Seasonal Sightings for Central Prairie and East Texas

Compiled by Bert Frenz,
North American Birds, Subregional Editor, East Texas and
Texas Ornithological Society, Director, Region VI, Central Prairie, Texas.


Fall Season:  August 1 - November 30, 2001


The 66 Texas counties included in this report are:  Anderson, Angelina, Austin, Bastrop, Bell, Bowie, Brazos, Brown, Burleson, Caldwell, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Coleman, Comanche, Coryell, DeWitt, Falls, Fayette, Franklin, Freestone, Gonzales, Gregg, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hamilton, Hardin, Harrison, Henderson, Houston, Jasper, Karnes, Lampasas, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Madison, Marion, McLennan, Milam, Mills, Montgomery, Morris, Nacogdoches, Newton, Panola, Polk, Red River, Robertson, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Smith, Titus, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur, Walker, Waller, Washington, Williamson, and Wilson.  

Reduced from over 3000 reports of 288 species from 1 August to 30 November 2001.

“Where have all the birds gone!” was the lament of many a backyard birder this fall. Alternating between paucity and plurality, birds came and went with the tides of weather changes. August entered hot and dry - rendering few birds, but the month closed with five days of non-stop rain - releasing a migrant stackup and the grounding of a great variety of shorebirds into flooded fields. Three weeks of slow birding did not change until the 24 September cold front that brought waves of hawks, followed again by a near absence of birds and the tardiness of our expected wintering species. The 5 October cold front brought flocks of geese, but again followed by a lull. Described by one observer as a long string of perfect ‘bluebird’ days, October was pleasantly warm and rainless, but offering few birds. The 25 October and 19 November cold fronts were successfully colder, each bringing in more migrants. Ending as one of the wettest Novembers in history, good numbers of winter birds did not arrive until almost the close of the fall season.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Weather reports
Bird sightings
Contributors of sightings

Weather reports:

Tim Fennell, 12 August, Williamson County, "14 species of shorebirds (20+ days of 100 F+ temps has created mudflats) at Sore Finger WMA and Willis Creek Park [Granger Lake]."

Randy Pinkston, 12 August, Bell County, "Unlike last year the lake [Stillhouse Hollow] level has not dropped appreciably and suitable habitat for migrating shorebirds is minimal."

Darrell Vollert, 13 August, Washington County, "Still very hot and dry here in Washington County, although we did get 3/10 of an inch of rain on the 6th and 2/10 on the 8th. But that is not nearly enough rain. Fall migration is picking up steam now."

Darrell Vollert, 19 August, Washington County, "Overcast skies for much of the day on Sunday in Chappell Hill kept the high temperature under 90 degrees for the first in a while. A breeze from the northwest made birding tolerable for a good part of the day."

Peter Barnes, 19 August, Freestone County, "The [Richland Creek] WMA is extremely dry, so large wading birds were difficult to see and migrating shorebirds were absent."

Darrell Vollert, 21 August, Washington County, "It has been very hot and dry here in Chappell Hill the past week, with the exception being Sunday when overcast skies kept the temperatures down. Today's high temperature in Chappell Hill was 99 degrees. The high temperature for the past week came on Saturday when we reached the century mark. Things are starting to look crisp outside like last summer."

Peter Barnes, 26 August, Freestone County, "Richland Creek WMA, off Hwy 287 in Freestone County, is incredibly dry and has been largely deserted by large wading birds."

Brush Freeman, 26 August, Bastrop County, "There is a lot of migrant movement right now here. … There are oodles of empids going through, Yellow Warblers and shorebirds, and it seems to me that the crows are already collecting into large groups. There is a very good pecan crop this season and it is like they are just hanging out until they can raid ripe nuts."

Brush Freeman, 29 August, Williamson County, "I decided to bird the Granger Lake area this morning to take advantage of three straight days of wettish weather and have one more shot at birding the lake before hunting season begins on Saturday. Migrants have stacked up in great diversity though with the heavy rains in that area the lake has filled quite a bit flooding over many of the bare mudflats previously found there. I spent most of the morning birding the riparian corridor at the upper end of the lake (muddy trails), then worked some of the fields to the north before going to the main body of the lake in the early afternoon. I should have hit the main lake early on as you will see, as it was almost mirror calm when I first arrived but changed very quickly when a wall of rain and wind came in from the south. I tallied 123 species (if I counted right), many of which were migrants and 52 of which were found along the riparian river end of Granger Lake … Had the rains, some heavy, put a stop to the birding at ~2:15, I know that I could have exceeded this number as there are a lot of gimme birds that I missed."

Fred Collins, 30 August, Waller County, "The rains of the last few days have raised the water level of this pond and the stilts, spoonbills, ducks and shorebirds that have frequented the pond the last couple of weeks are gone."

Darrell Vollert, 31 August, Washington County, "Rain the past few days in the Chappell Hill area in eastern Washington County has grounded a number of neotropical migrants in the area."

Randy Pinkston, August summary, Bell County "August is typically a good shorebird month, combining summer drought and receding water levels with arrival of autumn migrants. While last year this phenomenon was unprecedented and extended well into Sept, this year August was much wetter and most of our shorebird habitat in Bell County disappeared by month's end. We had rain on at least ten days in August, including a nonstop run of it from the 26th through month's end. Supposedly 7.06 inches fell locally on the 30th alone."

Ellen Ratoosh, 1 September, Brazos County, "There are many Barn Swallows, Cliff Swallows, and Purple Martins flying high overhead today at my house. We've had about 7" of rain since Sunday, but finally today it's tapering off and the sky is clearing."

Chris Merkord, 2 September, Burleson County, "The fields around the turf farms are flooded, providing excellent habitat for the longer-legged shorebirds. As the water recedes there might be more habitat for shorter-legged shorebirds."

Darrell Vollert, 2 September, Washington County, "Rainfall over the weekend continued to ground a good number of neotropical migrants in the Central Brazos Valley."

David Wolf, August/September, Pineywoods Scissor Tales, XXIX, 2 (October, 2001), "(Aug 26 - Sep 23)... Post-breeding dispersal of the long-legged water birds was in full swing, but with lake levels high there was little habitat to attract them or shorebirds this year. Days of cloudy and rainy weather in late August and early September were welcome after the summer drought, but did not produce any great push of migrants; neither did the back and forth 'cool fronts' of mid-month."

Ellen Ratoosh, 16 September, Burleson County, "The field south of CR 443 across from the turf farm still has standing water, and that's where most of the action was. It was hot (90ish) and muggy, partly cloudy, with a south breeze. ... Buff-breasted Sandpiper - 100+ running all over the turf farm. Really a sight."

Darrell Vollert, 24 September, Washington County, "The strongest cold front so far this fall passed through Washington County during the early morning hours today. The front brought a 20mph breeze from the north and much cooler temperatures. Skies were cloudy for much of the day here. The sun finally came out around 5:45PM."

David Wolf, 24 September, in Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, XXIX, 3 (November 2001). "One of the more dramatic days of the season was September 24, when the first vigorous cold front of the season pushed through. ... a 'hawk watch' from Jesse Fagan's driveway in north Nacogdoches that afternoon produced a wide variety of raptors and other diurnal migrants. Most were rather high or distant, but it was evident that many birds were 'riding' the stiff wind southward."

Randy Pinkston, September summary, Bell County, "The heavy rains of late August created many flooded fields and wet marshes along lakeshores and other low-lying areas. This made it a relatively poor September for shorebirds but a better than average year for marsh birds like Sora, Common Snipe, White-faced Ibis, Little Blue Heron, and others. Weatherwise, September was mostly fair and dry. We had one nice thunderstorm on Labor Day evening. We really didn't see any rain after that. Day after day we enjoyed clear bluebird skies and cool autumn temperatures."

David Wolf, September/October, in Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, XXIX, 3 (November 2001). "Generally this period [24 Sep to 22 Oct] was rather 'slow' for birding, with only a few migrants noted. This was quite a contrast to last year, when we had large numbers of migrants and several great rarities. Wintering species generally were late in arriving, and those that did appear 'on schedule' were the less hardy species, like Eastern Phoebe, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Yellow-rumped Warbler, while cold hardy species like Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and White-throated Sparrow arrived later than many years."

Randy Pinkston, 2 October, Bell County, "Yesterday at Temple Lions Park I flushed a Sora from a meadow that has been unusually wet this year following heavy rains in late August. On Sunday I flushed one at Union Grove Wildlife Area on Stillhouse Hollow Lake, this one also in marshy fields that are normally dry. That's more rail sightings in 48 hours than I've had in seven previous years of birding in Bell County."

Fred Collins, 5 October, Waller County, "With the heavy rain and lightning on Friday night October 5 came the harbingers of fall, white-fronted geese. At our farm in central Waller County, we were surprised that they were on the front edge of the front, flying in the rain just behind the lightning. They passed over steadily all evening from about 8:00 PM until we went to bed at 11:00 PM. They were again heard on the night of the 6th. We did not hear any last night."

Ellen Ratoosh, 6 October, Burleson County, "Today was the annual "Hawk Watch" field trip on Buffalo Ranch and at Aquaculture in Burleson Co., which Darrell and I co-led. As we'd hoped, the weather conditions were propitious. A strong cold front passed through late yesterday with 1-3" of rain, and today it was much cooler with strong north winds. Temperatures warmed from about 55 in the morning to 65 by afternoon, and morning north winds of 10-15 mph slowly eased during the day. It was mostly overcast, but starting to break up in the afternoon."

Brush Freeman, 6 October, Calhoun County, "This afternoon Petra & Ladd Hockey and I went out for a drive and noticed that with the front of last night, the first of the geese have returned to Calhoun Co. In the short time we were out we had 4 flocks of about 75 White-fronted Geese and in a separate flock there were 6 Snow Geese. These are the first geese we have seen here this fall despite being out all morning the previous day."

Darrell Vollert, 11 October, Washington County, "Birded along FR2447 east of Chappell Hill in the Brazos River bottom. Many of the agriculture fields and pastures along FR2447 were flooded. One pasture that was flooded along FR2447 attracted a large number of swallows. The swallows were flying above and hovering over the water catching mosquitoes and other aquatic insects."

Brush Freeman, 16 October, Bastrop County, "After the last 5-6 days whereby this place approximated a vacuum regarding any bird life, I noted some newcomers during the day today that most certainly weren't here yesterday. The front brought temperatures here down to the lowest yet this season with the thermometer registering a frigid 53.3 as a low last night and there are sustained northerly winds yet. And there were actually some birds. …"

Bert Frenz, 24 October, Brazos County, "Record high of 93 degrees today in College Station; cold front coming in tomorrow."

Darrell Vollert, 25 October, Washington County, "As I had hoped, last night's cold front brought in a few songbirds today. At home this morning and early afternoon I found a singing White-eyed Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglets (5), Golden-crowned Kinglets (2) first of the season and heard them calling, Nashville Warbler (1), Yellow-rumped Warblers (2) foraging together and the first of the season, and Chipping Sparrow (1) at my feeding station and the first of the season."

Randy Pinkston, 27 October, Bell County, "Generalized marshy conditions of September persisted throughout October as well. I hesitate to use the word 'abundant' but six Marsh Wrens in view at once at Union Grove Wildlife Area Oct 27 was outstanding. … Excellent numbers of newly arrived Lincoln's, Swamp, and Song Sparrows the same day was just more evidence of favorable habitat afforded by elevated water levels."

Randy Pinkston, October summary, Bell County, "October was another dry month in Bell County. We had one brief shower Oct 5 and another rainy spell while I was out of the state Oct 10-14. Otherwise I don't remember another autumn with as long an unbroken string of perfect 'bluebird' days. The cold snap of Oct 6-9 2000 contrasted sharply with the same days this year. Temple Lions Park swarmed with native sparrows last year, primarily Savannah and Clay-colored, after the passage of the front, whereas this year all I could find were a few scattered Savannahs. We just didn't have the weather. I had the impression that native sparrows in general arrived later than usual this year. For example, I had not observed my first Zonotrichia of the season by month's end."

Darrell Vollert, 19 November, Washington County, "After the strongest cold front, so far this season, passed through around 1PM I saw a Pine Siskin calling in a crepe myrtle tree at Floi's. Saw four huge flocks of Snow Geese fly by heading south at Floi's after the passage of the cold front. The total number of geese in the four flocks must have been at least 600 birds. Two flocks of Sandhill Cranes flew by heading south this afternoon at Floi's. The first flock contained 57 birds and the second around 60 birds."

Darrell Vollert, 25 November, Washington County, "The weather is supposed to turn much colder by mid-week. A freeze is predicted for Thursday morning. That should do in most of the tender plants. I am still seeing a White-eyed Vireo and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in the yard. The Canadian cold front may send them farther south."

Brush Freeman, 27 November, Bastrop County, "Finally there appear to be increasing numbers of winter birds ... maybe pushed down by the coming front."

Brush Freeman, 30 November, Bastrop County, "This past month is the wettest November on the books for the region according to Mr. Johnny Weatherman."

Randy Pinkston, November report, Bell County, "November was wet. We had significant rainfall on eight days between Nov 8-28, with cloudy skies and light rain on more than that. Normally dry meadows became marshlands, encouraging Marsh Wrens and Swamp Sparrows, but dispersing waterfowl and making them seem deceptively scarce. Area lake levels have been at unprecedented highs for my eight previous autumn seasons in Bell County. While it may be coincidental, my impression is that these wet conditions have been negatively associated with avian diversity and abundance. November was also very warm. Minor cool fronts arriving on Nov 19 and 27 had little apparent impact on local bird populations. In some cases, even the same individuals remained in local woodlots and were recognized before and after passage of the fronts. "

Bird sightings:

LOONS THROUGH ANHINGAS

Common Loon: (1) 10 November (Tim Fennell, Jeffrey Hanson), Granger Lake dam, Williamson County [rare].
Common Loon: (16) 10 November (David Ringer, Jason Pike), Lake O' the Pines, Marion County [large number].

Least Grebe: (3 adults) 2 September (Bob Honig), Katy Prairie Conservancy Nelson Farms Preserve, Waller County [very rare; probable first county record; only other RBA-area records are in Washington (2000), Lee (1999) and Milam Counties (1998)].

Pied-billed Grebe: (1) 20 August (Fred Collins), pond at FM529 and FM2855, south Waller County [still rare in August].
Pied-billed Grebe: (15) 25 August (Nancy Bird, Louis Debetaz, Jesse Fagan), Ryan Lake irrigation field, Angelina County.
Pied-billed Grebe: (15) 25 August (Tim Fennell), Alcoa Lake, Milam County.
Pied-billed Grebe: (1 adult with 2 chicks) 16 September (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), TX 147 bridge over Lake Sam Rayburn, Angelina/San Augustine Counties [late breeding record].

David Wolf, Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, XXIX, 2 (Oct 2001), "A Pied-billed Grebe summered at Lufkin Country Club Lake (Nancy Bird, et al.), while 15 were at Ryan Lake on Aug 25 (Nancy Bird, Louis Debetaz, Jesse Fagan), but more surprising were two small striped chicks with an adult at the TX 147 bridge on Sept 16 (Jesse Fagan, David Wolf), for a late breeding record."

Pied-billed Grebe: (75+) 20 October (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), base of Lake Sam Rayburn TX 147 bridge, San Augustine County [high count].
Pied-billed Grebe: (115) 14 November (Georgette Guernsey, Nancy Bird), Kurth Lake, Angelina County [high count].

Eared Grebe: (1) 9 September (Tim Fennell), Granger Lake, Williamson County [early arrival].
Eared Grebe: (6) 23 September (Chris Merkord), Alcoa Lake, Milam County [early arrival].

Neotropic Cormorant: (2 adults in breeding plumage) 3 August (Tim Fennell), upper reaches of Lake Buchanan, Llano/Burnet County [rare in summer].
Neotropic Cormorant: (1) 12 August (Jeffrey Hanson), on a stock pond, adjacent to Hwy 290, near Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare in August].
Neotropic Cormorant: (1 cormorant sp.) 12 August (Tim Fennell); (3) 16 August (Brush Freeman); (1 probable) 19 August (Tim Fennell), Granger Lake, Williamson County [rare in August].

Tim Fennell, "The cormorant was at Granger Lake. I only have a handful of records for the area for either species in summer and I think it has always been one or two birds at a time. While on a school function on 8/3/01 on the upper reaches of Lake Buchanan, I was really surprised to see 2 Neotropics in full breeding plumage."

Neotropic Cormorant: (1) 19 August (Brush Freeman), Colorado River near Utley, Bastrop County [rare in August].
Neotropic Cormorant: (6) 24 August (Brush Freeman), Lake Bastrop, Bastrop County [rare in August].
Neotropic Cormorant: (38, including 7 juveniles) 25 August (Tim Fennell), Alcoa Lake, Milam County [rare in summer; high count].
Neotropic Cormorant: (4) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Granger Lake, Williamson County [rare in August].
Neotropic Cormorant: (1 adult) 30 August (Chris Merkord, Jennifer Reidy), at end of Iron Bridge Road on Lake Somerville, Washington County [rare in summer].
Neotropic Cormorant: (1 breeding-plumaged adult) 30 August (David Wolf); (1 adult) 16 September (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), TX 147, Lake Sam Rayburn, Angelina County [uncommon].
Neotropic Cormorant: (1 adult) 24 October (David Wolf), Lake Sam Rayburn TX 147 bridge, Angelina County [occasional].

David Wolf, in Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, XXIX, 3 (November 2001). "An adult Neotropic Cormorant was again seen at the southwest end of the bridge (Angelina County) on September 24 (DW); it may well be the same one seen here sporadically since last summer."

Double-crested Cormorant: (1 juvenile) 25 August (Tim Fennell), Alcoa Lake, Milam County [rare in summer].
Double-crested Cormorant: (1 flyover) 2 September (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert) TAMU Aquacultural Research and Training Facility, Burleson County [occasional at this time of year].

Double-crested Cormorant: (4000 in single flock floating 1/4 mile offshore, 22 in singles or in small groups) 29 November (Bert Frenz, Darrell Vollert), Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes County [unusually large flock for central prairies; seemed to be 100% double-crested when viewed through spotting scope].

Anhinga: (1) 24 October (David Wolf), Attoyac bottoms, TX 103 bridge over Lake Sam Rayburn, San Augustine / Nacogdoches Counties [late edge of departure dates].
Anhinga: (1) 1 November (Georgette Guernsey, Nancy Bird), Ryan Lake area, Angelina County [occasional after October].

BITTERNS THROUGH SPOONBILLS

American Bittern: (2) 31 August (David Ringer, Jason Pike), Texas Eastman in Longview, Harrison County [occasional].
American Bittern: (1) 24 September (Keith Arnold), Country Club Lake, Bryan, Brazos County [rare].
American Bittern: (1) 21 October (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [occasional].
American Bittern: (1) 27 October (Randy Pinkston), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir, Bell County [rare].

Post-breeding dispersal of Tricolored Herons was particularly strong this fall.
Tricolored Heron: (1 immature) 6 August (Joe Yelderman), Waco Regional Sewage Treatment ponds, McLennan County [post breeding dispersal].
Tricolored Heron: (1) 7 August (Ellen Ratoosh), Emerald Forest subdivision, College Station, Brazos County [occasional].
Tricolored Heron: (2 juveniles) 11 August; (1 juvenile) 28 August (Tim Fennell), Meadow Lake, Round Rock, Williamson County [occasional].
Tricolored Heron: (1 juvenile) 12 August; (2 juveniles) 25 August; (1 juvenile) 26 August; (1 juvenile) 23 September (Tim Fennell), Mankin's Crossing, Williamson County [occasional].
Tricolored Heron: (1 juvenile) 14 August (Jesse Fagan), Alazan Bayou WMA; (1) 16 August (Jesse Fagan, David Wolf, et al.), Etoile on Rayburn; (2 juveniles) 18 August (Jesse Fagan, David Wolf), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [post-breeding dispersal; uncommon].
Tricolored Heron: (1) 14 August (Fred Collins), Brown Road Pond, Waller County.
Tricolored Heron: (1) 18-26 August (Georgette Guernsey, Nancy Bird), Ellen Trout Park, Lufkin, Angelina County [uncommon].
Tricolored Heron: (1 adult, 2 juveniles 19 August (Nancy Bird, Louis Debetaz), Ryan Lake, Angelina County [post-breeding dispersal, uncommon].
Tricolored Heron: (1) 20 August (Fred Collins), KPC pond at Hebert and Penneck, Waller County [fairly common].
Tricolored Heron: (2 juveniles) 12 August (Tim Fennell); (2) 16 August (Brush Freeman); (4 juveniles) 25 August (Tim Fennell); (1 juvenile) 26 August (Tim Fennell), Willis Creek Park, Granger Lake, Williamson County [occasional].
Tricolored Heron: (4 juveniles) 12 August; (1 juvenile) 19 August; (3 juveniles) 26 August (Tim Fennell), Sore Finger WMA, Granger Lake, Williamson County [uncommon].
Tricolored Heron: (1) 26 August (Jesse Fagan), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [uncommon].
Tricolored Heron: (1) 27 August (Debbie Moore), their ranch, Burleson County [uncommon].
Tricolored Heron: (4) 30 August (Chris Merkord, Jennifer Reidy), Lake Somerville, Washington County [occasional].
Tricolored Heron: (1) most of August (Guy Luneau); (2) 31 August (Jason Pike, David Ringer), Texas Eastman in Longview, Harrison County.
Tricolored Heron: (1) 12 August; (2) 31 August (Darrell Vollert), FR2447 in Brazos River bottoms, Chappell Hill, Washington County
Tricolored Heron: (4) 1 September (Darrell Vollert), Polk's Lake, Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [uncommon].
Tricolored Heron: (1) 2 September (Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch, Jennifer Reidy), McCain Creek Park, Lake Somerville, Washington County [uncommon].
Tricolored Heron: (1-2) 7 September (David Ringer, Jason Pike), Texas Eastman in Longview, Harrison County [uncommon].
Tricolored Heron: (5) 29 August (Brush Freeman); (1 juvenile) 9 September (Tim Fennell), Granger Lake area, Williamson County [occasional].
Tricolored Heron: (1 immature) 30 September, Betka Road at Hwy 362 (Fred Collins), Waller County [uncommon].
Tricolored Heron: (5 flying south) 6 October (Darrell Vollert), Brazos River bottoms, Burleson County [uncommon].

