Greetings Peter: By 2:00 there were 2200+ geese within view of the boat launch. I noted the same phenomenon during the many hours I spent at Brashears Lake over in Levelland - low of 60+, high of 1850+. Anthony ________________________________ From: peter keyel <labtroglodyte@xxxxxxxxx> To: leasbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Sunday, February 2, 2014 5:22 PM Subject: [leasbirds] Re: Tundra Swan, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Loon, and Evening Grosbeak in Lubbock Today I had a completely different mix of waterfowl at Buddy Holly just before noon. 9 Snow geese, 4 Ring-necked ducks and a Bufflehead. Also two Red-tails courting/being harassed by a grackle. Geese numbers were somewhat low (~60ish) but some came in while I was there. I think the waterfowl move around here a little too much. We need more of these in-town playas to go dry or freeze, right? Peter Keyel Lubbock, TX labtroglodyte@xxxxxxxxx "Gonna buy a fast car Put on my lead boots And take a long, long drive" -The Who, "My Wife" -------------------------------------------- On Sun, 2/2/14, Cameron Carver <c.o.carver@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: Subject: [leasbirds] Re: Tundra Swan, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Loon, and Evening Grosbeak in Lubbock Today To: "leasbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <leasbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Date: Sunday, February 2, 2014, 5:06 PM I briefly saw the swan flying up Lake 2 in the direction of Erskine Marsh. I was out of position and never saw where it went. I then drove the entire Canyon Lake system looking for it and checked all of the marshes. The only place I didn't check was the big golf course lake. Not sure where it went between when you saw it and 3:10, but it was hiding somewhere. C On Sun, Feb 2, 2014 at 3:16 PM, Anthony Hewetson <terrverts@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: 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