Veteranobservers like Jim Morgan, however, in the Trans-Pecos.The Red-necked Grebe at quicklychimed in to remindus that what L. Tawakonilingered until Mar. 5 (RK,GH, TexasRegion constitutes an "outstanding" day nowadays JN). A W. Grebeat PalmettoDam, Jackson palesby comparisonto the thousandsof Mar.2 (NH) wassomewhat asurprise, while birdswitnessed on thebest days in decades a Clark'sGrebe was in ElPasoApr.19 (BZ). past.For many of us,our perceptions ofeach Observers'interests in Texaspelagics con- GREGW. LASLEY,CHUCK SEXTON, newseason unwittingly seem to bewarping, tinuedto grow,spurred on by the efforts WILLIE SEKULA,AND orperhaps our expectations areshrinking, ei- of Peake,Elwonger, Carroll, and others. A MARK LOCKWOOD ther from the diminution of our collective deep-waterpelagic off PortO'Connor May Weoften report on the quirkiness ofweather institutionalmemory of such events or out of 28 was one of the best ever in Texas,with patterns;dry regions getting rain, wet regions sdf-defense. reportsof one Greater ShearwaFer,16 in themidst of droughts.This season, within Audubon'sShearwaters, four Leacl/sStorm- tolerablelimits, each region seemed to beits Abbreviations:Ft. Bliss(Fort Bliss sewage Petrelsand 25 Band-rumpedStorm-Petrels "normal"self.. Asuccession ofrainy cold fronts ponds,H Paso); G.M.N.P. (GuadalupeMoun- (DPe, ME, m.ob.). Excellent videotape and paradedthrough eastern and coastal Texas; tainslVatlPark); L.R.G.V. (LowerRio Grande photoswere obtainedon most of these theTrans-Pecos was very dry. In between,it Valley);S.S.W.T.P. (South Side •ter 7•eat- species.The Blue-footed Booby remained at was... in-between. We recount discussions ment Plant, Dallas);T.B.R.C. [ 7•xasBird LakeL.B.J. through the period, having been in twoareas that illustrate interesting aspects RecordsCommittee (]bxas OrnithologicalSoci- seen by over 5000 people by seasodds end. An andopinions of themigration. Ken Seyffert ety)J;U.T.C. (Upper7•xas Coast); V.C.D.B. ad.Brown Pelican joined the booby at Lake wrote that folks in the northern Panhandle (VillageCreek Drying Beds, Arlington). Thej•l- L.B.J.,May 31 (GL),while another was on wereready to describe the migration as "hor- lowingare shortened names J•r therespective L. BalmorheaApr.30-May 4 (TJ,m.ob.). A rible"when reports arrived from Lubbock, a counO5state, or national parks, wildli• refuges, Double-crestedCormorant, listed as hypo- shortways to thesouth, where observers used etc.:Anahuac,Aransas, Bentsen, Big Bend, theticalin BigBend, was at RioGrande Vil- adjectiveslike "spectacular!" Seyffert astutely LagunaAtascosa,andSantaAna. lageApr. 30 (GL AW,BM). SnowyEgrets, a concludedthat springbird migrationis rarityin thePanhandle area, were more plen- "muchlike a gameof hop-scotch" and "lucky Loons to Ibises tiful thannormal, with one-two in Lubbock foryou if youare situated at the right hop at The Red-throated Loon at L. Balmorhealast Apr. 10-May 13 (L.E.A.S.),two in Briscoe theright time." seasonremained through Apr. 25 (m.ob.), May 5-6 (JR),and one at L. Tanglewood, Disparateopinions were also in evidence whileanother was at Surfside,BrazoriaApr. RandalMay14 (TLJ). Unusual heron sight- onthe upperTexas coast. It wasrightfully de- 27 (TE, JM). Two PacificLoons were on ingsin theTrans-Pecos included an ad. Little scribedas one of thebest migrations in years AransasBay Mar. 13-20 (?BO),while sin- Blueat Feather L., E1Paso Apr. 24 (JS)and a there. Diversitywas excellentand the gleswere at L. O'The PinesMar. 