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.

Summer Season: June 1 - July 31, 2003

The 67 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, Travis (eastern), Trinity, Tyler, Upshur, Walker, Waller, Washington, Williamson, and Wilson.  

Reduced from over 850 reports of 190 species.

(Photo of Red-shouldered Hawk (juvenile) by DeWitt Patton.)

Weather reports:

Randy Pinkston, summer report, Bell County, "Conditions were hot and very dry. Our only significant rainfall came over the weekend of 13-15 June. Area lakes and ponds, baked down by the blazing July sun, were setting the stage for an excellent shorebird season. Hurricane Claudette brought welcome cloud cover but no precipitation, and minimal avian fall-out, on 15-16 July. One of the season's highlights was the early appearance of numerous juvenile long-legged waders, presumably reflecting a productive nesting season close to the coast."

Populations shifts this spring:

Mississippi Kite nestings increased in Central Texas
Monk Parakeets nesting in Washington

Hurricane Claudette effects:

American White Pelicans in Bell
Brown Pelican in Williamson
American Kestrel in Travis
Black Terns in Bell, Travis and Williamson

Early arrivals:

Tricolored Herons in Central Oaks & Prairies
Roseate Spoonbills throughout
Wood Storks in Liberty
Long-billed Curlews in DeWitt and Travis

Out of season lingerers:

Common Loon in Bell
Gadwall in Angelina
Redhead in Bell
Swainson's Hawk in Williamson (since January)
Sora in Bell
Western Sandpiper in Bell
Forster's Terns in Angelina, Bell, Travis and Williamson
Black Terns in Williamson
Olive-sided Flycatcher in Bell
Cedar Waxwings in Washington, Travis and Bandera
Black-throated Green Warbler in Bastrop
Rose-breasted Grosbeak in Washington

At range limits:

Hooded Merganser in Nacogdoches
Osprey nesting in Angelina
Broad-winged Hawks in Bell and Travis
American Kestrel nesting in Montgomery
Black-necked Stilts in Burleson and Washington
Grove-billed Ani in Travis
Common Pauraque in Guadalupe
Vermilion Flycatchers nesting in Bell and Coryell

Rarities:

Reddish Egret (white form) in Bell
Fulvous Whistling-Duck in Bastrop
Cooper's Hawks in Bell and Travis
Short-billed Dowitcher in Williamson
Wilson's Snipe in Bell
Laughing Gulls in Travis and Williamson
Franklin Gulls in Williamson
Great Kiskadee in Coryell
Couch's Kingbird in Bell
Brown Thrasher in Washington
Louisiana Warbler in Washington
Eastern Towhee in Angelina

Bird Sightings:

LOONS THROUGH GREBES

Common Loon: (1 in basic plumage, presumably a subadult) 25 June; (1 heard) 13 July; (2 in basic plumage) 17 August (Grant Critchfield, Randy Pinkston), Union Grove Park, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [first summer record for Bell County; no summer sightings listed on Edward's Plateau checklist; casual in summer in Oaks & Prairies region].

Randy Pinkston, "This evening a Common Loon in basic plumage, presumably a subadult, was observed from Union Grove Park on the south shore of Stillhouse Hollow Lake. The bird was found today by Grant Critchfield of Temple. Amazingly, it was 25 June 2002 that Grant called me about another loon he had discovered on Lake Belton. That one turned out to be a Pacific Loon which remained in the area through at least 31 July. Neither loon showed any evidence of injury or illness."

Randy Pinkston, summer report, "Common Loon: A single (immature?) bird in basic plumage was observed on Stillhouse Hollow Lake on 25 June. A Common Loon was heard nearby on the morning of 13 July and was presumed to be the same individual."

Pied-billed Grebe: (up to 1 adult and 2 juveniles on small pond) 18 May to 7 June; (2 on large lake) 12 July (Darrell Vollert), Chappell Hill subdivision, Washington County [rare breeder].

Darrell Vollert, 12 July, "On the large lake in Chappell Hills subdivision I saw (2) Pied-billed Grebes. Perhaps they are the two juveniles that hatched earlier this summer at the small pond near the main entrance to the subdivision?"

Pied-billed Grebe: (1) 7 June (Katherine McWright), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [occasional].
Pied-billed Grebe: (2 adults) all June; (2 adults with 5 young) 26 June (Georgette Guernsey), Kurth Lake, Angelina County [rare].

David Wolf, Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, "Breeding was confirmed for Pied-billed Grebes at two sites, at Alazan Bayou WMA on May 3 when 2 adults were seen with 4 striped juvs. (Jesse Fagan et al.), and at Kurth Lake on June 26 when 5 young were seen with a pair of adults that had been present all month (Georgette Guernsey)."

Pied-billed Grebe: (nesting) June (Fred Collins), Waller County.
Pied-billed Grebe: (1) 20 July (Tim Fennell, Byron Stone), Meadow Lake, Round Rock, Williamson County [rare].

PELICANS THROUGH ANHINGAS

American White Pelican: (4) 7 June (Katherine McWright), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [rare in summer].
American White Pelican: (1) 7 June (Byron Stone), Willis Creek Park, Granger Lake, Williamson County [rare in summer].
American White Pelican: (55) 17 July (Randy Pinkston), Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [rare in summer; occurrence may be related to Hurricane Claudette].

Brown Pelican: (1 adult) 17 July (Tim Fennell), Meadow Lake, Round Rock, Williamson County [casual; first July record for Oaks and Prairies region; in wake of Hurricane Claudette; photographed].

Tim Fennell, "I stopped by Meadow Lake in east Round Rock (Williamson Co., 15 miles north of Austin) at 10:00 am today to find an adult Brown Pelican successfully fishing on this small lake. When I left at 10:45 it was perched in the willows on the east side of the lake. Yesterday (7/16), a pair of Snowy Plovers were present on the mudflats on the north side of the lake. For Williamson County birders, this lake looks like it could be good for shorebirds this fall (although one good rain could wipe out the developing mudflats). Other shorebirds present over the past two days include Lesser Yellowlegs and Spotted, Least, Western, Semipalmated and Stilt Sandpipers."

Neotropic Cormorant: (1) 14 June (bird survey with 10 participants, fide Tim Hissam), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [occasional].
Neotropic Cormorant: (200+) 4 July (Peter Barnes); (30+) 19 July (D. D. Currie), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [occasional in summer, but very rare in these numbers].

Double-crested Cormorant: (1) 5 July (Frank Bumgardner), Flat Rock Park, Lake Waco, McLennan County [rare in summer, but regular at this location].

Frank Bumgardner, "There are a few on Lake Waco almost every summer. When I worked there from late 1979 until I retired as Senior Ranger in 1998, I would see them year round on some years. Small numbers in the summer. They seemed to prefer the North Bosque River end of the lake near Flat Rock Park and upstream from there. The last time I saw one this year was on July 5th this year in this same area."

Double-crested Cormorant: (1) ~9 July (Grant Critchfield), Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [rare in summer].

Randy Pinkston, 14 July, "Grant Critchfield informed me yesterday that he had a Double-crested Cormorant on Stillhouse Hollow Lake one day last week. He didn't remember the exact date. I have searched my data base from 1994-97 and find no Double-crested records from June or July."

Anhinga: (pair) 9 June (Clay White), ranch in north Bastrop County [rare in summer].
Anhinga: (1) 14 June (bird survey with 10 participants, fide Tim Hissam), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [rare].
Anhinga: (2) 17 June; (1) 19 June (Darrell Vollert), Hughes Lake, Washington County [rare in summer].
Anhinga: (1) 28 June (Rich Kostecke), Slough Pond along Shallowford Rd., Temple, Bell county [rare in summer].

Rich Kostecke, "On 28 June, I had an Anhinga at the Slough Pond along Shallowford Rd. in Temple (Bell Co.). It was my 246th bird for Bell County this year."

Anhinga: (5) 4 July (Peter Barnes); (4) 19 July (D. D. Currie), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [rare].
Anhinga: (1 female) 7 July; (1 female, 1 juvenile, plus 2 female/juvenile types overhead) 12 July: (1 male, 1 female/immature type) 20 July; (1 female) 26, 29 and 30 July; (1 female or immature) 4 August (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare in July].

BITTERNS, EGRETS, HERONS AND IBISES

Post-breeding wandering Tricolored Herons arrived earlier and in greater numbers than recent years.

Tricolored Heron: (1) 4 June (Brush Freeman), stock pond just east of the Travis County line on CR 969, Bastrop County [very early for a bird so far inland].

Brush Freeman, "I rarely have seen Tricolored in Bastrop Co. prior to July 1 or later June."

Tricolored Heron: (no.?) 26 June (Randy Pinkston), Bell County [rare at this early date].

Randy Pinkston, "Long-legged waders, both resident species and post-breeding wanderers alike, were very well represented this year. Tricolored Heron juveniles were numerous at scattered locations from 26 June through the end of the reporting period. As many as fourteen individuals were counted in early July."

Tricolored Heron: (3) 27 June (Andy & Julia Balinsky); (2) 28 June (Scott Young); (2) 30 June (Mollie Kloepper), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [rare in June and early July].
Tricolored Heron: (2 juveniles) 27 June; (1 juveniles) 28 June; (2 juveniles) 29 June; (3) 8 July; (no.?) 24 July (Scott Young), Kitzer Golf Course, Austin, Travis County [rare in June].

Scott Young, 9 July, "Yesterday, 3 Tricolored Herons arrived in the afternoon, but were not present again today. They were in addition to the 1 Tricolored Heron that has arrived every morning for the last 11 days"
Scott Young, 24 July, "Tricolored Herons continue to visit the course, although less frequently now."

Tricolored Heron: (1 adult) 3 July (Jeffrey Hanson), pond on Elroy Rd, eastern Travis County.
Tricolored Heron: (2 immature) 3 July (Jeffrey Hanson), Hornsby Bend, Travis County.
Tricolored Heron: (1) 4 July (Rich Kostecke), Cowhouse Creek, Fort Hood, Bell County [apparently a first record for the base].

Rich Kostecke, "On July 4th, I did some exploring of the Bell County side of Fort Hood. Along Cowhouse Creek I turned up a Tricolored Heron which, while not unexpected within the region, was apparently a first record for the base."

Tricolored Heron: (2) 4 July (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County.
Tricolored Heron: (14) 5 July (Randy Pinkston), Bell County [good count].

Randy Pinkston, 5 July, "Up to fourteen Tricolored Herons have been present on scattered wetlands near Temple and Salado over the past nine days. All have been juveniles with the exception of a solitary adult bird observed today on Stillhouse Hollow Lake. This year is exceptional in my experience as we normally have <10 birds per autumn, most of them arriving in August. Hopefully the difference this year reflects a highly productive nesting season closer to the coast."

Tricolored Heron: (1) 5 July (Shawn Ashbaugh), Hornsby Bend, Travis County.
Tricolored Heron: (3) 5 July (Rich Kostecke), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir, Bell County.
Tricolored Heron: (2) 11 July (Byron Stone), Granger Lake, Williamson County.
Tricolored Heron: (3) 12 July (monthly count, 17 participants), Hornsby Bend, Travis County.
Tricolored Heron: (1 juvenile) 12 and 30 July (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [occasional].
Tricolored Heron: (1 juvenile) 13 July (Randy Pinkston, Grant Critchfield), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County.
Tricolored Heron: (4 juveniles) 13 July (Randy Pinkston), Slough Pond, Temple, Bell County.
Tricolored Heron: (1) 13 July (Darrell Vollert), FM2447 near FM1155, Washington County.
Tricolored Heron: (1) 15 July (Rich Kostecke), Fort Hood, Bell County.
Tricolored Heron: (16 in multiple locations, including 7 at Willis Creek Park) 20 July (Tim Fennell, Byron Stone), Granger Lake, Williamson County [good count].

Tim Fennell, summer report, "7/20/03: Present through most of July. High count of 16 juveniles in eastern Williamson Co."

Tricolored Heron: (1) 22 July (Rich Kostecke); (3 juveniles) 30 July (Randy Pinkston, Grant Critchfield), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County.
Tricolored Heron: (6) 26 July (Rich Kostecke), Iron Bridge Park and Belton Lake WMA, Belton Lake, Bell County.

