Lubbock received 0.04 inches of rain during February, well below the
average February total of 0.71 inches, along with 0.00 inches of rain
during January, leaving us very much below the average year-to-date
total of 1.21 inches. Overall conditions continued mild and, though we
are very much back in the drought, there some interesting
overwintering birds and early arrivals.
Regional summaries of eBird data can not be acquired in a timely
fashion. As a result, records submitted to eBird may not appear in
this report. Reports from the region that are submitted to the
texbirds or leasbirds listservs can be reviewed in a timely fashion
and should appear.
As always, the county follows the site in ( ) and birds are mentioned
by virtue of rarity, atypical abundance, or atypical scarcity. Water
Treatment Ponds have come to feature so prominently in these reports
that they will, henceforth, be referred to as WTP.
SNOW GOOSE: 3 near Shallowater (Lubbock) on 2/8/19 (DH, BS) the only
report - INCREDIBLE LOW NUMBER OF REPORTS AND NUMBERS.
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE: 11 near Shallowater (Lubbock) on 2/8/19
(DH, BS) and 8 near Skeen Playa (Lynn) on 2/10/19 (MDL) the only
reports - INCREDIBLY LOW NUMBER OF REPORTS AND NUMBERS.
BLUE-WINGED TEAL: 8 at the Hale Center WTP (Hale) on 2/9/19 (NP) -
GOOD NUMBERS FOR A REPORT DEEP IN WINTER.
CINNAMON TEAL:3 at the Skeen Playa (Lynn) on 2/9/19 (JA, CB, IB, BH,
KHa, BL, GP, SS) - ABOUT AVERAGE FOR THIS RARE WINTER LINGERER.
CANVASBACK: 1 at the Skeen Playa (Lynn) on 2/9/19 (JA, CB, IB, BH,
KHa, BL, GP, SS) the only report - VERY LOW NUMBER OF REPORTS AND
EXTRAORDINARILY LOW NUMBERS.
REDHEAD: 7 at the Skeen Playa (Lynn) on 2/9/19 (JA, CB, IB, BH, KHa,
BL, GP, SS), 1 at the Hale Center WTP (Hale) on 2/16/19 (NP), 1 at
Lake Alan Henry (Garza) on 2/20/19 (SK) and on 2/28/19 (SK) the only
reports - VERY LOW NUMBERS.
COMMON MERGANSER: 3 at McAlister Park (Lubbock) on 2/11/19 (EH,
photographs) the only report - ABOUT AVERAGE FOR THIS VERY RARE WINTER
VISITOR.
SCALED QUAIL:3 at Yellowhouse Canyon (Lubbock) on 2/19/19 (DH) the
only report - LOW BUT LITTLE EFFORT REPORTED.
RING-NECKED PHEASANT: 1 at the Hale Center WTP (Hale) on 2/16/19 (NP)
the only report - LOW.
INCA DOVE: 1 in a Lubbock yard (Lubbock) on 2/5/19 (CR, FR) and 2 in
another Lubbock yard (Lubbock) on 2/6/19 (WW) the only reports - ABOUT
AVERAGE FOR THIS SLOWLY VANISHING SPECIES.
WHOOPING CRANE: 1 near Skeen Playa (Lynn) on 2/5/19 (JBs) and on
2/10/19 (MDL) - FORMERLY ACCIDENTAL TO THE REGION; NOW A CASUAL WINTER
VISITOR.
LONG-BILLED CURLEW: 4 near the Lubbock Power Plant (Lubbock) on
2/20/19 (DH) - ABOUT AVERAGE FOR THIS RARE WINTER LINGERER.
GREATER YELLOWLEGS: 9 at the Skeen Playa (Lynn) on 2/9/19 (JA, CB, IB,
BH, KHa, BL, GP, SS) - VERY LOW NUMBER OF REPORTS BUT GOOD NUMBERS.
HERRING GULL: 1 at Maxey Park (Lubbock) on 2/26/19 (AH) the only
report - A TAD LOW.
NEOTROPIC CORMORANT: 1 amidst the horde of Double-crested Cormorants
at McAlister Park (Lubbock) on 2/21/19 (EH, photographs) - FORMERLY
ACCIDENTAL TO THE REGION; BECOMING A LOW-DENSITY, PERMANENT RESIDENT.
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN: 2 at Maxey Park (Lubbock) from 2/26/19 (AH)
through 2/28/19 (DH, AH, GK) - A RARE WINTER VISITOR; REPORTS ALWAYS
NOTEWORTHY.
SNOWY EGRET: 1 at Maxey Park (Lubbock) on 2/26/19 (AH) the only report
- APPARENTLY THE SOLE OVERWINTERING EGRET IN THE REGION.
