TOP 10 SPECIES

Top 10 lists are voted upon by the participants at the completion of each tour.

 

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY:
25-29 April 2007

  1) PAINTED BUNTING--we had many good looks, every day. This is one incredibly plumaged songbird.
  2) Golden-cheeked Warbler--there were several of these endangered warblers at Lost Maples, then a male taking a bath at Neal's Lodges.
  3) Wilson's Phalarope--a nice flock at the Uvalde fish hatchery entertained us with their spinning and feeding antics.
  4) Green Kingfisher--beautiful views of this diminutive kingfisher at Garner State Park.
  5) Scissor-tailed Flycatcher--this long-tailed beauty was as numerous as it was stunning.
  6) Golden-fronted Woodpecker--there were daily sightings, with several excellent scope views.
  7) Vermilion Flycatcher--the pair at the vollyball net outside of Neal's Cafe was a permanent fixture, and much admired.
  8) Yellow-throated Warbler--we had many good looks along the cypress-lined rivers of the Hill Country.
  9) Hooded Oriole--a male that came to Neal's feeding station was simply gorgeous.
10) White-winged Dove--this may be the prettiest dove in North America, and we had ample opportunity to study it at close range.

Our evening at the Frio Bat Cave was truly spectacular, as we watched 10 MILLION Mexican Free-tailed Bats leave the nursery cave late in the evening to hunt insects. Several raptors occasionally fed upon the bats, including Red-tailed Hawks, Swainson's Hawks, and a Cooper's Hawk. A locally uncommon Harris's Hawk was flying nearby. We also enjoyed seeing two Black-tailed Jackrabbits and a Rough Green Snake.

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY:
14-18 May 2003

  1) BLACK-CAPPED VIREO--great looks at a male in front of one of our cabins, JUST before the end of the tour!
  2) Green Kingfisher--nice views on 3 consecutive days
  3) Golden-cheeked Warbler--good looks at Lost Maples
  4) Painted Bunting--scope views of singing males
  5) Scissor-tailed Flycatcher--numerous, showy, and elegant
  6) Long-billed Thrasher--prolonged looks at a family group
  7) Hooded Oriole--interesting nest site inside a street lamp
  8) Greater Roadrunner--Beep! Beep!
  9) Dickcissel--male perched on a fence post at close range
10) Bronzed Cowbird--there's something about those red eyes...

Additional highlights included 12 million Mexican Free-tailed Bats departing their nursery cave for the night. We had Raccoons and White-tailed Deer visiting our feeding station, and several good looks at Armadillos. Ranger Rob at Lost Maples showed us a young Common Raven in a cliffside nest and a lofty Zone-tailed Hawk nest in a tree.

 

Texas Hill Country
14-18 May 2003
by Bob Schutsky, Tour Leader

The Texas Hill Country on the Edwards Plateau provides nesting habitat for two very rare North American birds. Mature junipers are a source of nesting material for Golden-cheeked Warblers. Black-capped Vireos nest in the thick understory of un-grazed oak thickets. Additional attractions include accessible Cave Swallow colonies, and a good chance of finding the diminutive Green Kingfisher, all in some of the most scenic areas of the entire state of Texas.

Our group gathered in San Antonio and we started our 75-mile drive to Concan in the Hill Country. Along the way we were entertained by the numerous Scissor-tailed Flycatchers that perched on wires and fences and fed over open fields. We had a couple of quick looks at Crested Caracaras as they flew past, found a Common Nighthawk that landed in an open pasture, and had our first glimpse of a Greater Roadrunner. We found a beautiful male Dickcissel, perched atop a fence post immediately beside the road. It gave us great views and a full rendition of its song.

Our home for the entire tour was Neal's/Buchanan Lodges in Concan, which is located on the Frio River. We unpacked and moved in, then gathered for the first of many pleasurable hours that we would spend watching the feeding area and water drip outside of cabin # 61. Many of the relatively common but sometimes elusive breeding birds make regular visits for food and water. There was a family group of Long-billed Thrashers, followed by a family of Olive Sparrows. There were great views of Bewick's Wren, Hooded Oriole, White-eyed Vireo, and the ever-present White-winged Doves. We could hear a Black-capped Vireo singing in the thick growth on the slope behind the feeder, but were unable to see it. Other hidden songsters included Yellow-breasted Chat, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Bell's Vireo. We would see all of these birds later in the tour. We had regular nocturnal feeder visits from White-tailed Deer, Raccoons, and even an Armadillo. Last year a Bobcat came prancing down our driveway toward the cabin, proudly carrying a rat in its mouth!

A night spotlighting excursion at Neal's produced several Chuck-will's-widows and a surprise Canyon Towhee that we accidentally flushed from its night roost. We also saw a Striped Skunk, Armadillo, Black-tailed Jackrabbit, and an adult Dobsonfly. Our other evening adventure was to the Frio Bat Cave. This cave is the nursery roost of 10-12 MILLION Mexican Free-tailed Bats. Every evening they exit the cave to feed for the night--it is a spectacle that has to be seen to be truly appreciated. There is also a large Cave Swallow colony that uses the cave and can be observed at close range.

