Heart of Texas (Central Brazos Valley) RBA
December 24, 2003
Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2003 08:41:37 -0600
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From: Bert Frenz <bert@BAFRENZ.COM>
Subject: RBA Heart-of-Texas 12/23/03
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- RBA
* Texas
* Heart-of-Texas
* December 24, 2003
* TXHE0312.24
- Birds mentioned
Fulvous Whistling-Duck
Harlan's Hawk
Crested Caracara
Franklin's Gull
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Cave Swallow
Summer or Hepatic 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 Tuesday, December 24.
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.
This RBA includes some of the sightings on two recent CBC's: College
Station on 14 December, totaling 114 species, and Gibbons Creek on
18 December, totaling 104 species.
Fulvous Whistling-Duck:
12/14 (1) Bryan, Brazos Co. (David Phalen)] at pond near the
rehabilitator center on Leonard Road, the same place where Black-
bellied Whistling-Ducks are regular. This is a first record for the
CBC and only the second county record, the other being 3 May 1964.
Bald Eagle:
12/06 (1 immature) Pecan Lake Park, Lake Somerville, Washington County
(Darrell Vollert, Danny Barrera).
12/18 (2 adults) TMPA mines, Grimes Co. (Bert Frenz, Eric Lisenbe,
Craig Gantt).
12/18 (2 adults) Gibbons Creek Reservoir (Sandy Dillard, Ruth Dillard,
DeWitt Patton).
12/18 (1 immature) Gibbons Creek Reservoir (Mike Manson).
Harlan's Hawk:
12/18 (1 adult) TMPA mines, Grimes Co. (Bert Frenz, Eric Lisenbe,
Craig Gantt)[rare subspecies; first time on CBC].
Crested Caracara:
12/18 (1) south of Gibbons Creek Reservoir, (Judy Winn, Terry Smith).
12/18 (2) north of Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes Co. (Sandy Dillard,
Bert Frenz, et al.). [record number for CBC].
12/19 (1) US 79 2.4 mi se FM 1363, Burleson Co. (Keith Arnold).
Franklin's Gull:
12/18 (3) College Station - Emerald Forest, Brazos Co. (Ellen
Ratoosh) [very late; very rare]. Neither College Station, nor Gibbons
Creek, have ever had Franklin's Gulls on a CBC. This sighting misses
count week. For other non-CBC records, we have: 1 on 30 December
1986 at Lake Somerville; 1 on 23 December 2001 at Richland Creek
WMA, and 1 on 7 December 1975 somewhere in the Central Brazos
Valley.
Eurasian Collared-Dove:
12/14 (49) CBC College Station, Burleson Co. (Cathy Liles, Elaine
Owens) [high count].
Eastern Screech-Owl:
12/14 (17) CBC College Station, Brazos Co. (David Phalen)] called up
in 90 min. [amazingly high count].
Black-chinned or other Archilochus Hummingbird:
12/11+ (2) Chappell Hill Subdivision, Washington Co., from early
October at least 11 December (Fred & Mary Brandt, Darrell Vollert)
[very rare].
Rufous Hummingbird:
12/11 (1 adult male) 15 November to at least 11 December (Darrell
Vollert), Walnut Hill St., Brenham, Washington County [rare].
12/14 (1 adult male) Harvey Community, Brazos Co. (Jim & Kitty Anding)
reported on the 14 December College Station CBC, but observed since
November 21st and present at least through the second week of December.
12/18 (1 female or immature Rufous or possibly another Selasphorus
species) 9 November to at least 18 December, College Station - Emerald
Forest (Ellen Ratoosh) [rare].
12/21 (1 male) week of 21 October 2002 and still present 21 December
2003 (Susan Schulze), College Station, Brazos County [no precedence
for this length of stay].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher:
12/14 (1 male) College Station - Emerald Forest (Ellen Ratoosh).
A few have been seen regularly all month, but the last date was the
CBC [rare].
12/14 (2) College Station CBC, location not stated.
White-eyed Vireo:
12/06 (1) Lake Somerville, Washington Co. (Darrell Vollert, Danny
Barrera) [rare in winter].
12/14 (1) College Station - Emerald Forest (Ellen Ratoosh).
Cave Swallow:
12/17 (2) College Station - Emerald Forest (Ellen Ratoosh)] roosting
nightly since at least 1 November. [First record for CBC].
Winter Wren:
12/06 (1) College Station - Raintree (Betty Vermiere, Chuck Hamilton)
12/14 (1) College Station - Emerald Forest (Ellen Ratoosh). Seen
periodically since 2 December, including the CBC [rare].
Golden-crowned Kinglet:
12/06 (2) Lake Somerville (Darrell Vollert, Danny Barrera]. Very few
sightings this season.
Cedar Waxwing:
12/14 (2) College Station - Emerald Forest (Ellen Ratoosh) [few
reports this season].
12/18 (13) TMPA mine area (Bert Frenz, Eric Lisenbe, Craig Gantt).
12/18 (6) Shiro area (Cathy Liles, Elaine Owens).
Summer or Hepatic Tanager:
12/20 College Station - Nantucket (Roland & Pinky Brauer). These
non-birders described a red bird without a crest, robin-sized not
sparrow-sized, that regularly visits their backyard feeders. Looking
at my Sibley Guide to Birds they agreed the bird looked like a Summer
or Hepatic Tanager, red all over with grayish tinged wings. There are
a few precedents for December tanagers, but it is extremely rare.
Western Meadowlark:
12/18 (1 singing) Gibbons Creek CBC (Keith Arnold) [rare on this
count].
Pine Siskin:
12/06 (3) Lake Somerville, Washington Co. (Darrell Vollert, Danny
Barrera) [very few sightings this season so far].
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/