Reddish Egret (white morph): (1 juvenile) 14 July to at least 4 August (Randy Pinkston, Rich Kostecke, Grant Critchfield), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [second county record; only second Oaks & Prairies record of a white morph; longest recorded stay of Reddish Egret in Oaks & Prairies region].

Randy Pinkston, 14 July, "Union Grove Wildlife Area continues to produce amazing birds on a daily basis. Out there today from 1800-1840 I watched a juvenile white morph Reddish Egret foraging in the company of a Great Egret and Great Blue Heron. This bird represents a second county record, the first being a juvenile dark morph individual at the same location 6-8 November 1999."

Rich Kostecke, "On the 15th ... I relocated the juvenile, white Reddish Egret found by Randy Pinkston at Union Grove WMA, Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir."

Randy Pinkston, 16 July, "Grant Critchfield found four dowitchers this evening at Union Grove. He called me right away but by the time we arrived out there together, the birds had already left. We relocated the Reddish Egret for the third day."

Randy Pinkston, "Details on juvenile white morph Reddish Egret observed at Union Grove Wildlife Area, Bell County, Texas, 14 July 2003.

From the end of Union Grove Lane at the lakeshore of Stillhouse Hollow I looked eastward and noticed a Great Egret and a smaller white wader foraging in the shallows at the edge of the large island in the lake. I put up my Kowa 20-60x telescope and zoomed in on these two birds. The larger white bird was obviously an adult Great Egret. The smaller bird immediately caught my attention because its black bill was too heavy for Snowy Egret, and its lores were black. I also noticed a Great Blue Heron in the shadows behind both white birds. Sizewise, the bird in question was much smaller than the Great Blue and approximately 15% smaller than the Great Egret. Although not present for direct comparison, the bird in question appeared too large for Snowy Egret or Little Blue Heron.

I watched the birds from 1800-1830 as they foraged at the edge of the island. The distance was ~250-300 meters, making the 60x magnification on my scope essential for the following observations. The egret's bill, lores, and eye appeared all-black in the shadows. In bright sun the bill looked more dark (slate) gray than black, with variable hints of pale coloration at the base of the mandible and along the edges (=glare?) of both mandible and maxilla. The bill was proportionately long and clearly thinner than the Great Egret's. The long bill effect was accentuated by the concolor lores and eye behind it, thereby forming one long straight black line from the eye to the bill tip. Also noticed was that the gular feathering below the mandible was proportionately shorter on the Reddish than on the Great Egret.

The egret's plumage was entirely snow-white. Both wings were raised and extended several times as the bird foraged such that every remix was seen well. There were no dark feathers and no dusky marks anywhere. All rectrices were also pure white. The legs were first evaluated as the egret raised one leg to scratch its chin. The legs and toes were entirely black. Additionally, the toes appeared too heavy for Snowy Egret.

The foraging behavior of this bird was particularly distinctive. Multiple times during my observations it would raise its wings while wading in the shallow water, frequently charging forward and twirling around with wings raised and extended. It gave the impression that it was dancing. Neither of the other two birds did this at all. The Reddish did not seem to be a very effective predator. Most of its stabs into the water brought back bits and pieces of debris rather than fish. The Great Egret, in contrast, was quite effective and caught fish with almost every attempt. I thought maybe this was because the young Reddish Egret was relatively inexperienced.

After about thirty minutes the Reddish Egret took flight and flew south to land in a snag in the lake. This brought the bird slightly closer to me. Again, over the next ten minutes I had very good looks at the bill, face, legs, and all-white plumage. There was never any doubt in my mind about the identification. All other species mentioned above are common in Bell County at this time of year. I see them on a daily basis. I have some thirty years' experience with all North American waders. The Reddish was definitely a juvenile based on the uniformly dark bill.

I returned to the same location the next day (15 July) from 2000-2030. Skies were mostly cloudy and a strong southeast wind was blowing. A roost of some 45 Great Egrets was forming in a line of brushy snags near the lakeshore south of the location described above. Again with my telescope on 60x, I relocated the Reddish Egret among the other birds, wings raised and fighting the wind in the top branches of a snag. All of the same features described above were again noted on the bird.

Randy Pinkston, summer report, "Reddish Egret: A juvenile white morph was discovered at Union Grove Wildlife Area on 14 July and remained through the close of the reporting period."
Randy Pinkston, "The Reddish was still around last evening, 4 Aug. I believe that makes 21 days."

Black-crowned Night-Heron: (1) 10 June (Georgette Guernsey), Ryan Lake, Angelina County [rare].
Black-crowned Night-Heron: (1) 30 May to 10 June (Scott Young), Kizer Golf Course, Austin, Travis County [occasional].

Scott Young, "... Also, the Black-crowned Night-Heron continues to arrive on the course every morning between 05:45 and 6:15. I have seen it every morning from 5/30 to 6/6, and again this morning. I did not work last weekend, but assume the bird was there then too."

Black-crowned Night-Heron: (2) 4 July (Peter Barnes); (1) 19 July (D. D. Curie), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [occasional].
Black-crowned Night-Heron: (1) 12 July (monthly count, 17 participants), Hornsby Bend, Austin, Travis County [occasional].

Yellow-Crowned Night Herons: (4 adults, 2 juveniles) 23 June to 3 July (Barb Lorenz), feeding on grasshoppers at dawn in an open pasture at the intersection of Dick Elliott Road and Roy Ball Road, northern Brazos County [uncommon].

Like Tricolored Herons, Roseate Spoonbills arrived early, were reported widely and in good numbers.

Roseate Spoonbill: (1) 14 June (bird survey with 10 participants, fide Tim Hissam), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [rare in mid June].
Roseate Spoonbill: (no.?, juveniles) 23 June (Randy Pinkston), Bell County

Randy Pinkston, summer report, "Roseate Spoonbill: Scattered juveniles across the county from 23 June through the end of the reporting period."

Roseate Spoonbill: (2) 26 June (Trey Atkinson, et al.), Temple Lions Park, Bell County [rare in late June / early July].
Roseate Spoonbill: (1 immature) 27 June (Andy & Julia Balinsky), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [rare in June and early July].
Roseate Spoonbill: (7) 29 June; (1) 22 July (Scott Young), Kitzer Golf Course, Austin, Travis County [rare in June].

Scott Young, "This morning at 05:38 I saw what was the first of seven Roseate Spoonbills on the course. The first group was three first or second year birds, and the second group I found later in another pond was four first or second year birds. The latter group flushed and ended up in the same pond with the others, where they all stayed for a couple of hours. I was surprised that they tolerated all the players for that long. At about 08:00 they were again flushed by play, and at 08:45 I saw six of them perched in a tree on the south end of the course."

Roseate Spoonbill: (11) 30 June (Greg Lasley, John Abbott), about 1/2 mi. west of Gonzales, Gonzales County [rare in June and early July].
Roseate Spoonbill: (2 immature, 1 adult) 30 June (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [rare in June and early July].
Roseate Spoonbill: (no.?) ~1 July (Hayden Haucke); (1) 19 July (D. D. Curie), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County.
Roseate Spoonbill: (22) 1 July (Fred Collins), Pattison Road south of creek, Waller County.
Roseate Spoonbill: (3) 6 July (Darrell Vollert), small pond along the west side of Flewellen Road, Washington County.
Roseate Spoonbill: (1) 9 July (Scott Young), McKinney Falls State Park, Travis County.
Roseate Spoonbill: (1 juvenile) 13 July (Randy Pinkston, Grant Critchfield); (2) 22 July and (3) 27 and 29 July (Rich Kostecke); (3 juveniles) 30 July (Randy Pinkston, Grant Critchfield), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County.
Roseate Spoonbill: (2) 14 July (Lynn Barber), near Cameron, Milam County.
Roseate Spoonbill: (~10) 14 July; (3) 15 July (Hugh Wilson), River Road, west Brazos County.
Roseate Spoonbill: (1) 15-18 July (Alan Byboth), Camp Tyler, Smith County [third county record; first ones were at same location 14 and 25 December 2001].
Roseate Spoonbill: (1) 26 July (Roy Darville), Caddo Lake, Harrison/Marion County [first record for Caddo Lake].
Roseate Spoonbill: (1 juvenile) 20 July (Tim Fennell, Byron Stone), Commerce Park Lake, eastern Round Rock, Williamson County
Roseate Spoonbill: (2 juveniles) 25 July (Tim Fennell), Bull Creek Park in Austin, Travis County.
Roseate Spoonbill: (2) 26 July (Rich Kostecke), Iron Bridge Park, Belton Lake, Bell County.
Roseate Spoonbill: (1) 28 July (Darrell Vollert), Wichita Ranch, Washington County.

STORKS

Wood Stork: (20-30) 8 June (Ellen Pickett), Hwy 563 near Gates Levy Road, Liberty County [very early; rare].
Wood Stork: (4) 17 June (Darrell Vollert), Hughes Lake, Washington County [early; occasional].
Wood Stork: (1) 20 June (Diane Jones), Harrison County [early; occasional].
Wood Stork: (3) 21 June; (1) 29 June (fide Sheryl Mason), Henderson County [occasional].

Peter Barnes & Matt White, June NETFO Newsletter, "Wood Storks were reported from unusual locations, including 3 in Henderson Co. on June 21, and 1 there on June 28 (fide SM), as well as another in a pasture in Harrison Co. on June 20 (DJ)."

Wood Stork: (2) 24 June (Georgette Guernsey), Ryan Lake, Angelina County [occasional].
Wood Stork: (5) 25 June (Brush Freeman), private lake near Delhi, Caldwell County [uncommon].
Wood Stork: (30) 14 July (Lynn Barber), near Cameron, Milam County [good count].

WATERFOWL

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: (2) 5 June (Matt White, David Hurt), Franklin County [rare, but may be becoming more common].

Peter Barnes, NETFO Newsletter, June, "Two Black-bellied Whistling Ducks were great yard birds in Hunt Co. on June 3 (JM), and 2 were seen in Franklin Co. on June 5 (MW, DH). They have been breeding in north-east Texas for at least the past 13 years, especially at Lake Fork in Wood Co. However, these recent records are well away from large wetland complexes and may indicate that the species is becoming more common in the region."

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: (2) 10-24 June (Georgette Guernsey), Ryan Lake, Angelina County [rare].

David Wolf, Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, "our first local record in 3 years"

Fulvous Whistling-Duck: (8) 1 July (Fred Collins), pond at Morrison Road, about 1 mile north of the 529 / 2855 intersection, Waller County [common on UTC; rare beyond coastal prairies].

Fred Collins, "There is an irrigation pond at this location. It is relatively new (about 2-3 years) and provides water for a rice operation. It has provided good nesting habitat the past two years."

Fulvous Whistling-Duck: (2) 4 July (Brush Freeman), Crystal Lake, Bastrop County [rare in this county].

Gadwall: (pair) 10 June (Georgette Guernsey), Ryan Lake, Angelina County [very rare].

Mallard: (2) 12 July (monthly count, 17 participants), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [rare].
Mallard: (1 apparently wild female) 16 July (Randy Pinkston), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [rare].

Blue-winged Teal: (2) 12 July (monthly count at Hornsby Bend, 17 participants), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [rare].

Northern Shoveler: (1) 7 June (Katherine McWright); (1) 14 June and 12 July (monthly survey), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [rare in July; occasional in early June].

Redhead: (1 male) 7 June (Rich Kostecke), Slough Pond along Shallow Ford Road, Temple, Bell County [very rare in summer].

Lesser Scaup: (1) 14 June; (1) 12 July (monthly survey), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [rare in summer, particularly in July].

Hooded Merganser: (7) 20 June (Jesse Fagan), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [casual].

David Wolf, Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, "Seven Hooded Mergansers at Alazan Bayou WMA on June 20 had presumably been raised locally, perhaps even in nest boxes recently installed at the WMA (JF)."

Ruddy Duck: (4) 15 June (Katherine McWright), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [occasional].

KITES, HAWKS AND EAGLES

Osprey: (1) 15 and 29 June (Katherine McWright); (3) 12 July (monthly survey, 17 participants), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [rare in summer].

Austin RBA, "On June 29th: Katherine McWright saw an Osprey flying over the river at Hornsby Bend. It is unusual to see Osprey in the area in the summer."

Osprey: (2 adults, with one sitting on nest) 14 May; (female dead on nest, male feeding large chick) 13 June (Georgette Guernsey); (3 large chicks) 28 June (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), on pylon at TX 103 crossing of Lake Sam Rayburn near Etoile, Angelina County [casual].

