Rio Brazos Audubon Society

The North American Butterfly Count was held on July 2, and here are the results. It was lower than last year due to the drought.

Pipevine Swallowtail 1
Little Yellow 1
Sleepy Orange 2
Gray Hairstreak 4
Red-banded Hairstreak 2
Reakirt’s Blue 4
Common Buckeye 1
Hackberry Emperor 1
Southern Cloudywing 1
Northern Cloudywing 2
Horace’s Duskywing 2
Com. Checkered-Skipper 8
Common/White Checkered-Skipper 1
Tropical Checkered-Skipper 1
Clouded Skipper 6
Fiery Skipper 2
Southern Broken-Dash 1
Dun Skipper 6
Com. Roadside-Skipper 1
Celia’s Roadside-Skipper 5
Brazilian Skipper 1
Ocola Skipper 1

Total 22 species, 54 individuals.

2011 Brazos County
North American Migration Count
14 May 2011

1. Canada Goose – 1
2. Blue-winged Teal – 3
3. American White Pelican – 2
4. Neotropic Cormorant – 2
5. Double-crested Cormorant – 3
6. Great Blue Heron – 7
7. Great Egret – 22
8. Cattle Egret – 34
9. Green Heron – 11
10. White-faced Ibis – 3
11. Black Vulture – 17
12. Turkey Vulture – 26
13. Mississippi Kite – 8
14. Northern Harrier – 1
15. Red-shouldered Hawk – 10
16. Red-tailed Hawk – 5
17. Crested Caracara – 1
18. Sora – 2
19. American Coot – 1
20. Killdeer – 13
21. American Avocet – 6
22. Spotted Sandpiper – 4
23. Upland Sandpiper – 1
24. Least Sandpiper – 12
25. White-rumped Sandpiper – 3
26. Baird’s Sandpiper – 1
27. Buff-breasted Sandpiper – 14
28. Long-billed Dowitcher – 7
29. Rock Pigeon – 110
30. Eurasian Collared-Dove – 11
31. White-winged Dove – 3
32. Mourning Dove – 52
33. Inca Dove – 6
34. Yellow-billed Cuckoo – 7
35. Barred Owl – 1
36. Common Nighthawk – 4
37. Chuck-will’s-widow – 1
38. Chimney Swift – 25
39. Ruby-throated Hummingbird – 9
40. Red-bellied Woodpecker – 11
41. Downy Woodpecker – 18
42. Pileated Woodpecker – 1
43. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher – 1
44. Acadian Flycatcher – 4
45. Least Flycatcher – 2
xx. Empi sp. – 1
46. Eastern Phoebe – 1
47. Great Crested Flycatcher – 5
48. Western Kingbird – 7
49. Eastern Kingbird – 1
50. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher – 20
51. Loggerhead Shrike – 4
52. White-eyed Vireo – 10
53. Yellow-throated Vireo – 1
54. Philadelphia Vireo – 1
55. Red-eyed Vireo – 2
56. Blue Jay – 32
57. American Crow – 28
58. Horned Lark – 3
59. Purple Martin – 8
60. Northern Rough-winged Swallow – 4
61. Bank Swallow – 1
62. Cliff Swallow – 200
63. Cave Swallow – 50
64. Barn Swallow – 40
65. Carolina Chickadee – 56
66. Tufted Titmouse – 9
67. Carolina Wren – 26
68. House Wren – 1
69. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 3
70. Eastern Bluebird – 4
71. Swainson’s Thrush – 1
72. American Robin – 4
73. Gray Catbird – 2
74. Northern Mockingbird – 57
75. European Starling – 50
76. Cedar Waxwing – 100
77. Northern Parula – 4
78. Yellow Warbler – 4
79. Magnolia Warbler – 9
80. Black-throated Green Warbler – 1
81. Black-and-white Warbler – 2
82. American Redstart – 4
83. Swainson’s Warbler – 1
84. Ovenbird – 1
85. Northern Waterthrush – 1
86. Kentucky Warbler – 1
87. Mourning Warbler – 1
88. Common Yellowthroat – 12
89. Wilson’s Warbler – 4
90. Summer Tanager – 2
91. Lark Sparrow – 23
92. Savannah Sparrow – 1
93. Lincoln’s Sparrow – 1
94. White-crowned Sparrow – 1
95. Northern Cardinal – 95
96. Blue Grosbeak – 1
97. Indigo Bunting – 2
98. Painted Bunting – 20
99. Dickcissel – 65
100. Red-winged Blackbird – 100
101. Eastern Meadowlark – 1
102. Yellow-headed Blackbird – 3
103. Common Grackle – 15
104. Great-tailed Grackle – 53
105. Brown-headed Cowbird – 14
106. House Finch – 1
107. House Sparrow – 38