20-26 Tricoloredat Ft. HancockMay 14 (CB); appearanceofhundreds of warblerson some (?KN, GDL, GLu, m.ob.), Rockport Mar. both speciesare accidentalin that area. daysat heavily birded spots prompted many 30 (•'JH, JBo) and L. LivingstonMay 7 GlossyIbis reports continued to mount;at observers and even some of the bird alert (?AW). A Horned Grebe at Ft. Hancock leastsix different individuals were reported tapesto describe an "outstanding" migration. Mar.12 (BN, DE) wasthe only spring report on the U.T.C., Apr. 16-May 7 (m.ob.).A GlossyIbis was at EagleMt. FishHatchery, 7•rrantMay7 (•'GK, EW), anotherwas in Kenedythe same date (•'ML), andone-two were at San Antonio'sMitchell L., May ß Amarillo ß Buffalo Lake 17-31(•'ph., WS). NWR Waterfowl The goosemigration in n. c.Texas was out- ß Muleshoe NWR •Nichita ßHagerman NWR Falls standing,with higher than normal numbers ß Lubbock of Canadas and Greater White-fronteds re- Fort Worth ß ß Dallas portedfrom several localities during March (RR).Muscovy Ducks continued to beseen ßEl Paso '•' Park ßMidland in smallnumbers along the Rio Grande in Starr, but a count of 22 Mar. 12 between Davis Mrs. WacOe /.• ßBalmorhea L. Chapeftaand Fronton (TB) wasnoteworthy. TEXAS Twopairs of Wood Ducks in CrosbyApr.20

-•. Austin (KR)were unexpected. One of thebest rari- Houston tiesof theseason was an ad. (3' Garganey dis- coveredat the Presidiosewage treatment ß San Antonio pondsApr. 29 (•'ph.,AW). The bird appeared unhealthyand was found dead May 6 (AD, BG, * to DallasMuseum of NaturalHistory) providingonly the 2nd documented Texas Kingsville record.A CinnamonTeal lingeredat S.S.W.TP. at least until May 27 (RR),while a Bentsen Stata presumedN. Shovelerx Blue-winged Teal in Pad< HarrisonMar. 14-15 (GLu, DBro) wasa sur- prise.An Eur.Wigeon was at Tomillo Lakes,

FIELDNOTES FALLI994 ElPasoMar. 13 (LJ).Two Com. Mergansers thefirst nesung record for the s. plains. Nest- An Am. Golden-Ploverat ImperialRes., at Ft. BlissApr. 19 (BZ) werevery late and at ing GrayHawks were present in the usual PecosApr.8-May 1 (BJP)was a goodfind, an unusual location. The Masked Duck "in- L.R.G.V. locations as well as in Rio Grande while>75 wereat S.S.W.T.P.,Apr. 1 (BG, vasion"that began in thewinter of 1992- Villagein BigBend. The only sizeable move- RR) andat L. TawakoniApr. 9 (RK etal.) 1993continued, with <25 at a private Kenedy mentof Broad-wingedHawks reported was Another 75 Am. Golden-Plovers were in locationMar. 19-Apr.5 (JGoetaL), several 15,000over Calallen, NuecesApr. 3 (GS). A BastropApr. 10 (JSu).A lateSnowy Plover alongHwy 77 in Kenedyduring March singleBroad-winged in CastroApr. 19 was at Miller's Creek Res., Throckmorton (m.ob.),two at BrazosBend S.P. through at (CDL) wasrare. Providing only the 2nd May 31 (KN), while a rarerecord in n.e leastApr. 20 (m.ob.), two at Brazoria documentedTexas record was an ad. light- Texaswas provided by 11 Mt. Ploversin N.W.R., Apr.3 (?ph.,JBu), one at Laguna morphShort-tailed Hawk soaringover Delta Mar. 19 (MWh). A N. Jacanawas at AtascosaApr. 20+ (?ph.,BM) and oneat BentsenMar. 8 (?ph.,BM). An increasingly SantaAna April 5-May 10 (?ph.BM). A SantaAna during late May (fideJI). Increased commonsummer resident in e.Texas, 6 pairs countof 32 SpottedSandpipers at Ft. Bliss numbersof exoticwaterfowl were seen flying of Swainson'sHawks (1 pairin Brazoria,5 May 4 (BZ) wasan impressive number for freein theFlour Bluff area of CorpusChristi, pairsin Harris)were exhibiting nesting be- the Trans-Pecos.Three Marbled Godwits at withothers reported in Austinand San Anto- haviorby late in theseason (fide GDL, PG). thesame location Apr. 19 werea surprise nio.Among the moreconspicuous species SingleZone-tailed Hawks at Colorado Bend HudsonianGodwits were reported in typi- were White-cheeked Pintail, West Indian Mar. 28-30 and GovernmentCanyon, cal numbersat manylocations near the Whistling-Duck,White-faced Whistling- BexarMay5 (ML) wereaway from their ex- coast,but inland observationsacross the e Duck,Red-crested Pochard, RingedTeal, and pectedrange. A "Harlan's"Red-tailed Hawk half of the state were rare. Texas' fifth