Big Country Audubon Society

February 2013 Field Trips

Dan — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:46:46 +0000

February 16, 2013 – Field trip to Llano, TX to see the Llano Eagles Nest. The young eagles should be preparing to fledge. We will meet at the Burger King on Antilley Road and depart promptly at 7:00am. Come early if you wish to eat breakfast. Bring snacks and drinks since this will be a long trip. We will probably stop for lunch on the way back. Please email fieldtrips@bigcountryaudubon.org by Feb. 15th, if you plan to attend.
February 23, 2013 – Field trip to Lake Stamford. We will depart What-a-Burger on North 1st and Pioneer at 7:30am. Come early if you wish to eat breakfast. Please email fieldtrips@bigcountryaudubon.org by Feb. 22nd, if you plan to attend.

January 19, 2013 – Abilene Wastewater

Dan — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:50:29 +0000

30 species (+1 other taxa)

Gadwall - 10
Mallard - 2
Northern Shoveler - 250
Northern Pintail - 20
Green-winged Teal - 2
Bufflehead - 16
Ruddy Duck - 56
Double-crested Cormorant - 10
Northern Harrier - 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 2
American Coot - 150
Killdeer - 6
Greater Yellowlegs - 1
Ring-billed Gull - 40
White-winged Dove - 20
Mourning Dove - 10
Ladder-backed Woodpecker - 1
Say’s Phoebe - 1
Blue Jay - 4
Black-crested Titmouse - 2
Northern Mockingbird - 8
Savannah Sparrow - 2
White-crowned Sparrow - 30
Northern Cardinal - 4
Pyrrhuloxia - 4
Red-winged Blackbird - 500
Eastern/Western Meadowlark - 30
Great-tailed Grackle - 40
Brown-headed Cowbird - 50
House Sparrow - 20

Sighting by: Larry Barnett, Linda Beyer, June Estes, Kathy Hampton, Suzy Nash, Dan Symonds and JoAn Wilks

Abilene CBC – Jan. 5, 2012

Dan — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 03:15:15 +0000

Christmas Bird Count – Meet at Aldersgate United Methodist Church at 6:30 am. 1741 Sayles Blvd, Abilene, Texas 79605-6031. We will reconvene at the church at 5:00 pm to tally our lists followed by dinner at Cotton Patch.

Dec. 8, 2012 – Lake Ft. Phantom Trip

Dan — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 05:22:35 +0000

Number of Species: 41

Gadwall - 18
Mallard - 4
Blue-winged Teal - 18
Green-winged Teal - 12
Lesser Scaup - 8
Horned Grebe - 3
Double-crested Cormorant - 22
American White Pelican - 5
Great Blue Heron - 12
Great Egret - 7
Northern Harrier - 3
Red-tailed Hawk - 4
American Coot - 200
Sandhill Crane - 990
Killdeer - 12
Greater Yellowlegs - 5
Long-billed Dowitcher - 25
Bonaparte’s Gull - 1
Ring-billed Gull - 1100
Herring Gull - 1 1st winter juvenile with Ring-billed Gulls
Forster’s Tern - 3
Eurasian Collared-Dove - 2
Mourning Dove - 7
Belted Kingfisher - 1
Ladder-backed Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker - 2
American Kestrel - 2
Blue Jay - 2
Chihuahuan Raven - 2
Eastern Bluebird - 6
Northern Mockingbird - 10
European Starling - 10
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 5
Field Sparrow - 5
Vesper Sparrow - 7
Savannah Sparrow - 2
White-crowned Sparrow - 5
Northern Cardinal - 11
Red-winged Blackbird - 112
Eastern/Western Meadowlark - 40
Great-tailed Grackle - 1000

Sightings by Kathy Hampton, Joan Howard, JoAn Wilks, Bera Johnson, Linda Beyer and Dan Symonds

Upcoming Events…

Dan — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 14:33:36 +0000

Thursday, December 6, 2012 – Christmas Party — Ben Richey Boy’s Ranch, 6:00 pm. We will enjoy a white-elephant gift exchange. Keep gifts from $10 to $20. Drinks will be furnished. Bring food to share.