David Wolf, Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, "An Osprey nest discovered on May 14 on a pylon on the Angelina Co. side of the TX 103 crossing of Lake Rayburn near Etoile had both adults present and one sitting on the nest, but no hatchlings were visible. On June 13 the adult female was dead on the nest, but the male was still feeding a large chick in the nest (GG), and on June 28 three large chicks were visible (DW, JF)."

Osprey: (1) 4 July (Rich Kostecke), Cowhouse Creek near Belton Reservoir, Fort Hood, Bell County [rare in summer].
Osprey: (1) 15 July (Eddie Ray), Texas Eastman at Longview, Harrison County [rare].

Peter Barnes, NETFO Newsletter, July 2003, "An Osprey was seen at Texas Eastman in Longview on July 15 (ER). Ospreys are rarely seen in summer, and breeding has not been documented for this species in north-east Texas."

Following evidence in spring of a strong presence of Mississippi Kites in the Oaks and Prairies region, summer nesting was especially widespread and fruitful in this region, unprecedented in numbers of nesting pairs.

Here are reports by county for the Oaks and Prairies region:

Austin County:
-- (2) 10 May (Bert Frenz, Darrell Vollert), (up to 5) all summer (Sue Ruotsala and Billie Bernard), Stokes Road and Piney Creek subdivision, north Austin County [have been present previous summers, but Sue & Billie have seen more this summer].

Bastrop County:
-- (1) 2 June (Byron Stone), Tahitian Drive and Riverside.

Brazos County:
-- (1) 20 May (Rob Tizard), flying along Cedar Creek, Pecan Valley Ranch, south of OSR just east of Wheelock.
-- (2) ~23 May to at least 23 June (Terry Smith), N. Rosemary, Bryan.
-- (3 soaring and calling) 11 May; (2 in dead tree) 12 May; (1-3) almost daily from May to at least 17 August (Pat Holman); (1 adult) 18 June (Joan Dziezyc); (3 adults) 25 June (Joan Dziezyc); (1 adult) 26 June; (1-3) regularly through July; (2 adults, 2 juveniles) 5 August (Joan Dziezyc); Timbercrest subdivision, Wellborn area, Brazos County [nested in 2002 and probably nested each year for 3-5 years before that].
-- (1 juvenile) early June (David Phalen); (adult and juvenile kites) throughout July and first half of August (David Phalen), Dowling Road, Wellborn area, College Station.
-- (at least 6, probably 1 nest site) June to at least mid August (Matt Wagner, Cathy Liles, independently), Wood Lake, Wellborn area, College Station.
-- (1) 27 June (Ruth Dillard), Munson & Francis streets, College Hills subdivision, College Station.
-- (pair) all summer; (2 juveniles) end of July (Vinnie Cassone), River Road near Brazos River.

Fayette County:
-- (1) 12 July (Mike Mathews), his farm, between La Grange and Warda.

McLennan County:
-- (pair returned to nest) ~4 May; (1 nesting pair) June; (2 nesting pairs) 15 July; (2 or 3 fledged) ~15 July; (3 nests, 1 feeding nestlings) 21 July; (2 fledglings each for two identified nests atop Eastern Cedar Elms, apparently 2 fledglings for 3rd pair but nest location unknown) August; (2 additional adults joined flock) 12 August; (flock size dropped to 2 adults and 3 young) 15 August; (flock dropped to 2 young) 18 August and still present 19 August (Fred Gehlbach), Woodway Ravine, Waco, McLennan County [one pair nesting for 2nd year; all others are new nesting pairs].
-- (nest) 21 July (Fred Gehlbach), ~5 mi. southeast of Waco.

Waller County:
-- (pair) since 14 June; (nest building) 6-7 July; (at nest) to ~14 July, then disappeared until ~26 July; (pair at/on nest) ~26-27 July; (a different pair, probably juveniles) 3 August (Susan McCown), Hempstead.

Washington County:
-- (1) 27 April (Fred Brandt); (1) 27 May; (1) 7 July; (3 juveniles, 1 adult, soaring) 14 July; (5 flying) 15 July; (2 adults soaring) 16 July; (1 juvenile near nest along East Hilltop Drive), 31 July; (2 juveniles, 3 adults) 4 August; (8 adults soaring) 11 August; (1 juvenile being fed by 2 adults) 12 August (Darrell Vollert); (1 juvenile being fed by 2 adults) 17 August (Fred & Mary Brandt), Chappell Hill subdivision.
-- (1) 8 May; (1) 13 May; (1) 23 May; (1 over FM 577) 29 May; (1) 30 May; (1 soaring) 6 June; (2 adults) 13 June; (1 soaring) 27 June; (2) 11 July; (2 adults soaring and calling) 17 July; (2 adults soaring near Tom Green St.) 30 July (2 adults soaring) 1 August; (1 adult soaring) 14-15 August (Darrell Vollert), Harrison Street/Walnut Hill Drive/Mansfield Street neighborhood, Brenham.
-- (1) 10 May (Bert Frenz); (1) 17 May; (1) 27 May; (3) 31 May; (2-3 adults, one sub-adult, including one adult carrying nesting material) 14 June; (1 on nest) 26 June; (1 carrying nesting material to nest) 28 June; (2 adults, 1 sub-adult) 5 July; (1 adult, 2 juveniles) 12 July; (1 adult, 1 sub-adult perched) 20 July; (1 adult) 26 July; (1 juvenile bird begging; 2 adults) 29 July; (1 juvenile bird begging to be fed) 29 July; (2 adults, 1 juvenile perched and soaring) 2 August; (1 adult soaring) 4 August; (5 adults) 9 August; (1 adult soaring) 16 August (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate near Chappell Hill.
-- (1 adult) 19 June (Darrell Vollert), SH105 and FM 390, northeast of Brenham.
-- (pair returned to nesting site) 28 April; (1 carrying nesting material) 1 May; (2) 18 May (Darrell Vollert); (female on nest) ~18 May (Pamela Davison); (1 flying to nest) 21 May (Darrell Vollert, Pamela Davison); (2 adults) 28 May (Darrell Vollert); (2 adults flying over FM 1155) 19 June; (female still on nest) 22 June (Darrell Vollert); (1 adult) 6 July; (2) 9 July; (2 adult) 13 July (Darrell Vollert); (4 adults, 1 sub-adult soaring) 29 July (Darrell Vollert, David Scott); (3 soaring) 14 August, near downtown Chappell Hill [nest is near tree where kites nested 3 years ago].
-- (1) 8 July (Darrell Vollert), Brazos River near US 290 bridge (bordering Waller County).
-- (1 adult) 13 July (Darrell Vollert), FM389 at Sandy Creek southwest of Brenham.
-- (2 adults) 15 July (Darrell Vollert), New Year's Creek.

Reports from Osage Plains of Central Texas:

Brown County:
-- (~12 in a colony) 28 May (Brush Freeman), Bangs.

Comanche County:
-- (pair) ~19 July (Shirley Wilkerson), farm near Comanche.

Reports from Edward's Plateau:

Mills County:
-- (2) 28 May (Brush Freeman), near Mullin.

Reports from East Texas:

Bowie County:
-- (11 in 4 separate stops) 21 June (Homer Klonis), Liberty Hill BBS [none reported on BBS route last year].

Harrison County:
-- (1) 4 July (Dorothy Metzler), Texas side of Caddo Lake [consistent location yearly since at least 1995].

Houston County:
-- (1) 25 May (Graham Gips), Weches BBS route, Crockett National Forest [new species for the BBS].

Liberty County:
-- numerous reports of Mississippi and Swallow-tailed kites in Liberty area (m.obs.).

San Jacinto County:
-- (pair) 21 July; (3 cruising together) 29 July; (1 adult and 1 other) 30 July; (1) 5 August; (3, including 1 immature) 8 August (George Russell), Waterwood Parkway and FM 980, near Lake Livingston.

Walker County:
-- (1) 24 May (Darrell Vollert, et al.), soaring at Stubblefield Lake Recreation Area on Forest Road 215.
-- (at least 3 nesting pairs) 24 June (Oscar Carmona), Huntsville State Park.
-- (1 female on nest) 18 May; (1 incubating eggs) 24 May; (eggs hatched) 22 or 23 June; (pair feeding two nestlings) 24 June; (2 adults; only 1 chick survived to fledging) mid-July; (2 adults, 1 juvenile) through at least 11 August (Brenda Muncrief), southeastern edge of Huntsville.
-- ("individuals") June; (2) almost daily through 10 August (John Schwetman), Elkins Lake subdivision, Huntsville [prior history of nesting here; pair observed spring/summer 2002; pair and fledgling observed spring/summer 2001].

Bald Eagle: (1 adult) 8 June (Mike Mathews), between La Grange and Warda, Fayette County [few records from this county].

Bald Eagle: (1 adult) 16 June (Brenda Muncrief), I-45 and South Bedias Creek, Walker County.

Brenda Muncrief, "This afternoon, we were driving south on I-45, between Madisonville and Huntsville. We had crossed Bedias Creek. As we came up to South Bedias Creek, an adult Bald Eagle flew from east to west across the road in front of us. I thought all the Eagles had moved north for the remainder of the summer. I guess I learn something new every day."

Brent Ortego, "Bald Eagles start fledging their young from late February to early May in Texas. Typical pairs and young hang around the nest site for about a month and then usually drift northward. Some spend the summer. Those summering are generally not as conspicuous. Reports of summer birds (July and August) are relatively uncommon for the 110+ pairs of nesting eagles in Texas.

"I spent 24 hours in an airplane surveying nesting colonial waterbirds over eastern Texas during the last week of May. We noticed adult Bald Eagles in Brazoria County and Ospreys on nests over Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend Reservoirs."

Bald Eagle: (1 adult) 28 June (True Redd, George Spears, Susan Spears), Caddo Lake, Harrison/Marion Counties [not listed for summer on the 2002 Caddo Lake checklist].

Peter Barnes & Matt White, June NETFO Newsletter, "Summering Bald Eagles are on the increase, and an adult was spotted at Caddo Lake on June 28 (TR, GS, SS)."

Bald Eagle: (1 adult) 19 July (D. D. Curie, Ft. Worth Audubon Society field trip), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [very few July records in central Oaks and Prairies region; one other July record here in 2001].

Cooper's Hawk: (1) 8 June (Rich Kostecke, John Gower), Lampasas River, Bell County [very rare in summer].
Cooper's Hawk: (1) 9 June (Byron Stone), Hwy 620, Travis County [rare].

Byron Stone, "I observed a single Cooper's Hawk, flying over Hwy 620 at about the entrance to Lakeway. I believe this species is a low-density breeder in the hill country, but this is my first observation in Travis County in summer months."

Cooper's Hawk: (1) 4 July (Rich Kostecke), Cowhouse Creek near Belton Reservoir, Fort Hood, Bell County [not listed in summer on 2000 Bell County checklist].
Cooper's Hawk: (1 immature) 13 July (Randy Pinkston, Grant Critchfield), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [very rare].

Red-shouldered Hawk: (pair and nest with chicks) ~19 May; (nesting pair with two fledglings) ~26 May (Shirley Wilkerson); (juveniles hunting for food) to 11 June; (adults and 2 juveniles) 12 June (Bob Jones, DeWitt Patton), near Bonham Elementary School, Bryan, Brazos County [breeding data; photo by DeWitt Patton].

Broad-winged Hawk: (1 adult) ~15 May; (1 heard?) ~31 May; (1 heard) 6 June (Jeffrey Hanson), Mabel Davis Park, southeast Austin, Travis County [rare].

Jeffrey Hanson, "About 15 minutes ago I heard a Broad-winged Hawk calling from well within Mabel Davis Park, which is right behind my apartment here in southeast Austin. I thought I had heard one call twice about two weeks ago, much farther off, but never heard or saw the bird again. Three or so weeks ago I saw an adult Broad-winged verbally sparring with a resident adult Red-shouldered, while it soared very low above the nearest trees of the park. According to last year's archives, I didn't see a fledgling until mid-July, so I guess it's too early to say that this bird is definitely breeding... but I'm pretty sure this third data point, from the same place within a month, isn't suggestive of a late migrant."