Surf- EgyptianGoose. These birds are escapees nearPost, Garza Mar. 19 providedan unex- birdwas on N. PadreI., KlebergApr.15-21 from various waterfowl collectors and ob- pectedrecord for thes. plains(ph, ML). A (?ph.A&MC, m.ob.).A RedKnot May 1 serversshould not be deceived into thinking CrestedCarcara seen Apr. 2 on N. PadreI. anda SanderlingMay 17 at ImperialRes. theyare wild vagrants. (AC) wasinteresting as the species seldom (BJP)provided rare spring inland records for frequentsbarrier islands, while a pair of thisunderbirded area. AnOther Sanderling Raptors CrestedCaracaras in JohnsonMar. 20 (CE) atBuffalo L., May7 (KS)was noteworthy. A S•ngleBlack Vultures in ClayMar. 20 and was a rare find. Six Panhandle area records of countof 7660W, Sandpiperswas made at Apr.3 (D&TMc, GJa)provided a tirst, over- PeregrineFalcons during the seasonwas LagunaAtascosa Apr. 1 (TB), while5933 duecounty record. After several seasons of morethan normal, with a birdseen May 14 Dunlinswere counted there May 14.A gor- strong,if notcondusive, evidence for nesting at BuffaloL. (KS) representingthe latest geous,breeding-plumaged Curlew Sand- Swallow-tailed Kites in Texas, a nest was springrecord there. piperwas at SantaAna May 3-7 (?TB,ML, foundMar. 31 nearSpurger, Tyler (RB). By ph. BM, MPawetal.), providingonly the season'send the proudparents had a half- Prairie-Chickens to Shorebirds 4threcord for the state. Continuing with the grownyoung in thenest (ph. CSh, RB), pro- The precipitousdrop in the Attwatter's rare shorebird records, a Ruff was near v•dingthe first documented nesting record in Prairie-Chickenpopulation continued and Anahuac,Chambers Apr. 21 (?JHu),and the state since 1911. A White-tailed Kite it seemsinevitable that the subspecies four Red-neckedPhalaropes were in Cal- Mar. 27 in FortWorth (GK, ph. CH) pro- cannotsurvive. A few wereseen during hounMay15 (JT). v•deda veryrare n.c. Texas record. A Missis- Marchat twoRefagio locations (CCo, LHu, s•ppiKite arrived early in LubbockApr. 10 A&MC). Texasbirders turn up BlackRails Jaegersto Murres (LSm)while a migratingflock of 1500over in morelocations each year; as many as three A probableLong-tailed Jaeger passed by w. CorpusChristi Apr. 16 (GS) wasthe werecalling on N. PadreI., Apr.21-May 9 Beatonand Peake Apr. 23 at BolivarFlats. A largestflock reported. Two pairs of Sharp- (A&MC) and five were observedin San LaughingGull in MidlandApr. 30 (RMS, shinnedHawks were discovered nesting in PatricioApr.22 & 28 (A&MC, CCo,LHu). m.ob.)provided a 2nd recordfor thatarea. Jasper,providing the first nesting records for Threemore Black Rails were reported from Raregulls abounded this season.Single the piney-woods(CSh, m.ob.). Gabbert MatagordaI., Apr. 23 & 30 (BO). King imm. CaliforniaGulls were reported at L. photographeda hawk perched in a back- Railsput in rareappearances atGrand Saline BalmorheaMay 7-8 (CC, ?BO, ME) and yardtree Mar. 16 in Gillett,Karnes, as it kept Marsh,Van Zandt May 1 & 22 (RK),while CooperL., Delta May 26-31 (?MWh) a carefuleye on her birdfeeder.She sent a singlecalling King Rail at L. Balmorhea whilean ad.Thayer's Gull wasat High I., the photosto Muschalek,who was stunned May 7 (GL, CJ)provided continuing evi- Apr. 16 (?BB) and a first-yearThayer's to seethat the bird was an ad. Northern denceof a possiblenesting population in wasin Jef•rsonApr. 24 (?ph.,GDL). At Goshawk!This record represented the 6th thatTrans-Pecos location. A PurpleGalli- least three individual ad. Lesser Black- documentedinTexas and only the 2nd docu- nuleat LubbockMay 6 (JC) providedan backedGulls were between High I., andSea mented by photographs.Another N. outstandingrecord, as did onein SanAn- RimMar. 27-Apr. 26 (m.ob.),with another Goshawk was describedin the Davis Moun- geloApr. 