Total Species – 107
Total Individuals – ca. 1700

Participants (9):
Jackie Girouard
Gary Giroux
John Hale
Chuck Hamilton
Kathy Liles
Bruce Neville
David Scott
Betty Vermeire
Mary Dabney Wilson
Parties (3)

Party hours (18):
Car – 3
Foot – 15

Party Miles (86):
Car – 70
Foot – 16

Temps 57-88, winds calm to light, sunny, clear

RBAS Birding 201 Lab
16 April 2011
Brison Park (B) and Country Club Lake (C)

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck C2
Muscovy Duck (domestic hybrids) C7
Domestic Goose C5
Blue-winged Teal C10
Northern Shoveler C2
Helmeted Guineafowl B6
Neotropic Cormorant C1
Great Egret C1
Little Blue Heron C1
Green Heron C7
Black Vulture C1
Turkey Vulture C2
Red-shouldered Hawk C1
Red-tailed Hawk C1
Merlin B1 C1
Sora C2
Purple Gallinule C1
American Coot C11
Killdeer B1* C1
Rock Pigeon C1
White-winged Dove B3 C2
Mourning Dove B1 C2
Chimney Swift B11 C2
Red-bellied Woodpecker B3 C2
Downy Woodpecker B1 C3
Loggerhead Shrike C2
Blue Jay B4 C2
American Crow C1
Nor. Rough-winged Swallow C2
Purple Martin C2
Barn Swallow C~12
Cave Swallow C3
Carolina Chickadee B1*
Carolina Wren B2*
Ruby-crowned Kinglet B3
American Robin B2
Northern Mockingbird B4 C5
European Starling B2 C5
Cedar Waxwing B~60 C9
Orange-crowned Warbler B1
Nashville Warbler B1
Common Yellowthroat C1*
Lincoln’s Sparrow B3
White-throated Sparrow B1
White-crowned Sparrow B2
Northern Cardinal B8
Red-winged Blackbird C3
Common Grackle B4
Great-tailed Grackle B~15 C~25
Brown-headed Cowbird B3
House Sparrow B3 C3

* = heard only

Butterflies
Goatweed Leafwing
Question Mark
Red Admiral

Rio Brazos 12 x 12 x 12 Sparrow Field Trip

Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park

12 February 2011

We did it!  12 species of sparrow by 12 noon.  Last one was Dark-eyed Junco at 11:20.  Just after lunch, we also found a Harris’s Sparrow at the feeders in the farm area of the park.  56 species.

Greater White-fronted Goose 5

Snow Goose 45

Great Egret 1

Black Vulture 10

Turkey Vulture 5

Northern Harrier 1

Cooper’s Hawk 1

Red-shouldered Hawk 1

Red-tailed Hawk 1

Crested Caracara 1

Killdeer 1

Greater Yellowlegs 1

Least Sandpiper 1

Wilson’s Snipe 1

Eurasian Collared-Dove 2

Mourning Dove 3

Eastern Screech-Owl 1 (answered Bruce’s imitation)

Red-headed Woodpecker 1

Red-bellied Woodpecker 10

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 5

Downy Woodpecker 2

Pileated Woodpecker 2 (heard only)

Eastern Phoebe 9

Blue Jay 6

American Crow 15

Carolina Chickadee 20

Tufted Titmouse 3

Carolina Wren3

House Wren 1 (heard only)

Winter Wren 1

Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2

Hermit Thrush 1

American Robin 200

Northern Mockingbird 4

Brown Thrasher 3

American Pipit 12

Cedar Waxwing 9

Orange-crowned Warbler 1

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 40

Pine Warbler 2

Chipping Sparrow 4

Field Sparrow 11

Vesper Sparrow 10

Savannah Sparrow 10

Grasshopper Sparrow 2 (one an “Ammodramus sp.”)