Saturday, December 8, 2012 – This will be a half day field trip around Lake Ft. Phantom Hill. We will meet at Denny’s on I-20 & FM 600 at 7:30 a.m. Come earlier if you wish to eat breakfast. Bring snacks and water. Target birds will be Osprey, Vermillion Flycatcher, and Canvasback.

Saturday, January 5, 2013 – Christmas Bird Count – Meet at Aldersgate United Methodist Church at 6:30 am. We will reconvene at the church at 5:00 pm to tally our lists followed by dinner at Cotton Patch.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013 – Board Meeting at Mezamiz, 6:30 pm

Saturday, January 19, 2013 – Field Trip to Waste Water Treatment Plant. Depart at 8:00 am from McDonald’s, 1201 N. Judge Ely. Come early if you would like to buy breakfast. Target birds: Ducks, waterfowl, and sparrows.

Thursday, February 7, 2013 – Regular meeting at Rose Park Senior Center, 7:00 pm. Program by Larry Millar — “Archaeological Digs in Texas.”

Saturday, February 16, 2013 – Field Trip around Abilene. Meet at Will Hair Park at 7:30 am. Go by Dia-mond Lake and then to Lake Kirby. Target birds: Wilson’s Snipe, Harris’s Sparrow, and Eared Grebe. Bring water and snacks.

Field Trip – Saturday, November 17, 2012

Dan — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 05:53:12 +0000

Join us on our field trip to Lake O.H. Ivie! We will meet at the Burger King on Antilley Road and depart promptly at 7:00am. Come early if you wish to have breakfast before leaving. We’ll stop at a local diner for lunch and hope to be home by 5:00pm.

October 27, 2012 – Lake Colorado City

Dan — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 05:45:23 +0000

Number of species – 35

Gadwall - 20
Blue-winged Teal – 50
Northern Shoveler – 40
Green-winged Teal - 100
Redhead - 20
Ring-necked Duck - 20
Ruddy Duck - 20
Eared Grebe - 2
Double-crested Cormorant - 15
American White Pelican - 11
Great Blue Heron - 1
Great Egret - 2
Northern Harrier - 2
Red-tailed Hawk - 2
American Coot - 300
Sandhill Crane - 32
Killdeer - 3
Rock Pigeon - 3
Eurasian Collared-Dove - 10
Mourning Dove - 20
American Kestrel - 2
Chihuahuan Raven - 4
Rock Wren - 2
Bewick’s Wren - 1
Cactus Wren - 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1
Northern Mockingbird - 10
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 6
Lincoln’s Sparrow - 2
Northern Cardinal - 2
Pyrrhuloxia - 3
Common Grackle - 177
Brown-headed Cowbird - 8
House Finch - 1
House Sparrow - 20

Mammals included 3 White-tail Deer (one was a beautiful 6 point buck) and a LARGE Bobcat.

Sightings on our field trip to Lake Colorado City by Kathy Hampton, JoAn Wilks and Dan Symonds

Destination Change for Oct 27th Field Trip

Dan — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 18:21:29 +0000

I took a drive to Lake Winchester this morning, it is now a wheat field with no geese in sight. So we will be going to Lake Colorado City instead.

Annual Membership Meeting

Dan — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 22:49:01 +0000

Big Country Audubon Society will meet at the Group Building at Abilene State Park on Thursday night, Sept. 6 at 6:00 PM. Bring a brown bag lunch for yourself and a dessert to share with the group. Water will be furnished. This building, across the road from the yurts, is not far from Laura’s Blind, so we can look at the birds which are feeding there. There will be an election of officers. Be ready to renew memberships: $20 for an individual; $30 for a family; $10 for a student.

Update for our May Field Trip

Dan — Wed, 09 May 2012 20:38:22 +0000

Saturday, May 19, 20012 – Field trip to private property in Anson. We will meet at Cracker Barrel on Highway 351 and I-20 at 7:00am. Come early if you plan to eat. Not sure about the duration, so bring snacks and something to drink.