16-17 (ph.M&AU). TheSandhill nearPort Aransas May 6 (A&MC). Four tainsMay 7 (?BO, m.ob.).Several Com. Cranemigration in thew. areas ofn.c. Texas Glaucous Gulls were documented on the Black-Hawkswere seen away from their nor- wasconsidered exceptional (RR), with a U.T.C., Apr. 16-May 22 with anotherat malhaunts including one Mar. 10 at Arroyo peakof 700 Mar. 17 overV.C.D.B. (MP, BocaChica Mar. 31-Apr. 26 (?ph., BM, Colorado,Cameron (JI), oneMar. 20 at Hot JWS,EW). Up to 65 Sandhillswere inJ•r- MPaw). A 3rd-winterGreat Black-backed Springs,Hudspeth (TBa), and another May sonMar. 6-7 (J&JW),where the species has Gullwas described from Jef•rson Mar. 20 11 overthe bowlin G.M.N.P. (?ph.,GL, not beenrecorded since 1978. A migrant (?BG).Four Least Terns at ImperialRes., CJ). Most unexpectedwas another Com. WhoopingCrane made a rareappearance in May 13-20 (BJP) showed signs of Black-Hawk at Colorado Bend S.P., San SmithApril 16 (LG). Ten Black-bellied courtship.Bridled Tern was officially added Saba/LampasasMar.30-May 17 (?ML,BA, Ploversnear Amarillo, RandallMay 8 (KS) to the Texaslist in 1988, but asthe work on DB, GO). A Harris'Hawk nestwas discov- was an unusual number there, and 466 at deep-waterpelagics continues our records eredin LubbockMar. 16 (MBI) providing LagunaAtascosa May 14 (TB) wasnotable. keepmounting. The May 28 pelagicoff

VOLUME4 8, NUMBER3 FIELDNOTES 317 PortO'Connor turned up 18Bridled Terns Hummingbirdsto Woodpeckers typicallyinhabits. A Violet-green Swallow in (ph.DPe, ME, m.ob.)for the 1lth docu- SingleGreen Violet-cars made brief appearances Castr0Apr.26 (CDL)provided an unexpected mentedTexas record (of almost100 indi- in c.Texas. The firstwan&red into Connell'smist recordfor that area.Bank Swallowswere nest- vidualbirds). F. Williams commented that netMay 14 at Driftwood, Hays (?ph. DC, JA), ingagain in San Marcos (DH), where they had therewas one Black Tern reported at Mid- whilethe 2nd briefly visited afeeder in Helotes, beennoted several years ago; this species isan land.In previousyears -<75 per spring were BexarMay 16-17 ('}'RH). Single Broad-billed uncommonTexas nester. A group of> 50 Bank expected,but in recentyears rarely more Hummingbirdswere reported from Ft. Davis SwallowsinMidland Apr. 30 (FW),was alarge than five are seen. Mar.4-5 (KB)and from Nursety; V'wwr/aApr. 17 concentration there. Small numbers of Cave (•'GG).Single Buff-bellied Hummingbirds were Swallowsagain nested at SeaRim (m.ob.), atdifferent Bastrop locatiom Mar. 26 and Apr. 6 while 25 others were seen n. of Austin in SA theNever worddid "murre"weexpect into a para-use (fideBF). A newearly date for Black-chinned I•lliamsonMay 12 (BF).Most remarkable graphon Texasbirds, but this state Hummingbirdinthe Panhandle wasestablished werefive Cave Swallows and a probable nest in contiuuesto generatesurprises. A atAmarilloApr.6 (JPr),while ana& 7 Anna•was Shackel•rd(KN), a firstfor n. Texas.Fish CommonMurre was describedat L. photographedin Ca/houn Mar. 24-28 (LN); an- Crows,first documented inn.c. Texas last year, O'ThePines, Marion Mar. 19-20 otherAnna'swasatCorpus ChristiMar. 1-Apr. 1 wereobserved again as two-four were in n.e (tKN, HB). The initialobservers FanninApr.24 andMay 1 (PB,RR, MWh) studiedthe bird from approximately (GS).A GreenKingfisher near Lajitas Apr. 29 300 yardsaud were convincedof the (AW)provided arare Ttans-Pecos record. A Red- In nearbyDelta, two FishCrows were at specificidentification. Observers the belliedWoodpecker atLorenzo, CrosbyMar. 