The past week or so I have undergone a number of random adventures into East Texas and along the coast as spring migration has continued to gain momentum. Bird-wise, highlights include a vagrant Red-throated Loon I stumbled upon, several East Texas/Southeastern US specialties such as Swainson's Warbler, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, and Brown-headed Nuthatch (Seen this time), several state birds for myself including Prairie Warbler, my lifer Wood Thrush, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Sooty Tern, and Swallow-tailed Kites.
Birds:
270. Red-throated Loon - Gavia stellata
271. Green Heron - Butorides virescens
272. Indigo Bunting - Passerina cyanea
273. Great Crested Flycatcher - Myiarchus crinitus
274. Swainson's Warbler - Limnothlypis swainsonii
275. Summer Tanager - Piranga rubra
276. Prairie Warbler - Setophaga discolor
277. Red-eyed Vireo - Vireo olivaceus
278. Warbling Vireo - Vireo gilvus
279. Red-cockaded Woodpecker - Dryobates borealis
280. Brown-headed Nuthatch - Sitta pusilla
281. Sandwich Tern - Thalasseus sandvicensis
282. Franklin's Gull - Leucophaeus pipixcan
283. Least Tern - Sternula antillarum
284. Bronzed Cowbird - Molothrus aeneus
285. Brown-crested Flycatcher - Myiarchus tyrannulus
286. Clay-colored Sparrow - Spizella pallida
287. Gull-billed Tern - Gelochelidon nilotica
288. Aplomado Falcon - Falco femoralis
289. Marbled Godwit - Limosa fedoa
290. Painted Bunting - Passerina ciris
291. Bullock's Oriole - Icterus bullockii
292. Bank Swallow - Riparia riparia
293. Semipalmated Sandpiper - Calidris pusilla
294. Orchard Oriole - Icterus spurius
295. Western Kingbird - Tyrannus verticalis
296. Semipalmated Plover - Charadrius semipalmatus
297. Northern Waterthrush - Parkesia noveboracensis
298. Sooty Tern - Onychoprion fuscatus
299. Piping Plover - Charadrius melodus
300. Snowy Plover - Charadrius nivosus
301. Swallow-tailed Kite - Elanoides forficatus
Heard Only:
- Red-breasted Nuthatch- Sitta canadensis
- Black Rail - Laterallus jamaicensis
- Audubon's Oriole - Icterus graduacauda
- Green Kingfisher - Chloroceryle americana
- Yellow-throated Warbler - Setophaga dominica
- Wood Thrush - Hylocichla mustelina
- Tennessee Warbler - Leiothlypis peregrina
- Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis
Reptile and amphibian wise I was able to obtain several lifers that happened to be where I was birding incidientally. Unfortunately for the Rough Green Snake, it was soon to become food for nesting Swallow-tailed Kites.
Herptiles:
22. Southern Banded Watersnake- Nerodia fasciata
23. Rio Grande Chorus Frog- Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides
24. Rio Grande Leopard Frog- Lithobates berlandieri
25. Ornate Box Turtle- Terrapene ornata
26. Western Diamondback Rattlesnake- Crotalus atrox
27. Rough Green Snake- Opheodrys aestivus
Mammal wise I encountered the first Swamp Rabbit that I have ever seen in Texas.
Mammals:
27. Swamp Rabbit- Sylvilagus aquaticus
I have spent quite a bit of time birding lately, pursuing many of my spring targets. Last weekend there was a migratory bird fallout along the Texas Coast, and I was able to track down almost every single one. Between that, local birding, and a big day I had yesterday which yielded 203 species, I have been able to add a lot of new year birds and lifers. Species wise highlights included a number of birds that are very uncommon in Texas, such as the Cape May Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Bobolink, Glossy Ibis, Red Knot, and Black-billed Cuckoo. Additionally, I was able to lay eyes upon several species I had heard only, those being Yellow-throated Vireo (labelling it warbler on my last post was a mix up), Wood Thrush, Tennessee Warbler, and Gray Catbird.
