Brazos Bend

It's time to get started on my run to 300. I just finished my first week of work, and I was eager to get out and see the local birds. The original plan was to try WG Jones State Forest, but checking on Birdseye I realized that Prothonotary Warbler was not going to be reliable after June, but the next few weekends I'll traveling, so I had to get it this weekend or risk not getting it at all. I've had a disappointing warbler year, and although Yellow-breasted Chat is gonna be a tough find now, I decided on Brazos Bend.

The main goal was Prothonotary Warbler, but another lifer, Purple Gallinule was an almost guarantee as well. There were also a few year birds out there.

Brazos Bend itself is one of the better state parks, offering unique habitat that I haven't been able to find in Texas. It's a place for gator lovers, there are over 250 6 foot long or more gators in the park, and they are easily seen throughout the park. The trees are the things that catch my eye the most. I feel like I'm deep in the bayou of Louisiana when I hike through there. The park is also great for new outdoorspeople, as it is close to the city, has great facilities, and it still has some wilderness to it.

Absolute unit

It was a humid day, I only could put in about 2.5 hours, and that was enough time to get on the 40 Acre Lake Trail and the Spillway Trail. It had Prothonotary Warbler reliably, and my other goal birds were all around there. Prothonotary Warblers have a call similar to Black-and-White Warbler, but to me it sounds slower and more enunciated. The habitat is perfect for them at Brazos Bend along the Spillway Trail.

Anhinga

On my way there I came across tons of wading birds. Green, Great Blue, and Little Blue Herons were all abundant, as well as Anhinga. White Ibises were wading amongst a few gators as well, but the best lead was a calling Prothonotary Warbler, but it was impossible to locate. I don't count lifers as heard only unless they are owls, rails, or nightjars so I was not going to count it. 

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks flew overhead, alligators swam by me, but the incessant call of the warbler was both frustrating and distracting.  I had an amazing view of alligator walking across the trail, but no warbler. I stayed on the spillway for over an hour, chatting with a park volunteer but always looking. Then it happened. A small bird was flitting around in Spanish Moss, but the bird didn't seem yellow enough. It was definitely yellow enough in the binoculars! Prothonotary Warbler! Before I would leave I'd see another 2. This is the second time I've gotten a warbler late in the trip, developing patience in birding has paid off! 

Little Blue Heron

I'm sitting at 243 on the year now. Can't wait to visit Brazos Bend again soon!

The Race to 300

So far this year has gotten off to a much better start than I expected. I owe a lot of that to going out to Utah and California. I got about 29 year birds off of those 2 trips. Outside of those trips, I've made a West Texas trip, like I did last year. After that trip I was around 215 or so, and right now I am sitting at 238. So far, I am on pace to shatter my record of 272 year birds. I really want to get to 300 this year, and I think I have a chance. The number is important to me not because of the number itself, but it symbolizes a really solid year of birding. That shows with the year I've had so far. In 5 months I have been all over the country birding, and I've had some amazing experiences. I want to keep that rolling through the summer. I've made some tentative plans through the summer of where I plan to go and what I hope to see, as well as some birds I've missed along the way.

I move to Houston on Thursday to start my first big boy job. Although that's less time to bird each week, I've mostly cleaned up on Dallas birds, but Houston one of the best birding areas of Texas. Most of these are day trips, and I would welcome some company on them. I'll throw in some pictures, although a heads up a ton of these aren't mine. After I visit I should have some good pics.

WG Jones State Forest
Jones State Forest in The Woodlands is a pine forest that is the best place to find the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Other year birds here are the stunning Red-headed Woodpecker, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Great-crested Flycatcher, Pine Warbler, and Yellow-breasted Chat. I've been here before  and I know where to look, so I should nab all 6 of these to get up to 244.

Pileated Woodpecker, another bird that can be found at WG Jones State Forest

Smith Point Hawkwatch

This will be an early August day trip out to Smith Point on the east side of Trinity Bay. This is a place to see thousands of migrating raptors as they head south. I should finally get Broad-winged Hawk, and in addition to that I should get a lifer Swallow-tailed Kite and White-tailed Hawk. I am expecting to get Wood Stork and lifer Magnificent Frigatebird as well, which are 2 fantastic birds. I got Wood Stork and White-tailed Hawk last year, but not the other three. Lifers/birds I missed last year are the key to getting to 300. If I get all 5, as expected with BirdsEye data, I'll go up to 249.