21• CooperL., May4 (MWh) fora first cotuity uextday (tFB, JMu,GDL etal.) were (ML)constituted thefirst record for that county; record.The first documented Texas nesting far{her from the bird aud were ouly whilea Williamson's Sapsucker in El PasoMar. recordof Red-breastedNuthatches occurred in comfortable with an identification as 21-24was unexpected (SH). A PileatedWood- G.M.N.P.last year. Interestingly, upto eight murrespecies. Unfor{unately, no peckerinBe//was slighfiy out ofplace (CoJ). territorialmales were in thesame general area photoswere possibleand it washard May 11(GL). Based on recent reports of ade- to keeptrack of the bird as it con- Flycatchersto I/!/reus cliningCactus Wren population in thew. por- stautlyfled from numerouspleasure A GrayFlycatcher atHueco Tanks Apr. 2 (BN, tionofn.c. Texas, the report of a nesting pair in cra(t operatingon the lake. Thisis DE)was earl)*, while an E. Phoebethere on the StephensMay 21-28 (BG,PB, RR) was note- the first ropor{of au alcid in Texas. samedate was rare. Great Kiskadeeswandered worthy.Carolina Wrens continue to maintain W andN, withone at LajitasMay 29 (BJP) asmall outpost inthe Panhandle, with a bird in Dovesto Nightjars andanother at L. GrapevineMay 4 (GH). LubbockMar. 26-Apr. 14 (L.E.A.S.),Vega White-wingedDoves continued to make TropicalKingbirds are becoming regular, al- May3-9 (RS),and Amarillo Apr. 2 (PT).A newswith their expansionto the north; thoughvery local, in Cameon.McKinney dis- late Winter Wren was on the Rio Grande in twowere seen in LubbockMay 12+(DSt), coveredanother nesting pair in Port Isabel for a PresidioApr.28 (AW). whilethe species continued to increasein totalof 4 knownnesting pairs currently in that theDallas/Ft. Worth area. A White-winged county.Whether this increase inTropicals rep- Dipper to Shrikes in Henrietta,Clay Apr. 30 (GJa)provided resented an actual increasein birds or more Oneof themost surprising birds of thesea- the first record for that area. ACom. alertobservers isa matter of speculation. A pair sonwas an AmericanDipper discovered Ground-Dovein LubbockMay 15 (DSt) ofCassin's Kingbirds were found nesting atBig belowLonghorn Dam on theColorado R was a rare find while an Inca Dove at L. BendRanch, Presidio May 2 (GDL,JPe); this in AustinMar. 5 (?ph.R&NA, CS,m.ob.) TawakoniApr. 22 (JN) wasa first for locationisat a lowerelevation than the species Unfortunately,it did notremain to beseen Rains. A late Black-billed Cuckoo was at PackeryChannel, Nueces May 28 (WS, A&MC). A migrantFlammulated Owl was Table1. Unusualwarblers in Northand West Texas, spring 1994 at HuecoTanks Apr. 14-16 (SS,WW); thoughprobably a regular migrant in Species Dates Location Observer that area,this speciesis rarelydetected Blue-winged May2 Midland WWi therein thespring (fide BZ). A callingN. Blue-winged May2 Vega RS Pygmy-Owl was at Dog Canyon, "Lawrence's" Apr.19 Lubbock AB G.M.N.P., May 29 ('}'LSetaL). There are N. Parula May29 G.M.N.P. LS TropicalParula Apr.30-May 1 BigBend AW etal. currentlyonly 2 acceptedrecords of this Black-throated Blue May3 Lubbock RL speciesin Texas,although it islikely to bea Black-throatedGray May7 Buffalo Lk.KS raremigrant or residentof theTrans-Pecos Townsend's Apr.23 Buffalo Lk.RS mountains. Black-throatedGreen May3 Vega RS SpottedOwls are resident but very rare, Yellow-throated Apr.27-28 Lamb CDL seldomseen, and local in G.M.N.P.A pair Palm May7 Lubbock SM wasseen Apr. 26+ in thatpark. Six Long- Palm May 11 Amarillo RS eared Owls were flushed from oaks at Blackpoll Apr.23 Lubbock PK HuecoTanks Mar. 6 (BN, DE), one of the Prothonotary Apr.29-May 4 Lubbock JC,DSt few areas in the state where numbers of Worm-eating Apr.19 Lubbock JC thisspecies can occur. Another rare and Worm-eating May4 Castro CDL often overlookedowl is the N. Saw-whet; LouisianaWaterthrush May4 &l 1 Vega RS a callingbird wasseen and recorded May LouisianaWaterthrush Apr.13 & May4 Lubbock JC,SM Kentucky May4 & 6 Lubbock PK,SM 11 in the bowlin G.M.N.P. ('}'GL,CJ). A Ovenbird May6-7 Lubbock JC,SM Com.Nighthawk Apr. 23 at BuffaloL. tied Hooded Apr.22 El Paso SH theearliest ever record in thatarea (RS).