Reddish Egret, typically rare inland, had a good showing this fall, particularly in Williamson County.
Reddish Egret: (1) 24 August (Brush Freeman), Shipp Lake near Smithville, Bastrop County [rare].
Reddish Egret: (1 juvenile) 26 August (Tim Fennell), Granger Lake dam, Williamson County [rare].
Reddish Egret: (1) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Sore Finger Wildlife Area, Granger Lake, Williamson County [rare].
Reddish Egret: (2 juveniles) 19 August (Tim Fennell); (1 juvenile) 25 August (Tim Fennell); (1) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Friendship Park, Granger Lake, Williamson County [rare].

Black-crowned Night-Heron: (1) 10 and 16 August (Georgette Guernsey, Louis Debetaz, Jack Windsor, Nancy Bird); (1) 19 August (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan, Louis Debetaz, Nancy Bird), Ryan Lake, Angelina County [early arrival].

Roseate Spoonbills were seen in good numbers this fall in at inland sites in east Texas.
Roseate Spoonbill: (3) 4 August; (5) 7 August (Fred Collins), his farm on Repka Road, Waller County [uncommon].
Roseate Spoonbill: (2) 6 August (Darrell Vollert), US290 a mile from Brazos River, Washington County [uncommon].
Roseate Spoonbill: (4) 12 August (Tim Fennell), Granger Lake dam, Williamson County [uncommon].
Roseate Spoonbill: (5) 11 August (Jodi Canter), shallow pond in cattle pasture near Decker Prairie, just north of Tomball, Montgomery County [uncommon, Jodi commented, "This is the first time in the 12 years we have lived here we have seen them in this area."].
Roseate Spoonbill: (2) 20 August (Fred Collins), KPC pond at Hebert and Penneck, Waller County [uncommon].
Roseate Spoonbill: (9) 12 and 14 August; (2) 15 August; (9) 22 August; (20) 23 August (Fred Collins), Brown Road Pond, Waller County [uncommon].
Roseate Spoonbill: (3) 26 August (Jesse Fagan), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [occasional].
Roseate Spoonbill: (1) 30 August (Chris Merkord, Jennifer Reidy), Colvin Rd (connects Iron Bridge Rd. and Harge Rd.) on a stock pond, near Lake Somerville, Washington County [uncommon].
Roseate Spoonbill: (2) 7 September (David Ringer, Jason Pike), Texas Eastman in Longview, Harrison County [occasional].
Roseate Spoonbill: (6, including 4 HY) 16 August (Brush Freeman); (6, including 2 juveniles) 19 August; (3) 26 August (Tim Fennell); (2) 29 August (Brush Freeman); (2) 20 October (Tim Fennell, Marsha Reimer), Sore Finger WMA, Granger Lake, Williamson County [uncommon].
Roseate Spoonbill: (1) 25 October (Jeffrey Hanson, Travis Audubon Society Bird Records birding group), Willis Creek Park, Granger Lake, Williamson County [late departure].

STORKS AND VULTURES

Post-breeding dispersal of Wood Storks remained strong to mid October.
Wood Stork: (1) 5 August (Mike Dillon), Lake Wright Patman, Bowie and Cass Counties [uncommon].
Wood Stork: (~20) 7 August (Bolton Williams), Pond 10, TMPA mines, near Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes County [uncommon].
Wood Stork: (5) 15 August (Gary Fritcher), Burleson County [uncommon].
Wood Stork: (2) 16 August (Brush Freeman), Sore Finger WMA, Granger Lake, Williamson County [uncommon].
Wood Stork: (64) 18 August (Jesse Fagan, David Wolf), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [high count].
Wood Stork: (12) 16 August; (22) 20 August (Fred Collins), KPC pond at Hebert and Penneck, Waller County [uncommon].
Wood Stork: (85) 26 August (Jesse Fagan), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [high count; uncommon].
Wood Stork: (25) 19 August; (4) 2 September (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [uncommon].
Wood Stork: (1) 2 September (Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch, Jennifer Reidy), Harge Road near Lake Somerville, Washington County [uncommon].
Wood Stork: (29) 2 September (Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch, Jennifer Reidy), McCain Creek Park, Lake Somerville, Washington County [uncommon].
Wood Stork: (5) 7 September (David Ringer, Jason Pike), Texas Eastman in Longview, Harrison County [uncommon].
Wood Stork: (1) 7 September (Cliff Shackelford), over Hwy. 105 between the Navasota River and Brazos Rivers, south Brazos County [uncommon].
Wood Stork: (1) 11 September (Darrell Vollert), Brazos River north of the US290 bridge, Washington County [uncommon].
Wood Stork: (1) 15 September (Cliff Shackelford), northwest of Ledbetter, Lee County [uncommon].
Wood Stork: (2) 19 September (Gary Fritcher), Burleson County [uncommon].
Wood Stork: (7) 22 September (NETFO field trip), Lake O' the Pines, Marion County [uncommon].
Wood Stork: (1) 25 September, Betka Road at Hwy 362 (Fred Collins), Waller County [uncommon].
Wood Stork: (1) 4 October (Chris Merkord, Kim Ortiz), sitting on a snag across the street from Limestone County Park #3, Lake Limestone, Limestone County [uncommon].
Wood Stork: (3 circling) 6 October (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert, RBAS field trip), TAMU Aquaculture Research & Training Facility, Brazos River bottoms, Burleson County [uncommon].
Wood Stork: (10) 13 October (Bob Row), flying over the causeway near the US190 bridge at Martin Dies State Park, Jasper County [uncommon].

Black Vulture: (3) 11 November (Darrell Vollert, Ellen Ratoosh), Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes County [unusual behavior: "One was resting on a snag near the boat dock while we had our lunch. When another two landed on the same branch, it started doing a display: hackles fluffed up, wings half open, head down, lunging while hissing loudly. It stopped after one of the others flew away. Quite interesting - neither of us had ever seen that before. I'll have to get out my Bent."].

Was Turkey Vulture migration more pronounced this fall, or is it just that more observers took note of it?
Turkey Vulture: (migration) 6 October and 15 October (Randy Pinkston), Temple, Bell County.
Randy Pinkston, "I found the raptor migration somewhat ordinary and underwhelming. Mediocre numbers of mixed raptors moved through Salado on the leading edge of a cool front Oct 6, the species list dominated by Turkey Vultures and Swainson's Hawks. TVs streamed over Temple again Oct 15. That was about it. Maybe I was afield in the wrong place at the wrong time?"
Turkey Vulture: (60+ in coherent flock flying south) 6 October (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert, RBAS field trip), Brazos River bottoms, Burleson County [migration].
Turkey Vulture: (40) 6 October (Bert Frenz), Airport Beach Park, Lake Waco, McLennan County [good numbers over lake].
Turkey Vulture: (~300) 10 October (Terry Maxwell), over Edward's Plateau.
Terry Maxwell, "Yesterday, Wednesday, at about 6:30 pm I had approximately 300 turkey vultures streaming overhead. They were at about 1000 feet and zooming with the wind leading the cold front that blew in. It was amazing watching them zip at high speed without losing altitude or flapping a wing."
Turkey Vulture: (~84) 13 September (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County.
Turkey Vulture: (~300) 14 October (Derek Hill), Spring Creek Park Preserve and Lake Lavon, Garland, Dallas County.

Derek Hill, "Later I stopped by Spring Creek Park Preserve in Garland, and happened upon a steady stream of Turkey Vultures heading south, with some hawks mixed in."

Turkey Vulture: (67 migrating) 22 October (Oscar Carmona), Huntsville, Walker County.

Oscar Carmona, "As I was barbequing outside yesterday afternoon in my backyard, I noticed quite a movement of migrating vultures. Between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. I had the following totals: Black Vulture: 42, Turkey Vulture: 67 … Not as impressive as the Smith Point and Hazel Bazemore watches, but nevertheless a good passage of vultures."

Turkey Vulture: (80+ in kettle going over lake) 2 November (Chris Merkord), Welch Park, Lake Somerville, Burleson County [migration?].

Chris Merkord, "I would guess they were migrating, but there are a large number that roost at Rocky Creek Park. However, these appeared to be very high and moved out of sight after a few minutes, so migration seems likely."

WATERFOWL

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: (75) 24 August (Brush Freeman), Crystal Lake area, Bastrop County [high count].

Fulvous Whistling-Duck: (6) 24 August (Brush Freeman), Crystal Lake area, Bastrop County [rare].

Greater White-fronted Geese appeared across eastern Texas with a front 5-7 October:
Greater White-fronted Goose: (no.?) 5 October (Fred Collins, Kassie Collins), their farm in central Waller County [first wave of geese were on the forward edge of the front].

Fred Collins, "With the heavy rain and lightning on Friday night October 5 came the harbingers of fall, white-fronted geese. At our farm in central Waller County, we were surprised that they were on the front edge of the front, flying in the rain just behind the lightning. They passed over steadily all evening from about 8:00 PM until we went to bed at 11:00 PM. They were again heard on the night of the 6th. We did not hear any last night."

Winnie Burkett at Smith Point Hawk Watch, "Friday, 10/5/01, hawks were scarce as the front approached. Saturday 10/6/01 was raw and wonderful 2900 hawks most low and very visible. Peregrines and Merlins enjoyed the wind and late in the day a ratty looking Lesser Nighthawk flew by. Sunday, 10/7/01, morning migrants fell out of the sky, White-fronted Geese made their first appearance, large flocks of Blue-winged Teal went by, lots of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, a Lazuli Bunting was a surprise."

Texas Statewide RBA ~6 October, "The first WHITE-FRONTED GEESE (Anser albifrons) are showing up on the coast, with flocks being seen at Bolivar, Galveston Island and Quintana."

Greater White-fronted Goose: (several flocks totally ~400) 5 October (Jason Pike, David Ringer), Lake O' the Pines, Marion County [good count at early edge of migration].

Considered rare only a couple of years ago, coastal observers recently began seeing more Ross's Geese dispersed in large flocks of Snow Geese. This year it has become obvious to careful observers that most inland flocks of Snow Geese contain a few Ross's and, as Fred Collins pointed out, sometimes the ratio can be as high as 1:1.
Ross's Goose (both phases): (20 flying in one flock with 20 Snow Geese) 26 October (Fred Collins), his farm on Repka Road, Waller County [unusually high proportion of Ross's].

Fred Collins, "All 40 geese in one flock. They were low and in a loose formation suggesting they were simply moving about the prairies and not migrating over. The large number of Ross' Geese so early in the season strikes me as unusual. This flock was observed at my farm on Repka Road. ... In 1972 we figured 1 in a thousand. Now it may be as high as 1 in 20. I have never seen flock like the one I described in the post. 1 to 1!"

Ross's Goose: (1) 2-3 November (Tracey Johnson, Karl Kosciuch), foraging with ducks in Carlos Lake near Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes County.
Ross's Goose: (1) 9 November (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County.
Ross's Goose: (1 in flock of 56-60 Snow Geese) 11 November (Darrell Vollert, Ellen Ratoosh), over Carlos, Gibbons Creek, Grimes County.
Ross's Goose: (1 in flock of 25 Snow Geese) 17 November (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [first county record].
Ross's Goose: (11) 24 November (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County.
Ross's Goose: (7 in a flock of 50+ Snow Geese) 26 November (Darrell Vollert), Chappell Hill subdivision, Washington County.
Ross's Goose: (2) 27 November (Fred Collins), Paterson Road, Waller County.
Ross's Goose: (3 in flock of 300 Snow Geese) 29 November (Bert Frenz, Darrell Vollert), Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes County
Ross's Goose: (1 in flock of small flock of Snow Geese) 1 December (Darrell Vollert, TOS field trip), Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes County.
Ross's Goose: (2 in flock of 70 Snow Geese) 2 December (Bert Frenz, Darrell Vollert and TOS field trip), Moore Farms, south Brazos County.

Canada Goose: (8) 27 August (Georgette Guernsey), Crown Colony, Angelina County [earliest sighting for county and perhaps all of East Texas Pineywoods].

David Wolf, "Eight Canada Geese over Crown Colony on Aug 27 (GG) are hard to explain; it is quite possible, even likely, that they were feral birds from a local collection. However, with their great increase in many parts of the country north of us we cannot rule out early migrants or wanderers."

Gadwall: (3) 10 August; (3) 17 August; (1) 19 August; (2) 25 August (Georgette Guernsey, David Wolf, Jesse Fagan, Louis Debetaz, Nancy Bird, Jack Windsor), Ryan Lake, Angelina County [early arrival].

American Wigeons showed up a bit later than typical.
American Wigeon: (33) 7 October (David Wolf), TX 147 bridge over Sam Rayburn Lake, San Augustine / Angelina Counties [FOS].
American Wigeon: (included among a mixed flock of 200 ducks) 7 October (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [uncommon].
American Wigeon: (5+) 20 October (Tim Fennell, Marsha Reimer); (3) 27 October (Tim Fennell); (20+) 4 November (Tim Fennell), Granger Lake, Williamson County [common].
American Wigeon: (1 male, 1 female) 20 and 27 October (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [FOS].

Mallard: (1 male) 19 August (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan, Louis Debetaz, Nancy Bird), Ryan Lake area, south Angelina County [rare in August].

Northern Shoveler: (1) 3 and 6 August (Joe Yelderman), Waco Regional Sewage Treatment ponds, McLennan County [early arrival].
Northern Shoveler: (5) 19 August (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan, Louis Debetaz, Nancy Bird), Ryan Lake area, south Angelina County [very early arrival for East Texas].
Northern Shoveler: (3) 25 August (Tim Fennell), Willis Creek Park; (5) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Granger Lake area, Williamson County.

Northern Pintail: (1) 12 August (Randy Pinkston, Grant Critchfield), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [early arrival].
Northern Pintail: (4) 19 August (Tim Fennell), Granger Lake Dam, Williamson County [early arrival].

Green-winged Teal: (5) 29 August (Brush Freeman); (25+) 4 November (Tim Fennell), Granger Lake area, Williamson County [occasional in August].

Redheads certainly are much easier to find these days than they were a decade or so ago:
Redhead: (no.?) 2 October (Randy Pinkston), Temple, Bell County [early arrival].

Randy Pinkston, "Waterfowl were well-represented on area lakes and ponds by Oct 20 or so, somewhat earlier than fall 2000. I had my first Redheads in Temple Oct 2, and the species was widespread in our area throughout the month. Duck species and numbers were otherwise pretty typical for the season."

Redhead: (30+) 20 October (Tim Fennell, Marsha Reimer); (300+) 27 October (Tim Fennell); (32) 28 October (Jeffrey Hanson); (200+) 4 November (Tim Fennell); (40+) 10 November (Tim Fennell, Jeffrey Hanson), Granger Lake, Williamson County.
Redhead: (6) 30 October; (20) 14 November (Georgette Guernsey), Kurth Lake, Angelina County.
Redhead: (4) 6 November (Ron Gutberlet), Lake Palestine, Smith County.
Redhead: (1 male) 6 November (Karl Kosciuch, Tracey Johnson), Carlos Lake near Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes County.
Redhead: (no.?) 9 November (David Shackelford), WMARSS, McLennan County.
Redhead: (2) 9 November (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County.
Redhead: (15+) 10 November (Linda Lee Johnson), her pond, Bryan, Brazos County.
Redhead: (1) 19 November (Bert Frenz), Fort Parker State Park, Limestone County.
Redhead: (1) 18 November (Bert Frenz), Lambs Creek at Lake Limestone, Leon/Limestone counties.
Redhead: (4) 25 November (Bert Frenz), Big Brown Lake Mine Reclaimation, Freestone County.
Redhead: (1) 1 December (Karen Arquette and CTA field trip), WMARSS, Waco, McLennan County [uncommon].

Ring-necked Duck: (4) 20 October (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), Lake Sam Rayburn TX 147 bridge, San Augustine County [FOS; occasional].
Ring-necked Duck: (2) 20 October; (9) 27 October (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [FOS].
Ring-necked Duck: (1) 1 November (Georgette Guernsey, Nancy Bird), Ryan Lake area, Angelina County [FOS; uncommon].

Lesser Scaup: (1) 10 August; (3) 17 August; (1) 19 August; (1) 25 August (Georgette Guernsey, David Wolf, Jesse Fagan, Louis Debetaz, Jack Windsor, Nancy Bird), Ryan Lake, Angelina County [David Wolf, "likely over-summering"].

Nancy Bird, "We were all surprised to find all the duck species - Blue-winged Teal is sort of expected early, but the Gadwall, Lesser Scaup, and Ruddy Duck … were not expected this early. We had a Lesser Scaup summer in the same lake several summers ago and Ruddy Ducks are seem from time to time here on local lakes, but we believe this was a mixed flock of migrants as they were all in the same area and had not been there the week before."

Lesser Scaup: (6) 23 October (Fred Collins), Brown Road Pond, Waller County [occasional].
Lesser Scaup: (20+) 27 October (Tim Fennell); (1) 28 October (Jeffrey Hanson); (50+) 4 November (Tim Fennell), Granger area, Williamson County [occasional in late October].

Bufflehead: (8) 23 November (Tim Fennell), Granger Lake, Williamson County [FOS].

Common Goldeneye: (2) 29 November (Bert Frenz, Darrell Vollert), Carlos Lake, Grimes County [occasional].

Hooded Merganser: (2 females) 10, 17, 19, 25 August (Georgette Guernsey, David Wolf, Jesse Fagan, Louis Debetaz, Jack Windsor, Nancy Bird), Ryan Lake, Angelina County [very early arrival; 2001 Pineywoods checklist does not show any arrivals before mid October; suspected to be summering birds].

David Wolf, "Hooded Merganser - two female-plumaged birds were on Ryan Lake in s. Angelina Co from at least 10-19 August … it is VERY significant. "Lingering" female Hoodeds have regularly been seen in the northern half of the Pineywoods into May (inc south to this area), and eggs have been found in Wood Duck boxes near Henderson and in the Longview area, but no-one had been able to give me any June-September sightings for this bird when I prepared the Pineywoods Checklist, raising the question of whether or not they actually stayed in the region after laying. This sighting at least partially answers that question; yes, at least a few of them are still around in the "under-birded" summer post-breeding season."

"This is literally the first summer record (June through September) that I have been able to track down for ANYWHERE in the entire Pineywoods regions. Since females have been seen entering/leaving Wood Duck boxes and nestholes in the northern half of the region, and clutches of eggs have been confirmed, and occasional singles have turned up here and there through the end of May, I was really puzzled by the lack of any further sightings during the summer. … this was a really significant record that helped to fill in a gap in our current knowledge of the region's birds. Somehow I can't believe that the few breeding birds "go north" after laying; I suspect that the few that fledge successfully, and/or the few adults that stay around to breed, simply aren't found due to lack of observer coverage of relatively secluded and undisturbed shallow woodland lakes in the summer (it's hard to find an undisturbed lake in East Texas in the summer)."

Hooded Mergansers made a prominent showing, including a couple very large flocks:
Hooded Merganser: (9, including 4 males) 2 November (Chris Merkord), in middle of Lake Somerville as viewed from Welch Park, Burleson County [early arrival; high count; rare at this date].
Hooded Merganser: (4) 15 November (Brush Freeman, Mark Adams), off Hwy 971, Granger area, Williamson County [occasional].
Hooded Merganser: (2) 12 November (John MacFarland); (98) 19 November (Bert Frenz), Fort Parker State Park, Limestone County [rare; very large count].
Hooded Merganser: (33) 20 November (Tim Fennell), Granger Lake dam, Williamson County [unusually large number].
Hooded Merganser: (6) 25 November (Brush Freeman), Sayersville Rd., Bastrop County [occasional].
Hooded Merganser: (6) 25 November (Brush Freeman), Sayersville Rd., Bastrop County [occasional].

Red-breasted Merganser: (1 female) 11 November (Darrell Vollert, Ellen Ratoosh), Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes County [rare].

With a few notable exceptions, most Ruddy Ducks did not arrive until late October:
Ruddy Duck: (1) 10 August; (2) 17 August; (1) 19 August; (1) 25 August (Georgette Guernsey, David Wolf, Jesse Fagan, Louis Debetaz, Jack Windsor, Nancy Bird), Ryan Lake, Angelina County [David Wolf, "likely over-summering"].
Ruddy Duck: (1) 25 August (Tim Fennell), Alcoa Lake, Milam County [early arrival].
Ruddy Duck: (100+) 27 October (Tim Fennell); (50+) 28 October (Jeffrey Hanson); (9) 4 November (Tim Fennell); (40+) 10 November (Tim Fennell, Jeffrey Hanson), Granger area, Williamson County [uncommon in late October].
Ruddy Duck: (1) 29 October; (1) 19 November (Keith Arnold), Country Club Lake, Bryan, Brazos County [weekly surveys].

KITES, HAWKS AND EAGLES

Osprey have experienced tremendous in population; record numbers have been seen in migration this fall in East and Central Texas.
Osprey: (1 fishing over lake) 5 August (Cathy Liles), Welch Park, Lake Somerville, Burleson County [rare in August].
Osprey: (23) 22 September (Guy Luneau and NETFO hawk watch), Lake O' the Pines, Marion County [high count is indicative of increase in Osprey population].

Guy Luneau, "23 Ospreys are not that high of a number for a species whose numbers are rapidly increasing, and for a group of ~10 people who watched the sky for 9 hours. They were all high-flying, southward moving migrants, and thus none should be recounts. They were seen going over the dam, which I believe is Marion Co."

Osprey: (9) 23 September (Hazel Bluhm), Lake O' the Pines, Marion County [high count].
Osprey: (11) 24 September (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County [high count].