TURKEY VULTURE: 1 north of Dougherty (Floyd) on 2/7/19 (DS) and 1 at
Lake Alan Henry (Garza) on 2/25/19 (SK) - WITH THE BIRDS NOTED IN
JANUARY, THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR THE SPECIES HAS MADE WHAT ONE MIGHT
CONSIDER AN OVERWINTERING ATTEMPT IN THE REGION!
WHITE-TAILED KITE; A pair nesting near Shallowater (Lubbock)
throughout the period (DH, BS, JCr, JM) - A RARE VISITOR TO THE REGION
WITH LITTLE IN THE WAY OF SEASONALITY; AN EVEN RARER BREEDER.
RED-SHOULDERED HAWK: 1 at Clapp Park (Lubbock) through the period
(DH), 1 at Dupree Park (Lubbock) on 2/13/19 (SK) and 2/15/19 (SK), and
1 at the Lubbock Cemetery (Lubbock) on 2/23?19 (SP, BK) - FORMERLY A
RARE MIGRANT, THE SPECIES HAS BECOME A PERMANENT RESIDENT ALBEIT AT
LOW DENSITIES.
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK: 1 at McAlister Park (Lubbock) on 2/6/19 (JM) the
only report - FORMERLY A COMMON WINTER RESIDENT; THE SPECIES BECOMES
SCARCER WITH EACH PASSING WINTER.
GOLDEN EAGLE: 1 near Bledsoe (Yoakum) on 2/17/19 (DH) and 1 near the
Lubbock Power Plant (Lubbock) on 2/20/19 (DH) - ABOUT AVERAGE FOR THIS
RARE WINTER VISITOR.
GOLDEN-FRONTED WOODPECKER: 1 at Clapp Park (Lubbock) on 2/25/19 (DH) -
VERY RARE, CURRENTLY, AS AN ATOP-THE-CAPROCK SPECIES.
PEREGRINE FALCON: 1-2 at the Indiana x 50th Tower (Lubbock) throughout
the period (AH) and 1 on the TTU HSC Campus (Lubbock) throughout the
period (AH) - ABOUT AVERAGE FOR THIS RARE WINTER VISITOR.
EASTERN PHOEBE: 3 at Lake Alan Henry (Garza) on 2/1/19 (SK), 1 at
Yellowhouse Canyon (Lubbock) on 2/19/19 (DH), 1 at Lake Alan Henry
(Garza) on 2/19/19 (SK), 1 at Lake Alan Henry (Kent) on 2/25/19 (SK),
and 2 at Lake Alan Henry (Garza) on 2/28/19 (SK) - GOOD NUMBER OF
REPORTS; AVERAGE NUMBERS.
VERMILION FLYCATCHER: 1 male continued at Tahoka (Lynn) throughout the
period (JB, MDL) - FORMERLY ACCIDENTAL TO THE REGION; NOW KNOWN AS A
REGULAR VISITOR TO THE REGION, STILL WITH POORLY UNDERSTOOD
SEASONALITY.
COMMON RAVEN: Seven reports of 1-5 birds in the region (Crosby, Garza,
Kent) during the period (KH, SK) - HISTORICALLY COMMON BELOW THE
CAPROCK ESCARPMENT, MORE RECENTLY ALMOST VANISHED FROM THE REGION;
CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF RE-OCCUPYING ITS FORMER RANGE AND MORE.
PURPLE MARTIN: 1 in a Lubbock yard (Lubbock) on 2/24/19 (JG, PJ) and 1
at Maxey Park (Lubbock) on 2/26/19 (AH) - BY RECENT YEARS' STANDARDS
THESE ARE ACTUALLY FAIRLY LATE ARRIVAL DATES.
BLACK-CRESTED TITMOUSE: 1 at Yellowhouse Canyon (Lubbock) on 2/19/19
(DH) - FORMERLY EASY TO FIND AS FAR WEST AS FLOYD, LUBBOCK, AND GARZA
COUNTIES; NOW GENERALLY FURTHER OR MUCH FURTHER TO THE EAST.
ROCK WREN: 1 at Lake Alan Henry (Garza) on 2/1/19 (SK) the only report
- LOW NUMBER OF REPORTS AND NUMBERS.
WINTER WREN: 1 at Yellowhouse Canyon (Lubbock) on 2/19/19 (DH) the
only report - LOW NUMBERS.
CAROLINA WREN: 1 at the Skeen Playa (Lynn) on 2/9/19 (JA, CB, IB, BH,
KHa, BL, GP, SS) the only report - VERY LOW NUMBER OF REPORTS AND THE
ONE REPORT WAS FROM AN ODDLY WESTERN LOCATION FOR THE REGION.
