[leasbirds] Tundra Swan, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Loon, and Evening Grosbeak in Lubbock Today

  • From: Anthony Hewetson <terrverts@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "leasbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <leasbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2014 13:16:12 -0800 (PST)

Greetings All:

I spent a little over three hours in Lubbock this morning and Clapp Park and 
the Canyon Lakes were well worth the effort.

I started at Clapp Park where every songbird in the park was clustered in the 
two conifer thickets at the north end of the park with most of the birds 
(including all of the highlights) in the thicket closest to the northwest 
playa.  The thicket afforded a pleasant microclimate away from the two inches 
of snow on the ground.  Highlights included 1 Townsend's Solitaire, 1 
Orange-crowned Warbler, 1 Fox Sparrow, and 1 female EVENING GROSBEAK.  The 
grosbeak, quite probably the same one spotted earlier in the winter, was 
relocated at this site earlier in the week by Cameron Carver.  Thanks, Cameron!

Highlights at Lake Six included 11 Common Mergansers, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 
and 3 White-throated Sparrows.  Mae Simmons Park kicked out a happily singing 
Carolina Wren.  MacKenzie Park kicked out 1 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Wilson's 
Sniipes, and 1 Downy Woodpecker - the woodpecker had been spotted earlier in 
the week by Ross Rickett - thanks Ross!  The Common Loon was back, assuming 
this is the same bird, at Lake Two but much further down the lake - just above 
the spillway separating Lake Two from the upper reaches of Erskine Marsh.  
Buddy Holly Park kicked out 1 first winter (cycle) TUNDRA SWAN (assuming that 
our identification of this bird is correct), 2 Greater White-fronted Geese, 4 
Snow Geese, 2 Redheads, and 1 Common Goldeneye - the swan was swimming close to 
the boat launch in the area that was thickest with geese and is presumable the 
same bird we had earlier in the year.  


Anybody who would like photographs of the swan can e-mail me at 
anthony.hewetson@xxxxxxxxxx and I will send my two best shots along.

Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson; Lubbock

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