Greetings All:
I explored Hockley County from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM yesterday, 9 April 2016.
Enough rain had fallen that Barred Tiger Salamanders were wandering about -
and I got some nice photographs. It was warm enough in the afternoon that
I noted my first lizards (Northern Earless Lizard, Great Plains Skink) and
snake (Common Kingsnake) for Hockley County this year.
I also had quite a few good to great birds, including 6 Blue-winged Teals
south of Smyer, 24 Blue-winged Teals at the Sundown Water Treatment Ponds
(WTP), 14 Blue-winged Teals at Brashear's Lake Park, 18 Blue-winged Teals
at the Bison Road Playa, 2 Blue-winged Teals at the Smyer Playa, 2 Cinnamon
Teals south of Smyer, 2 Cinnamon Teals at the Sundown WTP, 6 Cinnamon Teals
at the Bison Road Playa, 6 Cinnamon Teals at the Smyer Playa, 1 Canvasback
south of Smyer, 2 Redheads south of Smyer, 2 Scaled Quails at the Smyer
Cemetery, 2 Ring-necked Pheasants south of Roundup, 1 Ring-necked Pheasant
west of Anton, 2 Ring-necked Pheasants in Pep, 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk west of
Anton, 8 Black-necked Stilts at the Sundown WTP, 8 Black-necked Stilts at
the Bison Road Playa, 4 Black-necked Stilts at the Smyer Playa, 8 American
Avocets south of Smyer, 6 American Avocets at the Sundown WTP, 46 American
Avocets at the Bison Road Playa, 16 American Avocets at the Smyer Playa, 1
AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER at the Bison Road Playa, 9 Greater Yellowlegs at the
Bison Road Playa, 2 Greater Yellowlegs at the Smyer Playa, 3 Lesser
Yellowlegs at the Bison Road Playa, 1 Silt Sandpiper at the Bison Road
Playa, 14 Baird's Sandpipers at the Bison Road Playa, 3 Baird's Sandpipers
at the Smyer Playa, 19 Least Sandpipers at the Bison Road Playa, 6 Least
Sandpipers at the Smyer Playa, 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper at the Smyer Playa,
4 Western Sandpipers at the Bison Road Playa, 12 Long-billed Dowitchers at
the Bison Road Playa, 3 Long-billed Dowitchers at the Smyer Playa, 4
Long-billed Dowitchers south of Smyer, 2 Wilson's Snipes south of Smyer, 4
Wilson's Phalaropes at the Bison Road Playa, 1 FRANKLIN'S GULL south of
Smyer, 1 Say's Phoebe north of Smyer, 1 Say's Phoebe west of Anton, 7 Say's
Phoebes in Pep, 1 Say's Phoebe at the Sundown Cemetery, 1 Say's Phoebe at
the Sundown WTP, 1 Say's Phoebe south of Levelland, 1 Say's Phoebe near
Ropesville, 40 American Pipits south of Smyer, 1 American Pipit at the
Bison Road Playa, 1 Chestnut-collared Longspur just south of Pep, 4
Chipping Sparrows at the Ropesville Cemetery, 2 Chipping Sparrows at
Sundown School, and 1 male Yellow-headed Blackbird at the Sundown WTP.
Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson; Lubbock