Jesse Fagan and Randy Pinkston.
This was my first attempt at running a field trip to see all the breeding warblers of East Texas. I began thinking of this idea about a year ago, how difficult would it be to see all fourteen breeding warblers of East Texas in a weekend? Would it be possible to see all of them in a day? How long would it take? Initially, the idea involved only myself, but I soon realized that it would be a wonderful challenge and a lot of fun to show a group of birders from outside the area some of our breeding gems. For many people their only encounter with warblers is in migration. Some birders make special trips to renowned hot spots like High Island or, like many others, you spend hours searching your local patches. Many times these birds are silently foraging in the undergrowth or up high in the canopy. They don't stay around long, off to a place far to the north. Or are they? To the surprise of many, several species of warbler remain, set up territories, find mates, breed, and raise young in the Pineywoods of East Texas. This species include Northern Parula, Yellow-throated, Pine, Prairie, Black-and-white, American Redstart, Prothonotary, Worm-eating, Swainson's, Louisiana Waterthrush, Kentucky, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded, and Yellow-breasted Chat. The opportunity to watch them on their breeding grounds gives one an intimate understanding of where these remarkable creatures call "home"; another dimension in our understanding of their short, but fantastic lives. We will never look at an American Redstart the same way again!
To say this trip was a success would be an understatement. Over 2.5 days we managed to see all fourteen breeding warblers on territory and 26(!) species of warbler. All of the breeding warblers were heard singing and several were seen in the scope. I don't think anyone in the group will forget the Swainson's Warbler seen in the scope with his little head cocked back singing over and over, "Sweeeet, Sweeeet, Sweet, Sister-ville!" Or the frustrating and elusive Louisiana Waterthrush that we managed to see wonderfully at Boykins Springs as several kids played in the creek next to it? Go figure! Ironically, I think my favorite moment of the trip involved several migrants seen at Pecan Acres Park on the last day. Several of us watched as a Northern Parula bathed in a small creek. The parula was soon joined by a Tennessee, Chestnut-sided, and a Yellow Warbler. These birds had traveled thousands of miles from different wintering locales and here they met at a small pool of water in a town called Nacogdoches with 9 strange faces watching them from above. Amazed we watched and speechless.
Day 1, 5/3/03: We began the day early. The group met at 6:15 a.m. at the Best Western near the south loop and HW 59 south of Nacogdoches, TX. We spent most of the morning birding Saint's Rest Road. This road runs along Dorr Creek, which feeds into the Angelina River. Much of the area is bottomland deciduous forest with occasional areas of upland pine. The variety of quality habitat makes it good for several species of breeding warbler. We managed excellent looks at Prothonotary, Swainson's, Yellow-throated Warbler, and Northern Parula. Other species seen included an Osprey, Red-headed Woodpeckers, and a Chuck-wills-widow. After a mid-afternoon break we reconvened and drove to Alazan Bayou W.M.A. Though the weather was hot and humid we managed superb looks at Prairie Warbler, another foraging Swainson's Warbler, and Yellow-breasted Chat. Other passerines seen included Blue Grosbeak, Indigo, and Painted Bunting. Later, we returned to Saint's Rest Road in the evening in hopes of better looks at Louisiana Waterthrush. We did manage scope-crippling views of a Gray-cheeked Thrush feeding in a mulberry tree. Weather was partly cloudy and sunny all day. Very humid with a high of 88 F and a morning low of 68 F.