Lost Maples State Natural Area is a one-hour drive north from Concan. We made two visits during our visit to the Hill Country. On our first visit part of the group had a short but good look at a male Golden-cheeked Warbler, but it flew before everyone saw it. On our next visit we changed our strategy a bit, birded a different area earlier in the day, and gave everyone nice scope views of a singing male. We were still looking for the secretive Black-capped Vireo. Several of us had a convincing look at a female, but again, half of the group did not see it. We would have to wait until we were just about to leave Neal's on the last day and make the drive to San Antonio for our flights home. Howard was waiting for me to make the rounds and pick up the luggage when he found a male Black-capped Vireo, right outside of his cabin. We gathered the group and we all had stunning views as it fed and sang from a hedgerow. It quickly was voted the number one bird of the tour! Phew!! That's cutting it close.

Other nice birds back at Lost Maples included several looks at a Green Kingfisher as it perched and flew up and down the creek. One of the rangers led us to a Common Raven nest that contained a fully-grown chick. Then he began a half-mile hike toward an active Zone-tailed Hawk nest. One of our people was having trouble making the walk, so the ranger took her in his 4-wheel all-terrain vehicle. It was incredibly nice of him to do this, and the lady greatly appreciated it.

Garner State Park gave us our first really good looks at Golden-fronted Woodpecker. We watched a pair as they busily went back and forth feeding young in a nesting cavity. We found another Green Kingfisher, a flock of Bushtits, and several migrant Wilson's Warblers. Elsewhere we had great looks at male Painted Buntings, Indigo Buntings, Summer Tanager, and Blue Grosbeaks. Lark Sparrow and Black-throated Sparrow are always big favorites and male Bronzed Cowbirds were a very popular item with all of the tour participants. And the Hooded Oriole nest that was inside a big outdoor lamp, right next to the bulb, astounded everyone. A pair of Hooded Orioles has nested in this spot for at least three consecutive years.

Next year's tour is scheduled for the exact same dates, 14-18 May 2004. We will also visit this area on our Grand Rio Grande Tour, 23 April to 8 May 2004.



 

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY:
13-17 May 2000

  1) BLACK-CAPPED VIREO
  2) Hooded Oriole
  3) Long-billed Thrasher
  4) Golden-cheeked Warbler
  5) Painted Bunting
  6) Ringed Kingfisher
  7) Yellow-throated Warbler
  8) Cave Swallow
  9) Vermilion Flycatcher
10) Golden-fronted Woodpecker

We all watched in awe for more than an hour as 30,000,000 Mexican Free-tailed Bats exited their nursery cave at dusk to feed.

 

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY: THE EDWARDS PLATEAU:
16-19 May 1999

  1) Green Kingfisher
  2) Golden-cheeked Warbler
  3) Black-capped Vireo
  4) Dickcissel
  5) Cave Swallow
  6) Painted Bunting
  7) Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
  8) Canyon Wren
  9) Vermilion Flycatcher
10) Long-billed Thrasher

The experience of watching 30 million Mexican Free-tailed Bats exit Frio Cave at sunset was incredible.

 

BIG BEND, DAVIS MOUNTAINS
and the TEXAS HILL COUNTRY
May 1999

Big Bend is the home of the Colima Warbler, its only nesting locale north of the Rio Grande. They were a bit tough to find this year due to the on-going drought, but we managed excellent looks at a singing male. The Elf Owls responded to my mouse squeak and came in for incredible scope views. For two or three days Lucifer Hummingbird eluded us, then we hit the jackpot: half a dozen males and females coming to a single feeder. A few of the showier raptors included two late Mississippi Kites, several Common Black-Hawks, a pair of Gray Hawks, and nice looks at Zone-tailed Hawk. The Montezuma Quail performed beautifully at Davis Mountains State Park, as did the Common Poorwill that landed at our feet, quite vociferously. Lake Balmorhea was once again full of birds, including multiple Snowy Plovers, an American White Pelican, and an elegant Long-billed Curlew. Our extension to the Edwards Plateau added many new birds including Golden-cheeked Warbler, Black-capped Vireo, numerous Green Kingfishers, singing Dickcissels, several Black-bellied Whistling- Ducks, a Crested Caracara, and a flock of 200 Cave Swallows circling endlessly around our heads. As the Cave Swallows went to roost for the night they were replaced by 30,000,000 Mexican Free- tailed Bats emerging from their nursery cave at dusk. This is a spectacle that everyone who is interested in the outdoors should witness: it is incredible. Big Bend is scheduled for May 6-14, 2000, with an extension to the Texas Hill Country May 14-17.

 

 


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