September 6, 20241 yr Had one of my rarest finds ever yesterday, a pomarine jaeger, flying over a smallish lake in Round Rock. They're basically mean, large gulls that are rare even along the coast in Texas, much less 250 miles inland. I really need to get a camera to at least document these surprises. The next couple months is my favorite times of year. The first cold snap (hopefully), fall migration with weird shit showing up, and the meat of football season. Fuck yes.
September 24, 20241 yr Some nice fall migration in the yard today. Great Crested flycatcher, Nashville and yellow warblers, red-eyed vireo, and was even able to snag a bin pic of a summer tanager.
October 1, 20241 yr Everytime I put up hummingbird feeder it gets overwhelmed with bees. Am I doing something wrong
October 1, 20241 yr Everytime I put up hummingbird feeder it gets overwhelmed with bees. Am I doing something wrongGet one that doesn’t have yellow. We switched to all red and no more bees.
November 4, 20241 yr I've barely touched my bins since baby #2 arrived a month ago, but I did stumble upon a flock of least sandpipers. Wouldn't be particularly notable, except it was my 200th species I've recorded within 2 miles of the Round Rock home we moved to about 2 years ago. Not bad for suburbia. Nice flyover osprey and sharp-shinned hawks today as well. These birds are about the only reason I know winter is coming.
December 30, 2024Dec 30 I led an Audubon walk in Round Rock today, one of my first birding trips unencumbered by a child since having our 2nd back in October. We saw/heard 31 species over a couple hours with a group of about 12. We didn't encounter anything that unexpected for this time of year, but had good looks at a red-shouldered hawk, spotted towhee (sparrows seem very scarce this winter), plenty of cedar waxwings, crested caracara and a pair of golden-crowned kinglets that can be hard to come across some years.
January 1Jan 1 I'm in Amarillo. Got here by mornin. Looked out the window of my cheap hotel and saw this. The internet was worthless in identifying it. You guys are my last hope.
January 2Jan 2 2 hours ago, texashorne said: I'm in Amarillo. Got here by mornin. Looked out the window of my cheap hotel and saw this. The internet was worthless in identifying it. You guys are my last hope. Some sort of…electric snake…coming right at us.
January 2Jan 2 13 hours ago, texashorne said: I'm in Amarillo. Got here by mornin. Looked out the window of my cheap hotel and saw this. The internet was worthless in identifying it. You guys are my last hope. Chukar. Game bird native to I think the middle east? They've got established introduced populations out west. This was probably released locally for hunting.
February 6Feb 6 Popular Post I found this guy out near Granger today. I thought it might be a bald eagle in flight at first glance, given its large size, but as I got closer, the plumage was all wrong. I almost just kept driving, but decided to U-turn and scope it out. Ferruginous hawk. The SE edge of their normal range is Lubbock, so pretty scarce in these parts.
February 20Feb 20 Mostly cross-posted from CR, but more directly applicable to this thread. Thanks to Donald Trump's decision to halt federal funding to seemingly everything, Hawaii is no longer able to release mosquitoes that produce sterile offspring, despite the funding already having been allocated for this project. Additionally, the management of invasive wildlife will also certainly be affected. I will probably be reporting back on the extinction of at least the first 2 birds, if not all 5, in the next couple years. Akikiki Akeke'e Maui parrotbill Puaihoi Akiapola'au
February 20Feb 20 Americans/Europeans have done a bang-up job of extinguishing diversity wherever they go. In 250 short years, we've managed to nearly wipe out 6,000,000 years of evolution in Hawaii. Now, given a final chance of rekindling that flame, we're stomping on the fucking coals. What a goddamn waste.
February 21Feb 21 I've been birding with a university entomologist that spoke in front of Congress, and he then and now stated we're amidst a mass extinction. Enjoy what you got while you got 'em. Edited February 21Feb 21 by Mdhorn
March 6Mar 6 House cleaners came by today, so I decided to get out of their way and see how many species I could see around Round Rock, while lugging the 5 month-old around with me. The answer? 69(nice)! I made multiple stops along Brushy Creek, as well as Rock Hollow, Meadow Lake and Old Settlers Park. Highlights were this eastern screech-owl sunning itself and my first WilCo cinnamon teal. Downy woodpecker conspicuously absent from my list.
March 10Mar 10 Travis County's 5th, and first in 12 years record of pacific loon showed up on Towne Lake Friday. By the afternoon, it had flown off, but the many birders looking for it were able to turn up a nearly as rare black scoter (Patagonia picnic table effect). With two little ones in tow, and the help of some friends, we were able to get on it looking down toward the future pedestrian bridge from Longhorn Dam. Striking? Maybe not. But definitely rare for central Texas!
March 10Mar 10 Brazos Bend is one of my favorite birding spots. Especially when I was just getting into it because many of the birds are somewhat large, close and exotic-looking.
March 10Mar 10 1 minute ago, hookem2010 said: Brazos Bend is one of my favorite birding spots. Especially when I was just getting into it because many of the birds are somewhat large, close and exotic-looking. Have you been to Choke Canyon? I’ve been looking for new camping spots and heard it’s good with the birding.