•18 FIELDNOTES FALLi994 bythe scores of observersassembled atdawn Texas.Cape May Warblerswere in greater thenext day This bird provided only the 6th numbers than usualon the U.T.C., with at Birds on recordfor Texas and was by far the eastern- least8 separaterecords, the earliest Mar. 31 mostof anyprevious reports. Gray-cheeked at SeaRim (ph. JH, JBo).Another Cape Thrushescan be common migrants in April May wason N. PadreI., Apr. 30 (CCo, your alongthe coast, but a single bird described in LHu). There were at least5 reportsof MidlandMar. 26 (DHu, RMS) andanother Black-throated Blue Warblers on the at LubbockApr. 20 (CSt)were farther west U.T.C., while four more were in Victoria computer! than normal;the Midland bird wasremark- and Calhounfrom March-May (NH, LV); ablyearly but well described.Two Wood thisspecies can be missed during spring in AxiaWildlife presents the Thrushes in Lubbock Mar. 21 were at an un- Texas.Unexpected Townsend's Warblers usuallocation (JC). A Long-billedThrasher includedone on S. PadreI., Apr. 17-18 world mostcomplete bird waswell described from Sabine Woods, Jef (BM,MPaw), and one along Cibolo Creek, guideson CD-ROM! j•rsonApr. 19 (tJW); the speciesis a very BexarIComalMay 14 (ReW). Most un- rarevagrant on theU.T.C. AnotherLong- usual was a Hermit Warbler netted on billedThrasher was in CedarCreek, Bastrop GalvestonI., May I (GW, ph., J&BMa), May7 (fideBF).A N. Shrikeat PaloDuro oneof veryfew photographedrecords in CanyonMar. 4 (KS)provided one of few the e. half of the state. A Grace's Warbler at March records in Texas. HuecoTanks May 1 wasonly the 2nd E1 Pasorecord in a decade(BJ). Fort Bliss Vireos to Warblers hosteda PalmWarbler Apr. 11 (AO),while A Bell'sVireo Apr. 3 onN. PadreI. wasun- individualsApr. 17 & 28 (RMS etal.) vis- usualfor a barrierisland (A&MC). A sur- ited Midland. A Palm was at L. Tawakoni prising14 Bell'sVireos were observed dur- Apr.29 (RK) whileanother was at L. Wi- ing May in n.c. Texas;2 territorialpairs chita,Wichita May 3 (DMc, TMc); both werefound in HuntMay 4 (fideRR). Two providedrare records for their areas. Black- Black-cappedVireos were at theextreme n. pollWarblers seemed more common than edgeof theirTexas range in PaloPinto May in recentyears on theU.T.C., andmade a 31 (KN). Unusualw. recordsof Yellow- goodshowing in n.c.Texas with 6 records throated Vireos included one in Lubbock Apr.23-May 11 (fideRR). Two Cerulean May 1 (NO) andone in MidlandMay 1-3 Warblers,one Apr. 23 at L. Tawakoni(RR) Eachof Axia Wildlife's interactive multimedia (J&DMe). Severalobservers thought that andone May 1 in Hunt (MWh), werethe birdguides brings birders hundreds of brilliant PhiladelphiaVireos were more numerous first n.c. Texas records since 1976. A full-screencolor photos, as well as video, onthe U.T.C. thanin recentyears, while a LouisianaWaterthrush was photographed sounds,maps and illustrations. Edited by Red-eyedat BuffaloL., May 7 (KS)was un- in Irion, w. of San Angelo, Mar. 30 renownedornithologist R. WayneCampbell (Fellow,American Ornithologists' Union) these (D&MT) for a firstspring record there. A expected.A pair of WarblingVireos re- discsoffer multi-level challenges for birders turned to Midland to nest for the 3rd con- Connecticut Warbler was well described fromnovice to expert! secutiveyear (fide FW). A Blue-winged fromJefferson, Marion Apr. 26 (HB, t to Warblerin RefugioMar. 18 (BO) wasquite T.B.R.C.). Know Your WATERFOWL early.Blue-winged Warblers were more Completeguide to NorthAmerica's commonthan usual during April at several Buntingsto Orioles nestingSwans, Geese and Ducks. coastallocations; McKinney counted eight Lazuli Buntingswere reported as far Know Your OWLS on S. PadreI., Apr. 14. Like the Blue- more numerous than normal in the e. All 19 Owls species,including variants half of the state, with more than 25 winged,Golden-winged Warblers were and immatures. fairly common during April on the records from the c. coast, and c. and n.c. U.T.C., severalobservers felt theywere Texas. A White-collared