Lubbock received 0.51 inches of rain during February, well below the
expected total for the month of 0.75 inches, leaving the region even
further on the dry side at the end of the second month of 2020 than it
was at the end of the first, too dry month. Conditions continued
mild and the shortage of wintering birds, even wintering suites of
birds (such as waterfowl) continued as well.
Regional summaries of eBird data cannot 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.
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE: No reports at all received -
EXTRAORDINARILY LOW NUMBER OF REPORTS AND NUMBERS.
SNOW GOOSE: 23 seen near Plainview (Hale) on 2/2/20 (NP) the only
report from the region – EXTRAORDINARILY LOW NUMBER OF REPORTS AND
NUMBERS.
ROSS’S GOOSE: No reports at all received - EXTRAORDINARILY LOW NUMBER
OF REPORTS AND NUMBERS.
CACKLING AND CANADA GOOSE: Still present throughout the period but
numbers appeared to be on the decline by the end of February – IF
PERCEIVED CORRECTLY, THIS IS A VERY EARLY DEPARTURE.
WOOD DUCK: 12 at the 103rd Street x Chicago Avenue Playa (Lubbock) on
2/5/20 (JoC), 1 male at Morton City Park (Cochran) on 2/9/20 (AP, JP),
5 at Clapp Park (Lubbock) on 2/11/20 (DH), and 30 at Leroy Elmore Park
(Lubbock) on 2/22/20 (RL, JM) – GIVEN LOW DUCK NUMBERS OVERALL, GOOD
NUMBERS AND SCATTER.
CINNAMON TEAL: 1 male at Lake Six (Lubbock) on 2/4/10 (JCr), 1 female
and 2 males at the 103rd Street x Chicago Avenue Playa (Lubbock) on
2/5/20 (JoC), 1 male at Clapp Park on 2/10/20 (JCr) and 2/11/20 (DH),
1 below Lake Six (Lubbock) on 2/14/20 (JCr), 2 at the Plainview
Apartments Playa (Hale) on 2/15/20 (NP), and 1 male at Leroy Elmore
Park (Lubbock) on 2/22/20 (RL, JM) – VERY GOOD NUMBER OF SIGHTINGS AND
GOOD SCATTER FOR THIS EARLY IN THE YEAR.
CANVASBACK: 5 near Abernathy (Hale) on 2/16/20 (NP) the only report –
EXTRAORDINARILY LOW NUMBER OF SIGHTINGS AND LOW NUMBERS.
REDHEAD: 1 near Abernathy (Hale) on 2/16/20 (NP) the only report –
EXTRAORDINARILY LOW NUMBER OF SIGHTINGS AND STUNNINGLY LOW NUMBERS.
COMMON MERGANSER: 3 at Andrews Park (Lubbock) on 2/22/20 (JM) – AN
EXCELLENT SIGHTING GIVEN THE POOR NUMBERS OF WATERFOWL THROUGHOUT THE
REGION.
SCALED QUAIL: 1 near Bledsoe (Cochran) on 2/1/20 (DH) the only report
– LOW BUT LITTLE EFFORT REPORTED FROM APPROPRIATE COUNTIES.
RING-NECKED PHEASANT: 3 near Allmon (Floyd) on 2/9/20 (BSc) the only
report – A TAD ON THE LOW SIDE BUT LITTLE EFFORT REPORTED FROM OUR
NORTHERN TIER OF COUNTIES.
INCA DOVE: 1 in a Lubbock yard (Lubbock) on 2/5/20 (CR, FR) the only
report – THE SPECIES IS BARELY HOLDING ON IN THE REGION; I WONDER WHAT
A SYSTEMIC EFFORT TO FIND INCA DOVES IN OUR FIFTEEN COUNTY REGION
WOULD REVEAL.
VIRGINIA RAIL: 1 at Clapp Park (Lubbock) on 2/11/20 (DH) the only
report – A TAD LOW.
SORA: No reports at all – LOW.
GREATER YELLOWLEGS: 1 at MacKenzie Park (Lubbock) on 2/1/20 (JM), 1 at
McAlister Park (Lubbock) on 2/3/20 (JCr), 1 at the 103rd Street x
Chicago Avenue Playa (Lubbock) on 2/3/20 (JM, BSh), 81 just north of
Abernathy (Hale) on 2/16/20 (NP), 4 north of Abernathy (Hale) on
2/16/20 (NP), and 1 at the 103rd Street x Chicago Avenue Playa
(Lubbock) on 2/17/20 (LZ) – GOOD NUMBER OF REPORTS AND EXCELLENT
NUMBERS; MOST LIKLEY DUE TO OUR – THUS FAR – VERY MILD WINTER.
