to the Gulf prairies, from the coastal wet- #12190,Livingston, TX 77399-2021email: Reinarz,Thomas Riecke, Cecilia Riley (CRi), [email protected]),Brian Gibbons,Michael FloydRobertson (FIR), Mike Rogan,Forrest landsto the subtropics. Gray (MGr), Kathryn Green, Mel Grider Rowland (FRo), Chris Runk (CRu), Homer Thisrevisi•on inc19des (MEG),John Groves (JoG), Joe Grzybowski Rushing,Billy Sandifer(BSa), Laura Sare (JGr),Mary Gustafson(MGu), Ron Gutber- (LSa), John Schenk (JSc), Willie Sekula speciesaccounts for let, MartinHagne (MHa), KarlHailer (KHa), (CentralTexas: 7063 Co. Rd.228, FallsCity, 170 Texasspecialties, Jeff Hanson0Ha), PeggyHarding (PHa), TX 78113-2627.email: wsekula@peoplepc. 48 mapsfor 200 bird- JohnHaynes (Jori), ScottHaywood, Mitch corn), Larry & Pad Semander,Joel Simon ing sites,and seasonal Heindel (MHe), Jack Henshall(JHe), Antho- 0Si), RoySmallwood, John Sproul 0Sp), Eric and distributional ny Hewetson(AHe) (NorthwestTexas: 4407 Stager,Jonathon Stanley (JoS), Jim Stevenson 36th St., Lubbock TX 79414. email: ter- 0St), ByronStone (BSt), Rose Marie Stortz, abundancebar-graphs rvertsCa)yahoo.com),Derek Hill (DHi), Jim MalcolmMark Swan, Ken Sztraky, Peggy Tro- for 388 regularly Hinson(JHi), PetraHockey (PHo), David sper,Heidi Trudell,Robert Truss, John van occurring species. Holbert(DHo), Kelly Holligan(KHo), Bob Dort, Don Verser (DVe), Darrell Vollert Honig,Marshall J. Iliff,Jim Joiner, Dan Jones, (DVo), Pat Wade, Achim Weber, Ron Weeks LarryJordan, Ray Jordan, Rich Kaskan (RKa), (UTC: 110 Indian Warrior,Lake Jackson, TX Mike Keck(MKe), Joseph Kennedy, Richard 77566. email: [email protected]), Kinney(RKi), MarilynKircus (MKi), Rich MattWhite, John Whittle, Brad Wier, Stephen Kostecke(RKo), Paul & GeorgeanKyle, Dan Williams,David Wolf, ScottYoung, Ruben Lane(DLa), Danny Large (DaL), Greg Lavaty Zamora,Barry Zimmer. • American Birding' (GLa), Daniel Leavitt (DLe), Cin-Ty Lee (CTL), BobLindsay (BoL), PhyllisLindsay MarkW. Lockwood,402 East Harriet Avenue (PLi), Leslie Lineham, Brad Lirette (BLi), Alpine,Texas 79830, (mark.lockwood•pwd.state.tx.us) DwayneLiteer (DwL), Dell Little(DLi), Mark EricCarpenter, 10610 Morado Circle #2325 800 634-7716 Lockwood,Scotty Loftand (ScL), Stephan Austin,Texas 78759, ([email protected]) Lorenz(SLo), David Lukas(DLu), Carl Lund- Willie5ekula, 7063 County Road 228 aba ,es.c,..i blad, Bill Lupardus(BLu), John Mariani FallsCity, Texas 78113-2627, ([email protected])

VOLUME 61 (2007) ß NUMBER 1 105