March 10Mar 10 I have not, but I know some very rare birds have shown up there the last few years, so I imagine it's good for everyday birding as well.
March 13Mar 13 https://ebird.org/checklist/S217689804 Epic find by David Sarkozi in Anahuac, or whatever the fuck it's called these days. Amur stonechat, as you may guess from the name, is native to East Asia. It is considered very rare when one shows up in Alaska or the UK. This would be waaaay down the list of birds expected to show up in Texas.
March 13Mar 13 42 minutes ago, hookem2010 said: https://ebird.org/checklist/S217689804 Epic find by David Sarkozi in Anahuac, or whatever the fuck it's called these days. Amur stonechat, as you may guess from the name, is native to East Asia. It is considered very rare when one shows up in Alaska or the UK. This would be waaaay down the list of birds expected to show up in Texas. Beautiful
March 14Mar 14 I've really been pumping this thread up recently. Perhaps it's because spring migration is right around the corner. I do have some somber news from the birding world to report. Houston/Austin birding legend Victor Emmanuel passed away. I met him once at Bolivar Flats, completely unaware of his legendary status among Texas birders at the time. He was incredibly eager to share his knowledge with anyone he came across. RIP https://www.statesman.com/story/news/local/2025/03/12/victor-emanuel-obit-austin-texas-birding-nature-guide-dies-age-84-illness/82306479007/
March 15Mar 15 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roseate_spoonbill These are crazy looking. Saw them when we went to Anahuac at UT.
April 25Apr 25 This picture of military macaws was taken in Big Bend NP this week. Unbelievable sighting of a species only reported in the US once before (AZ following a hurricane in '92, and not "accepted" as likely wild). While provenance will be debated, the birds apparently have a "wild" appearance (no broken flight feathers and I guess appropriate bill wear?) The nearest established population is a couple hundred miles south into Mexico. Not too far for a species that can range a decent distance while searching for food, but that is a lot of desert to cross to make it to BBNP. Regardless, I can't imagine encountering these birds in the US. Edited April 26Apr 26 by hookem2010
April 26Apr 26 5 hours ago, hookem2010 said: This picture of military macaws was taken in Big Bend NP this week. Unbelievable sighting of a species only reported in the US once before (AZ following a hurricane in '92, and not "accepted" as likely wild). While provenance will be debated, the birds apparently have a "wild" appearance (no broken flight feathers and I guess appropriate bill wear?) The nearest established population is a couple hundred miles south into Mexico. Not too far for a species that can range a decent distance while searching for food, but that is a lot of desert to cross to make it to BBNP. Regardless, I can't imagine encountering these birds in the US. Just want to say I appreciate your posts here, as most of us don’t contribute much. Birding is interesting as hell and I’m not that good at it, but I love to see people who are. You know my main thing is backpacking, but I love seeing this thread bumped.
April 26Apr 26 7 hours ago, Biff Tannen said: Just want to say I appreciate your posts here, as most of us don’t contribute much. Birding is interesting as hell and I’m not that good at it, but I love to see people who are. You know my main thing is backpacking, but I love seeing this thread bumped. Thanks, man. Nature has always been my jam, and after school, I thought backpacking was going to be my thing. I was obsessed with looking at the map of wilderness areas once I learned about them, got some tent camping in with my now wife, and had a trip planned to the Pecos Wilderness, before it ended up falling on the same week as her grad school interview. Between school and now kids, I've only ever squeezed in a weekend of backpacking in Lassen. But as I was learning what Houston didn't have to offer in terms of hiking and megafauna, I discovered how insanely diverse birdlife was, even within city limits. Despite being stuck in the suburbs, birding gives me the connection to nature, and especially seasons, that I otherwise wouldn't feel without traveling somewhere more wild. I've now been at it for 9 years and recorded 531 species, mostly staying fairly local, or at least domestic. Hopefully that changes as the kids get older, but it has definitely helped keep me sane this last decade.
May 2May 2 Spring migration has been a total dud thus far with these constant south winds blowing everything past us. I did, however, learn that there is a place in California where Peregrines attack Pelicans.
May 2May 2 46 minutes ago, hookem2010 said: Spring migration has been a total dud thus far with these constant south winds blowing everything past us. I did, however, learn that there is a place in California where Peregrines attack Pelicans. Rude
May 9May 9 Migration FINALLY picking up, just as it's supposed to wind down. I had a nice 9-warbler morning, including golden-winged, bay-breasted and multiple blackburnian. Also turned up my county-first Ash-throated flycatcher, which are tough to come by east of 35. Just another week or two, and everything will have passed through, and we will all be attempting to stave off heat stroke.