Fox Sparrow 5

Song Sparrow 3

Lincoln’s Sparrow 4

Swamp Sparrow 10

White-throated Sparrow 40

White-crowned Sparrow 2

Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 2

Northern Cardinal 60

Brown-headed Cowbird 1

American Goldfinch 10

House Sparrow 1 (no, not counted in total sparrows)

29 January 2011

Birds

Greater White-fronted Goose 6

Snow Goose ~350

Ross’s Goose ~8

Wood Duck 7

Gadwall ~80

American Wigeon ~150

Mallard 4

Northern Shoveler ~25

Northern Pintail ~70

Green-winged Teal 3

Canvasback 11

Redhead 4

Ring-necked Duck ~70

Lesser Scaup 1

Pied-billed Grebe 4

Neotropic Cormorant 5

Double-crested Cormorant 1

Anhinga 1

American White Pelican 10

Great Blue Heron 2

Great Egret 1

Black Vulture ~40

Turkey Vulture ~30

Bald Eagle 1 immature

Northern Harrier 2

Red-shouldered Hawk 1

Red-tailed Hawk ~15 – very variable!

American Kestrel 5

Common Moorehen 1

American Coot ~30

Killdeer 7

Greater Yellowlegs 2

Least Sandpiper 10

Wilson’s Snipe 5

Forster’s Tern 1

Rock Pigeon 6

Eurasian Collared-Dove 3

Mourning Dove 6

Belted Kingfisher 1

Red-bellied Woodpecker 2

Downy Woodpecker 1

Pileated Woodpecker 1

Eastern Phoebe 3

Loggerhead Shrike 3

Blue Jay 5

American Crow 4

Tree Swallow 2

Carolina Chickadee 8

Tufted Titmouse 2 (heard only)

Carolina Wren 3 (heard only)

Marsh Wren 1

Eastern Bluebird 3

American Robin ~10

Northern Mockingbird 3

American Pipit 3

Orange-crowned Warbler 1

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2

Chipping Sparrow 1

Field Sparrow ~12

Vesper Sparrow 2

Savannah Sparrow ~20

Fox Sparrow 2

Song Sparrow 3

Swamp Sparrow 4

White-throated Sparrow 3

Northern Cardinal 3

Eastern Meadowlark 2

Brown-headed Cowbird 30

American Goldfinch 2

Mammals

Nutria 5

Butterflies

Orange Sulphur 1

Recent Lick Creek Park Butterfly sightings in October by Ro Wauer

Ro photographed a Broad-winged Skipper, new county record.

Total species included the following:
Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes): 1
Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae): 3
Large Orange Sulphur (P. agarithe): 1
Little Yellow (Pyrisita lisa): 1
Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole): 1
Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus): 8
Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops): 60+
Dusky-blue Groundstreak (C. isobean): 20+
Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae): 8
Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis): 22
Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia): 3
Tawny Emperor (Asterocampa clyton): 1
Gemmed Satyr (Cyllopsis gemma): 3
Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius): 5
Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius): 8
Broad-winged Skipper (Poanes viator): 1
Dun Skipper (Euphyes vestries): 5

Here are the count results from our July 3 Butterfly Count, we saw 499 individuals of 30 species.

Pipevine Swallowtail 2

Black Swallowtail 2

Giant Swallowtail 1

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 2

Checkered White 1

Cloudless Sulphur 11

Orange-barred Sulphur 1

Little Yellow 155

Sleepy Orange 8

Gray Hairstreak 6

Gulf Fritillary 30

Variegated Fritillary 5

Silvery Checkerspot 86

Pearl Crescent 10

Question Mark 5

American Lady 2

Common Buckeye 17

Red-spotted Purple 4

Hackberry Emperor 5

Tawny Emperor 3

Southern Cloudywing 2

Northern  Cloudywing 17

Horace’s Duskywing 13

Common Checkered-Skipper 4

Clouded Skipper 70

Fiery Skipper 2

Southern Broken-Dash 1

Dun Skipper 27

Celia’s Roadside-Skipper 4

Bell’s Roadside-Skipper 3

Ocola Skipper 1

Read all about our Chimney Swift Tower grant from the Audubon Foundation of Texas, and visit our Chimney Swift Tower at Lick Creek Park, near the entrance.

Grant – http://audubonfoundationtexas.org/RioBrazos2009grant.html

Lick Creek Park – http://www.cstx.gov/Index.aspx?page=538