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| Eastern Bluebird |
Texas in Springtime 2016
– a classic birding tour in the United States
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| Vermillion Flycatcher |
Over the years I’ve hosted a variety of birders from the
United States and Canada and I’ve quizzed them about birding in North America.
What was their answer to the best birding time and place in North America? It
was almost unanimous; Texas in
Springtime.
So I’ve started planning a North American spring time
birding trip of approximately three weeks for 2016 and I’d like some Sunshine
coast birders to come with me!
Why Texas? There
are many answers however more birds
is the main one!!
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| Redhead - one of America's attractive waterfowl |
We would visit Texas during the peak of Spring migration. Migration is an amazing phenomena and it will be
a pleasure to witness part of the spectacle. Many small migratory birds;
warblers, vireos, tanagers, flycatchers, breed either in the east or west of
the United States and Canada. When they return from South or Central America
many of them channel first into Texas before heading east or west to their
breeding grounds. So Texas provides the only place that you can see birds of
the east and west in one place!!
As well as experiencing the migration we would visit a
variety of key areas in Texas to experience each area’s special birds and
animals.
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| Black-crested Titmouse |
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| Pine Warbler |
Texas, in the areas north and east of Houston, has Pineywoods habitat. The Pineywoods is
the most forested part of the state and is home to a number of species that are
either not found or are difficult to find in other parts of the state. This area receives a decent amount of rain
averaging between 35 and 60 inches per year and is relatively flat.
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| Thrasher |
Along with pine forests this region contains
bottomland hardwood forests, riparian woodlands, clearcuts, lakes, swamps and
grasslands. Some of the specialty birds include Swallow-tailed Kite,
Mississippi Kite, Red-shouldered Hawk, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Eastern Screech
and
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| White-breasted Nuthatch |
Barred Owls, Chimney Swift, Red-headed, Red-bellied, Red-cockaded and Pileated Woodpeckers, Acadian and Great
Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbird, White-eyed, Yellow-throated and Red-eyed
Vireos, Blue Jay, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Wood
Thrush, Northern Parula, Yellow-throated, Pine, Prairie, Prothonotary,
Swainson’s, Hooded and Kentucky Warblers , Louisiana Waterthrush, Common
Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Bachman’s Sparrow, Northern
Cardinal, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo and Painted Buntings, Dickcissel and Orchard
Oriole – to name a few!
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| Tricoloured Heron |
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| Reddish Egret |
The
Texas coasts
support waders and waterfowl; often in great numbers. The upper Texas coast is
made up of a variety of habitats including prairies, marshes, riparian hardwood
forests, estuaries and sand beaches. Some target species here includes
Black-bellied Whistling, Fulvous Whistling and Mottled Ducks, Northern
Bobwhite, Brown Pelican, Neotropic Cormorant, Anhinga, Magnificent Frigatebird,
Least Bittern, Little Blue and Tricolored Herons, Reddish Egret, Yellow-crowned
Night-Heron, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, Mississippi Kite, Clapper and King
Rails, Purple Gallinule, Wilson’s Plover,
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| Plain Chachalaca |
American Oystercatcher, Black-necked
Stilt, American Avocet, Upland Sandpiper , Long-billed Curlew, Hudsonian
Godwit, Red Knot, Laughing Gull, Least, Gull-billed and Sandwich Terns, Common
Nighthawk, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Loggerhead Shrike, White-eyed and Yellow-throated
Vireos, Blue Jay, American Crow, Northern Parula, Yellow-throated and Prothonotary
Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Summer Tanager, Seaside Sparrow, Northern
Cardinal, Painted Bunting, Dickcissel, Eastern Meadowlark, Boat-tailed and Great-tailed
Grackles and Orchard Oriole.
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| Clay-coloured Thrush |
The Lower Rio Grande Valley,
the river itself marking the border between the States and Mexico, holds many
specialty species that are found nowhere else in the United States. Most of this region is flat to gently rolling
hills and is covered with dense thorny vegetation. Live oak woodlands mixed with brush and
grasslands can be found along the eastern part of this region. Moving west the amount of annual rainfall
drops and the habitat becomes more arid.
The birdlife in this area is quite unique with many species that aren’t
found regularly anywhere else in the US. Some specialty species include
Black-bellied Whistling and Mottled
Duck, Plain Chachalaca, Least Grebe, Tricolored Heron, Reddish Egret,
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork,
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| Altamira Oriole |
Hook-billed Kite,
White-tailed Kite, Gray, Harris’s and White-tailed Hawks, Crested Caracara,
Aplomado Falcon, Clapper Rail, Common Ground-Dove, White-tipped Dove, Greater
Roadrunner, Green Parakeet, Groove-billed Ani, Common Pauraque, Buff-bellied
Hummingbird, Ringed and Green Kingfishers, Golden-fronted and Ladder-backed
Woodpeckers, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Vermilion, Brown-crested and
Ash-throated Flycatchers, Great Kiskadee, Couch’s Kingbird, Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher, Green Jay, Chihuahuan Raven, Cave Swallow, Black-crested Titmouse,
Verdin, Cactus and Bewick’s Wrens, Clay-colored Thrush, Long-billed and
Curve-billed Thrashers, Mangrove (Yellow) Warbler, White-collared Seedeater,
Olive, Botteri’s, Cassin’s, Lark and
Black-throated Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia, Bronzed Cowbird and Hooded, Altamira and Audubon’s Orioles.
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| Eastern Screech Owl |
The
Texas Hill
Country (or Edwards Plateau) covers a large
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| Green Jay |
portion of central Texas. The
two most sought-after birds in this area are the Golden-cheeked Warbler and the
Black-capped Vireo, which are present in the spring and summer months. Some of
the habitats found in this region are juniper-oak woodlands, riparian woodlands
along rivers and streams and open grasslands. As its name implies the area is
generally hilly and is generally drier than the areas to the east. Some
specialty species include Wild Turkey, Northern Bobwhite, Greater Roadrunner, Black-chinned
Hummingbird, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Vermilion and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers,
Western Scrub-Jay, Black-crested Titmouse, Bushtit, Bewick’s Wren, Bell’s Vireo,
Golden-cheeked Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat,
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| Green Parakeets |
Canyon Towhee, Field, Vesper,
Lark, Black-throated and Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Painted Bunting, Bullock’s
and Scott’s Orioles and Lesser Goldfinch.
Other wildlife
will not be forgotten and we will attempt to see a variety of mammals including
Armadillo, white-tailed deer, squirrels, javellinas [aka peccary], racoons,
rabbits, coyotes and maybe even Bobcats
. A variety of cold blooded critters, including Alligators, snakes, lizards and
frogs will be encountered around a variety of wetlands. Butterflies,
particularly, in the Rio Grande Valley, will be impressive.
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| Greater Roadrunner |
Food in the United States perhaps has not the best
reputation in the world however we will seek some genuine Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking as well as some Cajun Food as we approach the Louisiana border. Texan BBQ will also be on the menu from
time to time. With American servings on offer we certainly won’t go hungry!!
While travelling around Texas we will not be allowed to
forget the proximity and connection with Mexico. And we will not forget…the Alamo. This classic historic site,
located in downtown San Antonio, will warrant a visit as will the nearby River
Walk where we will find a decent Mexican lunch.
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| Paraque |
All in all this will be a classic birding and natural
history adventure which will prove an excellent introduction to the birds of
North America and the geography and landscapes of the Lone Star State.
Ken Cross
54457881
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| Great Egret, Alligator and Grebe |
All photos by Ken Cross