David Wolf, in Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, XXIX, 3 (November 2001). "One of the more dramatic days of the season was September 24, when the first vigorous cold front of the season pushed through. ... a 'hawk watch' from Jesse Fagan's driveway in north Nacogdoches that afternoon produced a wide variety of raptors and other diurnal migrants. Most were rather high or distant, but it was evident that many birds were 'riding' the stiff wind southward. ... Osprey (11 over Nacogdoches in four hours, my highest ever one-day tally over our area), ..."

Osprey: (3) 25 September (Nancy Bird, Georgette Guernsey), Hwy 147 Bridge over Sam Rayburn Reservoir, San Augustine County [uncommon].
Osprey: (7) 29 September (Chris Merkord), various Lake Somerville sites, Burleson and Washington County [high count for this lake].
Other multiple sightings in prior years:
4 at Alcoa Lake - 13 Dec 1997 - Bert Frenz, et al.
4 at Gibbons Creek Reservoir - 28 Dec 1998 - Bert Frenz, et al.
4 at Lake Somerville - 12 Sep 1999 - Cathy Liles
4 at Lake Somerville - 16 Oct 1999 - Darrell Vollert
5 at Gibbons Creek Reservoir - 10 Dec 1999 - Bert Frenz, et al.
6 at Lake Somerville - 31 Oct 1998 - Bert Frenz
7 at Lake Waco - 9 Oct 1999 - fide E. G. White-Swift
8 at Lake Waco - 8 Apr 1999 - fide E. G. White-Swift
8 at Lake Waco - 7 Oct 2000 - fide E. G. White-Swift
Osprey: (7-9) 6 October (Bert Frenz), Lake Waco at Flat Rock Park and Airport Beach Park, McLennan County [uncommon].

Bert Frenz, "Most seen at one time was 4, but because of distances separating the sightings, there must have been 7 to 9 birds: 3 feeding over bay between the two parks, 1 near shore at Airport Beach Park, 1 feeding on large fish while perched on a tree in Flat Rock Park, 1 sitting on dead snag in closed bay at Flat Rock Park, 3 fishing near marina at Airport Beach Park."

Osprey: (2) 6 October (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert, RBAS field trip), 1 at Butler Bayou and 1 at Aquaculture facility, Brazos River bottoms, Burleson County [uncommon].
Osprey: (2) 7 October (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [uncommon].
Osprey: (several actively fishing) 13-14 October (Greg Lisciandro), Speegleville III Park, Lake Waco, McLennan County [common].
Osprey: (1) 14 October (Dan Wilkerson), Lake Bryan, Brazos County [uncommon].
Osprey: (1) 17 October (John MacFarland), Fort Parker State Park, Limestone County [uncommon].
Osprey: (1) 20 October (Tim Fennell, Marsha Reimer); (1) 27 October (Tim Fennell); (1) 28 October (Jeffrey Hanson), Granger Lake, Williamson County [uncommon].
Osprey: (2) 2 November (Chris Merkord); (6) 3 November (Chris Merkord, RBAS field trip), Welch Park, Lake Somerville, Burleson County [uncommon; large count].
Osprey: (1) 9 November (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [uncommon].
Osprey: (1) 18 November (Bert Frenz), Lake Conroe, Montgomery County.
Osprey: (1) regular in November (Taylor Moore), Moore Farms, south Brazos County [uncommon].
Osprey: (2) 17-18 November; (1) through 29 November (Tom and Dixie Stevens), The Lakes of Chappell Hill Subdivision, Washington County [uncommon].

Swallow-tailed Kite: (2) 17 August (Austin RBA hotline), Smithville, eastern Bastrop County [rare].
Swallow-tailed Kite: (1) 25 August (Jamie Krech, fide Brush Freeman), seen from a canoe on the Colorado River somewhere between the 969 bridge, where they put in and Bastrop's Fisherman's Park, Bastrop County [rare].
Swallow-tailed Kite: (1 juvenile) 3 September (Steve Gross), Hwy 6 just south of 105, Navasota, Grimes County [very rare; first county record; one of about a dozen records for the RBA area].

White-tailed Kite: (3) 4 October (Chris Merkord, Kim Ortiz), southeastern Lake Limestone, Leon County [occasional, but very rarely as many as three].

Chris Merkord, "We circled Lake Limestone, near the town of Groesbeck. Our best birds of the day were 3 WHITE-TAILED KITES in two different locations. The first one was seen on Alley Rd. about 0.5 miles north of FM 1469 in Leon County. It was flying very fast from north to south over an open expanse of grassland, which looked like it was reclaimed mine land. Very similar to the Alcoa mines in Milam County where I observed two of the same species last winter. The other two kites were found on CR 368 (Alley Rd) west of FM 1512, also in Leon County. Between Lakeside Villages 3 and 4 there is an opening which lets you look out on the lake over the water discharge machinery from the power plant. These two birds were definitely not in a hurry to get anywhere as we watched them fly around for several minutes. One even landed in a tree and allowed nice scope looks. After a while they disappeared off to the south as well."

Mississippi Kite: (family of 2 adults and 2 juveniles) tracked almost daily from 9 April to 22 August, (Darrell Vollert), along FM1155 North, Chappell Hill, Washington County.

camera.GIF (1399 bytes) Darrell Vollert compiled a fascinating history of the 2001 breeding season of a family of Mississippi Kites.

Mississippi Kite: (2) 10 August (Mimi Hoppe Wolf), Nacogodoches, Nacogdoches County [first migrants].

David Wolf, "The first southbound Mississippi Kites were two over Nacogdoches on August 10 (MHW); an early immature over Ryan Lake on August 19 (NB, LD, et al.) raised the possibility of local breeding in the vast Neches bottomlands."

Mississippi Kite: (85) 22 August (Brush Freeman), Granger Lake, Williamson County [large number].
Mississippi Kite: (130) 24 August (Brush Freeman), various locations, Bastrop County [high count].
Mississippi Kite: (120) 27 August (Derek Muschalek, Old Davy Community, DeWitt County [common in migration; good count].
Mississippi Kite: (260 during "mini-hawkwatch") 27 August (Brush Freeman), Utley area overlooking Wilbarger Creek, Bastrop County [good count].
Mississippi Kite: (60) 28 August (Brush Freeman), Sayersville Road, Bastrop County.
Mississippi Kite: (1) 24 September (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County [somewhat late].

Bald Eagles continue to be seen widely in Eastern Texas.
Bald Eagle: (1) 7 August (Matt Dillon), Martin Creek Lake, Rusk County.
Bald Eagle: (pair) 19 August (Ginger Turner, fide Austin RBA), about half hour down the Colorado River by canoe from Utley, Bastrop County [rare in August].
Bald Eagle: (1 adult) 25 August (Nancy Bird, Louis Debetaz, Jesse Fagan), Ryan Lake irrigation field, Angelina County.
Bald Eagle: (1 adult) 2 September (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [early arrival].
Bald Eagle: (1) 8 September (Robyn Robertson), (2) 24 September (John MacFarland), Fort Parker State Park, Limestone County [uncommon].
Bald Eagle: (1 adult) ~22 September (Oscar Carmona), Lake Raven, Huntsville State Park, Walker County.
Bald Eagle: (1 adult) 25 September (Nancy Bird, Georgette Guernsey), Hwy 147 Bridge over Sam Rayburn Reservoir, San Augustine County.

David Wolf, "Adult Bald Eagles were seen regularly at several sites around Rayburn and Ryan Lake, indicative of the increased summering in our area (m.obs.)."

Bald Eagle: (1 adult) 29 September (Chris Merkord), Yegua Creek Park, Lake Somerville, Washington County.
Bald Eagle: (1 adult) 2 October (George Russell), across the cove from Wilderness Cathedral, Lake Livingston, San Jacinto County.
Bald Eagle: (1 2-3-year-old, moving south) 6 October (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert, RBAS field trip), Butler Bayou, Brazos River bottoms, Burleson County.
Bald Eagle: (1 adult) 7 October (Brad Bailey), Rocky Creek Park, Lake Somerville, Washington County.
Bald Eagle: (1 immature) 7 October (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County.
Bald Eagle: (2 adults, 1 immature) 28 October and 3 November (caretaker Wayne Forrest, fide Georgette Guernsey and Louis Debetaz), Kurth Lake, Angelina County.
Bald Eagle: (2 adults) 2 November (Chris Merkord), settled down to roost in a tree across from the cove from the boat launch at Welch Park, Lake Somerville, Burleson County.
Bald Eagle: (1 soaring with vultures) 3 November (Linda Lee Johnson, RBAS field trip), Rocky Creek Park, Lake Somerville, Washington County.
Bald Eagle: (1 adult) 6 November (Karl Kosciuch, Tracey Johnson); (1 adult) 8 November (Karl Kosciuch, Damion Marx); (1 adult) 11 November (Darrell Vollert, Ellen Ratoosh), eating fish on a snag by the boat dock, Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes County.
Bald Eagle: (1 adult) 18 November (Bert Frenz), Fairfield Lake State Park, Freestone County.

Bert Frenz, "Adult Bald Eagle swooped down to the lake's surface in a touch and go maneuver intended to catch a fish, but the eagle missed, so it flew a short circle and came around for another pass. This time it picked up a 10" fish in its talons and flew off to the trees at the shore. About 5 minutes later the eagle flew across the lake, meal finished."

Bald Eagle: (1 adult) 18 November (Gary Clark), soaring over the Cynthhia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Montgomery County.

Gary Clark, "My wife and I saw an adult Bald Eagle soaring gloriously over the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Sunday, Nov. 18. A pair of Bald Eagles, apparently the southern race, has nested in the South Montgomery County area for the past three winter seasons."

Bald Eagle: (1) 23 November (Brush Freeman), Colorado River at Lost Pines Golf Course, south of Tahitian Village, Bastrop County.
Bald Eagle: (1 adult) 25 November (Darrell Vollert), along FM529 near its intersection with FM359 east of Monaville, Waller County.
Bald Eagle: (1 immature) 29 November (Bert Frenz), Moore Farms, south Brazos County.

Northern Harrier: (1) 19 August (Tim Fennell), Granger Lake area, Williamson County [early arrival].
Northern Harrier: (1 probable) 28 August (Jeffrey Hanson), Hwy 1488 (Magnolia Parkway), ~2.5 mi. east of it's intersection w/ Hwy 290, Waller County [early arrival].
Northern Harrier: (1 female or immature) 2 and 4 September (Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch, Jennifer Reidy), Turf Farms, Brazos bottoms, Burleson County [early arrival].
Northern Harrier: (1 female) 5 September (Darrell Vollert), his residence on FR1155, Chappell Hill, Washington County [occasional in September].
Northern Harrier: (1) 15 September (Cliff Shackelford), near Jeddo, far southern tip of Bastrop County [early arrival].
Northern Harrier: (1) 17 September (Darrell Vollert), FR2447, near Chappell Hill, Washington County [occasional in September].
Northern Harrier: (2) 19 September (Gary Fritcher), Burleson County [occasional at this date].
Northern Harrier: (2 juveniles) 23 September (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [occasional in September].
Northern Harrier: (1) 24 September (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County [uncommon].
Northern Harrier: (up to 10) all September (Eddie Ray, David Ringer, Jason Pike), Sabine Mining Company land near Hallsville, Harrison County [good count, especially in September].

Sharp-shinned Hawk: (1) 17 August (Ellen Ratoosh), over Hwy 6 between Briarcrest and University in Bryan, Brazos County [very rare in August; only other local record is 31 Aug 1974, but a 31 July 98 record in Waco was of a summering bird].

Ellen Ratoosh, "I know it's ridiculously early in the fall, but this afternoon (8/17) at 18:00 I saw an adult accipiter fly east over Hwy 6 between Briarcrest and University in Bryan. It was low, and I felt sure at the time that it was a Sharp-shinned, although I suppose I could have been wrong. I was driving at highway speeds, so I didn't have ideal conditions for examining it. I was struck by the small size (originally out of the side of my eye I thought it was a Mourning Dove), and had the impression of a square tail."

Sharp-shinned Hawk: (13) 23 September (NETFO hawk watch), Lake O' the Pines, Marion County [good count].
Sharp-shinned Hawk: (10) 24 September (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County [uncommon; good count].
Sharp-shinned Hawk: (1 immature) 25 October (Shirley Wilkerson), perched on her bird feeder pole, Kurten, Brazos County [photographed].

Shirley Wilkerson, "Today, I was startled to see a Sharp Shinned Hawk perched on my bird feeder pole out my kitchen window. I ran to get my camera, and got a very poor picture of him, but I am attaching it anyway. According to the pole measurement, he would be 11" in length. As I snapped the picture, he flew down and chased several cardinals hiding in the Lady Banks rose bush below, (I did not see him catch one, as the bush is very thick, and that was the end of that."

A few decades ago, Cooper's Hawk was considered rare to occasional in the Central Brazos Valley and East Texas Pineywoods. A few years ago, I elevated its status to uncommon on my CBV checklist. This species continues to gain numerical strength and this year it seems a 'fairly common' label is more appropriate.
Cooper's Hawk: (1) 14 August (Georgette Guernsey), Crown Colony, Angelina County [irregular in summer].
Cooper's Hawk: (1 adult) 19 and 22 and 25 August (Georgette Guernsey, David Wolf, Jesse Fagan, Louis Debetaz, Jack Windsor, Nancy Bird)), Ryan Lake area, south Angelina County [rare in August].
Cooper's Hawk: (1) 28 August (Jeffrey Hanson), Giddings, Lee County [early].
Cooper's Hawk: (1 female) 2 September (Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch, Jennifer Reidy), Harge Road near Lake Somerville, Washington County [early arrival].
Cooper's Hawk: (11) 23 September (NETFO hawk watch), Lake O' the Pines, Marion County [good count].
Cooper's Hawk: (1 adult) 24 September (Darrell Vollert), Brazos River at US290, Washington County.
Cooper's Hawk: (4) 24 September (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County.

David Wolf, in Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, XXIX, 3 (November 2001). "Almost as many Cooper's Hawks were seen during this period [24 Sep to 22 Oct] as Sharpshins (the major exception was the September 24 flight) indicative of the continuing recover of eastern populations of this species. The highest one-day counts were just before or during cold fronts: 4 over Nacogdoches on September 24 (DW, JF), 4 over the Angelina bottoms on October 4 (Nancy Bird), and 3 over Nacogdoches on October 5 (Jesse Fagan)."

Cooper's Hawk: (1 immature) 27 September, Cochran Road north of Repka Road (Fred Collins), Waller County [road kill; specimen to be deposited at TCWC].
Cooper's Hawk: (1) 28 September, Repka Road (Fred Collins), Waller County.
Cooper's Hawk: (1 immature) 28 September (Keith Arnold), his backyard, Bryan, Brazos County.
Cooper's Hawk: (1) 29 September (Chris Merkord), FM60 near Brazos River, Burleson County.
Cooper's Hawk: (6) 29 September (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [large number].
Cooper's Hawk: (1 found shot dead) 30 September (Terri Sandvik) 19 November, Hicks Lane off of FM 158, Harvey Community, College Station, Brazos County.
Cooper's Hawk: (2 chasing a Broad-winged Hawk) 30 September (Georgette Guernsey), Timerberland Drive in Lufkin, Angelina County.
Cooper's Hawk: (1) 23 and 30 September (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County.
Cooper's Hawk: (4) 4 October (Nancy Bird), Angelina River bottoms, Angelina County.
Cooper's Hawk: (1) 4 October (Chris Merkord, Kim Ortiz), on Alley Rd. about 0.5 miles north of FM 1469, southeastern Lake Limestone, Leon County.
Cooper's Hawk: (4) 4 October (Nancy Bird), Angelina River area on Hwy 59 N, Angelina County.
Cooper's Hawk: (3) 5 October (David Wolf), Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County.
Cooper's Hawk: (1) 9 October (Darrell Vollert), Harrison Street, Brenham, Washington County.
Cooper's Hawk: (1, also 1 unidentified accipiter) 11 October (Darrell Vollert), FR2447, Chappell Hill, Washington County.
Cooper's Hawk: (1) 13 September (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County.
Cooper's Hawk: (1) 20 October (Tim Fennell, Marsha Reimer), Granger area, Williamson County.
Cooper's Hawk: (1 immature) 29 October (Keith Arnold), Country Club Lake, Bryan, Brazos County.
Cooper's Hawk: (1) 10 November (Darrell Vollert),Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County.
Cooper's Hawk: (1 immature) 14 November (Ellen Ratoosh), Emerald Forest subdivision, College Station, Brazos County.
Cooper's Hawk: (1) 25 November (Bert Frenz, Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County.
Cooper's Hawk: (1) 27 November (Brush Freeman), south of Bastrop, Bastrop County.

A cold front 23-24 September pushed thousands of Broad-winged Hawks over East Texas those days.
Broad-winged Hawk: (459) 23 September (NETFO hawk watch), Lake O' the Pines, Marion County [common; good count].
Broad-winged Hawk: (800+) 24 September (Peter Barnes), UT Health Center at Tyler, Smith County.

Peter Barnes, "It's been a big day for Broad-winged Hawks over north-east Texas. I have had 800+ go over the UT Health Center at Tyler and Guy Luneau has had 2000+ go over Texas Eastman in Longview. These are birds that we are seeing when peeking out of the office whenever we can. There must be thousands more going by that we are missing."

Broad-winged Hawk: (2310) 24 September (Guy Luneau) over Texas Eastman at Longview, Harrison County [large number].

Peter Barnes, "The flight of Broad-winged Hawks on Sept 24 was unusually impressive, with 2,310 birds over Texas Eastman in Longview (GL) and 800 over the UT Health Center at Tyler (PB). As these birds were seen at only two locations during work by intermittent observation, tens of thousands of unreported birds probably passed over north-east Texas that day. That same day, 291,000 Broad-winged Hawks were observed at Hazel Bazemore County Park near Corpus Christi, and a record-shattering 441,000 birds flew over on Sept 26."

Broad-winged Hawk: (2000+) 24 September (Guy Luneau), Texas Eastman at Longview, Harrison County.
Broad-winged Hawk: (517) 24 September (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County.

David Wolf, in Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, XXIX, 3 (November 2001). "One of the more dramatic days of the season was September 24, when the first vigorous cold front of the season pushed through. ... Broad-winged Hawk (517+, mostly in two large kettles), ..."

Broad-winged Hawk: (40+) 25 September (Nancy Bird, Georgette Guernsey), Hwy 147 Bridge over Sam Rayburn Reservoir, San Augustine County.

Swainson's Hawk: (27) 12 August (Tim Fennell), field of corn stubble on Alligator Road, Bell County [large count for such early migrants].

Bert Frenz, "That's the highest count I have in my records for this early in the season. Usually at this time period, sightings are of only 1 or 2. The closest comparable record I have is 50 on 19 August 1984."

Tim Fennell, "I too was surprised by the number of Swainson's (and the number was probably actually quite a bit greater as the entire field wasn't visible). I was also surprised to see them down on the ground as conditions seemed perfect for them to be on the wing headed south."

Swainson's Hawk: (5) 16 August (Brush Freeman), Granger area, Williamson County [uncommon, still early in migration season].
Swainson's Hawk: (1 adult protecting territory, 1 juvenile in adjacent tree, perhaps 1 more juvenile calling) 19 August (Tim Fennell); (2 adults, with one adult feeding a recently fledged juvenile) 21 August (Brush Freeman); (1 adult, 1 juvenile much stronger than last weekend) 25 August; (1 adult; 1 juvenile) 26 August (Tim Fennell); (1 juvenile) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Willis Creek Park [breeding confirmed; same area where adult was observed from 5-20 May; probably the first documented record of breeding in the area].

Tim Fennell, on 19th, "Earlier in the summer, you asked me about the possibility of breeding Swainson's Hawks at Willis Creek Park on Granger Lake. Well today I found an adult with a juvenile. I first heard a Red-shouldered calling and then realized another raptor was calling in a tree next to it. It turned out to be an adult Swainson's (this was in the same area I saw an adult Swainson's all of May). As I walked over to investigate, I saw a juvenile Swainson's lower down in an adjacent tree and it started calling. At that point, the adult made a couple of low, screaming passes at me so I vacated the area quickly. There may have been another juvenile calling in the same group of trees. I did some reading (Terres and Bent) last night and eggs have been recorded for Swainson's through July, they have about a month incubation period and juveniles can hang out around the nest for up to a month so the timing for breeding seems to work. I assume this observation is enough to confirm breeding, which I have suspected in Williamson for the past three summers."

Brush Freeman, on 21st, "Well despite some (actually a lot) of initial skepticism regarding the possibility of local breeding in the Granger Lk. area by Swainson's Hawks as Tim reported, I traveled up there this morning and found the birds in exactly the area he had them three days ago. (I'll have my crow with new potatoes & carrots please). Not only did find them in the same spot but found the youngster as he described in a note to me last night. I spent over an hour with these birds and if this bird was not fledged from the immediate area it must have been very local as I suspect the juvenile has only been out of the nest only for 2-3 weeks. Through a scope I saw one of two adults present bring a small food item to the young bird though I could not tell what it was. When one of the two adults present landed about 10-12 ft from the juvenile in a large, nearly dead willow, the juvenile clamored up the limb, wings spread, like a Hoatzin almost, wings flaying and looking for support. I approached the tree and the young bird just stayed put, unconcerned. I took photos and watched it for sometime longer. All the while both adult birds were screaming bloody murder overhead and circling quite low. I do not think this bird was reared too far away and in fact may be within yards of the nest site. It is capable of flight and once on the wing it does nicely, however landing back on a perch remains a problem it seems and at one time it came to rest in a tangle of small twigs in which it almost seemed ensnared, unable to relocate its right wing to the rest position. With the scope I was able to see a number of natal feathers especially on the left flank, neck and vent, though for the most part they have disappeared and only a few remain, the base of the gape is still slightly "swollen" but this is to a minor degree. I saw no other Swainson's Hawks anywhere the remainder of the morning.
"I spent a bit of time looking for confirmed breeding records of the species for the area last night and was unable to find anything in the literature I have except "possibles." It is of some interest to me to think that perhaps this is the first record of breeding in the area reported since the days when clod-hopping, pot-lickers with 4.00 shotguns filled their bellies with Prairie Chickens, Eskimo Curlews and Passenger Pigeons. Tim did good here!"