Day 2, 5/4/03: Another early morning departure west to the Davy Crockett National Forest. We left Nacogdoches on HW 21 west to the Davy Crockett and then south on FS 511 to an area near the Neches Bluff Overlook. On our first stop we found a Kentucky Warbler that perched high up in a loblolly pine. We were able to watch it sing in the scope. A nice way to start the morning! Along the Neches bottom we watched a male American Redstart singing his squeaky song high in a water oak. Along FS 511 in an area of boring second-growth pine we found a pair of Worm-eating Warblers. I almost gave up on this spot as we searched in vain for this very localized breeding warbler. I was much relieved when Randy spotted a male that soon after began to sing. He even managed to scope the bird for a few people. Randy certainly deserves the nickname "Quick Scope" for his ability and agility to set up, carry, and dismantle a scope. After exiting the Davy Crockett we stopped along HW 7 at a spot for Red-cockaded Woodpecker. We found a single bird that exited the cavity for a few minutes to forage before entering the cavity again. In the afternoon, the group drove to Boykins Spring in the Angelina National Forest southeast of Lufkin. At this location, we finally saw (well) a Louisiana Waterthrush. This completed our sweep of the breeding warblers and I felt I could finally relax (just a little!). We searched in vain for a Bachman's Sparrow, but none were singing and the winds had picked up a little making birding difficult. Since the birding was slow several of us resorted to butterflying (see below). We identified a Little-Wood Satyr and a Zebra Swallowtail among others. Weather all day was overcast and cloudy with threatening rain clouds. However, it failed to rain and remained muggy and humid all day. Highs around 80 F with south winds.
Day 3, 5/5/03: Our last day, but what an amazing day it was! We met at Pecan Acres Park in Nacogdoches at 7:00 a.m. The weather was again cloudy and overcast with south winds. This was an optional half-day, but I was glad that most of the group decided to attend as birding in Pecan Park at this time of year can be very productive. The park was literally alive with birds as I tried to convince the group that this was an "average" day in May for Pecan Park. We had superb, multiple looks at Tennessee Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Black-throated Green, American Redstart, and Common Yellowthroat. Others seen included Blue-winged, Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, a singing Cerulean Warbler, and a Canada Warbler. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were found feeding in a mulberry tree. After our second pass through the park we felt exhausted, but fulfilled and satisfied that we had seen and heard quite a number of species in the last few days.
Key to locations: SR=Saint's Rest Road, A=Alazan Bayou WMA, DC=Davy Crockett National Forest, B=Boykins Spring in the Angelina National Forest, P=Pecan Acres Park, N=Nacogdoches.
mig = believed to be a migrant though may possibly breed in the region
h = heard only
+ = numbers difficult to estimate, but at least as many as listed
? = uncertainty of identification
The taxonomic order of species follows that of the A.O.U. and their Checklist of North American Birds, 7th Edition (1998) and supplements. The location(s) where the species was seen is given in parentheses along with an approximate count. Those species in bold are uncommon for this region and/or group highlights. More noteworthy species are bold and underlined. The breeding warblers of Texas are listed in bold and underlined with an asterisk(*).
Pied-billed Grebe (A, 6)-2 adults with 4 fledglings.
Double-crested Cormorant (A, 1)
Great Blue Heron (S,A, 8)
Great Egret (A,DC, 3)
Little Blue Heron (SR,A,DC, 16)
Cattle Egret (SR,A,DC,B, 35)
Green Heron (SR, 1)
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (A, 3)
Black Vulture (A,DC,B, 7)
Turkey Vulture (SR,A,DC,B,P, 31)
Wood Duck (SR, 6)
Osprey (SR, 1 mig)
Mississippi Kite (SR,A, 2)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (1)
Cooper's Hawk (1)
Red-shouldered Hawk (SR, P, 4)-including a bird on a nest with 3 downy young in Pecan
Park.
Broad-winged Hawk (SR, 1 sub-adult, mig?)
Red-tailed Hawk (SR, 1)
Wild Turkey (B, 1)
Killdeer (SR, 3)
Rock Dove (N, 5+)
Mourning Dove (A,B, 11)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (SR,A,DC,P, 13)
Barred Owl (SR, 2-h)
Chuck-will's-widow (SR,DC, 2)
Chimney Swift (B,P, 15)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (SR,A,B, 3)
Belted Kingfisher (B, 1-h)
Red-headed Woodpecker (SR, 4)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (SR,DC,P, 18)
Downy Woodpecker (SR,DC,P, 7)
Hairy Woodpecker (SR, 2)
Red-cockaded Woodpecker (DC, 1)
Pileated Woodpecker (SR, 3)
Eastern Wood-Pewee (SR,A,DC,P, 10)
Acadian Flycatcher (SR,A,DC, 25+)
Least Flycatcher (P, A?, 3)
Eastern Phoebe (A,DC, 2)
Great Crested Flycatcher (SR,A,DC,P, 19)
Western Kingbird (N, 1)-seen only by leaders along south loop just east
of HW 59 on 5/3/03.