May 9May 9 On 3/9/2025 at 8:20 PM, hookem2010 said: Travis County's 5th, and first in 12 years record of pacific loon showed up on Towne Lake Friday. By the afternoon, it had flown off, but the many birders looking for it were able to turn up a nearly as rare black scoter (Patagonia picnic table effect). With two little ones in tow, and the help of some friends, we were able to get on it looking down toward the future pedestrian bridge from Longhorn Dam. Striking? Maybe not. But definitely rare for central Texas! I had a Scoter in my canal this Winter in Galveston. 1st one I have seen since moving there (5years). Took me a while to identify using the Googler but was 100% sure after reading about them. They make a very distinct sound taking off from the water. Saw him/her a couple of times but not sure when it eventually went back North.
May 9May 9 So there has been some official Flamingo sightings in Jones Bay/West Bay Galveston near Harbor Walk posted on Facebook last week and sure enough driving home one afternoon this week one of them flew right over me on 45 flying from East to West towards Jones Bay. Yes, I am sure they were not Spoonbills. The wife showed me the facebook post as I said "they are obviously spoonbills" then after looking at the pics said "well I'll be damned, they are def not spoonbills". Apparently the few flamingos that showed up on Bolivar in 2023 may have stuck around since then. I'll probably be out in the boat this weekend so I'll try to find them and take some pics.
May 9May 9 I saw a blackthroated blue down at Quintana 2 weeks ago which was a new lifer for me. It didn't come out in the open and pose so this was the best of my crappy pics. I've only seen 1 indigo bunting as the most interesting migrant at my feeders this year. Usually I'll see some grosbeaks and/or a summer tanager. The Mississippi kites returned to my neighborhood this week, which I always look forward to.
May 9May 9 46 minutes ago, Zwylde said: So there has been some official Flamingo sightings in Jones Bay/West Bay Galveston near Harbor Walk posted on Facebook last week and sure enough driving home one afternoon this week one of them flew right over me on 45 flying from East to West towards Jones Bay. Yes, I am sure they were not Spoonbills. The wife showed me the facebook post as I said "they are obviously spoonbills" then after looking at the pics said "well I'll be damned, they are def not spoonbills". Apparently the few flamingos that showed up on Bolivar in 2023 may have stuck around since then. I'll probably be out in the boat this weekend so I'll try to find them and take some pics. That's awesome! I saw that a small flock reported recently down there and a lone bird has been hanging out in Port A for a while now. A ton showed up all over the place after one of the recent hurricanes and some seem to have hung out, or at least returned regularly. I need t8 make an excuse to go see them. Nice ID on the scoter. Even on the coast they're not all that common.
May 9May 9 4 minutes ago, WBT said: I saw a blackthroated blue down at Quintana 2 weeks ago which was a new lifer for me. It didn't come out in the open and pose so this was the best of my crappy pics. I've only seen 1 indigo bunting as the most interesting migrant at my feeders this year. Usually I'll see some grosbeaks and/or a summer tanager. The Mississippi kites returned to my neighborhood this week, which I always look forward to. Migration has been weird this year, in the Austin area anyway. Black-throated blue warbler is a fantastic bird.
May 9May 9 Was at Bryce last week and this guy posed 6 feet away from me coming back from Bryce Point. This was a first actual capture for me, so it’s a new lifer (I don’t like to add them to a Merlin without a photo). I have a bunch of California Condor photos I will post in here eventually as well from my best condor viewing experience to date.
May 12May 12 Someone turned up a flock of Bobolinks in the agriculture fields near Granger this weekend. They rarely turn up this far west, but were still hanging out today. Also got on some yellow-headed blackbirds and a blue grosbeak.
May 13May 13 On 5/9/2025 at 3:32 PM, Zwylde said: So there has been some official Flamingo sightings in Jones Bay/West Bay Galveston near Harbor Walk posted on Facebook last week and sure enough driving home one afternoon this week one of them flew right over me on 45 flying from East to West towards Jones Bay. Yes, I am sure they were not Spoonbills. The wife showed me the facebook post as I said "they are obviously spoonbills" then after looking at the pics said "well I'll be damned, they are def not spoonbills". Apparently the few flamingos that showed up on Bolivar in 2023 may have stuck around since then. I'll probably be out in the boat this weekend so I'll try to find them and take some pics. Not my pic but they have been spotted again and posted on the Instabook.
July 24Jul 24 Best shots I could get. A flamingo at port aransas. let me stop you before you start. No it is not a roseate spoonbill. I know what those are. This is a flamingo. Been in port aransas for a few weeks.
July 24Jul 24 I have since seen the Galveston group now a couple of different times from the boat but just not close enough to get a good pic with my crappy iphone.
August 3Aug 3 I finally went to a purple martin party. They're at the shopping center with Target at 45/35. Probably a couple hundred thousand birds roosting in a handful of trees before moving down to South America. It's a pretty crazy sight and a bigger event than I knew. There were probably 300+ people watching them come in with Travis Audubon hosting an information booth. Highly recommend.
August 8Aug 8 Yes, not in great numbers. But there's been a female who has attempted (unsuccessfully, at least as of a couple years ago) to nest on the Tower. So a rare breeder, but they certainly pass through during migration with some regularity.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.