In his report for the fall season, Tim Fennell wrote an account similar to the one above, as follows: "8/19 - 9/9/01: Two adults apparently attending a juvenile at Willis Creek Park. Good JPEG's of the juvenile obtained. JPEG's of the juvenile sent to Keith Arnold at Texas A&M. A first probable (if not confirmed) breeding record for Williamson County.
"In May, an adult Swainson's Hawk at Willis Creek Park was acting territorial throughout the month but I didn't see it in June or July (although I didn't thoroughly search the area either). On 8/19, I found an adult with a juvenile in the same area of Willis Creek I had the adult Swainson's in May. I first heard a Red-shouldered calling and then realized another raptor was calling in a tree next to it. It turned out to be an adult Swainson's and they were not happy with each other. As I walked over to investigate, I saw a juvenile Swainson's lower down in an adjacent tree and it started calling. It jumped/flapped to a higher branch but did not fly away (Its flapping looked very weak, appearing to have not quite gotten the hang of coordinated flight). At that point, the adult made a couple of low, screaming passes at me so I vacated the area quickly!
"On 8/25, I pulled up at the first parking lot east of the entry station at Willis Creek Park at 12:05 pm and I heard a Swainson's Hawk calling as I got out of the car. It was a juvenile perched on a bare Willow snag (The same tree that an adult was perched in on 8/19. Today, an Olive-sided Flycatcher was perched two branches above the juvenile) located along the creek directly north of the entry station. At 12:06 pm, it flew off its perch and soared low over the fields between the entry station and the creek, calling continually. At 12:15 pm it landed on another Willow snag about 50 yards west of the original perch. It continued to call. Its landing was a little awkward but it was far more coordinated than it was on 8/19. I approached within 50 yards of the bird to take photos. It called on this perch from 12:15- 12:29 pm. Occasionally, I could hear another Swainson's calling from the south but I could not see it. At 12:29 pm, a calling adult Swainson's Hawk appeared overhead and the juvenile left its perch to join it as they soared together low over the fields, both calling. At 12:31 pm, the juvenile landed in a large Cottonwood in a fence row, .3 mile west of the entry station, and I lost the adult overhead. The adult appeared overhead again at 12:34 pm and then it climbed higher as it moved out of view to the north. I went back to my car and drove out of the park to the Cottonwood tree (50- 60 feet tall). As I got out of the car at 12:45 pm, I could hear the juvenile calling and immediately visually located him perched high in the tree (unfortunately, no nest). He called on this perch until 12:53 pm when it left it perch and soared low, continuing its incessant calling, over the field to the west of the fence row. I lost sight of the juvenile behind the trees of the fence row at 12:56 pm. I left the area at 1:00 pm.
"On 8/26, I pulled into Willis Creek at 10:20 am, scanning the snags to the north and seeing no hawks. However, as I got out of my car at the first parking lot, I heard the youngster's incessant caterwauling coming from somewhere southeast of the entry station. I drove back out the through the entry station and found it in a dead tree on the south side of the maintenance station. It sat and called in this tree until I left at 10:35 am. I took a few more photos. As I started to drive off, I heard a call from the south and saw an adult perched in tree about .2 miles south of the youngster, along the fence line that forms the eastern border of the park.
"On 9/9, At ~ 8:00 am, I pulled into Willis Creek Park and saw an adult light phase adult Swainson's Hawk sitting in the same Willow snags where I originally saw an adult and juvenile on 8/19. I approached within 25 yards before it flew to the east behind some trees. It called as it left the perch. There was no sign of a juvenile. As I birded the area along the creek, I spooked a juvenile Swainson's off of a perch about 300 yards east of where I had seen the adult and it flew north across the creek and out of sight. It did not call. As I left the park, I spotted an adult and juvenile Swainson's perched in a large snag about .1 mile west of the entry station and about .5 mile north of the entry road. When I entered the park at 8:00 am, there were no hawks on this snag. When I passed back by the area at 11:00 am, there were no hawks in this snag."

Swainson's Hawk: (500-1000) 4 October (Herb Smith), Hwy 80 and CR 110 between Martindale and Fentress, Caldwell County [good count].
Swainson's Hawk: (400-500 on ground, maybe thousands in air) 4 October (Dan Wilkerson), near Gustine on Hwy 36 between Hamilton and Comanche, Comanche County [probably common, but not much data for this county; curiously this large migration did not pass over the Hornsby Hawk Watch in Austin].

Shirley Wilkerson, "Dan went to Comanche on Thursday, Oct. 4th, and saw thousands of hawks in one very thin area near Gustine on Hwy 36 between Hamilton and Comanche. He saw numerous Swainsons Hawks (possibly 4 or 500 sitting on the ground in fields).

White-tailed Hawk: (1 immature) 22 October (Fred Collins), Cochran Road, Waller County [uncommon].

Harlan's (Red-tailed) Hawk: (1) 20 October (Tim Fennell, Marsha Reimer), Granger area, Williamson County [rare form].
Harlan's (Red-tailed) Hawk: (1 adult) 18 November (Bert Frenz), I-45, Freestone County [rare form; very dark buteo with white lateral streaks down breast].

Rufous X Dark-morph "Western" Red-tailed Hawk: (1 adult) 4 November (Jeffrey Hanson), FM1488, 1.5 mi. east of CR 362, northeast Waller County [rare form].

Ferruginous Hawk: (~10) 4 October (Dan Wilkerson), near Gustine on Hwy 36 between Hamilton and Comanche, Comanche County [probably uncommon, but not much data for this county; unusually high number].
Ferruginous Hawk: (1 light phase adult) 29 October (Fred Collins), Cochran Road, Waller County [rare].

Rough-legged Hawk: (2) 21 November (Dan Calloway, Catfish Kelley, Ethel Kutac), between Pflugerville and Hutto, in the southeast corner of the "Lookout" subdivision, along Hutto highway, Travis County [occasional].
Rough-legged Hawk: (1) 1 December (Eric Carpenter), northeast of dam, O.H. Ivie Reservoir, Coleman County [rare].

Golden Eagle: (1) 29 October (Albert Mays), TX 21 and FM 50, Burleson County [rare; one of about 8 county records since 1968].

Crested Caracara: (1) 29 September (Laura Bottone), over Tyler, Smith County [very rare; second county record; not listed on the Pineywoods checklist which borders Tyler; listed as rare on Northeast Texas checklist of 24 counties including Smith Co.; north and east of its typical range].
Crested Caracara: (2) 27 November; (4) 29 November; (5) 4 December (Traci Jean Carson), near Dawson, Limestone County [occasional; further north than typical range; high count].

American Kestrel: (1) 12 August; (1) 26 August (Tim Fennell), Granger area, Williamson County [early arrival].
Kestrel: (1) 26 August (Randy Pinkston), Temple, Bell County [early arrival].
American Kestrel: (1) 27 August (Brush Freeman), Utley area overlooking Wilbarger Creek, Bastrop County [early arrival].
American Kestrel: (1) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Granger Lake area, Williamson County [somewhat early].
American Kestrel: (20+) 6 October (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert, RBAS field trip), Brazos River bottoms, Burleson County [good count].

Darrell Vollert, "American Kestrel (20+) have never seen so many in one day!"

Merlins were earlier, occurred in larger numbers and more frequently than previous years. They certainly have made a strong comeback.
Merlin: (2) 5-10 August (Susan and Don Schaezler), their land near New Braunfels, Guadalupe County [very rare in August].
Merlin: (1) 2 September; (1-2) on 4 occasions between 3rd and 28th (Eddie Ray); (1) 29 September (Jason Pike, David Ringer, Eddie Ray), Sabine Mining Company land near Hallsville, Harrison County [September 2 is certainly a very early date and probably unprecedented for the East Texas Pineywoods.]

Peter Barnes, "The previous early date that I have is Sept 13 so the 2nd is quite notable. Eddie Ray saw Merlins on 6 occasions there during the month between the 2nd and 29th. He had one bird on the 2nd and didn't specify on which date(s) he had two birds."

Merlin: (1) 10 September (David Wolf), 147 bridge, Lake Sam Rayburn, Angelina County [very early; no early September records shown on Pineywoods checklist].

David Wolf, "A Merlin low over the TX 147 bridge (Angelina Co. end) on Sep 10 was the earliest Pineywoods record ever, while another was seen at the other end of the causway on Sep 16 (DW, JF).

Merlin: (1) 16 September (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), TX 147, Lake Sam Rayburn, San Augustine County [occasional].
Merlin: (2) 24 September (Guy Luneau), Texas Eastman in Longview, Harrison County [early arrival].
Merlin (Richardson's race): (1) 26 September (Randy Pinkston), Temple, Bell County [occasional; pale/brownish].
Merlin: (1) 4 October (Nancy Bird), Angelina River area on Hwy 59 N, Angelina County [occasional].
Merlin: (6) 6 October (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert, RBAS field trip), Brazos River bottoms, Burleson County [occasional; very high count].

Bert Frenz, "That's clearly a local record for Merlins in a day. In 1991 David Bradford lead a HAS field trip in Waller Co. and had 2 Merlins. On 4 Oct 1997 I led one to the Brazos bottoms and had 2 at Aquaculture. Those are the only records that are not single birds."

Winnie Burkett at Smith Point Hawk Watch, "Friday, 10/5/01, hawks were scarce as the front approached. Saturday 10/6/01 was raw and wonderful 2900 hawks most low and very visible. Peregrines and Merlins enjoyed the wind …"

Merlin: (1) 8 October (Darrell Vollert), Chappell Hills subdivision, Washington County [occasional].
Merlin: (1 light phase) 10 October (Bob Row), flew south out of the trees along Sandy Creek (about 200 yards west of US 96) across the road, Jasper County [occasional].
Merlin: (1 adult) 16 October (David Wolf); (1 immature) 17 October (Jesse Fagan), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [occasional; accompanying a weak front].
Merlin: (1) ~6 November (Bolton Williams), near TMPA plant on Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes County [occasional].
Merlin: (1) 24 November (Ellen Ratoosh), Emerald Forest subdivision, College Station, Brazos County [rare].
Merlin: (1) 25 November (Brush Freeman), Sayersville Rd., Bastrop County [rare].
Merlin: (1) 30 November (Jason Pike, David Ringer), Sabine Mining Company land, Harrison County [very rare in November].

Peregrine Falcon sightings, typically rare, were much more common this season.
Peregrine Falcon: (1) 1 August (Darrell Vollert, Mary Ann Grahmann), along FR2447, Brazos River bottoms, near Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare].
Peregrine Falcon: (1 immature) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Granger Lake area, Williamson County [rare].
Peregrine Falcon: (1 chasing swallows, sandpipers and ducks) 30 August (Chris Merkord, Jennifer Reidy), turf farms on FM50, Brazos bottoms, Burleson County [rare].
Peregrine Falcon: (1) 23 September (Brush Freeman, Tim Fennell, Chris Merkord), Granger Lake area, Williamson County [occasional].
Peregrine Falcon: (2) 24 September (David Wolf); (1) 25 September (Nancy Bird), Lake Sam Rayburn TX 147 bridge, San Augustine / Angelina Counties [occasional].
Peregrine Falcon: (1) 24 September (Guy Luneau), Texas Eastman in Longview, Harrison County [rare].
Peregrine Falcon: (1) 24 September (Eddie Ray), Sabine Mining Company land near Hallsville, Harrison County [rare].
Peregrine Falcon: (1) 25 September (Nancy Bird), Hwy 147 Bridge over Sam Rayburn Reservoir, San Augustine County [occasional].
Peregrine Falcon: (4) 6 October (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert, RBAS field trip), Brazos River bottoms, Burleson County [rare; high count record].

Bert Frenz, "Only non-singular records for Central Brazos Valley are: Tim Fennell had 2 falcons over Alcoa Lake on 22 July 2001. On College Station CBC's in 1974 and again in 1975, 3 Peregrines were reported on each, but the editor questioned the number.]

Ellen Ratoosh, "Peregrine Falcon - four! Three of these were close together in time and space, on Buffalo Ranch near Butler Bayou early in the day, along with most of the Merlins. The other one was over Aquaculture (really just across Hwy 60), as were the rest of the Merlins. All the Peregrines and Merlins were flying pretty directly south, but the Kestrels were behaving in typically non-serious style: harrassing Red-tails, etc. For a while, it seemed like everything that flew by was a falcon, big or little, flitty or serious. It was wild."

Captain Billy L. Sandifer, 6 Oct 2001, "On charters on the Padre Island Nat'l SeaShore for the past few years. ... Peregrine Falcons numbers peak the first week of Oct. the 10 years I have kept track on PINS. This year is typical with my first sighting being 1 bird on 27 Sept. 1 bird 29 Sept. 3 Peregrine 2 Oct. 1 with kill (Royal Tern). 7 Peregrines 3 Oct. 19 Peregrines 4 Oct."

Peregrine Falcon: (1) 7 October (DeWitt Patton), TMPA county mine road, Grimes County [rare].
Peregrine Falcon: (1) 13 October (Alex Smith); (1) 21and 23 October (Jim Hinson), southwest corner of Longenbaugh Rd. and Porter End Rd., near Katy Hockley Rd, west Harris County [rare].

Prairie Falcon: (1 roadkill) 13 October (Tim Fennell), Alligator Road, Bell/Williamson County [rare; photographed; specimen sent to TCWC].
Prairie Falcon: (1) 21 November (Kelly Bryan), one mile south of Ben Hur, western Limestone County [rare].

TURKEYS THROUGH CRANES

Wild Turkey: (5-8) 28 October (Jeffrey Hanson), Granger Lake dam area, Williamson County [uncommon].
Wild Turkey: (25) 13 November (Alan Byboth), crossing highway in Whitehouse, Smith County [occasional].
Wild Turkey: (flock of 8) 29 November (Bert Frenz), quarter mile east of FR2154 on FM159 near Millican, Brazos County [rare; photographed]

Northern Bobwhite: (1 heard only) 25 August (Tim Fennell), CR436, Granger area, Williamson County [occasional].
Northern Bobwhite: (12) 27 September, Hebert Road (Fred Collins), Waller County [occasional].
Northern Bobwhite: (2) 22 October (Fred Collins), Cochran Road, Waller County [occasional].

Virginia Rail: (2) 21 October (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [rarely reported].

David Wolf, in Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, XXIX, 3 (November 2001). "Virginia Rails are probably not truly 'rare' in our region, but they are rarely detected. With the aid of tape recordings, one was easily seen and another heard at Alazan Bayou WMA on October 21 (DW, JF), our first record in several years."

Virginia Rail: (1 heard and flushed) 10 November (Tim Fennell, Jeffrey Hanson), spillway marsh below Granger Lake dam, Williamson County [rare].

Sora: (1) 30 September (Randy Pinkston), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [occasional].
Sora: (1) 2 October (Randy Pinkston), Temple Lions Park, Bell County [occasional].
Sora: (2) 28 October (Jeffrey Hanson); (2) 10 November (Tim Fennell), Granger Lake spillway/marsh, Williamson County [uncommon].
Sora: (1) 9 November (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [occasional].

Common Moorhen: (5 adults, 5 juveniles) 28 August (Don and Jodell Miller), Gus Engling WMA, Anderson County [WMA checklist reports these are rare in spring and summer and absent in fall].
Common Moorhen: (2 adults with 3 young) 26 July and 2 August; (1 immature, likely from first brood) 9 August; (no survey) 16 August; (none) 23 August; (1) 3 September; (none) 19 September; (none) 24 September; (2) 1 October; (2) 8 October; (2) 19 November; (1) 26 November (Keith Arnold), Country Club Lake, Bryan, Brazos County [weekly surveys show this breeding population has dropped from 50+ a few years ago to only a single breeding pair this season, presumably owing to habitat degradation].

American Coot: (1000+) 30 October (Georgette Guernsey); (2000+) 14 November (Georgette Guernsey, Nancy Bird), Kurth Lake, Angelina County [abundant; high count].

Whooping Crane: (16) 17 November (Otto and Gloria Wuthrich), south Pflugerville immediately east of the northern Austin city limits, Travis County [very rare; large number].

Austin RBA, "ON THE 17th: At ~11:15am, Otto and Gloria Wuthrich spotted and watched a flock of sixteen (16) WHOOPING CRANES fly in from the north, low (~200'), and continue over their house in south Pflugerville (immediately east of the northern Austin city limits). For most of the time the birds traveled in single file, but broke the formation just south of the Wuthrich's property in order to utilize an updraft/thermal. After kettling to well over 1000' the birds continued to the SSE. They all appeared to be adults. FYI: This represents a new record number of individuals located in the Austin Checklist area. The previous high was 15; way back on October 29, 1984!"

Whooping Crane: (2) 24 November (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [very rare].

PLOVERS THROUGH SANDPIPERS

Black-bellied Plover: (1) 18 August (Matt Dillon), Sabine Mining Company land, Harrison County [rare and early].
Black-bellied Plover: (3 still in almost full alternate plumage) 25 August; (2) 26 August (Tim Fennell), Sore Finger Wildlife Area, Granger Lake, Williamson County [rare].
Black-bellied Plover: (1) 9 September (Jesse Fagan, David Wolf), Lake Sam Rayburn at TX 147 bridge, San Augustine / Angelina Counties [occasional].
Black-bellied Plover: (3) 27 October (Tim Fennell), Alligator Road, Bell County [late].
Black-bellied Plover: (1) 27 October (Tim Fennell), flyover on CR 346, Granger area, Williamson County [late].
Black-bellied Plover: (1 winter-plumaged) 3 November (Chris Merkord, Linda Lee Johnson, Nancy McCullough), Turf Farms, Brazos Bottoms, Burleson County [rare and late].

American Golden-Plover: (1) 12 September; (2) 15 September (Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch), Brazos bottoms, Turf Farm on FM50 and CR443, Burleson County [very rare fall migrant through this Post Oak Savannah area].

Snowy Plovers are rare migrants in central and east Texas, but this season brought four reports.
Snowy Plover: (2) 9 August; (1) 27 August (Randy Pinkston), Slough pond on Temple's south side, Bell County [not listed in summer or fall on Bell County checklist].

Randy Pinkston, "I spent portions of 17 days throughout August birding in potential shorebird habitats. It seemed to me that nice waves of shorebirds lingered here from 6-12, 17-18, and again 27-29 August. ... All in all 17 shorebird species were recorded in Bell County for August. Most noteworthy were two Snowy Plovers in Temple on the 9th, and another Snowy Plover in Temple on the 27th."

Snowy Plover: (1) 28 August (David Wolf), Lake Sam Rayburn at TX 147 bridge, San Augustine County [second area record and one of very few East Texas Pineywoods records].

David Wolf, "The TX 147 causeway was THE site for migrant plover, with a Black-bellied and two Semi-palmateds on Sep 9 (Jesse Fagan, David Wolf) and a Snowy Plover on Aug 28 (David Wolf), the latter only our second area record ever (the first was Aug 9, 1973). ... The county was San Augustine."

Snowy Plover: (1) 31 August (Guy Luneau, Eddie Ray), Texas Eastman in Longview, Harrison County [rare].

Semipalmated Plover is probably uncommon in the Oaks and Prairies region of Central Texas, but it has rarely been reported in a few of the less birded counties:
Semipalmated Plover: (1) 7 August (Randy Pinkston), slough pond on Temple's south side, Bell County [not listed on Bell County checklist for August].
Semipalmated Plover: (1) 23 September (Chris Merkord), between Thorndale and Rockdale on TX 79 near Brushy Creek, Milam County [rare; first county record in this underbirded county].

Killdeer: (100+) 6 October (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert, RBAS field trip), 50+ at the Turf Farm and 50+ on Buffalo Ranch, Brazos River bottoms, Burleson County [high count].
Killdeer: (100+) 12 August (Tim Fennell), Granger area, Williamson County [large number].
Killdeer: (nest with 4 eggs) 4 November; (adults incubating) through November; (1 downy chick, 1 other hatched egg without chick, 2 unhatched eggs) 30 November (David Cimprich), near Killeen, Bell County [extremely late nesting, perhaps unprecedented; Oberholser describes nesting period as late February to early August with eggs from March 3 to July 17 and downy young to July 28; Pulich records extreme nesting dates for Dallas County from 6 March to 18 August (young banded); Seyffert reports extreme egg dates as 21 April to 4 July].

David Cimprich, "04 Nov: Killdeer nest with 4 eggs, near Killeen (Bell Co.). I checked this nest periodically. The adults incubated faithfully through some very cold, windy weather in late November including an ice storm. When I checked it on 30 November, there was 1 downy chick crouched in the nest next to 2 eggs. The fourth egg must have hatched and the chick departed. The remaining 2 eggs never did hatch."

Mountain Plover: (57-74) 13 October (Tim Fennell); (25+) 16 October (Carlton Collier); (97) 20 October (Tim Fennell, Marsha Reimer); (36) 27 October (Tim Fennell); (31) 28 October (Shirley Wilkerson, Debbie Moore); (39) 3 November (Brush Freeman, Phil Rostron); (116) 4 November (Tim Fennell); (36) 10 November (Tim Fennell, Jeffrey Hanson); (no?) 15 November (Brush Freeman, Mark Adams); (102) 18 November (Eric Carpenter); (56) 20 November (Tim Fennell); (29) 23 November (Tim Fennell); (54) 24 November (David Shackelford); (95) 25 November (Randy Pinkston); (no?) 1-2 December (Bob Rasa, et al.), Granger area, Williamson County [rare in region; fairly common at this location].

