Texas Birds Annual 2018 Elegant Trogon Observed at Panther Canyon Nature Trail
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VOLUME 14 (2018) TEXAS ANNUAL A Publication of the TEXAS ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY www.texasbirds.org TEXAS ANNUAL Volume 14 2018 Table of Contents 4 Editor’s Introduction ..........................................................JACK CLINTON EITNIEAR 5 President’s Message ................................................................................SHELIA HARGIS 7 Elegant Trogon Observed at Panther Canyon Nature Trail .....................JOSEPH HOOD 9 Casual Birder Almost Didn’t Report Golden-crowned Sparrow That Triggered Rare Bird Alert ......................................................................................................JOEL WILLIAMS 11 Seeing Purple in Point Comfort ................BOB FRIEDRICHS AND BRENT ORTEGO 15 Victoria County Hummingbirds 1995–2010 .....................................BRENT ORTEGO, ......................................... ROSS DAWKINS, SUMITA PRASAD AND BRON ROREX 33 Endangered Species: Part 1. The Global Perspective ............JACK CLINTON EITNIEAR 55 New Tee Shirt Artist Profile…Lynn Delvin ......................................................................... 57 Wild Muscovy Duck Management at the South Texas Border ............................................. ......... JACK EITNIEAR, RAUL DELGADO, TOM MILLER AND DANNY PERALES 64 Status of the Red-vented Bulbul in Houston Texas and Report of the Annual Census Efforts of the Houston Audubon Society ................................. FRED COLLINS, ..............................................................KENDRA KOCAB, AND MEGAN AHLGREN 70 Overwinter Survival and Habitat Use of Baird’s and Grasshopper Sparrows in the Marfa Grasslands of Texas ..........................................................................MIEKE TITULAER, ...................................... DENIS J. PEREZ, FABIOLA BAEZA, LOUIS A. HARVESON 75 Whooping Crane Survey Results: Winter 2017–2018 ......................................................... ..........................................................MATTHEW J. BUTLER AND WADE HARRELL 81 Great Texas Birding Classic-2018 ........................................................................................ 100 6th Annual “Birds of the Brush” Art Contest and 2018 Laredo Birding Festival Highlights .......................................................................................................................... 107 Hurricane Harvey Hits the Texas Coast…Birding Sites Impacted ..................................... 108 Taxonomic Changes…….. ................................................................................................. 109 Members of the TOS Board of Directors ............................................................................ 111 Book Reviews ..................................................................................................................... Donations to the Texas Ornithological Society .................................................................... Golden-cheeked Warbler, Black-capped Vireo, Painted Bunting (Photos by Cheryl Johnson) and Aplomado Falcon. (Photo Elaine R. Wilson, www.naturespicsonline.com) are all “at risk” species in need of monitoring. See article on page 33. Front Cover: Golden-fronted Woodpecker. Art by Lynn Delvin VOLUME 14 3 W EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION1 n the last Texas Birds Annual I wrote about the threats to birds from cats, automobiles and window strikes. While these are direct threats to birdlife an indirect threat, recently in the news, is plastic. The first survey of the amount and types of plastic in the Gulf of Mexico uncovered concentra- I tions approaching the highest reported in the world. It puts the waters off Louisiana on par with the Mediterranean and Black Seas as well as the mouth of China’s heavily-polluted Yangtze River. It’s not as bad as the Pacific Gyre or the river of garbage recently discovered in the Caribbean but it’s pretty bad. Single use plastic is a serious threat to the environment breaking down into nanoparticles that ultimately get into the food chain. Recently in Texas Supreme Court ruling against the cities of Laredo and Austin and their plastic bag ban makes you wonder what it will take to get the plastics out of the system? Plastic bottles are a problem as well. Several years ago I participated in a Boy Scout cleanup at San Anto- nio’s Olmos Park and was astounded that we extracted two dump truck loads of plastic bottles in only a few hours! In eleven states beverage containers have a deposit on them. This has a measurable impact on the amount of litter along their roadways and in parks. So what can we do? Here are four easy actions everyone can take.2 At least forget the straw Bring your own shopping bag Use refillable water bottles Cut your 6 pack can holders This issue of Texas Birds Annual features exciting rare bird sightings and birding events. Hopefully everyone searching for birds or enjoying such events brought their own reusable water bottle and picked up any plastic bags found along the roadways and birding trails. Not only does it look bad, but we owe it to the birds… Happy reading… Jack Clinton Eitniear Editor/Texas Ornithological Society Publications Email/ [email protected] 1 Editor’s views are just his and not those of the TOS Board or organization. 