NEOTROPIC CORMORANT: 1 at McAlister Park (Lubbock) on 2/3/20 (JCr) –
ONE OF POSSIBLY TWO OR THREE BIRDS PERSISTING IN LUBBOCK THIS WINTER.
GREAT EGRET: 1 at MacKenzie Park on 2/1/20 (JM) and 2/2/20 (BSc) the
only reports – A TAD LOW, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE NUMBER PRESENT THROUGH
JANUARY.
SNOWY EGRET: No reports at all – LOW BY RECENT WINTERS’ STANDARDS;
THOUGH CONDITIONS ARE WERE MILD, WATER LEVELS WERE LOWERING. PERHAPS
THIS CREATED POOR CONDITIONS FOR OVERWINTERING WADERS.
SHORT-EARED OWL: 1 at the 103rd Street x Chicago Avenue Playa
(Lubbock) from 2/2/20 through 2/15/20 (RG, CH, PKe, JM, BSh) and 1
near Allmon (Floyd) on 2/3/20 (BSc) the only reports – A TAD LOW.
PEREGRINE FALCON: 1 in southwest Lubbock (Lubbock) on 2/28/20 (LZ) the
only report – A TAD LOW.
MONK PARAKEET: 1 persisting at Wayland Baptist University (Hale) –
MAINTAINING A NEST AND WAITING.
BLACK PHOEBE: 1 at MacKenzie Park (Lubbock) from 2/1/20 through
2/23/20 (JM, JCo, BSc) – A CONTINUING BIRD - FORMERLY ACCIDENTAL TO
THE REGION; NOW CLOSING ON ANNUAL WITH LITTLE EVIDENCE OF SEASONALITY.
COMMON RAVEN: 2 near Bledsoe (Cochran) on 2/1/20 (JCo, DH) the only
report in the region – VERY LOW NUMBERS AND ON ODDLY WEST LOCATION.
PURPLE MARTIN: 3 in a Lubbock yard (Lubbock) on 2/29/20 (BJ, GJ, PJ)
and 2 over the 19th Street x Quaker Avenue Pond (Lubbock) on 2/29/20
(AH) the only reports – A TAD ON THE LATE SIDE THIS YEAR.
HOUSE WREN: 1 at the CR 270 x Highway 82 Woodlot (Terry) on 2/8/20
(AP, JP) the only report – LOW BY RECENT WINTERS’ STANDARDS.
EASTERN BLUEBIRD: 2 below Lake Six (Lubbock) on 2/14/20 (JCr) the only
report – LOW BUT LITTLE EFFORT REPORTED FROM OUR EASTERN COUNTIES.
PINE SISKIN: 2 in a Plainview yard (Hale) on 2/14/20 (NP) and 9 at
Wayland Baptist University (Hale) on 2/17/20 (NP) the only reports
received – VERY LOW NUMBER OR REPORTS AND LOW NUMBERS.
LESSER GOLDFINCH: 1 male at Ransom Lake (Lubbock) on 2/22/20 (SP) –
FORMERLY ACCIDENTAL IN THE WINTER; NOW ANNUAL ALBEIT IN SMALL NUMBERS.
CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR: 9 near Plainview (Hale) on 2/15/20 (NP)
the only report of ANY LONGSPUR received – EXTRAORDINARILY LOW
NUMBERS.
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER: 1 at Wayland Baptist University (Hale) on
2/17/20 (NP) the only report received – LOW.
PYRRHULOXIA: 1 at the Morton County Country Club (Cochran) on 2/9/20
(AP, JP) the only report received – LOW NUMBERS AND AN ODDLY FAR WEST
REPORT; ONE OF FEW RECORDS FOR THE COUNTY.
OBSERVERS: JoC=Joe Cochran, JCo=Jamie Court, JCr=Jim Crites,
RG=Rebecca Gilman, CH=Charles Harmon, DH=Drew Harvey, AH=Anthony
Hewetson, BJ=Brad Jury, GJ=George Jury, PJ=Pat Jury, PKe=Peter Keyel,
RL=Rob Lee, JM=Jennifer Miller, AP=Amy Packer, JP=Jay Packer,
SP=Skyler Parks, NP=NIler Pyeatt, CR=Clarice Robertson, FR=Floyd
Robertson, BSc=Bobby Schat, BSH=Brad Shine, LZ=Lena Zappia.
Anthony Hewetson; Lubbock