Locations where Mountain Plovers have been observed include:
- "megafield" on the north side of CR 353, .5 mile west of CR 352
- north side of CR 346, ~1 mile east of Hwy 95
- north-west side of CR 346 from Hwy 95, 0.7 mile from the railroad tracks.
- CR325, ~1 mile west of Hwy 95

Black-necked Stilt: (14) 2 September (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert); (4) 2 September (Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch, Jennifer Reidy); (4) 4 September (Chris Merkord); (3) 12 September (Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch), Brazos bottoms, Turf Farm on FM50 and CR443, Burleson County [rare in the Post Oak Savannah region; unusual number of sightings at this location this fall].

American Avocets were seen in good numbers this season.
American Avocet: (7) 9 August (Grant Critchfield), Temple Park, Bell County [occasional].
American Avocet: (4) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Granger Lake area, Williamson County.
American Avocet: (7) 2 September (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert, Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch, Jennifer Reidy), Brazos bottoms, Turf Farm on FM50 and CR443, Burleson County.
American Avocet: (5) 9 September (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), flying along the TX 103 crossing of the Angelina River, Angelina County.
American Avocet: (4) 13 September (Guy Luneau), Texas Eastman in Longview, Harrison County.
American Avocet: (5) 19 September (Gary Fritcher), Burleson County.
American Avocet: (26) 22 September (NETFO field trip), Lake O' the Pines, Marion County.
American Avocet: (20) 22 September (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), flying past TX 147 bridge over Lake Sam Rayburn, San Augustine / Angelina Counties.
American Avocet: (4) 25 September (Nancy Bird), FM 2109 gravel pit, Angelina County.
American Avocet: (2) 7 October (Tim Fennell), Meadow Lake, Round Rock, Williamson County.
American Avocet: (23) 23 October (Guy Luneau), Texas Eastman at Longview, Harrison County.
American Avocet: (5) 27 October (Randy Pinkston), Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County.
American Avocet: (5) 20 October (Tim Fennell, Marsha Reimer); (1) 28 October (Jeffrey Hanson), stock pond on Alligator Road, Bell County.
American Avocet: (10) 16 August (Brush Freeman); (4) 29 August (Brush Freeman); (12) 7 October (Tim Fennell); (1) 18 November (Eric Carpenter), Granger Lake area, Williamson County [occasional, but November sighting is late].

Greater Yellowlegs: (1) 3 August (Joe Yelderman), Waco Regional Sewage Treatment Plant, McLennan County [early arrival].
Greater Yellowlegs: (1) 7 August (Randy Pinkston), slough pond on Temple's south side, Bell County [occasional].

Lesser Yellowlegs: (2) 7 August (Randy Pinkston), slough pond on Temple's south side, Bell County [rare on Bell County checklist].
Lesser Yellowlegs: (2) 12 August (Randy Pinkston, Grant Critchfield), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County.
Lesser Yellowlegs: (1) 12 August; (3) 19 August (Tim Fennell), Willis Creek Park, Granger Lake, Williamson County [occasional].
Lesser Yellowlegs: (~90) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Granger Lake area, Williamson County [good count].

Solitary Sandpiper: (1) 29 September (Shirley Wilkerson), their stock tank on Hwy 36, two miles outside Comanche, Comanche County [occasional?; not much known about this county].
Solitary Sandpiper: (1) 30 October (Georgette Guernsey), Kurth Lake, Angelina County [rare; late].
Solitary Sandpiper: (1) 9 November (David Shackelford), WMARSS, McLennan County [occasional this late].
Solitary Sandpiper: (1) 10 November (Tim Fennell, Jeffrey Hanson), Granger Lake area, Williamson County [late].
Solitary Sandpiper: (1) 23 November (Brush Freeman), Colorado River at Lost Pines Golf Course, south of Tahitian Village, Bastrop County [late departure].
Solitary Sandpiper: (1) 1 December (Karen Arquette and CTA field trip), WMARSS, Waco, McLennan County [late departure].

Willet: (1) 18 August (Jesse Fagan, David Wolf), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [rare].
Willet: (1) 26 August (Matt Dillon), Martin Creek Lake, Rusk County [rare].
Willet: (1) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Sore Finger Wildlife Area, Granger Lake, Williamson County [rare].
Willet: (1) 1 October (Guy Luneau), Texas Eastman at Longview, Harrison County [rare to occasional fall migrant, but this one is late; no late September or October records shown on 2001 Pineywoods checklist; no October records shown on 1999 NETFO checklist].

Upland Sandpipers passed over in substantial numbers.
Upland Sandpiper: (200+) 12 August (Tim Fennell), Bell and Williamson Counties [significant number].

Tim Fennell, "After starting the morning in the predawn hour watching the meteor shower and listening to Upland Sandpipers fly over the house [in Round Rock]. I spent from 7:00 am - 12:30 pm birding the Granger Lake area. Highlights included: ... swarms of Upland Sandpipers ... 200+, very conservative estimate, mostly Williamson Co. but 50+ on Alligator Rd., Bell Co."

Upland Sandpiper: (3) 10 August; (1) 15 August; (5) 16 August; (8) 17 August; (6) 19 August; (22) 22 August; (30) 25 August (Georgette Guernsey, David Wolf, Jesse Fagan, Louis Debetaz, Jack Windsor, Nancy Bird), Ryan Lake, Angelina County [occasional].

David Wolf, "Upland Sandpipers are not often detected on their southward migration."

Upland Sandpiper: (412 by noon) 16 August (Brush Freeman); (132) 19 August (Tim Fennell); (26) 25 August; (82) 26 August (Tim Fennell); (19) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Granger area, Williamson County [large numbers].
Upland Sandpiper: (1) 18 August (Jesse Fagan), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [occasional in East Texas].
Upland Sandpiper: (25) 19 August (Matt Dillon), Sabine Mining Company land, Harrison County [occasional].

Long-billed Curlew: (13) 16 August (Brush Freeman), Granger area; (1) 19 August (Tim Fennell), Willis Creek Park; (11) 29 August (Brush Freeman); (3) 4 November (Tim Fennell), Sore Finger WMA, Granger area, Williamson County [occasional].
Long-billed Curlew: (1) 17 August (Brush Freeman), Bastrop State Park, Bastrop County [occasional].

Marbled Godwit: (2) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Willis Creek Park, Granger Lake, Williamson County [rare].

Ruddy Turnstone: (1) 28 August (Brush Freeman), near a stock tank off Sayersville Road, Bastrop County [rare].

Brush Freeman, "Pretty hard to come by in Bastrop county as there is not much habitat for them."

Ruddy Turnstone: (1) 20-31 August (David Ringer, Eddie Ray, Jason Pike, Guy Luneau), Texas Eastman in Longview, Harrison County [rare].

A significant number of inland reports of Sanderling occurred this season.
Sanderling: (1) 16 August (David Wolf, et al.), on TX 147 bridge over Lake Rayburn, Angelina/San Augustine Counties [occasional].
Sanderling: (1) 14 and 16 August (Guy Luneau), Texas Eastman in Longview, Harrison County [occasional].
Sanderling: (1 juvenile) 19 August (Tim Fennell), Willis Creek Park, Granger Lake, Williamson County [rare].
Sanderling: (1) 9 September; (7) 22 September (Jesse Fagan, David Wolf), Lake Sam Rayburn at TX 147 bridge, San Augustine / Angelina Counties [occasional in September].
Sanderling: (1 juvenile) 2 September; (1 basic-plumaged adult) 16 September (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert) Brazos bottoms, Turf Farm on FM50 and CR443, Burleson County [rare migrant in this area; first records in Central Brazos Valley since 1980].
Sanderling: (1) 17 September (Guy Luneau), Texas Eastman in Longview, Harrison County [uncommon].
Sanderling: (1) 24 October (David Wolf), Lake Sam Rayburn TX 147 bridge, San Augustine County [occasional].

Semipalmated Sandpiper: (12 including many juveniles) 7 August (Randy Pinkston), slough pond on Temple's south side, Bell County [not listed on Bell County checklist for summer or fall].

Baird's Sandpiper: (1) 7 August (Randy Pinkston), slough pond on Temple's south side, Bell County [not listed for August but occasional thereafter on Bell County checklist].
Baird's Sandpiper: (1) 15 August (Jack Windsor, Nancy Bird), Ryan Lake irrigation field, Angelina County [occasional].
Baird's Sandpiper: (1) 30 August (David Wolf), Lake Sam Rayburn at TX 147 bridge, San Augustine / Angelina Counties [occasional].
Baird's Sandpiper: (1) 12 September (Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch), Turf farms on FM50, Brazos bottoms, Burleson County [rare].

Dunlin: (1) 17 November (David Pueppke, Jerry Brite, et al.), Alligator Creek in far NW Guadalupe County [rare].

Jerry Brite, "Earlier on Saturday, 17th November, five members of Comal County Birders Group located a lone Dunlin while it foraged a muddy shore of flood-swollen Alligator Creek in far NW Guadalupe County (just inside our count area). The vicinity was along Schwarzlose Road near FM Rd 758 east of village of Barbarosa; it was at the creek crossing. Our bird was first observed by David Pueppke who noticed the winter plumage and field marks. With scopes set at 30 - 40 X, the other four of us agreed to the species call (after consulting three field guides to be sure). It foraged with a large flock of Killdeer and a few Yellow-legs (both species present)."

Most shorebirds bypass or pass over the Post Oak savannahs without stopping, but this year they collected in good numbers in flooded fields in the Brazos River bottoms of Burleson County in late August and early September. The following are usually rare to occasional in this area, but this year were readily found: American Avocet, Sanderling, Baird's Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Wilson's Phalarope:
American Avocet: (7) 2 September (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert, Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch, Jennifer Reidy)
Sanderling: (1 juvenile) 2 September; (1 basic-plumaged adult) 16 September (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert) [rare migrant in this area; first records in Central Brazos Valley since 1980].
Baird's Sandpiper: (1) 12 September (Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch) [rare].
Western Sandpiper: (1) 30 August (Chris Merkord, Jennifer Reidy); (5) 30 September (Chris Merkord); (2 in flight, id by call) 6 October (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert, RBAS field trip) [rare].
Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Semipalmated and "peeps": (400-500) 2 September (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert).
Baird's Sandpiper: (1) 12 September (Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch) [rare].
Pectoral Sandpiper: (1) 30 August (Chris Merkord, Jennifer Reidy); (8) 2 September (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert); (3) 3 September (Karl Kosciuch, Scott Brandes); (8) 4 September (Chris Merkord); (1) 16 September (Darrell Vollert, Ellen Ratoosh).
Stilt Sandpiper: (7) 30 August (Chris Merkord, Jennifer Reidy); (8) 2 September (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert); (1) 23 September (Chris Merkord), CR 228, Burleson County [rare].
Buff-breasted Sandpiper: (8) 2 September (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert), (54) 2 September (Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch, Jennifer Reidy); (44) 4 September (Chris Merkord); ("good numbers") 8 September (Karl Kosciuch); (24) 12 September (Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch); (100+) 16 September (Darrell Vollert, Ellen Ratoosh) [rare].
Long-billed Dowitcher: (10, identified by call) 2 September (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert) [rare].
Dowitcher species: (2) 3 September (Karl Kosciuch, Scott Brandes); (4) 4 September (Chris Merkord) [rare].
Wilson's Phalarope: (3) 2 September (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert); (1) 3 September (Karl Kosciuch, Scott Brandes) [rare].

Common Snipe: (1) 18 August (Jesse Fagan, David Wolf), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [earliest ever arrival by a few days for area and perhaps all Pineywoods of East Texas].
Common Snipe: (4) 9 September (Tim Fennell), Alligator Road, Bell County [very early arrival].

Wilson's Phalarope: (~250) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Granger Lake, Williamson County [unusually large count].

GULLS AND TERNS

Franklin's Gull: (300-400) 26 October; (140) 28 October (Ron Gutberlet), flying over the Villages Marina on the east shore of Lake Palestine, Smith County [uncommon].

Peter Barnes, NETFO News, 12, 12 (Dec 2001), "Franklin's Gulls are abundant migrants in the western portion of northeast Texas, where thousands of birds are regularly observed at Lake Tawakoni and Cooper Lake. More than 10,000 were present at the latter location on October 26 (Matt White). Franklin's Gulls are less commonly observed further east, but this year hundreds of them flew over Lake Palestine in Smith County from October 26-30 with a high count of 300-400 birds on October 26 (Ron Gutberlet)."

Franklin's Gull: (4500 flyover) 9 November (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [large number].
Franklin's Gull: (3) 27 October (Tim Fennell): (325-350 on lake) 28 October (Jeffrey Hanson); (24) 18 November (Eric Carpenter), Granger area, Williamson County [uncommon, but November sighting is somewhat late].

Bonaparte's Gull: (2) 2 November (Chris Merkord), floating in middle of Lake Somerville as viewed from Welch Park; (1 first year) 3 November (Chris Merkord, RBAS field trip), Lake Somerville, Burleson County [early; occasional].

Ring-billed Gull: (1) 8 August (Grant Critchfield), Temple Park, Bell County [not listed for August on Bell County checklist; early arrival for Central Prairies].
Ring-billed Gull: (1) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Friendship Park; (3) 4 November (Tim Fennell), Granger Lake, Williamson County [early arrival; rare in August].

Herring Gull: (1) 27 October (Jesse Fagan, Claudia de la Cruz), TX 147 bridge over Lake Sam Rayburn, San Augustine / Angelina Counties [FOS, occasional].

Sabine's Gull: (1 juvenile) 7 September (Matt White), Lake Tawakoni, Van Zandt County [rare].
Sabine's Gull: (1 juvenile) 4-8 September (Ron Gutberlet), Lake Palestine, Smith County [rare; first county record].

Caspian Tern: (1) 24 October (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), TX 147 bridge over Lake Sam Rayburn, San Augustine / Angelina Counties [late; occasional].

Arctic/Common Tern: (1) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Friendship Park, Granger Lake, Williamson County [Arctic Tern would be a new area record; Common Tern is rare].

Brush Freeman, "ARCTIC/COMMON TERN 1. Okay, this was the biggy of the day. Seen flying over main body of the lake against the backdrop of a dark and foreboding wall of rain. The bird was definitely one of the two and I watched it from Friendship Park but could never make a positive ID though I have my gut instincts. The entire bird appeared pure white against that dark cloud so I was not able to pick up any real gray tones. I could not make out ANY dark in the primaries edges and could just see the dark crown and bill, but one must consider the distance at which I had the bird, which may have approached 1/2- 3/4 of a mile or more with a 60X scope. The tail was long but I just don't know if it was long enough. The birds flight was completely different from nearby Forster's stiff somewhat mechanical flight, nor was it the surging flight of a Gull-billed. This bird's flight was very graceful and sort of swallow-like. As I watched it I could see the wall of rain move on to the lake from the opposite shore. I stayed with it as long as I could but soon the rain & wind over-took me and the bird, soaking me through as I hurried back to the truck a hundred yds. or more away. I drove up to the dam in a steady rain and looked for it from there but could not locate it. I guess I will never know for sure what this beast was. After about 1.5 hours of rain I left."

Forster's Tern: (3) 30 August (Fred Collins), Brown Road Pond, Waller County [unusual to be seen far from large body of water].

Fred Collins, "Unusual for Waller County in my experience as they are usually associated with larger reservoirs which I am not aware of in the county. …The rains of the last few days have raised the water level of this pond and the stilts, spoonbills, ducks and shorebirds that have frequented the pond the last couple of weeks are gone."

Least Tern: (2) 6 August (Randy Pinkston), slough pond on Temple's south side, Bell County [not listed in August, rare in fall on Bell County checklist; rare in Oaks & Praries region].
Least Tern: (5-9) 27 August (David Ringer, Eddie Ray, Jason Pike); (1) 31 August (Guy Luneau), Texas Eastman in Longview, Harrison County [occasional].

Black Tern: (3) 12 August (Randy Pinkston, Grant Critchfield), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [rare this early].
Black Tern: (9) 16 August (Brush Freeman), Willis Creek Park, Granger Lake, Williamson County [occasional].
Black Tern: (4) 19 August (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [occasional].
Black Tern: (no.?) 19 August (John MacFarlane), Fort Parker State Park, Mexia, Limestone County [occasional].
Black Tern: (63) 19 August (Tim Fennell); (200) 22 August; (~20) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Granger Lake, Williamson County [large count on 22nd].
Black Tern: (70) 5 September (Ron Gutberlet), Lake Palestine, Smith County [uncommon; high count].

Peter Barnes, September report, "Black Terns were unusually common in Smith Co. this fall, with a high count of 70 birds on Lake Palestine on Sept 5 (RG)."

DOVES THROUGH OWLS

Eurasian Collared-Dove: resident (David Wolf, Mimi Hoppe Wolf), Central Heights, Nacogdoches County [David commented, "Eurasian Collared Doves resumed calling in Central Heights after the late August rains; could they be nesting again?"].
Eurasian Collared-Dove: (2) 8 November (Darrell Vollert, Willie Vollert, Mary Ann Grahmann), along Farewell Street, Brenham, Washington County [first county record].
Eurasian Collared-Dove: (9) 29 November (Darrell Vollert), near intersection of SH105 and FM 397, Navasota, Grimes County [locally common].
Eurasian Collared-Dove: (4) 29 November (Bert Frenz), Moore Farms, south Brazos County [close to first Brazos County sighting].
Eurasian Collared-Dove: (2) 2 December (Bert Frenz, Darrell Vollert and TOS field trip), Moore Farms, south Brazos County [still rare in area, but common at this farm].

Population densities of White-winged Doves vary widely in Central and Eastern Texas, with some areas having an abundant supply and others where the species is still scarce.
White-winged Dove: (2 adults, 1 juvenile) 8 August (Darrell Vollert), Mustang Road, Brenham, Washington County [Darrell commented, "We are seeing more White-winged Doves in Washington County these days."].

Bert Frenz, "White-winged Doves were known, at least as vagrants, in McLennan and Brazos Counties prior to 1954, but the first dates I've found are 3 May 1988 in McLennan and 8 August 1993 in Brazos. They started spreading in McLennan in 1991 and are just beginning now their spread in Brazos in 1998 and in Washington in 2001".

White-winged Dove: (2) 8 August (Fred and Mary Brandt), Chappell Hill subdivision, Washington County [occasional].
White-winged Dove: (1) 19 August (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan, Louis Debetaz, Nancy Bird), Ryan Lake area, south Angelina County [only the second Angelina Co record; we have at least four for Nacogdoches County, but this is still a very rare or casual visitant in this region].
White-winged Dove: (19) 12 August; (12) 19 August; (22) 25 August; (1) 26 August (Tim Fennell), Granger area, (2) 29 August (Brush Freeman), town of Granger, Williamson County [fairly common].
White-winged Dove: (1) 1 September (Ellen Ratoosh), Emerald Forest subdivision, College Station, Brazos County [still relatively rare in Brazos County].
White-winged Dove: (1) 23 September (Chris Merkord), Thorndale, Milam County [fairly common].
White-winged Dove: (1) 6 October (Bert Frenz), Flat Rock Road, McLennan County [common].

Common Ground-Dove: (1 heard) 16 August (Brush Freeman and previously Tim Fennell), Alligator Road, Bell County [rare].

Monk Parakeet: (2) 3 August, (Mary Dabney Wilson), College Hills subdivision, College Station, Brazos County [escapee].
Monk Parakeet: (3) 21 October (Joan Dziezyc), North Graham Road, College Station, Brazos County [escapees or wanderers from other Texas cities?].

Yellow-billed Cuckoo: (1) 19 October (Guy Luneau), Texas Eastman at Longview, Harrison County [late? NETFO checklist shows these present through October, but Pineywoods checklist says they are gone by early October].

Barn Owl: (1 heard) 31 October; (2 heard) 1 November (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [rarely reported].
Barn Owl: (1 found dead on road) 24 November (Keith Arnold), 2.3 mi. SE of Monaville (also 0.2 mi. NW of junction with FM 529), Waller County [rarely reported].

Short-eared Owl: (2-4) 17 and 20 and 30 November (Jason Pike, David Ringer, Eddie Ray, David Weaver), Sabine Mining Company land, Harrison County [rare].
Short-eared Owl: (4) 17 November (Mike Millican), Franklin County [rare].
Short-eared Owl: (1) 30 November (Randy Pinkston), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [uncommon].

Randy Pinkston, "On Friday evening, 30 November, I discovered a Short-eared Owl at Union Grove Wildlife Area on the south shore of Stillhouse Hollow Lake in Bell County, approximately 50 minutes north of Austin. Like previous years, the owl was working the same strip of marshy fields between the irrigation canal and the lakeshore, south of the line of large willows. Also like last year, the bird appeared literally in the last minute before it became too dark to focus on anything. I spotted the owl at 5:57 and it was too dark to relocate it by 5:58, even with the beautiful harvest moon that evening. The owl has remained and worked this same area throughout the winter in years past."

NIGHTHAWKS THROUGH SWIFTS

Common Nighthawk: (46) 28 September (Jason Pike, David Ringer, Eddie Ray); (100) 1 October (Eddie Ray), Sabine Mining Company land near Hallsville, Harrison County [uncommon; high counts]
Common Nighthawk: (~70 migrating) 5 September (Ellen Ratoosh), her backyard, Emerald Forest subdivision, College Station, Brazos County [high count].
Common Nighthawk: (1) 28 October (Georgette Guernsey), Crown Colony, Lufkin, Angelina County [late departure].

Chuck-will's-widows are rarely reported in fall; three records are particularly unusual.
Chuck-will's-widow: (1) 27 August (Derek Muschalek, Old Davy Community, DeWitt County [rare; early part of migration].
Chuck-will's-widow: (1) 30 August (Derek Muschalek), 11 miles northwest of Yorktown, DeWitt County [rare in August].
Chuck-will's-widow: (1) 15 September (Peter Barnes, with Fort Worth and Dallas Audubon Societies), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [rare in fall].

Whip-poor-wills usually pass by undetected, so four reports this fall in Central and Eastern Texas are unusual.
Whip-poor-will: (1) 23 August (Mimi Hoppe Wolf), Central Heights, Nacogdoches County [rare].