Broad-winged Hawk: (1) 20 June (Bob Metzler); (1) 28 June (Eddie Ray, Nancy Ray), Harrison County [uncommon].

Peter Barnes & Matt White, June NETFO Newsletter, "Broad-winged Hawks and American Kestrels are low-density breeders in north-east Texas, and Harrison Co. hosted single Broad-winged Hawks on June 20 (BM) and June 28 (ER, NR), and an American Kestrel on June 20 (BM)."

Broad-winged Hawk: (1 road kill) 17 July (Randy Pinkston), Temple, Bell County [rare; determined by Bill Clark to be at least 3 years old, therefore may have been a local breeder].

Randy Pinkston, "Today my wife picked up a freshly road killed hawk in a wooded residential area of Temple. She called me at work to report her unfortunate find and that she thought the bird was a young Red-shouldered Hawk. It sounded right because I knew of Red-shouldered nests in that neighborhood in previous years. When I got home from work and looked at the bird it was not a Red-shouldered but a Broad-winged Hawk.
"It appears to be a subadult, but not a juvenile, and in active moult with multiple remiges and rectrices short and/or encased in sheaths. BLOT gives the extreme early date for a fall migrant as 28 August and the extreme late date for a spring migrant as 18 May, so it's unlikely that the bird is a migrant. I know that Broad-wings nest sparingly around Austin and certainly could be nesting around here, but t would be the first evidence of it that I'm aware of.
"The identification is based on very small size, pointed wings, uniformly dark brown upperparts, essentially white underwing except for a broad dark trailing edge, no hint of any kind of pale wing crescent, and proportionately short tail with a single broad white band centrally. Its underparts are heavily blotched/barred with russet color that is especially dark on the upper sides of the chest. Undertail coverts are unmarked creamy-white.

Randy, summer report, "Broad-winged Hawk: A fresh roadkill adult was salvaged in Temple on 17 July. Hawk expert Bill Clark examined jpegs of the carcass and determined that the bird was at least three years old, raising the question of possible local breeding."

Broad-winged Hawk: (pair raised 2 young) summer; (4 departed) 12 August (Fred Gehlbach), Woodway Ravine, McLennan County [rare].

Swainson's Hawk: (1) 2 June (Jeff Hanson), Colorado River Park, Austin, Travis County [occasional].

Jeff Hanson, "At almost 9 on the dot I spotted a soaring buteo, upstream about 1/4 mile north of me. I was a little surprised when instead of a Red-shouldered, or even possibly a Broad-winged, it turned out to be an adult Swainson's Hawk. I watched it for about 10 minutes until I left. As far as I could tell it was hunting, as it stopped soaring and hovered several times."

Swainson's Hawk: (2) 7 June (Katherine McWright), Rt.183 near the airport, Travis County [occasional].
Swainson's Hawk: (1) 14 June (Tim Fennell), Willis Creek Park, Granger Lake, Williamson County [rare in summer].

Tim Fennell, summer report, "Swainson's Hawk - 6/14/03: one adult perched in Willow snags frequented by 2 adults and a fledgling two years ago, Willis Creek Park, Granger Lake. One also seen in same area on 7/20."

Swainson's Hawk: (1) 14 June (bird survey with 10 participants, fide Tim Hissam), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [occasional].
Swainson's Hawk: (1) 9 July (Fred Collins), Collins farm, Waller County [rare].
Swainson's Hawk: (2 adults; 6 immatures) 12 July (Randy Pinkston), south of Salado, Bell County [rare].

Randy Pinkston, "This afternoon I had six Swainson's Hawks in a field south of Salado. They were WAY out there, and the heat waves were pretty bad, but most if not all of them looked like immatures. Less than a mile down the road I had two adult Swainson's soaring and grappling together. I suppose this could represent loco-regional nesting as it seems much too early for southward migration."

Swainson's Hawk: (1 adult, 1 sub adult) 15 July (Darrell Vollert), flying between New Year's Creek and Red Gully, Washington County [casual in summer, although this particular area has had reports in prior summers].
Swainson's Hawk: (4 adults in 3 locations) 20 July (Tim Fennell, Byron Stone), Granger Lake, Williamson County
Swainson's Hawk: (30+) 28 July (Tim Fennell), Hwy 95, north of Bartlett, Bell County [early migration; rare].
Swainson's Hawk: (75+ on ground, 65+ kettling over fields) 28 July (Tim Fennell), north and west sides of Granger Lake, Williamson County [early migration; rare].

Tim Fennell, "On my way out of town today, I made a detour through the Granger Lake area. In recently harvested corn fields on the north and west sides of the lake, I had 75+ Swainson's Hawks on the ground about 10:00 am. An additional 65+ were kettling over the fields. As I continued to travel north toward Temple on HWY 95, I had another 30+ hawks on the ground and in the air."

Swainson's Hawk: (1) January to at least mid-August (Robert Bates), his yard between Leander and Liberty Hill, Williamson County [highly unusual; not expected in winter; should have migrated; is there a precedent for a Swainson's staying in one location this long?].

Rob Bates, 12 June, "For the past six weeks now, I have had a Swainson's Hawk hanging out around my house between Leander and Liberty Hill. I only ever see one bird, never a second (mate). ... As for the Swainson's Hawk, it is a light phased adult, that shows the dark "bib" very well. Are there any breeding records or similar records for this time of the year? I have heard a couple of people say that there have been lone birds in the past that stayed around in one area for a while, but not for this long!"

Rob Bates, 14 August, "The Swainson's Hawk is still hanging around his usual perch. It has been there for a little over 8 months now, so I would say it is safe to call it a resident bird. I never seen a mate or young this season, so I assume it is also safe to say that it is a lone bird."

Rob Bates, Wildlife Biologist, 15 August, "Bert, thanks for your comments. But it is definitely a Swainson's Hawk (Light Adult). Here is some background on this bird in particular. I first saw the bird on two consecutive days in January. I did not report it, because I generally see several Swainson's in that area, and time of year, when leading birding trips on the refuge. At the time in January, we were not yet living in our house, it was still under construction, so I was out there off and on. The two times I spotted the bird it was soaring once and perched the other, in the same pasture. This is the same pasture that I frequently have seen the bird since we moved into our house in May. That is why I posted then! The bird shows the dark chest (or bib, as I call it) very well. The white face has been observed several times through my scope, while the bird is perched.
"So, I have no hesitations on this bird being a light adult Swainson's Hawk. I have seen my share of them. I am also one of the volunteers at the Hornsby Bend Hawk Watch in the fall. So, I had the chance to study a lot of Swainson's last year. Plus Chuck Sexton and I talked about Swainson's in June when we were conducting a Bio-blitz on the refuge with several other USFWS guys, who had seen a Swainson's the week before where we were mapping. (Which that location is only about 2 miles due west of my house.)
"I hope that this helps clear up any confusion on this bird. I know Cliff at TPWD and I had talked about this bird as well. He was hoping I would locate a mate and nest, hopefully showing that Swainson's Hawks were starting to re-inhabit areas they once occurred. But no luck on the mate or nest, this year!"

Crested Caracara: (pair carrying nesting materials) to 12 June; (1-2) present to end of summer (Robert Bates), his yard between Leander and Liberty Hill, Williamson County [breeding data].

Rob Bates, 12 June, "There is also a couple of Crested Caracara by my house, seen almost each day. They have been observed carrying nesting materials on several occasions!"
Rob Bates, 14 August, "The Caracara, that nested across the road, have not been seen for about two weeks now. I am not sure about how successful they were?"

Crested Caracara: (1 juvenile) 24 July (Darrell Vollert), FM 2621, Sandy Hill, Washington County [breeding data].

American Kestrel: (1) 20 June (Bob Metzler), Harrison County [occasional].

Peter Barnes & Matt White, June NETFO Newsletter, "Broad-winged Hawks and American Kestrels are low-density breeders in north-east Texas, and Harrison Co. hosted single Broad-winged Hawks on June 20 (BM) and June 28 (ER, NR), and an American Kestrel on June 20 (BM)."

American Kestrel: (2 adults, 4 juveniles), 6-7 July (Jerry Walls), Christmas Creek Nature Preserve, Montgomery County [western edge of breeding range for Pineywoods of East Texas].

Jerry Walls, 6 July, "Had a very nice group of birders from Harlingen (Sue, Billy, Debi and Mark) visit Christmas Creek today. Highlights included 6 American Kestrels on the pasture wire next to the preserve. Adults are year-round residents on/next to Christmas Creek. A nice observation of birds usually thought to visit this area (far nw Montgomery County) only in the cooler months."
Jerry Walls, 7 July, "Have six (6) American Kestrels at Christmas Creek. Two (2) adults and four (4) juveniles. Five of us saw the birds on 7-6-03. They were all within 135 yards of each other sitting on fence posts."

American Kestrel: (1) 15 July (Jeff Mundy); (1) 19 July (Lisa Meacham), downtown Austin, Travis County [unexpected in summer; apparently blown in by Hurricane Claudette).

Jeff Mundy, "With the winds swirling moderately around Austin, a kestrel has appeared in downtown Austin this afternoon. Yes, they are common here, but only in the late fall through late spring in my experience. I am not aware of them as a summer resident in the immediate Austin area. Perhaps this sighting is unrelated to the storm, but I wonder if this is not a bird pulled from farther north and east and drawn along with the wind."

TURKEYS THROUGH CRANES

Wild Turkey: (1) 4 June (Susan Schaezler), Schaezler property, Guadalupe County [occasional].
Wild Turkey: (1) 15 June (Ed Fair), Commons Ford Park, Travis County [occasional].
Wild Turkey: (1) 21 June (Eddie Ray), Panola County [occasional].
Wild Turkey: (3 hens) 8 July (James Phelps), between Wellborn and Millican, Brazos County [occasional].

Northern Bobwhite: (1) 4 June (Susan Schaezler), Schaezler property, Guadalupe County.
Northern Bobwhite: (1) 8 June (Darrell Vollert), Burton BBS, Washington County [rare].
Northern Bobwhite: (3-4 adults and 5-6 flighted pullets (half-size)) 28 June (Fred Collins), his farm, Waller County [breeding data].
Northern Bobwhite: (2 adults, 3-4 pullets (<1/2 size, flighted)) 10 July (Fred Collins), Collins farm, Waller County [different family group than 28 June sighting].

Fred Collins, 14 July, "This year has been a good one for hatching quail in Waller County. While quail were abundant last year as well I never saw any chicks. Last year, my chicken flock (50+) did not hatch a single chick after April because of Fire Ant predation on hatching eggs. This year I have hatched chicks(>60) virtually every week to the current time. I can find fire ants but they are not near as prevalent and have caused virtually no problems as in the past two years. Apparently that goes for the entire central Waller County prairie area where I live and traverse. I have observed more quail pairs than I can remember and in addition to the 2-3 successful hatches on my farm I have also observed one brood on Baethe a few miles from my house. It seems to me that there have been fewer reports of ant related nest predation on Texbirds this year as well. Have fire ants finally hit an ecological wall. I did not think the parasitic flies had yet been released in Texas. What's the situation in your piece of the prairies?"

Shelly Pollock, "This past Saturday on Sharp Road near Hendricks Kennels, a flock of at least 15 bobwhites crossed the road. Almost every time I am on the Katy Prairie (area close to Harris/Waller county lines), I hear bobwhites. I have also noticed an increase in Harvester ant mounds, which is a great sign. Hopefully, fire ants have reached an ecological wall of some kind."

Northern Bobwhite: ("strong numbers") summer (Randy Pinkston), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [productive breeding season].

Randy Pinkston, summer report, "Northern Bobwhite: Apparently a productive year for this worrisome critter as they were easily observed in strong numbers at Union Grove Wildlife Area throughout the summer season."

Sora: (1) 13 June (Cristina Summers, fide Rich Kostecke), drainage in front of Lowe's store, Killeen, Bell County [very rare in summer].

Rich Kostecke, "Cristina Summers spotted a rail in Killeen in the drainage in front of the Lowe's store. Based on her description, I would have to say that it was probably a Sora. She observed the bird on June 13."

Purple Gallinule: (3-4) 3-17 June (Georgette Guernsey), Kurth Lake, Angelina County [rare; suspected nesting].

David Wolf, Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, "3-4 Purple Gallinules were back at Kurth Lake June 3-17 and hopefully nesting again (GG)."

