Callahan and Eastland Counties:

• Blue-winged Teal - 5
• Ruddy Duck - 1
• Wild Turkey - 1
• Northern Bobwhite - 6
• Great Blue Heron - 3
• Green Heron - 2
• Black vulture - 1
• Turkey Vulture - 21
• Mississippi Kite - 1
• Red-shouldered Hawk - 3
• Swainson’s Hawk - 4
• Red-tailed Hawk - 5
• Killdeer - 1
• Wilson’s Phalarope - 4
• Eurasian Collared-Dove - 6
• Mourning Dove - 34
• White-winged Dove - 19
• Inca Dove - 2
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 2
• Greater Roadrunner - 1
• Common Nighthawk - 2 (Taylor County)
• Chimney Swift - 4
• Black-chinned Hummingbird - 9
• Red-bellied Woodpecker - 4
• Ladder-backed Woodpecker - 5
• Downy Woodpecker - 1
• Eastern Phoebe - 8
• Ash-throated Flycatcher - 2
• Western Kingbird - 6
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - 32
• Loggerhead Shrike - 1 (Taylor County)
• White-eyed Vireo - 3
• Red-eyed Vireo - 1
• Blue Jay - 1
• American Crow - 8
• Purple Martin - 7
• Cliff Swallow - 6
• Barn Swallow - 15
• Carolina Chickadee - 6
• Black-crested Titmouse - 17
• Carolina Wren - 6
• Bewick’s Wren - 26
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 5
• Eastern Bluebird 16
• American Robin - 1
• Northern Mockingbird - 54
• European Starling - 10
• Wilson’s Warbler - 1
• Canyon Towhee - 1
• Clay-colored Sparrow - 3
• Field Sparrow - 3
• Lark Sparrow 22
• Grasshopper Sparrow - 2
• Northern Cardinal - 62
• Blue Grosbeak - 2
• Painted Bunting - 54
• Dickcissel - 46
• Red-winged Blackbird - 9
• Eastern Meadowlark - 10
• Common Grackle - 8
• Great-tailed Grackle - 8
• Brown-headed Cowbird - 20
• Orchard Oriole - 1
• Pine Siskin - 2
• House Sparrow - 18

Sightings by LgPacker, Dan Symonds.

Highlights from Abilene State Park:

• Red-eyed Vireo – 2
• White-eyed Vireo – 1
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo – 2 (FOS for me)

Sunday, May 18, Kirby Lake:

• White-rumped Sandpipers - 4

Abilene State Park and Kirby Lake sightings by Lorie Black

Complete List:

• Mallard
• Great Blue Heron
• Green Heron
• Black-crowned Night-Heron
• Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
• Turkey Vulture
• Red-tailed Hawk
• American Coot
• Killdeer
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Rock Pigeon
• Mourning Dove
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
• Purple Martin
• Cliff Swallow
• Cave Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• Northern Mockingbird
• Yellow-breasted Chat
• Clay-colored Sparrow
• Northern Cardinal
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Common Grackle
• Great-tailed Grackle
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Bullock’s Oriole
• House Finch

Sightings by Dan Symonds

Lake Fort Phantom Hill:

• Ruddy Turnstone - 1
• Yellow Warbler – 1
• Bonaparte’s Gull – 1

Kirby Lake

• Stilt Sandpiper – 2
• Semi-palmated Sandpiper – 1
• Spotted Sandpiper – 3

Cedar Gap Farm – Friday, May 9:

• Ruby-throated Hummingbird – 1
• Indigo Bunting – 1 (female)
• Lazuli Bunting – 1 (female)
• Painted Bunting – 6
• Still many Pine Siskins

Above sightings by Lorie Black

Lake O.H. Ivie (Concho Recreation Area):

• Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
• Wild Turkey
• Northern Bobwhite
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• Green Heron
• Black Vulture
• Turkey Vulture
• Swainson’s Hawk
• Red-tailed Hawk
• American Kestrel
• American Coot
• Rock Pigeon
• Eurasian Collared-Dove
• Mourning Dove
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo
• Common Nighthawk
• Golden-fronted Woodpecker
• Ash-throated Flycatcher
• Western Kingbird
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
• Loggerhead Shrike
• American Crow
• Chihuahuan Raven
• Purple Martin
• Cliff Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• Cactus Wren
• Bewick’s Wren
• Marsh Wren
• Northern Mockingbird
• Curve-billed Thrasher
• Scarlet Tanager
• Cassin’s Sparrow
• Chipping Sparrow
• Clay-colored Sparrow
• Lark Sparrow
• White-crowned Sparrow
• Northern Cardinal
• Pyrrhuloxia
• Blue Grosbeak
• Painted Bunting
• Dickcissel
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Common Grackle
• Great-tailed Grackle
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Bullock’s Oriole
• House Finch