Seedeater was Common BIRD SONGS moreconspicuous than they had been in found on the Mexican side of the Rio Surveyof 120 commonb•rds, emphasizing severalyears. A "Lawrence's"hybrid was on Grandeacross from Fronton May 7 (TB), breedingcalls and colors. S. PadreI., Apr. 13-14 (MPaw).At least whileothers continued to beseen at Zap- three "Brewster's" were on the U.T.C. dur- ata and SanYgnacio. A Baird'sSparrow $69.95each ($6 shipping& handling) ingApril. TerritorialVirginia's Warblers wasat BuffaloL., Apr. 30 (KS), the first werevery common in thehigh country of reported there since 1984, while a Credit Card orders: 1-800-969-2942 G.M.N.P., May 10-12 (GL), whilesingle GrasshopperSparrow at HuecoTanks migrantsin thePanhandle at LubbockApr. Apr. 24 (JP)was rare for that area.Up to Axia International Inc. 30 (L.E.A.S.),and Buffalo L., May 7 (KS) threeHenslow's Sparrows were in Smith 510, 840-6 Ave. S.W. were unusual.A "Sutton's"Warbler (Yel- throughMarch (N.E.T.F.O.),while one Calgary,,AB Canada T2P 3E5 low-throatedx N. Parulahybrid) was well or moreLeConte's Sparrows at Midland (403) 262-2942 / FAX 261-1675 describedfrom N. PadreI., Apr. 12 (CCo, Mar. 12 andApr. 2 providedlocally un- Retailers:Axia Wildlifetitles are avafiable LHu). Wellout of range,a singingTropical usualrecords (fide FW). Extremelyrare from CommonGround, Pacific Pipeline, Parulawas at BigBend's Rio GrandeVil- away from the coastwere five Sharp- Holborne,and AmericanSoftware & lageApr. 30-May 1 (ph.AW, GL, m.ob.) tailedSparrows at CooperL., DeltaMay Hardware Distributors. providingthe first documented record for 21 (MWh). Locallyrare were single Fox the Trans-Pecos.Nashville and Yellow war- Sparrowsat Ft. BlissMar. 9 (BZ) andat blerswere noted in goodnumbers in n.c. Calallen Mar. 11-13 (GS). Late White-

VOLUME48, NUMBER3 FIELDNOTES 319 throated Sparrowslingered in Aransas son(GJa), Bob Johnson, Cheryl John- until Apr. 20 (CC) andat Calallenuntil son,Thomas L. Johnson(TLJ), Tom Apr. 27 (GS); thisspecies normally de- Johnson,Larry Jordon, George Jury, Idaho/ partsthe c. coastby earlyApril (fide GregKeiran, Richard Kinney, Jane Kit- MC). The Golden-crownedSparrow at tleman,Phillip Knight, Sandy Komito, Hueco Tanks from the winter season lin- Mark Kulstad,Ed Kutac,Greg Lasley, Western gereduntil at leastMay 2 (m.ob.).A Rob Lee, Lee Lemmons, C.D. Little- Dark-eyedJunco at BuffaloL., May 14 field (CDL), Llano EstacadoAudubon (KS) wasthe latestdate the specieshas Society(L.E.A.S.), Mark Lockwood, Montana been recorded in the Panhandle. A flock Gall Diane Luckner (GDL) (East of 80 Bobolinksin DeltaApr. 30 (MWh) Texas:13708 BohemianHall, Crosby, wasan extraordinaryinland concentra- TX 77532-6320), Guy & JoanLuneau tion. A flock of 50 Com. Grackles fre- (G&JLu), James& BetsyMassey Region quentedE1 Paso in earlyMarch (BJ, DE, (J&BMa), SteveMayes, Terry McKee BN), while Bronzed Cowbirds seemedto (TMc), Debra McKee (DMc), Brad be increasingthere and at Midland.We McKinney,Don & JoannMerritt DAN SVINGEN AND hadsix-seven 3rd-hand reports of Shiny (D&JMe), Jim Morgan,John Muldrow THOMAS H. ROGERS Cowbirds at various U.T.C. locations as (JMu), MickeyMumford, Derek well asa reportof two capturedin cow- Muschalek,Ken Nanney,Bruce The mild winterwas followed by a mild birdtraps at Ft. Hood.To date,however, Neville, Laura Nolen, Northeast Texas spring,with little weather-relatednews to the onlywritten documentation received FieldOrnithologists (N.E.T.F.O.), markthe transition. The biggest change bird- wasfor a singlebird Apr. 16 at PortBoli- JuliusNussbaum, Alfred Olivas, wisewas the widespreadinflux of "winter var(LS etal.). Thereare only 2 currently GeorgeOliver, Norman Orr, BrentOr- finches."Cassin's Finches began showing up acceptedrecords of thisspecies in Texas tego,Nancy & PaulPalmer (South atfeeders throughout northern Idaho during and observersare requestedto thor- Texas:615 SouthWanda, Kingsville, earlyMarch. In northwestMontana, Red oughlydocument any record. Amazing TX 78363), Jim Paton (JPa), Mike