David Wolf, "A Whip-poor-will was seen 'flycatching' at dusk in Central Heights on Aug 23 (MHW); this species is rarely detected in fall."

Whip-poor-will: (1) 2 September (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [rare].

Peter Barnes, "Whip-Poor-Wills sing infrequently in the fall, so one at Richland Creek WMA on Sept 2 (PB) and another in Rusk Co. from Sept 15-20 (GL, JL, SL) were unusual."

Whip-poor-will: (1) 15-20 September (Guy Luneau, Joan Luneau, Scott Luneau) Rusk County [rare].
Whip-poor-will: (1 heard) ~24-26 September (Susan Schaezler), her land, Guadalupe County [rare].

Chimney Swifts moved through in good numbers throughout early October, but 13-14 October was the last big push, coincidentally reported in East Texas and in the Central Brazos Valley.
Chimney Swift: ("several hundred") 13 October (Jesse Fagan), Nacogdoches sewage ponds, Nacogdoches County [major migration push].

David Wolf, in Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, XXIX, 3 (November 2001). "A major push of Chimney Swifts moved southward over Nacogdoches on October 13 as a cold front pushed into our area (Jesse Fagan), and very few (any?) were seen after that."

Jesse Fagan, in Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, XXIX, 3 (November 2001). "I birded the Nacogdoches Sewage Ponds on 13 October 2001 just as a western front was pushing in. The stormy weather in the early morning not only flooded my bedroom, but did a lot of damage around town. Many people lost power so I was not disappointed when I was the only one that showed up for the field trip. Cooler air from the west and warmer air from the south made for stormy, cloudy weather. I detected a MAJOR movement of Chimney Swifts. I quit counting them when I realized I didn't have a method for counting them accurately - too difficult to determine which ones I had already counted, but easily several hundred."

Chimney Swift: (200-300) 12 October; (2) 14 October (Ellen Ratoosh), Emerald Forest subdivision, College Station, Brazos County [mass migration, followed by almost complete absence].

Ellen Ratoosh, 14 Oct, "Chimney Swift - The afternoon of 10/12, 200-300 were passing over my house. They came in waves from the north, circled briefly over the floodplain feeding, and departed to the south. They mostly stayed up higher than the accompanying"

Chimney Swift: (8 flying very high) 15 October (Darrell Vollert), Chappell Hill Subdivision, Washington County [LOS; uncommon].

HUMMINGBIRDS THROUGH WOODPECKERS

Broad-billed Hummingbird? (1) 3 November (?) (Mike Mathews), his land between Winchester and Warda, Fayette County [only one prior record in Oaks & Prairies region (mid April); report received second hand; no details given; presumably details were submitted to TBRC].

Mike Mathews to Ron Weeks, "Per the request on Texbirds I am sending this record of our Broadbilled hummer to you. We've been hosting this bird for several weeks now."

Buff-bellied Hummingbirds continue to be a rarity in the Central Brazos Valley. This year the only sightings were at the same three locations where pairs have been seen now for several years. Their length of stay is increasing.
Buff-bellied Hummingbird: (1-2) 24 March to 29 October (Marcia Effinger), her yard, Chappell Hill, Washington County [fourth consecutive year as summer resident in this yard].
Buff-bellied Hummingbird: (1) starting 9 March; (2) spring through early September; (1) from then to 12 November (Margaret Cook), her yard on Newman Road, north Austin County [rare, but regular at this location].
Buff-bellied Hummingbird: (1-2) 4 March to 23 November (Sue Ruotsala, Billie Bernard), northern Austin County [rare, but regular at this location; very long length of stay].

A few Ruby-throated Hummingbirds stayed until late October and early November.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: (1) 23 October (Darrell Vollert, Mary Brandt), Brandt's yard, Chappell Hill subdivision, Washington County [late departure].
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: (1 female) 23 October (Darrell Vollert), near downtown Chappell Hill, Washington County [late departure].
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: (1) 24 October (Jimmie Putnam), Angelina County [late departure].
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: (1) 24 October (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [late departure].
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (probable): (1 sub-adult male) 1 November (Darrell Vollert), Brenham, Washington County [late departure].
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: (1) 3 November (Susan Bame, Sue Ruotsala, Billie Bernard), Zionsville, Washington County [late departure].
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: (1 immature male) 3 November (Carol Wells), Douglas, Nacogdoches County [rare this late].
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: (1 immature) 13-24 October; (1) 16 November (Marcia Effinger), her yard, Chappell Hill, Washington County [occasional in second half of October; rare in November].

Calliope Hummingbird: (1) 15 September (Brush Freeman), his yard near Utley, Bastrop County [very rare].

Brush Freeman, "This morning (9/15) I noticed a female type Calliope Hummingbird in my yard. This is a new yard bird. It does not come to the feeders often due to all the Ruby-throats but feeds on the flowers that have bloomed in profusion since the recent rains."

Austin RBA, "This is the first September record for the area, since 1994; and fifth September record in the past 23+ years."

Broad-tailed Hummingbird: (1) 12 October (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [very rare].

Brush Freeman, "I just discovered that I have a juvenile Broad-tailed Hummingbird here in Utley it looks like a female but I am not yet sure about that. I have heard no wing trill. The bird has been around most of the day but I have only caught glimpses of it occasionally and always when I no bins. handy, I finally got on it...the rufous in the tail and the peachy wash on the sides are not as obvious to the naked eye as one might think and it hasn't vocalized for me. It doesn't come into the feeders very often though the stuff in those has probably turned to hard liquor by after 2-3 weeks. I reckon I will fix up something milder for it. It is the only hummer I have noted in the yard today."

Broad-tailed Hummingbird: (1) 24 November (Rusty Alderson), his feeders, Leander, Williamson County [very rare].
Broad-tailed Hummingbird: (1 first year male) 29-30 November (Susan and Don Schaezler), Old Wiederstein, Guadalupe County [rare, photographed].

Susan Schaezler, "Thanks to Mark Kylm of TPWL for ID'ing my new arrival to my property today via the pictures! Hopefully, the bird will stick around for awhile. I sent my pictures of the hummer out to several people to ID."

Mark Kylm, "Susan, based on your size, the widespread rufous in both photos, the developing gorget and the white at the tip of the tail, I would say it is probably a first year male Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus). I was not terribly comfortable with my call, so I asked a couple of other birders here for their opinion. Supporting arguments that they concurred with was the length of the bill."

Rufous Hummingbird sightings are still rare in the Central Oaks & Prairies region and even rarer in the East Texas Pineywoods, but each season brings an increasing number of reports. Either feeder watchers are becoming more aware of their presence, or this species is extending its territory eastward.
Rufous Hummingbird: (1 male) 8 August (Lee Bartlett), Beaver Creek, Burleson County [first county record].
Rufous Hummingbird: (1 female photographed) 21 August (Jenny Rasmussen), Round Rock, Williamson County.
Selasphorus species: (1) 27 August (Tim Fennell), Bent Tree Loop, Round Rock, Williamson County.
Rufous Hummingbird: (1 adult male, plus 2 Archilochus sp.) 29 August (Brush Freeman), San Gabriel River at Granger Lake, Williamson County.
Rufous Hummingbird: (1 adult male) 29 August (Gail Cole), Brenham, Washington County.
Selasphorus species: (1 immature) ~25 August to at least 31 August (Joan Dziezyc), Wellborn area, College Station, Brazos County.
Rufous Hummingbird: (1) 5 September (Derek Muschalek), his yard, 11 miles northwest of Yorktown, DeWitt County.
Rufous Hummingbird: (1 adult male) 15 and 29 October to 1 November (Gail Cole, Scott Cole; Darrell Vollert), Cole's feeders, Brenham, Washington County [rare].
Rufous Hummingbird: (1 banded female) 16-23 October (Roger Hughes), his yard south of Nacogdoches; (1) 25 October (Chuck Ely), his yard in Nacogdoches; (1 immature male) 20 October to 5 November (Carol Wells), her yard in Douglas, Nacogdoches County [very rare in East Texas Pineywoods].

David Wolf, in Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, XXIX, 3 (November 2001). "Much more exciting was a Selasphorus hummingbird that showed up in the Hughes yard south of Nacogdoches on October 16; it is a banded bird and almost certainly the female Rufous that spent all of last winter there (Roger Hughes). Another one appeared in Douglas (Nacogdoches County) on October 20 and is likely an immature male Rufous (Carol Wells). Both of these yards have late-blooming flowers as well as feeders available for the birds, and that may be the clue as to why the 'got them' (we have never been so lucky!)."

Selasphorus sp., probably Rufous Hummingbird: (1 hatch-year male) 21-22 October (Ellen Ratoosh), Emerald Forest subdivision, College Station, Brazos County [rare].
Rufous Hummingbird: (1) 25 October to 1 November (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County.
Rufous Hummingbird: (1 immature male) 1-4 November (Fred and Mary Brandt, Darrell Vollert), Brandt's yard, Chappell Hill subdivision, Washington County.
Rufous Hummingbird: (1 adult male) ~5 November through at least 26 November (Floi Ewing, Darrell Vollert), Chappell Hill subdivision, Washington County.
Selasphorus hummingbird: (1) 24 November to at least 22 December (David Cimprich), near Kempner, Lampasas County.

Green Kingfisher: (1) 4 November (Brush Freeman, Mark Lockwood), SE Metropolitan Park on Hwy 71, east of Austin, eastern Travis County [rare].

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: (1) 27 September (Jack Windsor, Nancy Bird), entrance road to Ryan Lake, Angelina County [first September record for county; one of very few September records for Pineywoods of East Texas].

Red-shafted (Northern) Flicker: (1) 7 October (Jesse Fagan), TX 147 causeway, Lake Sam Rayburn, San Augustine / Angelina County [rare in East Texas].

David Wolf, in Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, XXIX, 3 (November 2001). "A 'red-shafted' filcker along the TX 147 causeway on October 7 was either a hybrid or pure 'Red-shafted' type (Jesse Fagan); these are rare in our area."

FLYCATCHERS

Olive-sided Flycatchers typically are rare to occasional in the Central Oaks & Prairies region, but this year there were many reports.
Olive-sided Flycatcher: (1) 12 August; (2) 19 August (Tim Fennell), CR347 San Gabriel River access, Granger Lake, Williamson County [rare in early to mid August].
Olive-sided Flycatcher: (1) 16 August (Louis Debetaz, Jack Windsor), Ryan Lake, Angelina County [occasional].
Olive-sided Flycatcher: (1) 19 August (Randy Pinkston), Granger Lake, Williamson County [rare].
Olive-sided Flycatcher: (1) 19 and 25 August; (1) 9 September (Tim Fennell), Willis Creek WMA, Granger Lake, Williamson County [rare to occasional].
Olive-sided Flycatcher: (1) 19 August; (1) 2 September; (1) 15 September (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [rare to occasional].
Olive-sided Flycatcher: (1) 26 August (Darrell Vollert, Ellen Ratoosh), New Year's Creek bridge on FR2447, Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare].
Olive-sided Flycatcher: (1) 27 August (Brush Freeman), Utley area overlooking Wilbarger Creek, Bastrop County [occasional].
Olive-sided Flycatcher: (3) 28 August (Randy Pinkston), Temple, Bell County [rare].
Olive-sided Flycatcher: (5) 28 August (Brush Freeman), various areas in east Travis and Bastrop County [occasional; good number].
Olive-sided Flycatcher: (7) 29 August (Brush Freeman), mostly along San Gabriel River at Granger Lake, Williamson County [occasional; high count].
Olive-sided Flycatcher: (1) 11 September (Darrell Vollert), Chappell Hill, Washington County [occasional].
Olive-sided Flycatcher: (1-3) 14-20 September (Brooke Nicotra, Laura Bottone) Old Sabine Bottom WMA, Smith County [occasional].

Peter Barnes, September report, "Olive-sided Flycatchers were more numerous than usual, with 1-3 birds at the Old Sabine Bottom WMA in Smith Co. on Sept 14-20 (BN, LB), and single birds at Richland Creek WMA on Sept 2 and 15 (PB, RG, CG)."

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher: (5) 16 August (Brush Freeman), various locations in Granger area, Williamson County [rare].
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher: (1) 19 August (Darrell Vollert), Nicholson Lake Road at Caney Creek, near Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare in fall].
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher: (4) 29 August (Brush Freeman), San Gabriel River at Granger Lake, Williamson County [occasional].
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher: (1 seen and heard) 2 September (Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch, Jennifer Reidy), McCain Creek Park, Lake Somerville, Washington County [rarely identified].

Acadian Flycatcher: (2 vocalizing) 26 August (Darrell Vollert, Ellen Ratoosh), Nicholson Lake Road at Caney Creek, near Chappell Hill, Austin and Washington County [rarely reported in fall].
Acadian Flycatcher: (1 calling 'swee') 19 August (Darrell Vollert); (2 vocalizing) 26 August (Darrell Vollert, Ellen Ratoosh), Nicholson Lake Road at Caney Creek, near Chappell Hill, Washington County [rarely reported in fall].
Acadian Flycatcher: (1) 19 August; (1) 2 September (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [rarely reported in fall].
Acadian Flycatcher: (1) 24 September (Darrell Vollert), Brazos River at US290, Washington County [rarely reported in fall].

Alder Flycatchers, often left unidentified or unreported, were seen and heard in good numbers this season.
Alder Flycatcher: (1+ singing) 18 August (Jesse Fagan, David Wolf), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [occasional].
Alder Flycatcher: (3+ heard) 19 August (Darrell Vollert); (2 vocalizing) 26 August (Darrell Vollert, Ellen Ratoosh), Nicholson Lake Road at Caney Creek, near Chappell Hill, Austin and Washington County [occasional].
Alder Flycatcher: (1 calling 'pip') 27 August (Darrell Vollert), Chappell Hill, Washington County [occasional].
Alder Flycatcher: (~16) 29 August (Brush Freeman), San Gabriel River at Granger Lake, Williamson County [high count].
Brush Freeman, "Alder Flycatcher ~16 seemed to calling from everywhere this morning along river."
Alder Flycatcher: (12+ seen and/or heard vocalizing) 30 August (Darrell Vollert, Tim Kiphart), Brazos River at US290, Washington County [occasional].
Alder Flycatcher: (2) 23 August; (1) 30 August (Darrell Vollert, Tim Kiphart), at the FR2447 bridge over New Year's Creek, Washington County [occasional].
Alder Flycatcher: (1) 31 August (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [occasional].
Alder Flycatcher: (4 seen and heard) 1 September (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [occasional].
Alder Flycatcher: (2) 26 August; (6) 19 August; (1) 2 September (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [occasional and large count].
Alder Flycatcher: (1 empid calling 'pip' in grape vines over hackberry trees) 12 August; (6+ seen and heard vocalizing) 31 August; (12) 22 September (Darrell Vollert), FR2447 in Brazos River bottoms, Chappell Hill, Washington County [occasional].

Likewise, Willow Flycatchers were seen and heard in good numbers, more often reported than usual.
Willow Flycatcher: (1) 11 August (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [early arrival; rarely identified].
Willow Flycatcher: (1) 12 August (Randy Pinkston, Grant Critchfield), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [rare].
Willow Flycatcher: (7) 16 August (Brush Freeman), various Granger Lake area locations including bridge at Sore Finger Wildlife Area, Williamson County [rarely identified].
Willow Flycatcher: (1+ singing) 18 August (Jesse Fagan, David Wolf), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [occasional].
Willow Flycatcher: (1 calling 'wit') 27 August (Darrell Vollert), Chappell Hill, Washington County [occasional].
Empidonax flycatcher: (1 with a dark head and no eyering and not vocalizing) 26 August (Darrell Vollert, Ellen Ratoosh), FR2447, near Chappell Hill, Washington County.
Willow Flycatcher: (~14) 29 August (Brush Freeman), open areas near Granger Lake, Williamson County [large count]

Empidonax seen 29 August by Brush Freeman:
"Alder Flycatcher ~16 seemed to calling from everywhere this morning along river.
"Willow Flycatcher ~14 More open areas than Alder. All calling.
"Least Flycatcher. 5 surprisingly low number...have most already passed through?
"Traill's types. an additional 10-14"

Willow Flycatcher: (1) 30 August (Darrell Vollert, Tim Kiphart), Brazos River at US290, Washington County [occasional].
Willow Flycatcher: (2) 31 August (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [uncommon].
Willow Flycatcher: (2 seen and heard) 31 August (Darrell Vollert), FR2447, near Chappell Hill, Washington County [occasional].
Empidonax species, probably Willow: (1) 2 September (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert), TAMU Aquacultural Research and Training Facility, Burleson County [occasional].
Willow Flycatcher: (1 seen and heard) 2 September (Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch, Jennifer Reidy), McCain Creek Park, Lake Somerville, Washington County [occasional].
Willow Flycatcher: (1) 30 September (Guy Luneau), Sabine Mining Company land near Hallsville, Harrison County [rare].

Eastern Phoebe: (1 hatch-year) 12 August (Randy Pinkston, Grant Critchfield), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [occasional].
Eastern Phoebe: (3) 29 August (Brush Freeman), along San Gabriel River at Granger Lake, Williamson County [early arrival or local?].

Say's Phoebe: (1) 28-30 September and 2-10 November (Jason Pike, David Ringer, Eddie Ray, Guy Luneau), Sabine Mining Company land near Hallsville, Harrison County [rare; presumably same bird that wintered here last year].
Say's Phoebe: (1) 11 September (Colin Bludau), FM99 West of Coy City, Karnes County [rare].
Say's Phoebe: (1) 27 October (Tim Fennell); (1) 10 November (Tim Fennell, Jeffrey Hanson), near spillway at Granger Lake dam, Williamson County [rare].

Vermilion Flycatcher: (1 female) 26 August (Jesse Fagan), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [rare; few records in East Texas and no August records on the 2001 Pineywoods checklist, although there are September records].

David Wolf, Pineywoods Scissor Tales, XXIX, 2 (October 2001), "A female-plumaged Vermilion Flycatcher at Alazan Bayou WMA on Aug 26 was a total surprise (JF). This is our first record of this rarity in over a decade and the earliest 'fall' date by several months."

Vermilion Flycatcher: (1) 10 September (Derek Muschalek), his yard 11 miles northwest of Yorktown, DeWitt County [occassional].

Vermilion Flycatcher: (1 immature male) 24 October (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), TX 147 bridge over Lake Sam Rayburn, San Augustine / Angelina Counties [very rare in Pineywoods].

David Wolf, Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, XXIX, 4 (December, 2001), "An immature male Vermilion Flycatcher sallied from the tall willows on an island south of the TX 147 bridge (San Augustine County) on October 24 (DW,JF), our second record of this rarity this fall."

Vermilion Flycatcher: (1 adult male) 4 November (Brush Freeman, Mark Lockwood), SE Metropolitan Park on Hwy 71, east of Austin, eastern Travis County [occasional].
Vermilion Flycatcher: (1 female) 30 November (Brush Freeman), west Bastrop County [occasional].

Ash-throated Flycatcher: (1) 3 November (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill [first county record; very rare in region with 3-4 records in Brazos, 1 in Milam and consistent winter records in a small area of Waller from 1986-96.].

Great Kiskadees are expanding their territory northward.
Great Kiskadee: (1) 10 April to at least 4 August (Derek Muschalek), his yard, DeWitt County [rare].
Great Kiskadee: (1) ~7 August and 10 August (Grant Critchfield), private land just south of Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [very rare].
Great Kiskadee: (1) 18 August (Randall Stockton); (2) 21 August (Mary Ann Grahmann); (1 heard) 29 August (Mary Ann Grahmann), Chadwick Hogan Road, Chappell Hill, Washington County [same location as one was seen on 12 & 18 June when this was the first regional sighting of the species].

Couch's Kingbird: (1) 27 November (Derek Muschalek), near Old Davy Community, DeWitt County [out of season lingerer].

Western Kingbird: (3) 24 August (Tim Fennell), Round Rock, Williamson County [late departure].
Western Kingbird: (1) 2 September (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert), TAMU Aquacultural Research and Training Facility, Burleson County [rare in September].

Eastern Kingbirds posted an unusually large migration through East Texas and the Central Brazos Valley, especially from 29 August through mid September.
Eastern Kingbird: (1020+ in a roost) 29 August (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), Stephen F. Austin Experimental Forest, Nacogdoches County [very high count].
Eastern Kingbird: (350+ in a roost) 30 August (David Wolf), Central Heights, Nacogdoches County [high count].

David Wolf, Pineywoods Scissor Tales, XXIX, 2 (October 2001), "Eastern Kingbirds came through in large numbers during the damp days at the end of August, and on Aug 29 a spectacular roost flight of 1020+ was counted near the SFA Exp Forest (DW, JF); the next evening 350+ were gathering at a roost in Central Heights (DW)."

Eastern Kingbird: (6+) 12 August; (6+) 26 August; (100+) 27 August; (100+) 30 August; (70+) 31 August (Darrell Vollert), FR2447 in Brazos River bottoms, Chappell Hill, Washington County [uncommon].
Eastern Kingbird: (40+) 1 September (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [common].
Eastern Kingbird: (100+) 2 September (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert), TAMU Aquacultural Research and Training Facility, Burleson County.
Eastern Kingbird: (~60) 4 September (Chris Merkord), Brazos bottoms, off CR443 east of FM50 just north of Turf Farms, Burleson County.
Eastern Kingbird: (190) 9 September (Peter Barnes, Ron Gutberlet), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [large count].
Eastern Kingbird: (several hundred "staging") mid September (Celeste Newton), Liberty, Liberty County [common].

Celeste Newton on 15 September, "Here in Liberty,Tx, Liberty County, Eastern Kingbirds are "staging" in my neighborhood. For several days now we have observed large flocks (several hundred) either drinking or feeding on the pond across the street from our home. Day before yesterday, I answered a request from a neighbor to come identify the "swarm" of birds in her backyard. The birds were eastern kingbirds having a feeding frenzy in her magnolia and pecan trees. Again, there were several hundred."