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER: 1 at Yellowhouse Canyon (Lubbock) on 2/19/19
(DH) the only report - LOW.
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET: 1 at Lake Alan Henry (Garza) on 2/5/19 (SK)
the only report - LOW.
EASTERN BLUEBIRD: 2 at Camp Rio Blanca (Crosby) on 2/5/19 (KH) and 3
at Yellowhouse Canyon (Lubbock) on 2/19/19 (DH) the only reports - A
TAD LOW.
WESTERN BLUEBIRD: 1 at Camp Rio Blanca (Crosby) on 2/5/19 (KH), 1
female and 2 males at Tahoka (Lynn) on 2/17/19 (MDL), 2 near Bledsoe
(Yoakum) on 2/17/19 (DH), 1 at Yellowhouse Canyon (Lubbock) on 2/19/19
(DH), 5 at the Lubbock Cemetery (Lubbock) on 2/23/19 (SP, BK), and 5
in Tahoka (Lynn) on 2/28/19 (MDL) - GOOD NUMBER OF REPORTS AND GOOD
NUMBERS - THE WINTER SUCCESS STORY!
MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD: 20+at Lake Alan Henry (Garza) on 2/1/19 (SK), 15+
at Lake Alan Henry (Garza) on 2/12/19 (SK), and 15+ at Lake Alan Henry
(Garaz) on 2/25/19 (SK) - GOOD NUMBERS BUT ODDLY LOCALIZED, ESPECIALLY
GIVEN THE GOOD SCATTER EARLIER IN THE SEASON.
HERMIT THRUSH: 1 at Clapp Park (Lubbock) throughout the period (JrC,
DH, BS) the only bird reported - LOW NUMBER OF REPORTS AND VERY LOW
NUMBERS.
GRAY CATBIRD: 1 continuing at Clapp Park (Lubbock) throughout the
period (JrC, DH, BS) - CASUAL TO THE AREA IN WINTER AND BIRDS VERY
RARELY PERSIST AT A SINGLE SITE THROUGH THE SEASON.
CEDAR WAXWING: Two reports of 4-8 birds and five reports of 12-34
birds in the region (Garza, Hale, Lubbock, Lynn) during the period
(JB, DH, SK, LM, NP) - GOOD NUMBERS BY RECENT WINTERS' STANDARDS; POOR
NUMBERS BY HISTORICAL STANDARDS.
PINE SISKIN: 4 in a Plainview yard (Hale) on 2/9/19 (NP) the only
report - VERY LOW.
LESSER GOLDFINCH: 1 in a Lubbock yard (Lubbock) on 2/9/19 (JoC), 1 in
another Lubbock yard (Lubbock) on 2/16/19 (LM), and 7 at Yellowhouse
Canyon (Lubbock) on 2/19/19 (DH) - GOOD NUMBER OF REPORTS AND GOOD
NUMBERS FOR THIS RARE WINTER LINGERER.
CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR: 15 near Hale Center (Hale) on 2/16/19 (NP)
the only report - LOW NUMBER OF REPORTS AND EXTRAORDINARILY LOW
NUMBERS.
MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR: 7 near Hale Center (Hale) on 2/16/19 (NP) the only
report - EXTRAORDINARILY LOW NUMBER OF REPORTS AND NUMBERS.
CHIPPING SPARROW: 25+ at Lake Alan Henry (Garza) on 2/5/19 (SK) - VERY
GOOD NUMBERS FOR A WINTER REPORT!
TOWNSEND'S WARBLER: 1 in a Lubbock yard (Lubbock) on 2/16/19 (LM) - A
VERY EXCITING REPORT AS THIS IS NOT ONE OF THE WARBLERS THAT, EVEN
ACCIDENTALLY, WINTERS IN OUR REGION.
OBSERVERS: JA=John Adams, CB=Carol Bailey, IB=Ira Baline, JB=Jeff
Boatright, JBs=Justin Bosler, JoC=Joe Cochran, JrC=Jordan Cochran,
JCr=Jim Crites, MDL=Manuel De Leon, BH-Bill Hardie, KHa=Karen Hardie,
DH=Drew Harvey, AH=Anthony Hewetson, EH=Ellen Hildebrandt, KH=Kelly
Himmel, GU=George Jury, PJ-Pat Jury, SK=Stephen Kasper, BK=Barry
Keith, GK=Glenda Kelly, BL=Bill Lupardus LM=Liam McGuire, JM=Jennifer
Miller, GP=Greg Palko SP=Skyler Parks, NP=Niler Pyeatt, CR=Clarice
Robertson, FR=Floyd Robertson, DS=David Sarkozi, BS=Brad Shine,
SS=Shirley Stafford, WW=Willima Wenthe
Anthony Hewetson; Lubbock4