Wolf Springs Road and Blue Sky Sod Farm

After not birding last weekend and knowing I wouldn't be birding next weekend I was in the hunt for a quick morning of birding. Shorebird migration is in full swing, and I am really lacking in the shorebird department because I am total garbage at identifying them. I won't have access to Southside for a few weeks, so the next best option in the area is Wolf Springs Road near Ferris. The main bird I wanted was Buff-breasted Sandpiper. I knew waking up it was not going to be extremely productive, the heat combined with the lack of rain meant that there would be little to no mud, and consequently little to no shorebird activity. 

Blue Sky Sod Farm at Wolf Springs

Of course, that was mostly the case compared to the last time I was there. Killdeer was the most abundant bird of the day, and with the recent plowing of the turf visibility was good. I was pretty much scanning with binoculars, hoping to see birds to scope in the distance. They were watering part of the field, and there was a stretch of dirt that looked like it had potential. The scope opened up what seemed like a whole new world. There were a lot of birds, they just were too far away to see with the naked eye. 

Killdeer

First to appear in the scope was a pair of Upland Sandpipers. I got outstanding looks at them, and I laughed to myself because it took me years to see one, and now I see them no problem, just like with Hooded Mergansers in 2019. The plowed field gave me near perfect scoping conditions. I could pretty much scope the whole field from 2 spots. A Pectoral Sandpiper, a county bird, appeared out of a clump of dirt and gave me great views. There was also a mystery sandpiper that will not be counted, but I am very sure it was a Baird's. It was at a distance, but it was unlike any other sandpiper I'd seen. If definitely was bigger than Western, but wasn't a Stilt or Pectoral. It absolutely was not Spotted. I have experience with every other shorebird that was possible and could easily rule them out, but it's since I'm 100% I can't count it in good faith. All while this was going on there was a massive flock of swallows whipping around, and I was able to pick out Barn, Cliff, and Northern Rough-winged.

Loggerhead Shrike

There was a bird that I was 100% certain about identifying. I got to the end of the field and was checking Killdeer to see if anything else was showing in when I saw 4 birds in the distance that kind of looked like Uplands but weren't. I had a feeling what they were but I didn't want to get my hopes up. 4 golden-brown birds with straight bills left no doubt: BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER! After getting excellent views for a few minutes I began to feel the heat. I decided to see what else was out there and I drove further down the road. There were no shorebirds, but a White Ibis flew overhead, and then I got very cooperative Dickcissels and a Loggerhead Shrike. While I've heard them, I don't think I've seen a Dickcissel in 3 years and the shrike was a county bird for me. Satisfied, I made my way home to continue studying my shearwaters and albatrosses for September.

Dickcissel

Late Summer Birding

Birding is usually pretty slow for me in the summer. College Station and Houston love to crank up the humidity, and I for the longest time I never woke up early enough to take advantage of the prime birding hours. Now that I'm back in Dallas, armed with a much better sleep cycle and up against less humidity, I have been loving birding in the late summer. 

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Trammell Crow Park

My first stop on the tour was the Finegan Ranch in Mineola, which is private property owned by a high school friend's family. There is some serious birding potential out there, and I am convinced they've got something good birds like Swainson's Warbler. My first night out there I heard the strangest bird calling out while we were fishing by the pond. It was an unmistakeable Chuck-wills-widow! Lifer #424! I've heard the species in particular is struggling with massive habitat loss issues, but we heard multiple that night which is encouraging considering the owners will take great care of it. My alarm clock was actually a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and on some trails on the property I would hear several more, in addition to Black-and-white Warblers and Indigo Buntings. I also saw massive woodpecker holes which indicate Pileated is present. I really can't wait to bird here more throughout the seasons and see what else is out there!

My next stop was on Saturday at the always reliable White Rock Lake spillway and fish hatchery. I'm ashamed to admit that it took me so long to realize it, but I only recently discovered the ponds and trails in the woods that I was really excited to explore. I started out heading to scope the spillway in hopes of getting some shorebirds. A nice surprise of 2 molting Black Terns flew overhead as I went up the hill. While the variety of shorebirds was limited, it was a great opportunity to work on telling apart Western and Semipalmated Sandpipers. Seeing them side by side made a massive difference, mostly seeing the differences in body shape and bill length.

Killdeer (L) with Semipalmated Sandpiper (bottom R) and Western Sandpiper (top R). Notice the Semipalmated being smaller, grayer, and having a short bill while the Western has browner scapulars.

The trails were pretty quiet, which I expected. I'm had great looks at Eastern Kingbird, which for some reason I seemed to not see as many of down on the coast. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were common as were Tufted Titmice. The highlight was a full pond that was very secluded. I was able to sneak up on Green Herons and a White Ibis. White Ibis is normally something I admire at a relative distance, but seeing one so close reminding me of how stunning they are. They look like something you would find in the tropics with their bright red face and bill contrasted with the bright white plumage. I stood there for about 10 minutes just chillin with the birds until they eventually moved on. I would up with 34 species on the day, not bad for an August morning!

White Ibis

The final stop of the birding run was Trammell Crow Park with Matt Duross. A Roseate Spoonbill was being seen down at one of the bridges and the ponds were going to have other waders. Roseate Spoonbill is one of my favorite birds and they visit here as post-breeders. I always loved seeing along the coast, and I really miss seeing them as often as I used to. We got there pretty early to a busy pond. We had 2 spoonbills among other things waders. Pretty much every wader was seen, although I missed the Tricolored Heron that Matt saw. Shorebirds were pretty abundant, and I got plenty of county birds like Solitary Sandpiper and White-faced Ibis. An Upland Sandpiper had been calling at one point, and I really felt uneasy about counting it because I don't like heard only lifers that aren't an owl or nightjar. Luckily that wouldn't be an issue. Walking back to the car in the heat I was pretty much done birding, but a sandpiper with a short straight bill flew out of the grass and across the levee. UPLAND SANDPIPER! I am ashamed it took me this long to get an Upland Sandpiper, if you told me I would see a White Wagtail before one I would have laughed in your face.

Roseate Spoonbill, Trammell Crow Park

It looks like that's a wrap on my late summer birding, as I have a few weekend trips planned with friends, but it was a fantastic month with 2 lifers! Weather permitting I'll have a day to maybe get out to Wolf Springs to look for Swallow-tailed Kites and other shorebirds I'm missing. 

Fall will be starting off with a bang, though. We're going to Washington! I booked a flight to Seattle for Labor Day weekend to take a pelagic out of Westport and to camp at Mount Rainier National Park to look for White-tailed Ptarmigan and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch. This will also be my first pelagic, so I am extremely pumped for that. I have about 50 lifers that I am gunning, which obviously I won't get all of, but it'll keep me extremely busy!