Eastern Kingbird: (50+) 19 September (Gary Fritcher), Burleson County [fairly common].
Eastern Kingbird: (1) 24 October (David Wolf), Lake Sam Rayburn TX 147 bridge, San Augustine County [uncommon; LOS; during strong front].

Scissor-tailed Flycatchers staged in good numbers in early October, then exited with the 25 October cold front, but stragglers remained. A surprising number weathered the cold front, were widely disbursed and lingered to the next major cold front on 19 November, staying much later than usual. A few still remained into December.
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (110+) 6 October (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert, RBAS field trip), Brazos River bottoms, Burleson County [massing for migration].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (175) 23 October (Derek Muschalek), Lackey Ranch Road, DeWitt County [unusually large number].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (2) 26 October (Ellen Ratoosh), along 2818 near Consolidated High School, College Station, Brazos County [few left in town].

Randy Pinkston's October report, "Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - while present throughout the month and well into November, a mass exodus occurred in Bell County Oct 25-26." [with the cold front].

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (1 male, 1 female) 1 November (Georgette Guernsey, Nancy Bird), Ryan Lake area, Angelina County [LOS for Pineywoods this year; late departure].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (2) 2 November (Ellen Ratoosh), Emerald Forest subdivision, College Station, Brazos County [rare in November].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (15) 2 November (Chris Merkord), coming in to roost near boat launch at Welch Park, Lake Somerville, Burleson County [rare in November].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (1) 3 November (Chris Merkord, Linda Lee Johnson, Nancy McCullough), FM60 near Snook, Brazos Bottoms, Burleson County.
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (20+) 20 October (Tim Fennell, Marsha Reimer); (7) 27 October (Tim Fennell); (1) 28 October (Jeffrey Hanson); (7) 4 November (Tim Fennell), Granger area, Williamson County [late departures].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (1) 4 November (Ellen Ratoosh), Woodcreek subdivision, College Station, Brazos County [late departure].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (~160) 24 September; (~300) 2 October; (~100) 21 October; (1 singing) 25 October; (2+) 3 November; (12) 7 November (Chris Merkord), roost north of Bell Tower, Texas A&M University campus, College Station, Brazos County [large number coming to roost at night, leaving in morning; most exiting with the cold front].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (1) 10 November (Dennis Shepler), Belmena, Milam County [late departure].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (1 adult) 10 November (Darrell Vollert),Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [late departure].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (2) 10 November (Hazel Bluhm), Lake O' the Pines, Marion County [late departure].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (3) 10 November (Tim Fennell), east Round Rock, Williamson County [late departure].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (1) 11 November (Ellen Ratoosh), on a wire at the intersection of Hwy 30 and the Hwy 6 bypass, College Station, Brazos County [late departure].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (2) 18 November (Eric Carpenter), along bridge on FM 486, just south of intersection with FM 1331, southeast of San Gabriel, Milam County [late departure].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (1 adult) 19 November (Terri Sandvik), Hicks Lane off of FM 158, Harvey Community, College Station, Brazos County [late departure].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (2) 6 November; (1) 14 November; (1) 21 November (Mary Ann Grahmann), Chadwick-Hogan Road, Chappell Hill, Washington County [late departure].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (1) 22 November (Fred Collins), Hempstead 359 bypass, Waller County [late departure].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (1+) continuing through 24 November (Rusty Alderson), Leander, Williamson County [late departure].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (1) 25 November (Brush Freeman), Sayersville Rd., Bastrop County [late departure].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (1) 30 November (Randy Pinkston), Temple, Bell County [late departure].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: ("couple dozen") 2 December (Rusty Alderson), I-35 bypass through Round Rock, Williamson County [late departure].
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: (2) 2 December (Betty Vermeire), Southwest Parkway, just east of Texas Av, College Station, Brazos County [late departure].

VIREOS THROUGH LARKS

White-eyed Vireo: (2) 3 November (David Ringer, Jason Pike), Lake Murvaul, Panola County [late departure].
White-eyed Vireo: (1 banded) 17 November (Dorothy Metzler, Tom Walker), Marion County [late departure].
White-eyed Vireo: (1) 16 November; (1) 22-23 November; (1) 25-26 November; (1 heard) 5 December (Darrell Vollert), his yard, Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare in November].
White-eyed Vireo: (1 heard) 25 November (Mary Dabney Wilson), Birch Creek State Park, Lake Somerville, Burleson County [late departure].
White-eyed Vireo: (2) 27 November (Brush Freeman), south of Bastrop, Bastrop County [late departure].

Bell's Vireo: (2) 29 August (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [occasional].
Bell's Vireo: (1) 2 September (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert) TAMU Aquacultural Research and Training Facility, Burleson County [very rare fall migrant, only the 5th fall record for the Central Brazos Valley, first county record].

Blue-headed Vireo: (1) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Granger Lake area, Williamson County [early arrival].

Warbling Vireo: (1) 26 August (Derek Muschalek), 11 miles northwest of Yorktown, DeWitt County [early arrival; no August records shown on Central Texas Coast checklist].
Warbling Vireo: (1) 28 August (David Wolf), TX 147 bridge at Lake Sam Rayburn, San Augustine / Angelina Counties [early arrival].

Philadelphia Vireo: (1) 15 September (Guy Luneau), Rusk County [rare].

Western Scrub-Jay: (1) 28 October (Noreen Baker), near Cibolo in extreme northwest Guadalupe County [rare].

Noreen Baker, "Spent the morning birding at my Dad's place near Cibolo ... Also interesting was the appearance of a Scrub Jay, which is rather uncommon for the area. We've noted them only five out of the last 17 years and only in the fall and winter."

While fairly common in the prairies, Horned Larks only occasionally wander into the Post Oak Savannahs and rarely to East Texas. This fall they were found repeatedly in the Brazos River bottoms of Burleson County and at a patch of mining land in Harrison County, atypical of East Texas.
Horned Lark: (2 adults, 2 plumage-worn adult females) 2 September (Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch, Jennifer Reidy); (7) 4 September (Chris Merkord), (1) 16 September (Darrell Vollert, Ellen Ratoosh); (3) 6 October (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert, RBAS field trip); (1) 20 October (Cathy Liles); (1) 3 November (Chris Merkord, Linda Lee Johnson, Nancy McCullough), various locations near FM443 and Turf Farms, Brazos bottoms, Burleson County [first September record of the RBA area; occasional thereafter].
Horned Lark: (6) 12 October (Jason Pike, David Ringer), Sabine Mining Co. land, Harrison County [rare].

Peter Barnes, NETFO News, 12, 12 (Dec 2001), "Six Horned Larks were observed at the Sabine Mining Co. land on October 12 (JP, DR). This is one of the few areas in the pineywoods where there may be suitable habitat to support this species throughout the year."

Horned Lark: (1) 24 November (Ellen Ratoosh), in Bee Creek floodplain of Emerald Forest subdivision, College Station, Brazos County [unusual location].

Ellen Ratoosh, "I had an interesting day (11/24) at my house, with a new yard bird: a Horned Lark flew over, calling. Kind of surprising - it was going down the floodplain to the east. I wonder where there's habitat in that direction?"


SWALLOWS

Purple Martin: (150,000) 24 August (Jace Stansbury), Tyler, Smith County [large roost].

Jace Stansbury, "I heard on the local news that the Purple Martin roost that is located in Tyler, TX contained approx. 150,000 martins. The public was complaining about the mess and local officials had "noise cannons" set off to try and drive them away. They reported that most left leaving around 30,000 at the roost."

Purple Martin: (3) 6 October (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert, RBAS field trip), TAMU Aquacultural Research & Training Facility, Burleson County [quite late; only other October record for local area is 21 Oct in Lee County].

Tree Swallow: (6) 19 August (Brush Freeman), Barton Ranch, Bastrop County [early fall migrant].

Northern Rough-winged Swallow: (8) 5 August; (flock overhead) 7 August (Ellen Ratoosh), along N. Forest Parkway, Emerald Forest subdivision, College Station, Brazos County [early migrants].
Northern Rough-winged Swallow: (in flocks of 100s of Barn and Cliff) 12 August (Darrell Vollert), FR2447 in Brazos River bottoms, Chappell Hill, Washington County [occasional].

Bank Swallow: (2) 12 August (Randy Pinkston, Grant Critchfield), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [early arrival or summer resident?].
Bank Swallow: (1) 19 August (Tim Fennell), Friendship Park, Granger Lake, Williamson County [early arrival].
Bank Swallow: (2) 27 October (Randy Pinkston), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir, Bell County [late departure].

Cliff Swallow: (100s) 12 August; (100s) 23 August; (1) 26 August; (6+) 30 August; (3) 31 August; (3000+) 17 September; (22+) 21 September; (10+) 22 September; (1 adult, 1 juvenile) 11 October (Darrell Vollert, et al.), FR2447, near Chappell Hill, Washington County [17 September flight is unusual].

Darrell Vollert, "Monday, Sept. 17- Birded FR2447 in the Brazos River bottoms about an hour after a shower of rain- 5:30PM-7:10 PM. Between 6:45PM and 7:00PM I watched a swarm of at least 3,000 Cliff Swallows over 2/3 of a mile along FR2447. It was an amazing sight. Have never seen so many swallows at one time before. The swallows were flying just above the tops of a stand of cedar elms along the north side of the road. There must have been an outbreak of insects around for so many swallows to be swarming in one location for that long. What is your take on this Bert? On the outer edges of the swarm I saw Barn, Cave, and Bank Swallows flying above the fields on the south side of the road and I saw 2 Purple Martins emerge from the swarm. The swallows were found near Red Gully."

Cave Swallow: (1) 31 August; (no.?) 17 September; (2 adults) 11 October (Darrell Vollert), Brazos River bottomlands along FR2447, near Chappell Hill, Washington County [first county record].
Cave Swallow: (15, including immatures) 2 September (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert) Aquacultural Research & Training Facility, Burleson County [very recent additions to this county; photographed].

Barn Swallow: (2 adults, 2 nestlings standing on rim of nest) 5 August (Darrell Vollert), neighbor's front porch, Chappell Hill, Washington County [third brood for this pair this year].

NUTHATCHES THROUGH GNATCATCHERS

Verdin: (1) 26 August (Derek Muschalek), 9 miles southeast of Gillett, Karnes County [occasional].
Verdin: (4) 6 November (Derek Muschalek), 8 miles south of Yorktown, DeWitt County [rare in November].

Red-breasted Nuthatch: (1) 6 October (Guy Luneau), Rusk County [FOS].
Red-breasted Nuthatch: (2) 17 October (Sue Ruotsala, Billie Bernard), their backyard, northern Austin County [early arrival; first time in their yard; might be first county record in this rarely birded county].
Red-breasted Nuthatch: (1) 27 October; 3 November (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill [occasional].
Red-breasted Nuthatch): (1?) 29-30 October (Keith Bartels), Bastrop State Park, Bastrop County [occasional].
Red-breasted Nuthatch: (1) 3 November (David Cimprich), near Kempner, Lampasas County [occasional].
Red-breasted Nuthatch: (1 heard) 8 November; (1 female) 15 and 18-19 and 22-23 and 25-26 November and 3 December (Darrell Vollert), his yard, Chappell Hill, Washington County [occasional].
Red-breasted Nuthatch: (1) 10 November (Guy Luneau), Sabine Mining Company land, Harrison County [FOS].
Red-breasted Nuthatch: (1) 10 November (Guy Luneau), Rusk County [FOS].
Red-breasted Nuthatch: (2) 16 November; (1) 21 November; (1 male) 30 November (Darrell Vollert), foraging in a Loblolly Pine, Margie Young's residence, Brenham, Washington County [occasional].
Red-breasted Nuthatch: (1 heard) 19 November (Bert Frenz), Fairfield Lake State Park, Freestone County [uncommon].

White-breasted Nuthatch: (no.?) 28 August (Don and Jodell Miller), Gus Engling WMA, Anderson County [uncommon].
White-breasted Nuthatch: (2) 1 September; (1) 9 September (Tim Fennell), CR 337 Pecan Bottom, Williamson County [rare].

Brown Creeper: (1) 30 September (Ellen Ratoosh), Emerald Forest subdivision, College Station, Brazos County [very early].

Bert Frenz, "In my database I've got a 23 Aug 1969 record without details of location or observer. There are no September records. The next earliest record is 9 Oct 1955 in College Station and reported in Audubon Field Notes. The Pineywoods checklist has no August, September or early October records. The Austin area checklist has no August or September records. The Upper Texas Coast checklist has a couple "very rare" marks on late September. In the North Central region, Pulich reports 25 Sep 1980 in Dallas County and 12 Sep 1986 and 16 Sep in Grayson County, but all other records are October and later."

Brown Creeper: (1) 17 October (Louis Debetaz, Jack Windsor), Ryan & Fiberboard Lakes area, Angelina County [occasional; FOS].

Winter Wren: (1) 15 October (Jack Burnell), Appleby, Nacogdoches County [FOS; rare this early].
Winter Wren: (1 heard) 16 October (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [rare this early].
Winter Wren: (1) 3 November (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill [rare].
Winter Wren: (1 heard) 3 November (Chris Merkord, RBAS field trip), Welch Park, Lake Somerville, Burleson County [rare].
Winter Wren: (1) 7 November (Mary Ann Grahmann), Chadwick-Hogan Road, Chappell Hill, Washington County [occasional].

This fall has been a good season for Sedge Wrens.
Sedge Wren: (1) 8 October (Keith Arnold), Country Club Lake, Bryan, Brazos County [early arrival; ID'd by sight and vocalization; only preceded by a 24 September record from Lee County in the Central Brazos Valley].
Sedge Wren: (20+) 20 October (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), Lake Sam Rayburn TX 147 bridge, San Augustine / Angelina Counties [good count].
Sedge Wren: (2) 27 October; (1) 10 November; (2) 17 November (Darrell Vollert), Polk's Lake, Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill.
Sedge Wren: (7-10) 28 October (Jeffrey Hanson); (2) 10 November (Tim Fennell, Jeffrey Hanson), Granger Lake spillway/marsh, Williamson County.

Jeffrey Hanson, "Sedge Wren - 7-10 (The low vegetation, in the first few hundred feet of the spillway marsh, before the cattails, was crawling with these and the next sp. This is a conservative estimate.)"

Sedge Wren: (~15) 3 November (Chris Merkord, RBAS field trip), McCain Creek Park, Lake Somerville, Washington County [occasional; high count].

Chris Merkord, "The marshy fields at the park did not turn up any rails, but we did have great looks at some grassland birds. Sedge Wrens were numerous (~15)."

Sedge Wren: (15+) 6 November (Karl Kosciuch, Tracey Johnson); ("numerous") 8 November (Karl Kosciuch, Damion Marx); (5-20) 11 November (Darrell Vollert, Ellen Ratoosh), grasslands near boat dock, Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes County [occasional; very high counts for species that is typically seen only singly here].

Karl Kosciuch, "The field and short trail around the shore to the right of the boat dock was very active as late as 9:15. The grass is tall with abundant seed heads and there are scattered shrubs through out the field. I estimate the field to be 200 meters wide and we only walked in about 12 meters. There were LeConte's Sparrows and Sedge Wrens everywhere. The LeConte's and Sedges were sitting in clear view chipping, preening and feeding as late as 9:30. Everywhere we looked we flushed those two species and I could not believe the views. That field potentially holds many dozens of those birds. Of course the Savannahs were there but not in high numbers in the field compared to their abundance at the grassy edge."

Ellen Ratoosh, "Sedge Wren - hard to say how many in that huge field by the parking lot. We must have flushed at least 15-20, and we only covered a small corner of the field."

Ruby-crowned Kinglet: (1) 22 September (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [somewhat early arrival for Central Prairies].
Ruby-crowned Kinglet: (1) 22 September (David Cimprich), near Kempner, Lampasas County [early arrival].
Ruby-crowned Kinglet: (1) 22 September (David Wolf, et al.), Etoile Park on Lake Sam Rayburn, Nacogdoches County [very early arrival for East Texas].

David Wolf, Pineywoods Scissor Tales, XXIX, 2 (October 2001), "A Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Etoile Park on the Sep 22 field trip was one of our earliest records ever."

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: (1) 3 August (Joe Yelderman), Waco Regional Sewage Treatment Ponds, McLennan County [rare in August in this county].
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: (60+) 12 August (Tim Fennell), Granger Lake area, Williamson County [early migration; Tim commented, "60+; very conservative estimate, mostly in flocks of 4- 8 birds; where there were trees, there were at least a couple of these."].
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: (75+) 28 August (David Wolf); (105+) 16 September (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), upper Lake Sam Rayburn, San Augustine County [large counts].

David Wolf, Pineywoods Scissor Tales, XXIX, 2 (October 2001), "Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is one of our most conspicuous fall migrants and notably large numbers were 75+ on upper Rayburn on Aug 28 (DW) and 105+ there on Sep 16 (DW,JF)."

BLUEBIRDS THROUGH THRUSHES

Swainson's Thrush: (1 banded) 7 September (Darrell Pogue) Old Sabine Bottom WMA, Smith County [rare].

Gray Catbird: (1) 23 November (Brush Freeman), Colorado River at Lost Pines Golf Course, south of Tahitian Village, Bastrop County [late departure].

Brown Thrasher: (1) 22 September (Randy Pinkston), Salado, Bell County [Randy stated, "I was surprised by a migrant Brown Thrasher in my yard in Salado on Sept 22. The last time this happened was September 28, 1994! The bird is quite uncommon here."].

American Pipit: (1) 24 August (Brush Freeman), on stock tank edge on Sayersville Rd., Bastrop County [very early arrival].

Brush Freeman, "I referred as usual to BLOT for extreme dates and he gives a Aug 6 up to date of publication. I was pretty amazed to have this bird and checked it very carefully to make sure it was in fact a Water Pipit vs. something more outlandish from the Pipit group. When I first noted it I thought it was a waterthrush. It was not in full basic but was decidedly leaning in that direction."

Jeffrey Hanson, "I happen to have the TAS record books right here at my side. Our previous Fall early arrival date was sometime between Sept 11th and 20th, 1990 (unfortunately we don't record exact dates)."

Bert Frenz, "In the CBV database, earliest dates are 5 Oct 99, 5 Oct 85, 7 Oct 2000, 8 Oct 1975, 8 Oct 1998, 11 Oct 88, 14 Oct 83, ... No sightings in August or September.

Brush Freeman, "This is my first August find, though I have a few early to mid-September birds over the years. I looked it up on the clearinghouse the other day and found records for both August and September."

Sprague's Pipits are considered by many to be rare, but because of their habitat (open fields) and their evading behavior they are easily overlooked. Their status is uncommon or locally common.
Sprague's Pipit: (6+) 20 October (Tim Fennell, Marsha Reimer); (4) 27 October (Tim Fennell); (2 heard) 28 October (Jeffrey Hanson); (2-3) 4 November (Tim Fennell); (2) 10 November (Tim Fennell, Jeffrey Hanson); (2 heard only; 3 more seen) 18 November (Eric Carpenter), Granger area, Williamson County [locally common].
Sprague's Pipit: (1) 23 October (Darrell Vollert), over downtown Chappell Hill, Washington County.
Sprague's Pipit: (1) 25 October; (3) 26 October; (9) 29 November (Derek Muschalek), 11 miles northwest of Yorktown, DeWitt County.
Sprague's Pipit: (1) 27 October; (1) 3 November; (1) 17 November (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill.
Sprague's Pipit: (1) 30 October (Darrell Vollert), along US290 one mile west of the Brazos River, Washington County.
Sprague's Pipit: (2) 5 November (Jesse Fagan), Nacogdoches airport, Nacogdoches County.

David Wolf, Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, XXIX, 4 (December, 2001), "This is currently our only regular site for this species in our area."

Sprague's Pipit: (2 calling in flight) 11 November (Darrell Vollert), along CR 171 Carlos Lake, Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes County.
Sprague's Pipit: (1) 18 & 20 & 22-23 & 28 November (Fred Collins), his farm, Waller County.
Sprague's Pipit: (1) 19 November (Darrell Vollert), Chappell Hill subdivison, Washington County.
Sprague's Pipit: (1) 19 November (Darrell Vollert), his yard, Chappell Hill, Washington County.
Sprague's Pipit: (9) 29 November (Bert Frenz), Moore Farms, south Brazos County.
Sprague's Pipit: (4) 2 December (Bert Frenz, Darrell Vollert and TOS field trip), Moore Farms, south Brazos County.

Cedar Waxwing: (1 flock) 8 November (Darrell Vollert), his neighborhood, Chappell Hill, Washington County [early arrival].
Cedar Waxwing: (8) 10 November (Darrell Vollert),Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [early arrival].

WARBLERS

Blue-winged Warbler: (1) 27 August (Darrell Vollert), Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare in fall].

Darrell Vollert, "My first sighting of this warbler during a fall migration in the county. Only my third sighting overall of this warbler in the county."

Blue-winged Warbler: (1 male) 15 September; (1) 23 September (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare in fall].

Tennessee Warbler: (1) 28 September (Jesse Fagan), Nacogdoches sewage ponds, Nacogdoches County [occasional].

David Wolf, in Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, XXIX, 3 (November 2001). "We typically do not get any great numbers or variety of migrant warblers in the fall, but a few individuals (mostly immatures) are detected every year. Records this year included a Tennessee Warbler at the Nacogdoches ponds on September 28 (JF)."

Orange-crowned Warbler: (1) 7 October (David Cimprich), near Kempner, Lampasas County [FOS, early arrival].
Orange-crowned Warbler: (1) 16 October (David Wolf), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [FOS].
Orange-crowned Warbler: (2) 16 October (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [early edge of arrival dates].

Nashville Warbler: (7) 29 August (Brush Freeman), along San Gabriel River at Granger Lake, Williamson County [early arrival].
Nashville Warbler: (1) 5 September (Derek Muschalek), his yard, 11 miles northwest of Yorktown, DeWitt County [somewhat early arrival].