Pat- Crossbillsfinally descended to the valleys, was a Hooded Oriole at Palo Duro terson, Michael Pawlick (MPaw), Dick andquickly fledged young. Evening Gros- CanyonMay 18 (KS), far north of its Payne,Dwight Peake(DPe), Jim Peter- beaksmoved into the Coeurd'Alene, Idaho normalTexas range. son (JPe), BarbaraJean Potthast (BJP), andLibby, Montana areas in largenumbers, JoanPruitt (JPr), Alice Rasa,Ross Ras- afterbeing absent all winter. Cited observers(Subregional Editors mussen(North-central Texas:600 S. Severalrare species first noted last season re- in boldface): Ben Archer, Rich & Graves#1704, McKinney,TX 75069), maineduntil spring,and one (Northern NanetteArmstrong, Nina & Eddie JoelReese, Teresa Risdon, Kent Rylan- Hawk Owl) evennested. Most observers felt Arnold, JohnArvin, PeterAsman, Mike der, Larry Sall (LSa), SanAntonio migrationwas early. In theSalmon, Idaho area Austin, Tom Baker (TBa), Sue Barton, AudubonSociety, Paul Saraceni, Rose- for example,long-time observer Hadley GiffBeaton, Bob Behrstock,Alice Bell, maryScott, Willie Sekula,Larry Semo, Robertsobtained record-early arrival dates for PeterBillingham, Marge Blackburn ChuckSexton, Ken Seyffert(Panhan- nofewer than 17 species! (MBI), HazelBluhm, Doug Booher, dle: 2206 S. Lipscomb,Amarillo, TX JulieBoone (JBo), Bill Bowler,David 79 109), Cliff Shackelford(CSh), J.W. Loons to Waterfowl Bradford,Craig Braginton, David Sifford(JWS), LeannaSmith (LSm), One of two Yellow-billed Loons first noted Brotherton(DBro), Ray Brown,Tim TheSpoonbill, John Sproul, Darleen in Januaryat Harrison,ID wasstill present Brush,Kelly Bryan, John Buckman Stevens(DSt), CliffStogner(CSt), Mar. 13 (DS). The Double-crestedCor- (JBu), FrankBumgardner, Marjorie SusanStone, RoseMarie Stortz (RMS), morant on the ClearwaterR. nearLewiston, Byrant,Ronnie Carroll, Charlie Clark, Tom Strother,Jim Sullivan,Jack Sun- ID Apr.22 (C.Bi.)was expected, while sin- JeremyClark, Don Connell,Arlie & der (JSu),Dan Svingen,Peder Svingen, glesat St.Maries, ID May 5 (.fideDS) and Mel Cooksey,Chris Corbin (CCo), GlennSwartz, Delbert & Margaret onthe Salmon R. byNorth Fork, ID in May CharlesCrabtree, Wesley Cureton, Tarter,Jay Thomasson, Peggy Trosper, (LH) werenot. A GreatEgret near Salmon Arch Dillard, Jon Dunn, Charles A1 & Mary Uebelhart,Linda Valdez, Al Apr. 22 was a latilong2nd (HR). Four Easley,John Economidy, Mark E1- Valentine,Berry Vernon, Rex Wahl White-faced Ibis were at Lee Metcalf wonger,Doug Emkalns,Archie Engle- (ReW), Warren Watson, Herbert N.W.R., Ravalli,MT May 14(PW), where man,Ted Eubanks, Tony & Phyllis Wessling,Ed Wetzel,Mary Pat theyare rarely seen. Frank,Brush Freeman, Jody Gabbert Wheeler,Matt White (MWh), John& Greater White-fronted Geeseare uncom- (JGa),Tony Gallucci(Central Texas: JanaWhittle, Walt Wigzell (WWi), mon and localthroughout Idaho, so the P.O. Box6, CampVerde, TX 78010), FrancesWilliams, Gail Williams, Dal- flockof 3000at FortBoise W.M.A., Canyon Brian Gibbons (BGi), Elaine Giessel, ton Willis (DWi), PetraWirths- Mar. 12 (JG),and seven by Harrison Mar PeterGifford (PGi), Jeff Gordon Hockey,Alan Wormington, Barry 13 (DS)were noteworthy. Six-eight Snow (JGo), PeterGottschling, Bill Graber, Zimmer (Trans-Pecos:6720 Heart- Geeseat McArthurL., Boundary,ID Apr LynnGray, Gerry Green, Karl Haller, stone Ct., El Paso,TX 79924). 12-25 (PC) wasunusual. A small, mixed Hap Hamous,Carl Haynie,Tom & Jo --Greg W.Lasley, 305 LoganberryCt., flockof Snowand Ross' geese was at Mann Heindel,Dick Henderson,Gary Hod- Austin, TX78745-6527, Chuck Sexton, L., Nez Perce,ID for thelast half of April nee,Norman Holgerson, Jim Holmes, 101 E. 54th Street,Austin, TX78751, (KD, MH, m.ob.), whereboth havebeen SallieHoman, Ron Huffman,Lisa Hug WillieSekula, Rt 1, Box130, FallsCity, regularlyfound in recentyears. Lewiston's (LHu), Don Hunter (DHu), James TX78113, and Mark Lockwood,Box Brant,first noted last season, was still pre- Hunter (JHu), JoeIdeker, Gayle Jack- 1705, Brackettville, TX78832. sentMar. 5 (ph.DH).

•o FIELD NOTES FALL I994