2 In 2015, plastic consumption worldwide totaled 300 million metric tons. Every piece of single use plastic we can live without helps! 4 TEXAS BIRDS ANNUAL 20142018 W PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE….. am sure you are well aware, Perez at Borderlands Research Center 2018 has not been a good at Sul Ross State University (Baird’s and year for environmental and Grasshopper Sparrow wintering survival wildlife protections. From and habitat use), and Jim Ray with I the delisting of the Black- his ongoing Purple Martin migration capped Vireo to an interpretation of the research. Migratory Bird Treaty Act that weakens its • Seeing and feeling the excitement protections significantly, I frequently find my- among TOS Board members as we self feeling helpless, hopeless and depressed. voted to provide financial support to And then I go birding and at least for a while, these researchers, money that is made all is right with the world. We as birders know possible by the financial support of our that in addition to being great fun, birding members. gets us out in nature and that is good for the • Working with people who persevere body, mind and soul. in the face of natural disasters such Fixating on all the negative things going Hurricane Harvey – Debra Corpora on in our country seems to come naturally and Colleen Simpson work tirelessly to to me. Focusing on the positive things takes restore the habitats that were impacted some conscious effort, but when I do that, by the hurricane. Martha Mcleod con- I find hope and inspiration. A few of these tinues to engage her young students in positive experiences and amazing people I nature and birds after her outdoor lab have encountered over the last year include: was destroyed. • Watching Susan and Don Schaezler • Seeing more young members at TOS continue to provide a safe and amazing meetings – Justin Bosler and Kendra sanctuary for birds at Warbler Woods Kocab are two great examples. I know even as health issues make it more chal- there are more young members out lenging than normal. there, and I look forward to meeting • Working with people like Mary Belle them in the future, hopefully at a TOS Meitzen who love their land and donate meeting. it to TOS to be preserved and shared • Seeing Seth, a very young birder in Aus- with many birders. tin (~6 years old), with his parents at a • Working with people like Brent Smith Travis Audubon Purple Martin party (son of Gerald Smith of Tyler) in East for the second year in a row and seeing Texas to donate his father’s collection his interest in and excitement about of bird records to the TOS archive so birds and his growing knowledge of that this rich history of the bird life and them. He is following in the footsteps birding in Texas can be made available of other amazing TOS members such to researchers and others interested in as Jesse Huth, Delaney Kempf, and knowing more about birds and birding Christian Walker who were fortunate to in Texas. discover birds at a young age. • Learning from people who have de- • Learning about the interesting and criti- voted their whole life to birds – Cliff cal research underway by graduate stu- Shackelford, David and Mimi Wolf, Dr dents and researchers such as Rebekah Dean Fisher, Cecilia Riley, Kelly Bryan, Rylander at Texas State University (ur- Rich Kostecke, and John Karges to banization effects on Black-crested Tit- name a few. These folks have worked in mice), Dr Mieke Titulauer and Denis VOLUME 14 5 a variety of ways to help our birds, and and enjoy the birds frequently, even in the we have all benefited from their com- summer! And remember that you are part of mitment to making the world a better a group of people who care as deeply about place for birds and birders. birds as you do. You are not alone, and you do make a difference. Taking action and (Wow! I realize I could keep going be- focusing on the people who inspire us will get cause there are many other people who have us through the hard times. inspired me and continue to inspire me. In I’ll leave you with a quote from The Bird the interest of letting you get to the rest of the by Colin Tudge, articles in this publication, I’ll stop here with “Nature is wonderful – it is the center of my examples.) everything – and if you take a serious inter-