Yellow Warbler: (1) 11 August (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [early arrival].
Yellow Warbler: (75+) 16 August (Brush Freeman), Friendship Park, Lake Granger, Williamson County [large number].

Magnolia Warbler: (1 hatch year male) 24 September (Darrell Vollert), Brazos River at US290, Washington County [rare fall migrant in Central Prairies].

Black-throated Green Warbler: (1) 4 August; (1 male) 20 October (Darrell Vollert) Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [early migrant].
Black-throated Green Warbler: (1) 15 August (Derek Muschalek), 3.7 miles north of Gillett along Hwy 80, Karnes County [early arrival].
Black-throated Green Warbler: (1) 23 November (Brush Freeman), Colorado River at Lost Pines Golf Course, south of Tahitian Village, Bastrop County [late migrant].

Yellow-throated Warbler: (1) 22 September (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan, et al.), McAlister Park, upper Lake Sam Rayburn, Nacogdoches County [somewhat late].

Pine Warber: (1) 25 November (Bert Frenz, Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [rare at this location; the first one Peter has seen there in 66 visits].

Prairie Warber: (1 male) 26 August (Derek Muschalek), 11 miles northwest of Yorktown, DeWitt County [rare and early; not shown in August or September on Central Texas Coast checklist].
Prairie Warber: (1) 26 August (Derek Muschalek), 9 miles southeast of Gillett, Karnes County [rare and early; not shown in August or September on Central Texas Coast checklist; amazingly Derek saw two in one day at different locations].
Prairie Warbler: (1) 31 August (Darrell Vollert), Brazos River bottomlands along FR2447, near Chappell Hill, Washington County [first county record].

American Redstart: (1) 19 August (Brush Freeman), Barton Ranch, Bastrop County [FOS].
American Redstart: (1 first-year male) 17 November (Sue and Billie Bernard), northern Austin County [rare this late in the season].

Prothonotary Warbler: (2 males) 9 August (Grant Critchfield), Belton Lake at Leon River, Iron Bridge Park (Bell County) [rare; same location where many nested in June and July].
Prothonotary Warber: (1) 19 August (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [rare in fall].
Prothonotary Warbler: (1) 23 August (Darrell Vollert), foraging at the base of a Green Ash tree on the east side of New Year's Creek, FR2447, Brazos River bottoms, near Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare in fall].
Prothonotary Warbler: (no.?) 28 August (Don and Jodell Miller), Gus Engling WMA, Anderson County [uncommon].
Prothonotary Warbler: (7) 29 August (Brush Freeman), along San Gabriel River at Granger Lake, Williamson County [occasional in fall; unusually large number].
Prothonotary Warbler: (1) 19 September (Oscar Carmona), at his house, Huntsville State Park, Walker County [late departure; latest date on Pineywoods checklist].

Swainson's Warbler: (1 singing) 9 September (Peter Barnes, Ron Gutberlet), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [rare in fall; very late; previous late record for Central Brazos Valley was 10 August 1999 in Washington Co.].

Ovenbird: (1 banded) 7 September (Darrell Pogue) Old Sabine Bottom WMA, Smith County [rare and early].
Ovenbird: (1) 15 November (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [late departure].

This fall brought many more Northern Waterthrushes than usual.
Northern Waterthrush: (1) 16-17 August (Georgette Guernsey, Louis Debetaz, Jack Windsor, Nancy Bird), Ryan Lake, Angelina County [early migrant; occasional].
Waterthrush sp., probably Northern: (1) 16 August (Brush Freeman), Granger area, Williamson County [rare].
Northern Waterthrush: (1) 26 August (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [rare].
Northern Waterthrush: (2) 28 August (David Wolf), TX 147 causeway over Lake Sam Rayburn, San Augustine / Angelina Counties [occasional].
Northern Waterthrush: (1) 29 August (David Wolf), Central Heights, Nacogdoches County [occasional].
Northern Waterthrush: (1) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [rare].
Northern Waterthrush: (1) 1 September (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare].
Waterthrush species: (1) 8 September (Ellen Ratoosh), Emerald Forest subdivision, College Station, Brazos County [either species is rare in fall].

Louisiana Waterthrush: (1) 19 August (Darrell Vollert), Nicholson Lake Road at Caney Creek, near Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare].
Louisiana Waterthrush: (1) 26 August (Tim Fennell), Alligator Road, Bell County [rare].
Louisiana Waterthrush: (1) 30 August (Derek Muschalek), 11 miles northwest of Yorktown, DeWitt County [occasional].
Louisiana Waterthrush: (1) 11 and 25 August and 1 September (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare].

Kentucky Warbler: (1) 25 August (Darrell Vollert), near Ash Creek, Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare fall migrant; first sighting of this species on the estate].

Mourning Warbler: (2) 29 August (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), Nacogdoches County [occasional].
Oporornis species: (1) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Granger Lake area, Williamson County [early and rare; Brush commented "sulking bird defied positive ID"].
Mourning Warbler: (1 first fall male) 30 August (Darrell Vollert, Tim Kiphart), Brazos River at US290, Washington County [rare].
Mourning Warbler: (4) 30 August (Derek Muschalek), 11 miles northwest of Yorktown, DeWitt County [rare in August].
Mourning Warbler: (1 first fall male) 31 August (Darrell Vollert), FR1155, Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare].
Oporornis species: (1) 2 September (Chris Merkord, Karl Kosciuch, Jennifer Reidy), McCain Creek Park, Lake Somerville, Washington County [occasional].
Mourning Warbler: (1 adult male) 20 September (Andy Conkey), casualty from the glass walk-over between the Physics and Engineering buildings, Texas A&M University campus, College Station, Brazos County [occasional fall migrant; specimen submitted to TCWC].

Common Yellowthroat: (1 female) 29 August (Brush Freeman), along San Gabriel River at Granger Lake, Williamson County [rare in August].

Hooded Warbler: (1 male) 8 September (Tim Kiphart, Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare in fall].
Hooded Warbler: (1) 21 September (Ellen Ratoosh), Emerald Forest subdivision, College Station, Brazos County [rare in fall; few records].

Bert Frenz, "Up until last fall, we had only 3 fall sightings of this warbler. In 2000, we had 4 sightings from Ellen's on 17 Sep to 3 in quick succession 9-11 Oct."

Wilson's Warbler: (1 male) 14-25 October (Derek Muschalek), his yard, DeWitt County [late departure].
Wilson's Warbler: (1) 3 November (Derek Muschalek), his yard, DeWitt County [late migrant; first November record for county].

Canada Warbler: (14) 29 August (Brush Freeman), along San Gabriel River at Granger Lake, Williamson County [occasional; unusually large number].
Canada Warbler: (1) 31 August (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [rare].
Canada Warbler: (1 banded) 8 September (Darrell Pogue) Old Sabine Bottom WMA, Smith County [rare].

Yellow-breasted Chats migrated through the Central Prairies in greater numbers than usual.
Yellow-breasted Chat: (1) 16 August (Brush Freeman), Willis Creek Park, Granger Lake, Williamson County [rare and early].
Yellow-breasted Chat: (1 calling) 19 August; (1 calling) 22 August; (2 calling) 27 August; (1 heard) 30 August; (2) 31 August (Darrell Vollert), Chappell Hill, Washington County [occasional].
Yellow-breasted Chat: (1) 25 August (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare].
Yellow-breasted Chat: (1) 26 August (Darrell Vollert, Ellen Ratoosh), New Year's Creek bridge on FR2447; (2) 21 September (Darrell Vollert), FR2447, Chappell Hill, Washington County [occasional].
Yellow-breasted Chat: (20-25) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Granger Lake area, Williamson County [unusually large number].
Yellow-breasted Chat: (2) 31 August; (2) 23 September; (1) 8 October (Darrell Vollert), FR1155, Chappell Hill, Washington County [uncommon].
Yellow-breasted Chat: (1) 1 September (Ellen Ratoosh), Emerald Forest subdivision, College Station, Brazos County [uncommon].
Yellow-breasted Chat: (2) 2 September (Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert), TAMU Aquacultural Research and Training Facility, Burleson County [uncommon].
Yellow-breasted Chat: (1) 11 October, Hebert Road Pond, Hebert @ Pinick. Part of the Katy Prairie Conservancy properties (Fred Collins), Waller County [occasional].

TANAGERS THROUGH SPARROWS

Summer Tanager: (2) 29 August (Brush Freeman), Granger Lake area, Williamson County [occasional in fall].
Summer Tanager: (1 male, 1 female, 1 young male) mid July to at least 13 September (Darrell Vollert, Sue Ruotsala, Billie Bernard), Bernard's yard off Stokes Road, north Austin County [rare this late].
Summer Tanager: (14) 20 September (Brooke Nicotra, Laura Bottone) Old Sabine Bottom WMA, Smith County [good count].
Summer Tanager: (1 young male) 30 September (Darrell Vollert, Tim Kiphart), Brazos River at US290, Washington County [late departure].

Green-tailed Towhee: (1) 6 November (Derek Muschalek), 8 miles south of Yorktown, DeWitt County [FOS].

Eastern Towhee: (1) 29 October (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [FOS; early arrival].
Eastern Towhee: (1 heard) 30 October (Chris Merkord) TAMU Wastewater Treatment Plant, College Station, Brazos County [early edge of expected arrival time, FOS].

Chipping Sparrow: (4) 25 November (Bert Frenz), in oaks at north entrance to south unit, Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [only second record for this WMA; an anomaly].

Clay-colored Sparrow: (3) 21 October (Randy Pinkston), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir, Bell County [occasional].

Randy Pinkston, "Three individuals at Union Grove Wildlife Area Oct 21 were my only ones this fall ... contrary to what I heard about other areas, this species was relatively scarce this fall in Bell County"

Lark Sparrow: (1 male singing) 1 August; (1) 31 August (Darrell Vollert, Mary Ann Grahmann); (1) 21-22 September (Darrell Vollert), FR2447, Brazos River bottoms, near Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare in early August, uncommon in late August and September].
Lark Sparrow: (1) 7 August (Fred Collins), Cochran Road, south of Baethe Road, Waller County [occasional].
Lark Sparrow: (1) 25 October (David Wolf), Central Heights, Nacogdoches County [occasional].

Lark Bunting: (8) 11 November (Colin Bludau), 3 miles east of Karnes City, Karnes County [FOS].

Savannah Sparrow: (1) 20 September (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), on TX 147 bridge over Lake Sam Rayburn, San Augustine / Angelina Counties [very early arrival].

Grasshopper Sparrow: (1 juvenile) 15 August (Ron Gutberlet, Carol Gutberlet, Shonda Wilks), Old Sabine Bottom WMA, Smith County.
Grasshopper Sparrow: (3) 28 October (Jeffrey Hanson), Granger Lake area, Williamson County [occasional].
Grasshopper Sparrow: (2) 1 November (Georgette Guernsey, Nancy Bird), Ryan Lake area, Angelina County [occasional].
Grasshopper Sparrow: (31) 6 November (Derek Muschalek), 8 miles south of Yorktown, DeWitt County [FOS, good count].
Grasshopper Sparrow: (1) 8 November (Karl Kosciuch, Damion Marx), grasslands near boat dock, Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes County [rare].

Henslow's Sparrow: (1) 3 November (Dorothy Metzler, James Ingold, Tom Walker), west of Caddo Laek, Marion County [FOS].
Henslow's Sparrow: (1) 8 November (Karl Kosciuch, Damion Marx), grasslands near boat dock, Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes County [very rare; only second county record].

Le Conte's Sparrow: (4) 25 October (David Wolf, Mimi Hoppe Wolf), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [FOS; occasional].
Le Conte's Sparrow: (25+) 6 November (Karl Kosciuch, Tracey Johnson); ("numerous") 8 November (Karl Kosciuch, Damion Marx); (20+) 11 November (Darrell Vollert, Ellen Ratoosh), grasslands near boat dock, Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes County [uncommon; large count].

Fox Sparrow: (1) 6 November (Georgette Guernsey, Nancy Bird), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [early edge of arrival].
Fox Sparrow: (1) 10 November (Tim Fennell, Jeffrey Hanson), singing in trees along spillway, east of Granger Lake dam, Williamson County [FOS].

Song Sparrow: (1) 20 October; (1) 27 October; (2) 10 November (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [FOS].
Song Sparrow: (1) 21 October (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [FOS].

Lincoln's Sparrow: (1) 25 September (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [early arrival].
Lincoln's Sparrow: (2) 13 October (Jesse Fagan), Nacogdoches sewage ponds, Nacogdoches County [FOS].

Swamp Sparrow: (45) 16 October (David Wolf), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [good count].

White-throated Sparrow: (2-3 calling) 19 October (Darrell Vollert), his yard, Chappell Hill, Washington County [FOS].
White-throated Sparrow: (3) 20 October (Louis Debetaz, Jack Windsor), Ryan Lake area, Angelina County [FOS].

White-crowned Sparrow: (1) 21 October (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [FOS].

Dark-eyed Junco: (1) 1 November (Georgette Guernsey, Nancy Bird), Ryan Lake area, Angelina County [FOS, uncommon].

GROSBEAKS THROUGH MEADOWLARKS

Blue Grosbeak: (1 immature/female) 27 September (Randy Pinkston), Bell County [late departure].

Indigo Bunting: (2) 3 November (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [November sighting is late and rare].

Painted Bunting: (1 adult female, 2 fledglings) 8 September (Guy Luneau), Texas Eastman in Longview, Harrison County [late departure].
Painted Bunting: (2+ females) 12 August; (1 heard) 23 August; (10, including several fluffy fledglings) 26 August; (2+) 30 August; (6+ females and juveniles) 31 August; (no.?) 17 September; (2 females) 21 September; (1 female) 22 September (Darrell Vollert), FR2447 in Brazos River bottoms, Chappell Hill, Washington County [September sightings are late departures].

Dickcissel: (800+) 12 August; (2000+) 1 September (Tim Fennell), Granger Lake area, Williamson County [high count for fall migration; Tim commented, "800+; very conservative estimate, some patches of Bloodweed were swarming with flocks of juveniles."].
Dickcissel: (200+) 9 September (Peter Barnes, Ron Gutberlet), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [large number].
Dickcissel: (1) 3 November (Chris Merkord, Scott Brandes), Welch Park, Lake Somerville, Burleson County [late departure].
Dickcissel: (1) 5 November (Rosa Hatfield), Caldwell County [late departure].
Dickcissel: (1) 6 November (Derek Muschalek), 8 miles south of Yorktown, DeWitt County [late migrant].

Western Meadowlark: (1 singing) 1 November (Georgette Guernsey, Nancy Bird), Ryan Lake area, Angelina County [rare].

David Wolf, Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, XXIX, 4 (December, 2001), "A Western Meadowlark singing at Ryan Lake on November 1 was a nice surprise (NB, GG); small numbers presumably reach our area annually, but they are not often detected."

BLACKBIRDS THROUGH ORIOLES

Yellow-headed Blackbird: (1 female) 16 August (Brush Freeman), Granger area, Williamson County [rare and early].
Yellow-headed Blackbird: (1) 27 August (David Ringer, Eddie Ray, Jason Pike), Texas Eastman in Longview, Harrison County.
Yellow-headed Blackbird: (1 adult male) 6 October (Larry Griffing, Ellen Ratoosh, Darrell Vollert, RBAS field trip), TAMU Aquacultural Research & Training Facility, Burleson County [rare].
Yellow-headed Blackbird: (1 female in flock of Red-winged Blackbirds) 30 November (Brush Freeman), west Bastrop County [rare and late].

Rusty Blackbird: (1 in south unit; flock of ~120 in flight in north unit) 25 November (Bert Frenz, Peter Barnes), south unit, Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [occasional].

Brewer's Blackbird: (1 female) 30 September (Guy Luneau), Sabine Mining Company land near Hallsville, Harrison County [remarkably early record for East Texas. No prior September or October records listed on East Texas Pineywoods checklist; no September records on Northeast Texas checklist; no September or early October records on UTC checklist; no September records on Central Texas Coast checklist; no September records on Austin area checklist; in Central Brazos Valley we have the following September records: 6 Sep (Burleson), 21 Sep (McLennan), 24 Sep (Lee), plus 3 other records starting 16 Sep (county not specified). For North Central Texas, Warren Pulich referenced 24 Sep (Wichita).].

Guy Luneau, "I was walking through the Wyoming-like prairie 400 yards south of the church/tree island at the Sabine Mine at dawn on Sept 30. I heard a hoarse "chack", and I immediately said to myself, "Brewer's Blackbird!". (And I'm not joking here -- I am accurate and precise on most North American bird calls and songs.) I looked all around and couldn't find it for a minute. Then among the Mourning Doves on a powerline, I saw a mid-sized Blackbird at 75 yards away. My binoculars made out the uniform gray color of the Brewer's. I thought, "My gosh, this is 1 and a half months early for Brewer's." I then got out my Leica scope and put in on the bird. I wanted to insure that I was not mistaking a female Shiny Cowbird for a Brewer's Blackbird. I watched this bird for several minutes at 60x and 75 yards. And then I did something I essentially never do. I dug deep into a pocket of my Trooper and got out a Field Guide. I read accounts, compared and contrasted Brewer's with Shiny Cowbird, and concluded without doubt that my initial nee-jerk ID was correct -- it was a female Brewer's. Furthermore, it struck me as a young bird. It later flew almost overhead, chacking Brewer's Blackbird chacks as it went, and landed with a few Red-winged Blackbirds.

Orchard Oriole: (3) 3 August (Joe Yelderman), Waco Regional Sewage Treatment Ponds, McLennan County [rare in August in this county].

Bullock's Oriole: (2) 22 August (Brush Freeman), Friendship Park, Granger Lake, Williamson County [rare; east of normal range].

Baltimore Oriole: (30) 9 September (Guy Luneau), Rusk County [large number].

FINCHES

Purple Finch: (2) 30 October (Georgette Guernsey), Kurth Lake, Angelina County [early arrival; no October records shown on Pineywoods checklist].

Red Crossbill: (4) 7 September (Matt White), Lake Tawakoni, Van Zandt County [rare].

Peter Barnes, "The most remarkable sighting this month was of 4 Red Crossbills at Lake Tawakoni in Van Zandt Co. on Sept 7 (MW). These are extremely rare winter visitors and a record in early September is difficult to fathom. However, this was not an isolated event, as Red Crossbills were sighted in two other locations in north-central Texas during the same period."

Pine Siskin: (1 calling in flight) 11 November (Darrell Vollert), Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes County [early; occasional].

Lesser Goldfinch: (several) week of 24 November (Rusty Alderson), his feeders, Leander, Williamson County [status?].

American Goldfinch: (1) 27 August (Darrell Vollert), Chappell Hill subdivision, Washington County [very early migrant].
American Goldfinch: (1 breeding plumage male) 4 September (Lynn Smith), her feeder, Angelina County [very early; one other September sighting in Angelina County is 4 found by Nancy Bird, Jack Windsor & Lynn Smith near Ryan Lake on 5 Sep 1995.].
American Goldfinch (flock of 200+, 20 others in small groups) 2 December (Bert Frenz, Darrell Vollert and TOS field trip), Moore Farms, south Brazos County [unusually large flock].

Contributors:

Mark Adams, Rusty Alderson, Keith Arnold, Karen Arquette, Brad Bailey, Noreen Baker, Peter Barnes, Keith Bartels, Lee Bartlett, Billie Bernard, Nancy Bird, Colin Bludau, Hazel Bluhm, Laura Bottone, Scott Brandes, Fred and Mary Brandt, Jerry Brite, Kelly Bryan, Frank Bumgardner, Jack Burnell, Alan Byboth, Dan Calloway, Jodi Canter, Oscar Carmona, Eric Carpenter, David Cimprich, Gary Clark, Gail Cole, Scott Cole, Fred Collins, Andy Conkey, Margaret Cook, Grant Critchfield, Louis Debetaz, Claudia de la Cruz, Mike Dillon, Joan Dziezyc, Marcia Effinger, Chuck Ely, Floi Ewing, Jesse Fagan, Tim Fennell, Wayne Forrest, Bert Frenz, Brush Freeman, Gary Fritcher, Mary Ann Grahmann, Larry Griffing, Steve Gross, Georgette Guernsey, Carol Gutberlet, Ron Gutberlet, Jeffrey Hanson, Rosa Hatfield, Derek Hill, Jim Hinson, Bob Honig, James Ingold, Linda Lee Johnson, Tracey Johnson, Catfish Kelley, Tim Kiphart, Karl Kosciuch, Jamie Krech, Ethel Kutac, Mark Kylm, Cathy Liles, Greg Lisciandro, Mark Lockwood, Guy Luneau, Joan Luneau, Scott Luneau, John MacFarland, Damion Marx, Mike Mathews, Terry Maxwell, Albert Mays, Nancy McCullough, Chris Merkord, Dorothy Metzler, Don and Jodell Miller, Mike Millican, Debbie Moore, Taylor Moore, Derek Muschalek, Celeste Newton, Brooke Nicotra, Kim Ortiz, DeWitt Patton, Jason Pike, Randy Pinkston, Darrell Pogue, David Pueppke, Jimmie Putnam, Bob Rasa, Jenny Rasmussen, Ellen Ratoosh, Eddie Ray, Jennifer Reidy, Marsha Reimer, David Ringer, Robyn Robertson, Bob Row, Sue Ruotsala, George Russell, Terri Sandvik, Don Schaezler, Susan Schaezler, Jim and Phoebe Lou Sealy, Cliff Shackelford, David Shackelford, Dennis Shepler, Alex Smith, Herb Smith, Jace Stansbury, Tom and Dixie Stevens, Randall Stockton, Ginger Turner, Betty Vermeire, Darrell Vollert, Mort Voller, Tom Walker, David Weaver, Carol Wells, Dan Wilkerson, Shirley Wilkerson, Bolton Williams, Mary Dabney Wilson, Jack Windsor, David Wolf, Mimi HoppeWolf, Otto & Gloria Wuthrich, and Joe Yelderman.


For additions, corrections and new sightings, contact bert@bafrenz.com

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Revised: April 20, 2004.