Birds:
302. Baltimore Oriole - Icterus galbula
303. Swainson's Thrush - Catharus ustulatus
304. Blue-winged Warbler - Vermivora cyanoptera
305. Willow Flycatcher - Empidonax traillii
306. Scarlet Tanager - Piranga olivacea
307. Ovenbird - Seiurus aurocapilla
308. Least Bittern - Ixobrychus exilis
309. Blue Grosbeak - Passerina caerulea
310. Rose-breasted Grosbeak - Pheucticus ludovicianus
311. Chestnut-sided Warbler - Setophaga pensylvanica
312. Blackburnian Warbler - Setophaga fusca
313. Cerulean Warbler - Setophaga cerulea
314. Kentucky Warbler - Geothlypis formosa
315. Worm-eating Warbler - Helmitheros vermivorum
316. Yellow-headed Blackbird - Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
317. Gray-cheeked Thrush - Catharus minimus
318. Eastern Kingbird - Tyrannus tyrannus
319. Eastern Wood-Pewee - Contopus virens
320. Black-billed Cuckoo - Coccyzus erythropthalmus
321. Yellow-billed Cuckoo - Coccyzus americanus
322. Whimbrel - Numenius phaeopus
323. American Redstart - Setophaga ruticilla
324. Acadian Flycatcher - Empidonax virescens
325. Dickcissel - Spiza americana
326. Prothonotary Warbler - Protonotaria citrea
327. Golden-winged Warbler - Vermivora chrysoptera
328. Veery - Catharus fuscescens
329. Least Flycatcher - Empidonax minimus
330. Common Nighthawk - Chordeiles minor
331. Black Tern - Chlidonias niger
332. Seaside Sparrow - Ammospiza maritima
333. Red Knot - Calidris canutus
334. Wilson's Plover - Charadrius wilsonia
335. Lesser Nighthawk - Chordeiles acutipennis
336. Philadelphia Vireo - Vireo philadelphicus
337. Cape May Warbler - Setophaga tigrina
338. Blackpoll Warbler - Setophaga striata
339. Bay-breasted Warbler - Setophaga castanea
340. Magnolia Warbler - Setophaga magnolia
341. Glossy Ibis - Plegadis falcinellus
342. American Bittern - Botaurus lentiginosus
343. King Rail - Rallus elegans
344. Bobolink - Dolichonyx oryzivorus
345. Buff-breasted Sandpiper - Calidris subruficollis
346. Mississippi Kite - Ictinia mississippiensis
347. Wilson's Phalarope - Phalaropus tricolor
348. Short-billed Dowitcher - Limnodromus griseus
349. Magnificent Frigatebird - Fregata magnificens
350. Yellow-throated Vireo - Vireo flavifrons
351. Wood Thrush - Hylocichla mustelina
352. Tennessee Warbler - Leiothlypis peregrina
353. Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis
Heard Only:
- Red-breasted Nuthatch- Sitta canadensis
- Black Rail - Laterallus jamaicensis
- Audubon's Oriole - Icterus graduacauda
- Green Kingfisher - Chloroceryle americana
Additionally, I have encountered a few more herp species, some encountered incidentally while birding and others searched for while herping. Highlights include my wild lifer Louisiana Milksnakes and Broad-banded Copperheads. It is also worth mentioning I stumbled upon two would be very cool finds that were already dead, those being a Saltmarsh Snake and Alligator Snapping Turtle.
Herptiles:
28. Side-blotched Watersnake- Nerodia erythrogaster
29. Broad-banded Copperhead- Agkistrodon contortrix laticinctus
30. Louisiana Milksnake- Lampropeltis triangulum amaura
31. Gulf Coast Toad- Incilius valliceps
32. Cottonmouth- Agkistrodon piscivorus
Heard Only:
- Cajun Chorus Frog- Pseudacris fouquettei
I also encountered one new mammal, a Marsh Rice Rat, while searching for Black and Yellow Rails during my big day yesterday.
Mammals:
28. Marsh Rice Rat- Oryzomys palustris texensis