Common Moorhen: (2 adults) 21 April; (1 adult, 2 third-grown chicks) 19 May; (3 3/4-grown chicks still downy but with flight feathers appearing in their wings) 26 May; (1 adult, 1 fully grown chick) 2 June; (1 fully grown immature) 12 June; (2 adults) 19 June; (1 adult, 1 full-grown immature, 2nd nesting underway?) 24 June; (1 adult with half-grown chick, 1 full-grown immature; each from a different brood) 9 July; (1 adult, 5 immature from 2 different broods) 1 August; (1 adult, 2 full-grown immatures) 11 August (Keith Arnold), Country Club Lake, Bryan, Brazos County [rare breeder, but consistent at this location].

Common Moorhen: (1 adult) 9 June (Scott Young), Kizer Golf Course, Austin, Travis County [occasional].

Scott Young, "This morning I saw a breeding adult Common Moorhen on the edge of one of our ponds. I had great looks with the rising sun at my back. This bird was still present at ~ 14:30 when Jeff Hanson came out to see it. Also, the Black-crowned Night-Heron continues to arrive on the course every morning between 05:45 and 6:15. I have seen it every morning from 5/30 to 6/6, and again this morning. I did not work last weekend, but assume the bird was there then too."

Common Moorhen: (1) 1 July (Fred Collins), pond at Morrison Road, about 1 mile north of the 529 / 2855 intersection, Waller County.
Common Moorhen: (1) 4 July (Jeffrey Hanson), FM 2001 about 1/3 mi south of intersection with Hwy 21, Caldwell County [rare].

PLOVERS THROUGH SANDPIPERS

Snowy Plover: (2) 16 July (Tim Fennell), Meadow Lake, Round Rock, Williamson County [rare].
Snowy Plover: (1) 1 August (Mollie Kloepper), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [uncommon at this location in August].

Black-necked Stilt: (2-3) 13 May to 3 June (Terry Junek), at pond on CR 265, Burleson County [rare; not known to be breeder in this county].

Terry Junek, 14 July, "The last time I sighted the Black-necked Stilts at the pond on County Road 365 in Burleson Co. was June 3. There were three. I have not seen them since."

Black-necked Stilt: (2) 12 June (Darrell Vollert), near Wichita Ranch on US 290, Washington County [only second county record; very rare in summer in Central Brazos Valley].

Darrell Vollert, "While driving east on US290 between Brenham and Chappell Hill this afternoon I saw two Stilts flying towards the south. The birds were flying rather low and it appears as though they were coming from the direction of the Wichita Ranch stock pond. I was near Wichita Ranch when I saw them. Watched to see if the birds were going to put down anywhere nearby, but they flew over Wonder Hill Road and kept on going towards the SW. To my knowledge, Glen Schroeter has the other record for Black-necked Stilt in Washington County. Glen saw Stilts along a pond near Independence about three years ago."

American Avocet: (1 in alternate plumage) 13 July (Randy Pinkston, Grant Critchfield), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [rare; early arrival].

Greater Yellowlegs: (1) 3 July (Brush Freeman, Utley, Bastrop County [first fall observation].

Lesser Yellowlegs: (1) 3 July (Jeffrey Hanson), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [first fall arrival].

Solitary Sandpiper: (1) 5 July (Randy Pinkston, Rich Kostecke, independently), Union Grove WMA, Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir, Bell County [first fall arrival].

Willet: (3) 5 July (Randy Pinkston, Rich Kostecke, independently), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [very rare in June and early July; not listed in summer on 2000 Bell County checklist].
Willet: (1) 5 July (Shawn Ashbaugh), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [rare].

Spotted Sandpiper: (5) 5 June (Rob Fergus); (1) 7 June (Katherine McWright); (3) 12 July (monthly survey), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [very rare in June].
Spotted Sandpiper: (2) 13 July (Randy Pinkston, Grant Critchfield, Rich Kostecke), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [rare].

Upland Sandpiper: (1) 27 July (Willie Sekula), 9 mi. ESE of Poth, Wilson County [FOS].

Long-billed Curlew: (1) 25 June (Derek Muschalek), near Yorktown, DeWitt County [casual in June].
Long-billed Curlew: (1) 28 June; (4) 9 July (Scott Young), Kitzer Golf Course, Austin, Travis County [casual in summer; very few records].

Scott Young, "This morning 6/28 at 06:38 I saw and heard a Long-billed Curlew flying overhead. I gave chase in the golf cart and was able to see the curlew land in the fairway, where it probed the grass for a while. I saw it fly southward to another part of the course where it landed behind a hill. When I was able to return to the area a couple of hours later the curlew was gone. I imagine that it left as soon as play arrived in the area, as did the curlews on the course last year."

Western Sandpiper: (1) 5 July (Rich Kostecke), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir, Bell County [very rare at beginning of July].

Least Sandpiper: (2+) 3 July (Jeffrey Hanson), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [first fall arrival; rare].

White-rumped Sandpiper: (18) 2 June (Rob Fergus), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [uncommon].

Rob Fergus, "Despite the heat, shorebirds are still moving north through Central Texas. This morning there were four Wilson's Phalarope and 18 White-rumped Sandpipers at Hornsby Bend. These numbers should dwindle over the next week or so, but June is a great month for marveling at shorebird movements--especially in the middle two weeks of June, when we always find a few birds and it is hard to know if they are heading north or south."

White-rumped Sandpiper: (~25) 6 June (Wes Bailey), west range of Fort Hood, Coryell County [uncommon].

Pectoral Sandpiper: (2) 14 June; (3) 12 July (monthly survey), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [rare in June and early July].

Stilt Sandpiper: (no.?) 16 July (Andy & Julia Balinsky), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [first fall report; typical].

Stilt Sandpiper: (no.?) 16 July (Tim Fennell), Meadow Lake, Round Rock, Williamson County [first fall report; typical].

Short-billed Dowitcher: (1 alternate plumage, calling) 19 July (Tim Fennell), Meadow Lake, Round Rock, Williamson County [casual; photographed].

Tim Fennell, "I've attached the two best photographs (unfortunately they weren't in the best light) and I guess you can decide if they are good enough for documentation. It looked like a clear-cut Short-billed to me based on plumage (and the plumage on this bird was not very worn) but the call clinched it."

Dowitcher species: (1) 8 June (Katherine McWright), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [very rare in mid June].

Long-billed Dowitcher: (1 adult in alternate plumage) 13 July (Randy Pinkston, Grant Critchfield), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [rare; early arrival].

Wilson's Snipe: (1) 28 July (Randy Pinkston), Temple, Bell County [casual in summer].

Randy Pinkston, "Wilson's Snipe: One in Temple on 28 July was bizarre. That it might have been a lingering injured bird from the spring season was considered, except that it was only observed this day at a location where I was birding daily."

Wilson's Phalarope: (4) 2 June (Rob Fergus), (8) 7 June (Katherine McWright), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [very rare in mid June].

GULLS AND TERNS

Laughing Gull: (1) 5 June (Rob Fergus), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [casual].
Laughing Gull: (1 juvenile) 20 July (Tim Fennell, Byron Stone), viewed from Friendship Park, preening and foraging on small island near the dam at Granger Lake, Williamson County [casual; photographed].

Franklin's Gull: (9) 14 June (Tim Fennell), Granger Lake, Williamson County [very rare in mid June].

Forster's Tern: (2) 7 June (Byron Stone), Granger Lake, Williamson County [casual in summer].
Forster's Tern: (2) 17 June (Georgette Guernsey), Kurth Lake, Angelina County [rare].
Forster's Tern: (flock of 16) 28 June (David Wolf, Jesse Fagan), TX 147 bridge over Lake Sam Rayburn, Angelina/San Augustine counties [rare].

David Wolf, Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, "Out-of-season were two Forster's Terns on Kurth Lake on June 17 (GG) and a flock of 16 past the TX 147 bridge on June 28 (DW, JF)."

Forster's Tern: (1 immature/basic plumage) 6 July (Randy Pinkston), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [casual in mid summer].

Randy Pinkston, "Forster's Tern: A single distant bird in imm/basic plumage at Union Grove Wildlife Area on 6 July, followed by an adult in full alternate plumage in Temple on 7 July, were unexpected and difficult to explain. Early migrants, I suppose?"

Forster's Tern: (1 adult in full alternate plumage) 7 July (Randy Pinkston), Temple, Bell County [casual in mid summer].
Forster's Tern: (1) 24 July (Scott Young), Kizer Golf Course, Austin, Travis County [casual in July].

Scott Young, "This morning from about 7:00 until 8:30 a single Forster's Tern in non-breeding adult plumage alternately fished several of our lakes, and perched on the seventh ladies tee."

Least Tern: (2) 14 June (bird survey with 10 participants, fide Tim Hissam), (2) 4 July (Richard Kaskan), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [rare].

Black Tern: (11 in groups of 5 and 6) 7 June (Byron Stone), Granger Lake, Williamson County [rare; presumably late north-bound migrants].

Byron Stone, "Also on Granger Lake the same day, I had two groups of BLACK TERN, one had five birds and one had six birds. The first group was accompanied by at least two Forster's Terns. I assume the Black Terns are late north-bound migrants."

Black Tern: (30) 16 July (Andy & Julia Balinsky), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [very rare in July, probably related to aftermath of Hurricane Claudette].

Andy Balinsky, "Tonight we saw over 30 beautiful breeding plumage Black Terns plying the skies over Hornsby Bend."

Black Tern: (2) 16 July (Randy Pinkston), small lake between Temple and Belton, Bell County [very rare in July, perhaps related to aftermath of Hurricane Claudette].
Black Tern: (70-80) 16 July (Randy Pinkston), Stillhouse Hollow Lake dam, Bell County [very rare in July, perhaps related to aftermath of Hurricane Claudette].

Randy Pinkston, "This afternoon I stumbled upon two adult Black Terns at a small lake between Temple and Belton. I decided to drive home by way of the Stillhouse Hollow dam to check for storm waifs. There I found 70, maybe 80, Black Terns, all adults in alternate plumage, working the deep water above the dam. Careful study of the flocks disclosed no other species. While not as fancy as a frigatebird, the sheer number of birds was highly unusual here for this time of year and no doubt related to Claudette."

DOVES AND PIGEONS

Eurasian Collared-Dove: (3 at 2/50 stops) 8 June (Darrell Vollert), Burton BBS, along FM 390 near SH 36, Washington County [new species for the BBS route].
Eurasian Collared-Dove: (1) 15 June (Guy Luneau, Scott Luneau), Gregg County [occasional].
Eurasian Collared-Dove: (1) 20 June (Charles Mills), Bowie County [occasional].
Eurasian Collared-Dove: (3) 22 July (Darrell Vollert), Trinity Hospital grounds, Brenham, Washington County [population increasing].
Eurasian Collared-Dove: (2) 23 July (Darrell Vollert), Murski B&B, Brenham, Washington County.

White-winged Dove: (1) 22 June (Charles Mills), Titus County [rare in north-east Texas].

Peter Barnes, NETFO Newsletter, June, "A White-winged Dove was also in Titus Co. on June 22 (CM). The population of this species has exploded northward in Texas along the I-35 corridor and is now found as far north as Dallas-Fort Worth, where they occur in remarkable densities estimated at several hundred per square mile. It may be only a matter of time before similar numbers are reported for urban areas in north-east Texas."

PARROTS, PARAKEETS AND LOVEBIRDS

Budgerigar (green): (1) seen regularly for a year to at least 20 July (Pat Zeitoun), her feeders, College Station, Brazos County [escapee that survived winter].

Pat Zeitoun, 18 July, "There is also a small parakeet who seems to hang out with finches, that has been coming regularly for a year. … Yes, it is the same as my grand daughter's blue parakeet from the pet store. Believe me, it has made it through the winter and now into the next year. It was here again yesterday. It loves the finch food mix. I'm considering stealing my Granddaughter's bird and releasing it so the green guy will have a friend."

Fischer's Lovebird: (1) late June to at least 12 August (David Phalen), west side of veterinary school, Texas A&M University, College Station, Brazos County [escapee].

Yellow-collared Lovebird (known in pet trade as Peach-faced Lovebird): (1) late June to August (David Phalen), west side of veterinary school, Texas A&M University, College Station, Brazos County [escapee, later captured].