Red-shouldered Hawk is another migrant raptor that can be seen at Smith Point

Brazos Bend State Park

Brazos Bend is one of the best state parks in the state. Known for it's insane amount of alligators, it also has some great birding opportunities. I picked up a ton of wading birds last year at Quintana and Lafitte's Cove that I haven't gotten this year, and I have a chance to get them this here. Anhinga is as close to automatic as it can get here, and I am almost assured to get Tricolored and Green Heron as well. After this it looks the only wader I should be missing is Reddish Egret. I should be able to get lifers Purple Gallinule and Prothonotary Warbler, which would be big. Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Acadian Flycatcher, and Red-eyed Vireo are all possibilities, and I think 1 out of those 3 should be a lock. I'd expect another 5 here to go up to 254.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron should be almost a sure thing at Brazos Bend

Galveston Island State Park

Another great state park, Galveston Island should bring in some needed coastal birds. Mottled and Black-bellied Whistling-Duck are resident, and Reddish Egret appears to be a common find. White-tailed Kite is present, and Least and Royal Terns should be there as well. Black Skimmer is another great bird I hope to find there, and if not I can search for it at San Jacinto. Dickcissel and Bronzed Cowbird are possible, and I bet I get one of those. I also have an outside chance at Clapper Rail.

An August trip to Apffel Park that I can do the same day can get some great shorebirds. American Oystercatcher, Snowy, Piping, and Wilson's Plover, Red Knot will all be there as will Black, Common, Royal, Least, Caspian, and Sandwich Terns. The big possible bird is Pomarine Jaeger, but I won't hold my breath for that. A few sandpipers could be in play as well. I think expecting 15 year birds here is a fair expectation, bumping me up to 269. Pomarine Jaeger, Clapper Rail, and Red Knot are the few birds I doubt I get, and getting all 3 is not happening.

I'd expected Semipalmated Plover somewhere on Galveston

Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

I should have included this with Smith Point. It's a great NWR that I have visited before, and it will offer some great chances at other birds. Seaside Sparrow is the big kahuna for me here, and it is the only sparrow being reported, and since I'm garbage at sparrows it'll help me ID it. Dickcissel is another almost given, and Marsh Wren was abundant last time I went as well. 3 year birds are likely and that'll get me to 272, what I finished with last year.

Rio Grande Valley

My big likely August weekend trip will likely be to the Rio Grande Valley, one of the birding holy lands that every birder must go to. While plans are far from finalized, I picked up an insane number of year birds last August. I hit I think 25, which got me up to 250 by the end of the summer. Last year I did the east side of the valley one weekend and the west side in December. Having been twice, I kind of have a better idea of where to go now. For the sake of this we'll say Estero Llano Grande, Santa Ana, and Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, which are in my opinion the 3 best birding sites.  Plain Chachalaca, Least Grebe, Harris's Hawk, Gray Hawk, White-tipped Dove, Groove-billed Ani, Buff-bellied Hummer, Green Kingfisher, Northern-beardless Tyrannulet, Great Kiskadee, Couch's and Tropical Kingbird, Green Jay, Clay-colored Thrush, Olive Sparrow, Hooded and Altamire Oriole, Green Parakeet, Red-crowned Amazon, and Ringed Kingfisher are a good chunk of the year birds we can get there. 25 is a conservative estimate, putting me at 297 year birds.

Altamira Oriole

Plain Chachalaca

Common Paraque

I'm really pumped for this summer. I should be able to get all of these sites in 3 months, as most are day trips I can do on the weekends and one weekend trip. I didn't realize that I could get to 300 by September. 4 day trips and weekend trip. There are plenty of other chances. Chambers and Harris usually get a good rarity or 2 in the summer, and this time I don't have Fish Camp from keeping me from a Jabiru chase. I left out Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a bird I should get but I won't know where as they're tough to see, and Tropical Parula/Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, as that will be it's own trip that I have to ask myself if I want to do it (I do, I just don't know if I'll have time). I think 1 rarity over the summer is chaseable for me as well. There is a late summer Pelagic trip out of Port Aransas that I would jump on if the dates line up well in addition.

I'm always looking for a partner on these trips. It makes it a lot more fun, especially on a chase. Please hit me up if you like what you read and want to book your ticket for a coastal birding trip!