Fish Species
• Florida Largemouth Bass 5
• Black Crappie 1

Mammal Species

• Cottontail Rabbit 4

Sightings by Dan Symonds

Last week was the time of year every birder looks forward to: spring migration. Whether the birds came to your backyard,

stopped at the local park,

flew into Dyess,

or waded out at the lake,

migrants were here in the Big Country and several members sent photos for us to enjoy.

Now if the above pictures don’t move you to click on May Migration 2008 gallery to see what else was migrating through, then you are not a birder and you need to seriously consider visiting another website! If you didn’t see any migrants this past week; don’t fret. Migration is not over. It’s not too late to get outside and look around. Migration is happening all over the Big Country!

Above photos from top to bottom: Lazuli Bunting, Gray Catbird, and Yellow-breasted Chat (c) LgPacker. Ruddy Turnstone (c) Lorie Black

Backyard Feeder

• White-winged Dove
• Mourning Dove
• Chimney Swift
• Western Kingbird
• Blue Jay
• American Robin
• Ovenbird
• Clay-colored Sparrow
• Common Grackle
• House Finch
• Pine Siskin
• House Sparrow

Sightings by Dan Symonds who had a life bird with the Ovenbird! Sorry, no camera handy for a photo.

April may have just ended but the spring nesting season has just begun! The Swainson’s are nesting again:

Eastern Bluebirds are tending to young:

and other goodies are passing through the Big Country on their way to their breeding grounds such as Black-headed Grosbeak, Marbled Godwits, Sprague’s Pipit, and Tri-colored Heron. We’ve all been having birder’s high for awhile now and the fun just keeps getting better. Now is a great time to get out and enjoy what’s here and what’s passing through. Go to April’s Ending to see all the goodies; and then go to Bluebirds Ad Nauseam for more gorgeous bluebird photos. Upon browsing the photos, you may find something other than birds enjoying the warm spring sunshine:

Photo of mating Swainson’s Hawks by John English, photo of bluebird and ground squirrel by Laura Packer. All images are copyrighted.

Lake Abilene

Highlights:

• Common Yellowthroat, FOS
• Indigo Bunting
• Blue Grosbeak, FOS

Complete List:

• Great Blue Heron 3
• Black Vulture 2
• American Coot 2
• Spotted Sandpiper 1
• Franklin’s Gull 75
• Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
• Mourning Dove 8
• Belted Kingfisher 2
• Western Kingbird 1
• Barn Swallow 10
• Northern Mockingbird 1
• Common Yellowthroat 2
• Chipping Sparrow 10
• Clay-colored Sparrow 20
• Lark Sparrow 5
• Lincoln’s Sparrow 2
• Northern Cardinal 5
• Blue Grosbeak 3
• Indigo Bunting 5
• Painted Bunting 3
• Red-winged Blackbird 10
• Common Grackle 5
• Brown-headed Cowbird 5

Sightings by Dan Symonds

Oakwood Trails

• Hairy Woodpecker – 1
• Nashville Warbler – 2

Sightings by Lorie Black

Lake Fort Phantom Hill

• Eared Grebe - 8
• Willet – 18
• Stilt Sandpiper – 6
• Franklin’s Gull – 2
• Forster’s Tern - 1
• Nashville Warbler - 1
• Bullock’s Oriole – 3
• Yellow-headed Blackbird - 1

Kirby Lake

• Willet – 31
• Marbled Godwit - 2
• Common Moorhen – 1
• Olive-sided Flycatcher – 1
• Bell’s Vireo - 1

Wastewater Treatment Plant

• White-faced Ibis – 150+
• Black-crowned Night-Heron - 1
• Cinnamon Teal - 6
• Semi-palmated Plover - 3
• Pectoral Sandpiper - 3
• Willet – 14
• Stilt Sandpiper – 12
• Solitary Sandpiper - 1
• Hudsonian Godwit – 1
• Blue Grosbeak – 1
• Dickcissel – 30+

Boy’s Ranch Road

• Cassin’s Sparrow – 3

Sightings by Lorie Black and Kathy Hampton