Monk Parakeet: (1) 5 June (Scott Summers), his property on north side of Copperas Cove, Coryell County [status?].

Monk Parakeet: (nest?) 13 July (Darrell Vollert), on a power structure along FM 389 at Farmers Road in Brenham, Washington County [not previously known to nest in Central Brazos Valley].

Gene Stanford on June 1st to Darrell Vollert, "The Norman Draehn's have some Parrots which are nesting in the power station at the corner of FM332 and 389 which come over and chatter in their pear trees.

Darrell Vollert, "On Sunday, July 13 I discovered what I believe is a Monk Parakeet nest. The nest was found on a power structure along FM389 at Farmers Road in Brenham. This sub-station is just south of US290. The nest was large and round-shaped. The nest consisted of tree limbs broken off at about 18 inches in length. I did not see any parakeets around the nest that day. Only a couple House Sparrows. Washington County's two Monk Parakeet sightings (2001 and 2003) came from just north of the nest sight."

Monk Parakeet: (1) seen regularly mid spring to at least 16 July (Pat Zeitoun), College Station, Brazos County [presumed escapee; no known breeding population in this area].

CUCKOOS THROUGH OWLS

Greater Roadrunner: (1 heard) 4 June (Susan Schaezler), Guadalupe County.
Greater Roadrunner: (1) 22 June (Darrell Vollert), along Union Road, Madison County [occasional].
Greater Roadrunner: (1) 27 June (Hazel Bluhm), Harrison County [occasional].

Peter Barnes, NETFO Newsletter, June, "The increase in sightings of Greater Roadrunners continues, with single birds sighted in Gregg Co. on June 6 and in Harrison Co. on June 27 (both Hazel Bluhm)."

Greater Roadrunner: (1) 28 June (Jerry Walls, John Tveten), Sam Houston National Forest within 1 mile of Walker County line, Montgomery County [occasional].

Jerry Walls, "While birding in the heat of the day today, John Tveten and I were wondering what we were doing out in the heat when a Greater Roadrunner ran out on a forest road in front of us in Sam Houston Natl. Forest. The heat of the day is prime lizard hunting time for these animated birds. We stopped the car and remained in the vehicle. The bird, its iridescent tail shining in the mid day sunlight, was beautiful. Crest raised, it approached our vehicle with quick steps at intervals coming to within 25 feet of us. The bird provided us with great looks for a few minutes before running off the side of the road into the underbrush."

Greater Roadrunner: (1) 6 June and 21 July (Hazel Bluhm), Longview, Gregg County [occasional].
Greater Roadrunner: (1) 22 July (Floi Ewing, June Dossat), SH105 east of junction with FM 912, west of Washington-on-the-Brazos SHP, Washington County [occasional].
Greater Roadrunner: (2) 25 July (Ann Hinton), 1 mile south of the junction of Trackside Road and US290, eastern Washington County [occasional].
Greater Roadrunner: (1) 26 July (David Phalen), Dowling Rd 0.5 miles west of FM 2818, Brazos County [occasional].
Greater Roadrunner: (1) last week of July (Margaret Cook), Lynn Road, northern Austin County [occasional].

Grove-billed Ani: (1) 1 July (Brush Freeman), Webberville County Park, eastern Travis County [casual].

Brush Freeman, "Around 1:30-1:40pm I was in Webberville Co. Park. (the big one) where I made a very quick stop of 6-7 minutes. ... as soon I stepped out of the truck I heard a Grooved-billed Ani calling from some retamas along the fence line beyond the transmission lines about 60 yds distant. I heard it repeatedly many times but it only called the typical "pleee-co" a couple of times before phasing into another call that was as series of fast "kwe, kwe, kwe (?)" type notes that on one hand sort of reminds me a bit of a flicker but on the other hand, for some reason, a Forest-falcon (?) but faster. I only saw the bird briefly in flight as it moved into the adjacent brushy field just beyond the tree line on the fence. If vocalizing the animal will best be found by that means, me thinks. I did not walk all the way over to investigate and only saw/heard the one bird."

Barn Owl: (1) 7 July (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare].

Darrell Vollert, "On Monday, the 7th ... The best find though was a Barn Owl in the tin barn on the east side of Clarann near FM1155. I have being seeing evidence of a Barn Owl roosting in the barn for about two-and-a-half months. There have been droppings on the concrete slab in the barn. During Jerry Walls' visit to Clarann we found feathers and owl pellets in the barn. I checked the barn a number of times during daylight hours and even at 10 pm once, but did not see an owl. On Monday I entered the barn at 6:15PM. The owl flew up from the floor of the barn in the stable area. The owl made two circular flights around the barn just missing my head twice and then flew out a square opening on the south side of the barn. The owl's large wingspan barely fit through the opening. Square bales of hay cut at the estate were placed in the barn a week ago. I had hoped that the hay would increase my chances of seeing the owl during the daylight hours. Hay means more rodents. Anyway, I opened the sliding door on the barn a little more so the owl could easily fly in and out of the barn. This was only the second time I've ever seen a Barn Owl."

NIGHTJARS

Common Pauraque: (1 territorial) 8 June (Derek Muschalek), 8 miles southwest of Yorktown, DeWitt County [breeding probable; occasional or rare?].

Common Pauraque: (1) 2 April to at least 11 August (Susan Schaetzler, et al.), her property near Comal-Guadalupe county line, Guadalupe County [casual; very few records for the Oaks & Prairies region].

Chuck-will's-widow: (1 territorial) 8 June (Derek Muschalek), 8 miles southwest of Yorktown, DeWitt County [breeding probable; occasional].

How late in the season do Chuck-will's-widows call?
Chuck-will's-widow: (3 heard calling) 19 April to at least 11 July (James Phelps), Shenandoah Subdivision, College Station, Brazos County.
Chuck-will's-widow: (1 calling) 14 July (Randy Pinkston), Salado, Bell County.

Randy Pinkston, "Chuck-will's-widow: I heard the last call of the season from my yard on 14 July, right on schedule with previous years."

Chuck-will's-widow: (1) spring to at least 29 July (Susan Schaetzler, et al.), her property near Comal-Guadalupe county line, Guadalupe County [uncommon; July dates not often recorded].

Susan Schaetzler, 29 July, "Common Pauraque and Chuck-Will's-Widow--still call nightly"
Susan Schaetzler, 2 August, "The Common Pauraque continues to call, but Chuck hasn't been heard for several days."

HUMMINGBIRDS

Buff-bellied Hummingbird: (1) 8 June (Georgina Schwartz, David & Pat Fulton), Palmetto State Park, Gonzales County [rare; not listed on park checklist]. Buff-bellied Hummingbird: (1) 12 June (Ernest Jasek); 13 June (Susan Schaezler); 14 June (Jeff Hanson), Jasek yard, Old Widerstein Road, Guadalupe County [rare].
Buff-bellied Hummingbird: (1-3) from 30 March 2002 to at least 17 August 2003 (Marcia Effinger), Old Chappell Hill Road, Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare].
Buff-bellied Hummingbird: (1-2) ~1 June to at least 17 August 2003 (Jean Anderson, Darrell Vollert), Old Chappell Hill Road, Chappell Hill, Washington County [~0.7 mi. from Effinger's].
Buff-bellied Hummingbird: (1) 1 July (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [rare].
Buff-bellied Hummingbird: (1-2) from 25 March to at least 18 August (Sue Ruotsala, Billie Bernard), north Austin County [rare].
Buff-bellied Hummingbird: (1-2) from 28 March to at least 17 August (Margaret Cook), her feeders, northern Austin County [reappearing yearly since spring 1995].

Rufous Hummingbird: (2) 20 July; (1) 21 July; (1) 29 July (Rich Kostecke), Copperas Cove, Coryell County [first fall report; rare in July].

KINGFISHERS THROUGH WOODPECKERS

Ringed Kingfisher: (1 female) 2 June (Jeff Hanson), Colorado River Park, Austin, Travis County [rare].

Belted Kingfisher: (1) 5 and 8 July (Ellen Ratoosh), Bee Creek floodplain, Emerald Forest subdivision, College Station, Brazos County [rare in summer].
Belted Kingfisher: (1) 9 July (Floi Ewing), pond along Flewellen Road near FM 2193, north of Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare in summer].
Belted Kingfisher: (1 HO) 20 July (Tim Fennell, Byron Stone), San Gabriel River near Granger Lake, Williamson County.
Belted Kingfisher: (1) ~5 July (Ann Hinton); (1) 9 and 12 July; (2) 26 and 29 July; (1) 30 July (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare in summer].
Belted Kingfisher: (1) 30 July (Derek Muschalek), 11 miles northwest of Yorktown, DeWitt County [early arrival].

Green Kingfisher: (21 at 17 locations) 4 June (Colin Bludau, Mark Elwonger), viewed from canoe along 20+ miles of San Antonio River, Karnes County [unusually high number].

Colin Bludau, "With Mark Elwonger, canoed the San Antonio River Wednesday in Karnes County from the westernmost parts of the county east to the Hwy 123 bridge - some 20+ miles. Above Falls City the river had some beautiful calm stretches. Some huge cypress trees remain. Below the falls the remainder was narrower, impeded by numerous fallen trees, with more sections of degraded bank. Beaver sign was noted. Bird life was mostly as expected, turkey, some heron species, RT and RS hawk, lots of cardinal, cuckoos, BC and GC flycatchers. Mourning dove was the most common passerine species. Next was Green Kingfisher, with 21 birds noted at 17 locations. I had thought last summer's flooding might degrade the habitat for this species. Apparently not. We idly speculated as to whether any TX birders had ever reported more in one day."

Green Kingfisher: (1) 8 June (Georgina Schwartz, San Antonio Audubon Society Field Trip), Palmetto State Park, Gonzales County.

Hairy Woodpecker: (1) 11-12 June (Jane Purtle), Cherokee County [uncommon].

Peter Barnes and Matt White, June NETFO Newsletter, "Hairy Woodpeckers are resident, but they are not commonly seen in the summer, and 1 was observed in Cherokee Co. on June 11 and 12 (JP)."

Northern Flicker: (1 in a cavity) 13 June (Georgette Guernsey), Etoile Park, Nacogdoches County [rare].

David Wolf, Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, "A Northern Flicker in a cavity at Etoile Park on June 13 was likely breeding locally (GG)."

Pileated Woodpecker: (1) 1 June (Scott Harris, fide Rob Fergus), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [rare].

Rob Fergus, "Since so few birders take samples of our state's great bird cookie dough during June, there are often nice treats to be found. One example: Scott Harris reported a Pileated Woodpecker at Hornsby Bend yesterday (June 1) along the river off Platt Lane. This is the third report of this species here in the past year, and only the fourth report in the past 15 years."

FLYCATCHERS

Olive-sided Flycatcher: (1) 14 June (Rich Kostecke, Randy Pinkston), Fort Hood, Bell County [very late; no summer records on Bell Co. list, Lockwood's Edward's Plateau list or Freeman's Oaks & Prairies & Osage Plains list].

Rich Kostecke, "Randy Pinkston and I had an actively foraging, late Olive-sided Flycatcher on the Bell County portion of Fort Hood this morning."

Acadian Flycatcher: (4) 19 July (D. D. Curie, Ft. Worth Audubon Society field trip), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [rarely reported in July].

Willow Flycatcher: (1 singing) 1 June (Randy Pinkston), near Lake Belton, Bell County [casual; late departure].

Least Flycatcher: (1) 26 July (Rich Kostecke), Iron Bridge Park or Belton Lake WMA, Belton Lake, Bell County [very early arrival; very rare].

Empidonax flycatcher: (1) 27 July (Rich Kostecke), Union Grove WMA, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County.

Eastern Phoebe: (2 territorial) 4 June (Mark Elwonger), Falls City, Karnes County [breeding probable].
Eastern Phoebe: (1) 8 June (Georgina Schwartz, San Antonio Audubon Society Field Trip), Palmetto State Park, Gonzales County [rare; not listed on park checklist].
Eastern Phoebe: (1 at stop #4, 2 at stop #5) 22 June (Darrell Vollert), BBS-Oak Grove, along FM1696 in Walker County.
Eastern Phoebe: (no.?) 26 June (Trey Atkinson, et al.), Temple Lions Park, Bell County.
Eastern Phoebe: (2) 20 July (Tim Fennell, Byron Stone), Granger Lake, Williamson County
Eastern Phoebe: (1 heard) 28 July (Brush Freeman), Flatonia, Fayette County [lingering breeder? early migrant?].

