[leasbirds] An odd two hours at Clapp Park
- From: Anthony Hewetson <terrverts@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "leasbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <leasbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2014 16:09:04 -0800 (PST)
Greetings All:
I spent two hours at Clapp Park this afternoon/prevening - in search of the
Black-throated Sparrow located yesterday. Based on what I've been told by two
other birders I did much better late in the day, with the winds a bit less
severe, than was possible in the morning. It is hideously dry but one of the
four puddles left in the park sported a couple of American Bullfrogs.
The first thing I saw was a mixed flock of 2 House Finches, 2 Pine Siskins, and
7 American Goldfinches atop the tallest conifers in the northwest corner of the
park - and I saw none of these birds anywhere in the park during the next two
hours despite several passes through all appropriate habitat. Pine Siskins
have been incredibly difficult to find in the region this year despite good
coverage of the best sites: it was a bit of relief to come across a couple.
I dipped on the Black-throated Sparrow but by kicking every brushpile in the
park I located my first Hermit Thrush for the area this year - a species that
has been all but absent in the region this winter.
I located the female Evening Grosbeak in a thicket across the street from 2208
40th Street - hiding from the wind, no doubt - but saw no sign of her after she
disappeared into the neighborhood to the north. The skittishness of this bird
is kind of amazing - this park is just about the best birded site in our region
and sightings of this bird are 1/29/14, 2/2/14, 2/27/14, and 2/28/14 with
numerous conspicuous misses involving multiple hours of searching. She would
have been very easy to overlook today as local birders rarely check that
particular thicket.
I initially dipped on the Townsend's Solitaire but my fourth pass at the
conifers in the northwest corner of the park kicked it out and this pass also
produced a visual of the Orange-crowned Warbler I had heard during the three
previous passes. Another birder I encountered had seen the solitaire earlier.
So far as I could tell the Mountain Bluebirds are gone (last seen on 2/22/14)
and a pretty thorough search yielded no Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (last seen on
2/22/14).
What made the visit odd? Not a single American Robin heard or seen! An
Orange-crowned Warbler but not a single Yellow-rumped Warbler? Not a single
White-crowned Sparrow?
Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson; Lubbock
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- » [leasbirds] An odd two hours at Clapp Park - Anthony Hewetson