Eastern Kingbird (N, 1)
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (N,A,B,P, 18)
White-eyed Vireo (SR,A,DC,P, 25)
Bell's Vireo (SR, 1-h)
Yellow-throated Vireo (SR,A,DC,P, 12)
Red-eyed Vireo (SR,A,DC,P, 60+)
Purple Martin (N,A, 45)
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (P, 2+)
Barn Swallow (N,A,DC,B,P, 95)
Blue Jay (SR,A,DC,B,P, 15)
American Crow (N,SR,A,DC,B,P, 21)
Carolina Chickadee (SR,A,DC,B,P, 27)
Tufted Titmouse (SR,A,DC,P, 18)
White-breasted Nuthatch (DC,P, 2-h)
Brown-headed Nuthatch (A,B, 11)
Carolina Wren (SR,A,DC,P, 36)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (SR,A,DC,P, 35)
Eastern Bluebird (A,B,P, 25)
Gray-cheeked Thrush (SR, 1)
Swainson's Thrush (P, 1)
Wood Thrush (SR,A,DC,N, 7+)
American Robin (B, 1)
Gray Catbird (A,P, 22)
Northern Mockingbird (N,A,B,P, 20)
Brown Thrasher (P, 1)
Cedar Waxwing (P, 30)
Loggerhead Shrike (P, 1)
European Starling (N,P, 40+)
Blue-winged Warbler (P, 1)
Tennessee Warbler (SR,P, 105)
Northern Parula* (SR,A,DC,P, 45+)
Yellow Warbler (P, 10)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (A,P, 41)
Magnolia Warbler (P, 25)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (P, 1)-noteworthy for this time of year.
Black-throated Green Warbler (P, 10)
Blackburnian Warbler (P, 2)
Yellow-throated Warbler* (SR,A,DC, 33)
Pine Warbler* (SR,A,DC,B,P, 66)
Prairie Warbler* (A, 1)
Bay-breasted Warbler (P, 1)
Cerulean Warbler (P, 1)
Black-and-White Warbler* (SR,DC,P, 10)
American Redstart* (DC,P, 11)
Prothonotary Warbler* (SR,A, 20)
Worm-eating Warbler* (DC, 2)
Swainson's Warbler* (SR,A, 3)
Ovenbird (P, 1)
Louisiana Waterthrush* (SR,B, 6)
Kentucky Warbler* (SR,DC, 12)
Common Yellowthroat* (A,P, 30)
Hooded Warbler* (SR,A,DC, 45+)
Canada Warbler (P, 1)
Yellow-breasted Chat* (SR,A,DC, 53)
Summer Tanager (SR,A,DC,P, 45)
Chipping Sparrow (P, 1)
Northern Cardinal (SR,A,DC,B,P, 85)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (P, 4)
Blue Grosbeak (A,DC,P, 12)
Indigo Bunting (SR,A,DC,B,P, 50)
Painted Bunting (A, 7)
Dickcissel (A, 10)
Red-winged Blackbird (A,15)
Common Grackle (N, P, 56)
Brown-headed Cowbirds (SR,A,DC,B, 20)
Orchard Oriole (A,P, 13)
Baltimore Oriole (A,P, 11)
House Finch (P, 5)
House Sparrow (N, 25)
Pipevine Swallowtail Battus philenor (handful or less)
Black Swallowtail Papilio polyxenes (1)
Zebra Swallowtail Eurytides marcellus (1)
Checkered White Pontia protodice (1)
Little Yellow Eurema lisa (10? - at the Worm-eating Warbler stop)
Gray Hairstreak Strymon melinus (1) Pecan Park
Question Mark Polygonia interrogationis
Hackberry Emperor Asterocampa celtis (1)
Little Wood-Satyr Megisto cymela (many, especially Boykin Springs)
?? Pearly Eye this was likely a Southern (1) ( just west of the Big Slough Wilderness Area
- southern end of our trip through Davy Crockett National Forest)
Northern Cloudywing Thorybes pylades (we may have had a second species of
Cloudywing, but I'm pretty confident that at least one was Northern) (1)
Clouded Skipper Lerema accius (1)