Vermilion Flycatcher: (male displaying, female on nest) 17-18 May (Rich Kostecke, et al.); (male bringing food to 3 day-old nestlings) 2 June (Garrett Norman), Fort Hood, Coryell County [rare nesting pair; far eastern limit of its range].

Rich Kostecke, "Vermilion Flycatcher - pair, male displaying, female on nest (when last checked, there were eggs in the nest) on the 17th and 18th (Coryell Co.). I would appreciate any comments on the significance of this sighting, as according to the Texas breeding bird atlas this looks to be the NE-most documented breeding, even though a few possible breeders have been observed north of Ft. Hood."

Rich Kostecke, 8 June, "The Vermilion Flycatcher pair in training area 71B on Fort Hood (Coryell Co.) successfully hatched their eggs. Garrett Norman reported 3 three-four day old nestlings on June 2nd. The male was bringing food in to them."

Vermilion Flycatcher: (1 male, 1 ~first-year female, 2 fledged young) 8 June (Rich Kostecke, John Gower), Lampasas River, Bell County [eastern limit of breeding range].

Rich Kostecke, "4 Vermilion Flycatcher (a male and what looked to be a first-year female along with 2 fledged young that appeared to be off on their own as the parents were not attending them and they were found some distance from where the parents were hanging out)."

Brown-crested Flycatcher: (2) 9 June (Willie Sekula), 9 mi. ESE of Poth, Wilson County [breeding confirmed - NB].

Great Kiskadee: (1) 2 June (Wes Bailey, Scott Summers), Table Rock Creek, west range of Fort Hood, Coryell County [casual; only 2nd county record].

Great Kiskadee: (1) 12 June (Derek Muschalek), 11 miles northwest of Yorktown, DeWitt County.

Couch's/Tropical Kingbird: (1) 13 July (Randy Pinkston, Grant Critchfield), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [casual; first county record].

Randy Pinkston, "Details on Couch's Kingbird sighted at Union Grove Wildlife Area, Bell County, Texas, on 13 July 2003.
"I first spotted the bird more than a hundred meters away as it flew into the top of an oak on the north side of Union Grove Lane. It caught my attention because I don't usually observe Western Kingbirds at Union Grove. To me its under parts were a brighter/more extensive yellow than on a typical Western Kingbird. Before I could get Grant on the bird it flew out over the open fields, landed briefly again on a snag, then flew out again, but never closer than 100 meters. Then I lost it behind a line of brush. I'm not sure exactly, but something about the bird didn't look right for Western Kingbird. It might have been the tail.
"We walked over to where the bird had been spotted and soon relocated it. This time we were able to observe it on open perches from as close as 40 meters. The head was pale ashy gray, contrasting rather sharply with a bright green back. The green back was very distinctive. There was a poorly defined blackish mask extending through the eye. The throat was white, the remaining under parts a very bright yellow. The wings were brownish-olive, darker than the back, and marked with a fairly distinct pale upper wing bar and a less well-defined lower wing bar. The tail was seen well and was clearly very different from any age or plumage of Western Kingbird. The tail color was uniformly dull brownish, and without sharp contrast with the remainder of the dorsum. All of the rectrices were brown, including the outer web of the outer rectrix. On the perched bird the tip of the tail was very clearly notched. The bird's bill was black and heavier than a Western Kingbird's, though not as large as expected for Couch's. The bird was silent throughout our observation.
"Grant Critchfield of Temple also observed this bird. Total observation time was less than five minutes. It was around 9-10 AM. The morning was bright and sunny. My optics were Zeiss 10x40 binocular and Kowa 20-60x zoom telescope. I returned to the same location around 7:30 PM the same day and could not find the bird."

Randy Pinkston, summer report, "Couch's Kingbird: A solitary bird at Union Grove Wildlife Area was apparently a 'one-day wonder' on 13 July. It was silent, so I suppose Tropical Kingbird should also be considered as a possible, though doubtful, alternative. Either way the bird is a first county record. "

VIREOS THROUGH SWALLOWS

Bell's Vireo: (1) 1 June (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [rare in summer; rare as migrant].
Bell's Vireo: ("several") 14 June (Rich Kostecke, Randy Pinkston), Fort Hood, Bell County [uncommon].

Yellow-throated Vireo: (1 feeding nestlings) 8 June (Rich Kostecke, John Gower), Lampasas River, Bell County [breeding data].

Randy Pinkston, spring report, "Yellow-throated Vireo: Present in above-average numbers along the Lampasas River throughout the season."

  Purple Martin:  (thousands) late July and early August (Shirley Wilkerson), College Station, Brazos County [post-breeding roost].

Shriley Wilkerson, 2 August, "I managed to get a few night shots of the Purple Martin roost in College Station behind the McDonald’s on University Drive a week or two ago. Quite an awesome sight. Too bad I cannot upload the video clip I got, as well, and share. The swirl of thousands of birds coming into one tree is just unbelievable."

Purple Martin: (~100,000) 19-21 July; (diminished to ~10,000) 7 August (George Russell), Hwy 190 bridge over Lake Livingston, Polk/San Jacinto counties [unusually large number].

George Russell, 19 July, "This evening we went by boat to the Hwy 190 bridge that crosses Lake Livingston to check on the Martins. At sunset a few Martins showed up. By 8:30 there were perhaps around 10,000 or so and then large swirls of Martins congregated overhead. At 8:37 they flew in a huge black cloud under the bridge and began their roosting process which proceeded for at least another 20 minutes or so. By then it was dark and pretty dangerous to return in the stub infested lake. Our conservative estimate was 100,000 plus Martins.

Brent Ortego, "During the late 80's I monitored this roost site. It did not have anything near 100,000, but it had lots of martins. Roosting martins are extreme difficult to count since the swirling of the birds makes it difficult to get a fix on numbers. From Mr. Russell's position he probably has the best vantage point in that he can actually measure the linear feet of martins roosting and then calculate how many martins per foot.

George Russell, 21 July, "After church we returned and the Martins were as numerous as ever. 200' seems to be the closest one should be from the bridge by boat to avoid disturbing the birds."
George Russell, 8 August, "Last night we went out to the Martin roost. 90% of more have apparently flown south. There may have been as many as 10,000 that flew in to roost."

Tree Swallow: (6+ adults, 16+ juveniles) 14 June (Tim Fennell), Willis Creek Park, Granger Lake, Williamson County [breeding confirmed; rare; photographs].

Tim Fennell, summer report, "Tree Swallow 6/14/03: 22+(6+ adults, 16+ juveniles) at Willis Creek Park, Granger Lake. At 7:00 pm, I pulled up to the suspected cavity pole and again a Red-bellied Woodpecker flew out of the hole. I then noticed what appeared to be Tree Swallows flying low over the grasslands south of the entrance road. I drove to where the road branches off to the group shelter for a better look and an adult Tree Swallow perched on a power wire and began to sing. More Tree Swallows appeared until at one time I counted 16 juveniles and 6 adults perched on the fence, power wires and on the road surface in this area. At one point I counted 12 Tree Swallows apparently resting on the road. Two of the juveniles were seen begging to adults but the adults ignored them. Juveniles perched on the wires seemed unsteady on their perches (quite a bit of teetering back and forth at times). Many juveniles also stretched their wings frequently. I left at 7:45 pm. Many JPEG's of both adults and juveniles taken. This species seen investigating cavities in snags as early as 4/5 on south side of lake and in telephone pole as early as 5/7 at Willis Creek Park. The observations described in the spring report plus previous years make it highly probable that this species is breeding at Granger Lake."

Tree Swallow: (2) 26 June (Georgette Guernsey), Kurth Lake [rare; presumably nesting].

David Wolf, Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, "Two Tree Swallows at Kurth Lake on June 26 were likely nesting birds (GG)."

Tree Swallow: (1 juvenile) 30 July (Randy Pinkston, Grant Critchfield), Union Grove Wildlife Area, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Bell County [rare].

Randy Pinkston, "Grant Critchfield and I enjoyed a nice half hour of birding this evening at Union Grove Wildlife Area on Stillhouse Hollow Lake. Following brief but refreshing showers, large numbers of swallows, including many juveniles, gathered over lakeshore vegetation and the lake itself to forage on abundant swarms of mosquitoes and other insects. Among them in order of decreasing abundance were Barn, Cliff, and Cave. Among the ones that were landing on the vegetation I picked out one juvenile Tree (locally reared?) and a single Bank."

VERDIN THROUGH WAXWINGS

Verdin: (9, including fledglings) 8 June (Derek Muschalek), 8 miles southwest of Yorktown, DeWitt County [breeding confirmed; occasional].

White-breasted Nuthatch: (1) 23 June (Glenn Dickerson, Kevin Corley), Temple Lions Park, Bell County [occasional].

Glenn Dickerson, "Kevin Corley (of Temple) and myself birded Lion's Park in Temple yesterday (6/23) at lunchtime. Most notable was a White-Breasted Nuthatch spotted climbing up and down several tree trunks. I managed to get some pictures, and though slightly blurred, they were good enough for a positive identification. I was told that the Nuthatch was somewhat uncommon in Bell County and that I should report it."

Wood Thrush: (singing) throughout July (Hazel Bluhm), Marion County [common?].

Peter Barnes, NETFO Newsletter, July 2003, "Wood Thrushes, declining breeders in north-east Texas and throughout much of their range, were singing in Marion Co. throughout July (HBl)."

Brown Thrasher: (1) 21 July (Bernie Bennett); (1) 22 July (Darrell Vollert), corner of Lubbock and Park streets, Brenham, Washington County [very rare in summer; was known as a nester in the Central Brazos Valley in the 1960s-1980s, there are only two summer records since that period, the last being 2 July 1995 in Brenham].

Bernie Bennett, "Today, 21 July, this Monday after Breakfast, at 7:57 am, a Brown Thrasher visited the same bird bath mentioned on June 9th below. It Was skittish, and I could not get a photo as it went to bushes and came back to the bird bath a second time, but neither time appeared to drink."

Darrell Vollert, 23 July, "Yesterday afternoon around 4:30PM I saw a Brown Thrasher at the corner of Lubbock Street and Park Street in Brenham. The bird was thrashing in the leaf litter under pyracanthas on the lawn of the Far View Bed and Breakfast Inn. Bert, the location is a short distance from Bernie's residence. As I have mentioned before, the B&B property has very suitable habitat for Brown Thrashers to nest in. There are thick areas of Cherry Laurel and pyracanthas on the property."

Cedar Waxwing: (1) 6 June (Darrell Vollert), Harrison Street, Brenham, Washington County [first summer record for Central Brazos Valley].

Darrell Vollert, "on Harrison Street in Brenham on Friday, June 6 ... I saw the single waxwing flying towards the north in the morning and heard it calling in flight."

Bert to Darrell, "I rechecked my database for summer Cedar Waxwings. Yours is the first record for the Central Brazos Valley. In a wider area, I noted one Austin record (3 June 1968). On the McLennan County checklist, the species is listed as rare in summer, but they define summer to include August and that could be the source of the records. On his forthcoming regional checklist, Brush Freeman indicates records through the first third of June (and even considers it "uncommon") and rare records to the end of June. I don't know what or where these Central Oaks & Prairies records are, but since he also includes Osage Plains maybe they come from there."

Brush Freeman, "Most of the June records do come from north of us but not all. I am not sure that I am correct though in placing them as uncommon in June. I need to see where that came from but it will have to wait a few weeks as I am going back out of town early tomorrow. I just returned from another trip to Sweetwater and while doing some survey work near there on June 2 I had a flock of Waxwings. Some years they seem to linger longer than others and I had several occasions to see them during the 2nd and 3rd weeks of May out in the Hill Country. A few sometimes over summer in the panhandle."

Cedar Waxwing: (1) 9 June (Darrell Vollert), north of Chappell Hill, Washington County [latest June record for Central Brazos Valley].

Darrell Vollert, "Saw a single Cedar Waxwing while at work north of Chappell Hill in eastern Washington County this morning (6/9). The waxwing flew by me at eye-level not 20 feet away. The bird was calling in flight."

