A few Big Country Audubon members met Saturday, September 23, 2006, to look for the Great Kiskadee and then bird the Old Fort Phantom area. The kiskadee did a fast fly by leaving many with dissatisfied looks. So off we went to the Old Fort Phantom area to see what was hopping or flying about. Finding the area dead birdless, we headed to Waste Water Treatment Plant in Jones County. There we found a variety of birds and some allowed us to snap their pictures. Hey, check out our fine taste in birding fashion. Did I hear someone complain about the lead car’s quick left turn? You can see a complete list of species recorded in our Sightings section, too.

All birds seen at Mesquite Grove Golf Course:

Best bird(s) of the day:

• Osprey, 1
• Wilson’s Warbler, 1
• Orange-crowned Warbler, 2
• Clay-colored Sparrow, 27
• Eastern Phoebe, 2
• Empid., 1
• UnID’d Shorebirds, flyover, 3

Returning Winter Residents:

• Spotted Towhee, 1 (fos)
• Lincoln’s Sparrow, 2
• Pied-billed Grebe, 1

Others:

• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, 34
• House Finch, 17
• Eastern Bluebird, 7
• Wild Turkey, 19
• Red-tailed Hawk, 1
• Cave Swallow, 9
• Chimney Swift, 28
• Red-winged Blackbird, 9
• White-winged Dove, 15
• Bewick’s Wren, 4
• Mourning Dove, 3
• Blue Jay, 7
• Northern Cardinal, 5
• Brown-headed Cowbird, 3
• Northern Mockingbird, 11
• Carolina Chickadee, 1
• Black-crested Titmouse, 1
• Great Blue Heron, 3
• Ladder-backed Woodpecker, 2
• Golden-fronted Woodpecker, 1
• Belted Kingfisher, 1

(Osprey sighted by Kim Walton and Laura Packer; all other sightings by Laura Packer)

Lake Fort Phantom Area:

On the northeast shore:

• Osprey (2)
• Black-bellied Plover (1)

From SeaBee Park:

• Am White Pelican (1)

(All sightings from the Lake Ft. Phantom area by Lorie Black)

From the hotline: (325-691-8981)

• Bill Hughes: Yellow-shafted Flicker (1) at his place on 9/30
• June Estes: their son John III saw a Burrowing Owl on the farm near Hamby on 9/30