• Great Blue Heron 1
• Great Egret 30
• Snowy Egret 50
• Little Blue Heron 2 , mottled back & wings
• Cattle Egret 4
• Green Heron 1
• White-faced Ibis 4
• Black-necked Stilt 6
• American Avocet 2
• Hudsonian Godwit 1
• Lesser Yellowlegs 1
• Willet 1
• Turkey Vulture 1
• Mississippi Kite 1
• Swainson’s Hawk 1
• Red-tailed Hawk 1
• Killdeer 2
• Black-necked Stilt 2
• White-winged Dove 1
• Mourning Dove 1
• Northern Mockingbird 1
• European Starling 5
• Red-winged Blackbird 10
• Great-tailed Grackle 20

Abilene Wastewater Treatment Plant

• Turkey Vulture 1
• Swainson’s Hawk 2
• Red-tailed Hawk 1
• Killdeer 10
• American Avocet 3; the baby was still quite downy, though wading and feeding independently - coverts still not contours
• Unidentified Sandpipers (too far away)
• Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
• Mourning Dove 1
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
• Ladder-backed Woodpecker 1
• Western Kingbird 10
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 8
• Loggerhead Shrike 1
• Barn Swallow 8
• Northern Mockingbird 2
• Red-winged Blackbird 10, heard only in grackle marsh/reeds
• Great-tailed Grackle 200, ginormous roost on the south pond
• House Sparrow

Sightings by Lorie Black, Dan Symonds, Heidi Trudell, Jeremy, Kathy Hampton, and Ted Goshulak

• Northern Bobwhite – 9
• Great Blue Heron – 1
• Great Egret – 1
• Mississippi Kite – 2
• Swainson’s Hawk – 1
• Red-tailed Hawk – 1
• Killdeer – 2 and four eggs on the ground
• Mourning Dove – 12
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo – 4
• Greater Roadrunner – 5
• Common Nighthawk – 6
• Black-chinned Hummingbird – 1
• Golden-fronted Woodpecker – 1
• Ladder-backed Woodpecker – 1
• Western Kingbird – 4
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher – 2
• Loggerhead Shrike – 1
• Bewick’s Wren – 1
• Northern Mockingbird – 6
• Curve-billed Thrasher – 6
• Canyon Towhee – 1
• Pyrrhuloxia – 2, male and female
• Painted Bunting – 8
• Western Meadowlark – 1
• Common Grackle – 3
• Brown-headed Cowbird – 1
• House Finch – 1
• House Sparrow – 6

Sightings by LgPacker, on private property off CR 604, Callahan County

In May Happenings Gallery, you’ll see who has bred successfully, who has some babies, and which tireless parents are feeding their young. And I threw in this photo of a Black-chinned Hummingbird feeding from Prickly Pear. How West Texas is this?

In June’s Findings Gallery, more of the same:

Does this Bullock’s Oriole make you turn your head down and to the left? I promise the other birds in the photos are reasonably straight and the photos’ captions are a light and quick read. With all the real work, yard work, and house work that’s vying for our attention, who needs extra computer work? Seeya next post!

Sightings by Dan Symonds

A Least Tern was sighted by Lorie Black on Friday, June 27, and Saturday, June 28. Please report this bird if you see it; it may be attempting to nest.

Sightings by Dan Symonds

Sightings by Dan Symonds, Mesquite Grove Golf Course

All four little eager-to-be-fed fledglings lined up on one branch waiting patiently to be fed. Mom and Dad flew furiously back and forth between open mouths and the grocery store, bringing home the protein and the fruit. But one little fledgling couldn’t wait to be fed in orderly fashion so it kept scrambling from one side of the lineup to the other in an attempt to be fed next. But no matter which side it switched to, Mom or Dad always seemed to alight on the other side, farthest away from its hungry mouth.

But don’t let me bore you with words, take a look at the pictures in Baby Bluebird Behavior Gallery. All the drama was digi-captured and you can find out if the hungriest fledgling ever got fed. Enjoy!

We’re taking a break for the summer. No scheduled field trips or programs during June, July, and August. But that doesn’t mean we’ll be sitting on the beach, eating chocolate bonbons and watching the clouds float by. Well…maybe one of us will be sitting on the beach. Even die-hard birders need a break every now and then.

So, come back soon and browse our galleries. We’ll be adding new pictures from time to time and be watching this spot for the time and place of our September meeting. See you in the field or at the beach!

• 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

• 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