Heart of Texas (Central Brazos Valley) RBA
November 2, 2003
Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2003 08:14:56 -0600
Reply-To: Bert Frenz <bert@BAFRENZ.COM>
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From: Bert Frenz <bert@BAFRENZ.COM>
Subject: RBA Heart-of-Texas 11/2/03
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- RBA
* Texas
* Heart-of-Texas
* November 2, 2003
* TXHE0311.02
- Birds mentioned
American Bittern
Roseate Spoonbill
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Northern Bobwhite
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Red-headed Woodpecker
Cave Swallow
Mourning Warbler
Summer Tanager
- Transcript
Number: None
Compiler: Bert Frenz, mailto:bert2@bafrenz.com
Coverage: Central Brazos Valley, 14 counties near College Station
Transcriber: Bert Frenz
RBA web site: http://birdingonthe.net/hotmail.html
This is the Heart-of-Texas Rare Bird Alert sponsored by the Rio Brazos
Audubon Society updated as of Sunday, November 2.
The Heart-of-Texas RBA covers 14 counties surrounding College Station
(Austin, Brazos, Burleson, Falls, Freestone, Grimes, Lee, Leon,
Limestone, Madison, Milam, Robertson, Waller, Washington). This is
part of the Central Oaks & Prairies region.
Quite a few of our winter residents have not yet been reported,
probably reflecting few reporters rather than few birds.
Here's what we have heard about in the past month:
First of Season reports --
Greater White-fronted Goose: 15 October (Darrell Vollert)
Snow Goose: 1 November (Ellen Ratoosh, Mike LeBuffe)
Northern Harrier: 19 October (Darrell Vollert)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: 11 October (Darrell Vollert)
Bewick's Wren: 19 October (Darrell Vollert)
Sedge Wren: 1 November (Darrell Vollert)
American Pipit: 11 October (Darrell Vollert)
Blue-headed Vireo: 18 October (Bert Frenz)
Chipping Sparrow: 19 October (Darrell Vollert)
Savannah Sparrow: 18 October (Bert Frenz)
Lincoln's Sparrow: 9 October (Ellen Ratoosh)
Swamp Sparrow: 18 October (Darrell Vollert)
White-throated Sparrow: 18 October (Bert Frenz)
White-crowned Sparrow: 19 October (Darrell Vollert)
Last of Season reports --
Green Heron: 1 October (Keith Arnold)
White Ibis: 11 October (Darrell Vollert)
Wood Stork: 11 October (Ben Tedrick)
Common Nighthawk: 13 October (Ellen Ratoosh)
Chimney Swift: 13 October (Ellen Ratoosh)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: 17 October (Ellen Ratoosh)
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: 1 November (Ellen Ratoosh)
Summer Tanager: 9 October (Ellen Ratoosh)
Indigo Bunting: 19 October (Darrell Vollert)
American Bittern: (1) 17 October (Keith Arnold), Country Club Lake,
Bryan, Brazos County [occasional].
American Bittern: (1) 21 October (Fred Collins), Pattison Road off
Morrison Road north of Hwy 529, eastern Waller County.
Roseate Spoonbill: (3) 11 October (Ellen Carpenter Spracklen), Lake
Limestone, Limestone County [occasional in Oaks & Prairie region at
this time; only third county record, but not often birded].
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: (1 adult with 5 half-grown ducklings)
18 October (Darrell Vollert), stock pond on Porter Lane, Waller County
[late nesting].
Northern Bobwhite: (1) 16 October (Darrell Vollert), perched on fence
post at junction of New Wehdem Road and Sander road, Austin County
[rare? occasional? Not much known about status of bobwhites in
Austin County]
Broad-tailed Hummingbird: (1 female) 17 October (Sandy Dillard),
Bryan, Brazos County [first record for Central Brazos Valley area].
Red-headed Woodpecker: (1 adult) 18 October (Mike LeBuffe), near
Emerald Forest Park, College Station, Brazos County [rare].
Cave Swallow: (2) 1 November (Ellen Ratoosh, Mike LeBuffe), Emerald
Forest subdivision, College Station, Brazos County [late departure].
This is the first November record for the Central Brazos Valley. The
wintering status of Cave Swallows in Central Texas is only partially
known. Cave Swallows have overwintered in Travis and Bastrop counties
at least since 1993 and there is a 3 December 2001 record in
Williamson County. Further north, and in particular in the Central
Brazos Valley the only winter record is 4 January 1999 in Lee."
Mourning Warbler: (1 immature male) 10 October (salvaged by Andy
Conley), window collision at Texas A&M University, College Station,
Brazos County [rare fall migrant; late edge of migration; specimen now
at TCWC].
Summer Tanager: (1 female) 9 October (Ellen Ratoosh), Emerald Forest
subdivision, College Station, Brazos County [rare this late].
The "Checklist and Seasonal Distribution - Birds of the Central Brazos
Valley, Texas" is available. Send $1.00 and a self-addressed stamped
(37 cents) business envelope to Jim Anding, Rio Brazos Audubon Society
5060 Cole Lane, College Station, TX 77845
Descriptions and directions to most birding sites are on the Central
Brazos Valley web site.
- End Transcript
---------------------------------
Bert Frenz
mailto:bert2@bafrenz.com
Birds of Central Brazos Valley web site: http://www.bafrenz.com/birds/
Rio Brazos Audubon Society web site: http://www.riobrazosaudubon.com