Cedar Waxwing: (4) 14 June (bird survey with 10 participants, fide Tim Hissam), Hornsby Bend, Travis County [very rare in summer].
Cedar Waxwing: (2) 22 June (Tim Rodenkirk), Lost Maples, Bandera County [latest record for Edward's Plateau].

Tim Rodenkirk, "I birded Lost Maples this past weekend. On 6/22 on the highway just north of the park I heard and then saw at least two Cedar Waxwings. Seems pretty late for this species to be around. Does anyone know if there are any other records of late June birds (I'm from Oregon and am just curious)?"

Mark Lockwood, "The latest record I am aware of for Cedar Waxwing on the Edwards Plateau is/was 19 June 1992. ... The June 1992 waxwings were in Real County."

WARBLERS

Black-throated Green Warbler: (1) 7 June (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [very rare in summer]

Pine Warbler: (2) 18 June (Darrell Vollert), Loblolly pines along FM 577 near US 290, Brenham [rare and very local nester in Central Brazos Valley].

Darrell Vollert, "While at work in Brenham this morning (6/18) I heard (2) Pine Warblers singing in a mature stand of Loblolly pine trees along FM577 near US290. This is on the east side of Brenham. Have learned that the pines (60+) were planted over 40 years ago. Pine Warblers have been found in the pines during the summer months for at least three years. The site is at least 55 miles northeast of the Lost Pines of Bastrop County and 45+ miles from pines in NW Harris County."

Pine Warbler: (2) 19 June (Darrell Vollert), SH105 and FM 390, northeast of Brenham, Washington County [regionally very rare in summer, but locally uncommon in a few Loblolly Pine sites in this county].

Prothonotary Warbler: (1) 14 June (Rich Kostecke, Randy Pinkston), Fort Hood, Bell County [rare].
Prothonotary Warbler: (2) 17 June; (1) 19 June (Darrell Vollert), Hughes Lake, Washington County [rare nester in Central Brazos Valley].
Prothonotary Warber: (1) 1 July (Rich Kostecke), Cowhouse Creek, Fort Hood, Bell County.
Prothonotary Warbler: (1) 4 July (Peter Barnes), Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County
Prothonotary Warbler: (2) 26 July (Rich Kostecke), Iron Bridge Park or Belton Lake WMA, Belton Lake, Bell County.

Swainson's Warbler: (3) 29 July (Darrell Vollert, David Scott), woodland on north side of SH 105, Washington County [late in season].

Louisiana Waterthrush: (1) 8 July (Darrell Vollert), Brazos River near US 290 bridge, Washington County [earliest area record of post-breeding dispersal; prior earliest was 29 July; typical fall migration begins mid August; could it have nested locally?].

Darrell Vollert, "I birded a bottomland hardwood forest along the Brazos River north of the US290 bridges late this afternoon (7/8). This site is located along the eastern edge of Washington County. About five miles east of Chappell Hill. The best bird I found during my brief visit was a Louisiana Waterthrush. The bird was foraging in an area in the forest with flooded timber. This bird is likely a migrant, as I have never found LOWA in May and June in this wetland."

Brent Ortego, "We had Louisiana Waterthrush during our annual late June trip to the Devil's River and I suspect they are early migrants as well."

John Whittle, "The Louisiana Waterthrush sighting caught my attention. I have hearsay evidence from the Big Thicket area of East Texas which suggests that there is a very thin population of breeding Louisiana Waterthrushes, probably all the way down to Hardin County. We heard one just north of Silsbee on a field trip on June 7 this year. It is hard to ascribe that to anything other than breeding. It is certainly true that Louisiana Waterthrushes are early migrants in the fall, but if not breeding, I would suggest post-breeding dispersal rather than migration in early July in Washington County! We may need to be conscious over the next few years of possibly breeding range expansion of this species, I think."

Darrell Vollert, "Louisiana Waterthrush could conceivably nest along New Year's Creek between the FM2447 bridge and the creek's confluence with the Brazos River. I have birded only a very small stretch of this portion of the creek. That was in May a couple years ago."

Louisiana Waterthrush: (1) 19-25 July (Susan Schaezler), Guadalupe County [rare].

Susan Schaezler, "I have been entertained all day by a Louisiana Waterthrush and luckily, I had my camera with me. This bird would come up on the deck within 5' of me and he would go up in the tree within 4' of me--only problem was--I had trouble taking pictures that close! He has been happily trying all the water features out. I was amazed at one behavior from him--he found a dry small branch with ~20 dried up leaves on it and he kept picking it up and tossing it around and one time, it went over his back. Some of the pictures are at the following link:
http://www.schaezler.net/birding/gallery-album05.html
Susan, 29 July, "Louisiana Waterthrush--left last Friday--had stayed for a week"

Kentucky Warbler: (2 fledglings being fed by adults) 14 June (Guy Luneau), Rusk County [uncommon; breeding data].

TANAGERS THROUGH SPARROWS

Olive Sparrow: (1 territorial) 11 June (Derek Muschalek), Old Davy Community, DeWitt County [breeding data; occasional?].
Olive Sparrow: (1 territorial) 29 July (Derek Muschalek), 8 miles southeast of Gillett, Karnes County [breeding probable].

Eastern Towhee: (1 singing) 17 and 26 June (Georgette Guernsey), south of Kurth Lake, Angelina County [no prior records during that timeframe are shown on the 2001 Pineywoods checklist].

David Wolf, Pineywood Scissor-Tales, "Very significant was an Eastern Towhee singing in the regenerating clearcut south of Kurth Lake on June 17 and 26 (GG), raising the possibility of breeding in our area. The only breeding record of this species in the region is a nest with eggs near Marshall (Harrison Co.) on July 31, 1914 (in "The Birdlife of Texas, vol. 2)."

Grasshopper Sparrow: (5) 22 June; (12-13) 6 July; (2) 19 and 29 July (Darrell Vollert), CR 423 south of SH 105 near Navasota River, Grimes County [rare breeder; very few July records for Central Brazos Valley].

Darrell Vollert, "Returning home to Chappell Hill from conducting the Oak Grove BBS I made a side trip down Grimes County Road 423. On the right-hand side (west side) of the road I observed 5 Grasshopper Sparrows perched in close proximity to each other on a fence line. Three of the sparrows were actively singing their insect-like song. One sparrow had, you guessed it, a grasshopper in its bill. The fence lines along both sides of the county road are grassy with a scattering of tree saplings. Grimes County Road 423 is the last county road encountered heading west on SH105 before crossing the Navasota River and entering Brazos County. The county road is on the south side of SH105."

Grasshopper Sparrow: (1) through June; (juvenile being fed by an adult) 29 June (Eddie Ray), Sabine Mining Company land, Harrison County [rare in East Texas, except here].

Peter Barnes, NETFO Newsletter, June, "At the Sabine Mining Company land in Harrison Co., a Grasshopper Sparrow was seen throughout the month, and a juvenile was being fed by an adult on June 29 (ER). "

Rose-breasted Grosbeak: (1 adult male) 6 June (Darrell Vollert), Harrison Street, Brenham, Washington County [casual in summer; only 5 other summer records for Central Oaks & Prairies region].

Darrell Vollert, "An adult male Rose-breasted Grosbeak was present on Harrison Street in Brenham today (6/6). Brenham is located in the central part of Washington County- 75 miles NW of Houston and 90 miles east of Austin. I found the male grosbeak at 9:30AM this morning in a hackberry tree. The grosbeak also foraged in pecan trees and was observed eating seeds on Cherry laurel trees. I managed to get several photos of the grosbeak perched on a feeder eating black-oil sunflower seed. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak's melodious song was heard throughout the day in the Brenham neighborhood. Lupe Cienega and Scott and Gail Cole saw and heard the bird as well. I heard the grosbeak's squeaky "think" call several times. The grosbeak was still present on Harrison Street when I left at 4:45PM. A line of T-storms rolled through Washington County on Thursday morning and may have grounded the grosbeak in Brenham. We had winds out of the north for much of the day today. The Central Brazos Valley has a hand-full of June records for this species. The last June record for the CBV occurred three years ago. A Rose-breasted was seen in northern Austin County. Bert Frenz handles the local data base and can shed more light on our June records for RBGR in the Central Brazos Valley."

Bert to Darrell, "Your sighting is only the 6th record for the Central Oaks & Prairies region. Others are:
02 Jun 1999 - Guadalupe County
19 Jun 1971 - Travis County
20 Jun 1997 - Washington County
01 July 2000 - Austin County
31 Aug 2002 - Williamson County

Lazuli Bunting: (1 male with a female Indigo Bunting) 1 July (Scott Summers), Cowhouse Creek, Fort Hood, Bell County [nested in spring].

fide Rich Kostecke, "On 1 July, Scott Summers caught a glimpse of the male Lazuli Bunting down along Cowhouse Creek on Fort Hood (Bell County). He appeared to be still hanging out with a female Indigo Bunting."

Dickcissel: (singing) mid June (Jesse Fagan, David Wolf), Alazan Bayou WMA, Nacogdoches County [local breeder].
Dickcissel: (singing) mid June (Georgette Guernsey), Ryan Lake irrigation field, Angelina County [local breeder].

David Wolf, Pineywoods Scissor-Tales, "Dickcissels were still singing in mid-June at both Ryan Lake irrigation field (GG) and Alazan Bayou WMA (JF, DW). Neither area had been mowed this spring, creating good habitat for this very localized breeder."

ORIOLES THROUGH FINCHES

Orchard Oriole: (30+) 28 June (Jesse Fagan, David Wolf), Lake Sam Rayburn, San Augustine and Angelina counties [post-breeding gathering; good count].
Orchard Oriole: (20) 3 July (Darrell Vollert), along FM 2447 near Chappell Hill, Washington County [nest in area, but these were migrating].
Orchard Orioles: (25+ males and females of several age classes) 15 July (Darrell Vollert), FM 2447, Washington County [good count].
Orchard Oriole: (20+ adults and immatures) 29 July (Darrell Vollert, David Scott), FR 2447 east of Chappell Hill, Washington County.

Lesser Goldfinch: (8 territorial) 8 June (Derek Muschalek), 8 miles southwest of Yorktown, DeWitt County [breeding probable; occasional].

Contributors:

John Abbott, Jean Anderson, Keith Arnold, Shawn Ashbaugh, Trey Atkinson, Wes Bailey, Andy & Julia Balinsky, Lynn Barber, Peter Barnes, Robert Bates, Bernie Bennett, Billie Bernard, Colin Bludau, Hazel Bluhm, Fred & Mary Brandt, Frank Bumgardner, Alan Byboth, Oscar Carmona, Fred Collins, Margaret Cook, Kevin Corley, Grant Critchfield, D. D. Currie, Roy Darville, Pamela Davison, Glenn Dickerson, Ruth Dillard, June Dossat, Marcia Effinger, Mark Elwonger, Floi Ewing, Jesse Fagan, Ed Fair, Tim Fennell, Rob Fergus, Bert Frenz, Brush Freeman, David & Pat Fulton, Fred Gehlbach, Graham Gips, John Gower, Georgette Guernsey, Jeffrey Hanson, Scott Harris, Hayden Haucke, Ann Hinton, Tim Hissam, Pat Holman, David Hurt, Ernest Jasek, Diane Jones, Richard Kaskan, Mollie Kloepper, Homer Klonis, Rich Kostecke, Greg Lasley, Cathy Liles, Barb Lorenz, Guy Luneau, Scott Luneau, Sheryl Mason, Mike Mathews, Susan McCown, Katherine McWright, Lisa Meacham, Bob Metzler, Dorothy Metzler, Charles Mills, Brenda Muncrief, Jeff Mundy, Derek Muschalek, Garrett Norman, Brent Ortego, David Phalen, James Phelps, Ellen Pickett, Randy Pinkston, Jane Purtle, Eddie Ray, Nancy Ray, True Redd, Tim Rodenkirk, Sue Ruotsala, George Russell, Susan Schaezler, John Schwetman, David Scott, Willie Sekula, Terry Smith, George & Susan Spears, Gene Stanford, Byron Stone, Cristina Summers, Scott Summers, Georgina Schwartz, Rob Tizard, John Tveten, Darrell Vollert, Matt Wagner, Jerry Walls, Clay White, Matt White, Shirley Wilkerson, Hugh Wilson, David Wolf, Mimi Hoppe Wolf, Scott Young, and Pat Zeitoun.

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

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Revised: April 20, 2004.