Colorado River Bird Survey: May 2009

Posted by ardeidae on May 03, 2009

This trip was part of a monthly survey of the Colorado River corridor between Austin and Bastrop. It takes place the first Saturday of the month and is led by Claude Morris (who also keeps the detailed lists as seen below). If you’re in the Austin area and want to join in, let me know. Birding on the water provides a great perspective and beautiful scenery. Hope to see you on the water!

Report by Claude Morris.

Location: Big Webberville Park to Hwy 969 near Austin, Texas
Distance: ~15 miles
Observation date: 5/2/09

Sometime there are days in the field that defy what has come to be expected as normal.  How can I explain five Green Kingfishers yet no Belted Kingfishers?  How can I explain five Anhinga yet no Osprey?  Such was our day today.

In spite of missing those two usual species we did manage to list 68. Some of the highlights include the Anhinga, Green Kingfisher, Baltimore Oriole, Tri-colored Heron, Bald Eagle, Pileated Woodpecker, and our target bird of the day Prothonotary Warbler.

In our list is an interesting mix of our winter species, summer species and migrants.

We also had an impressive list of birders that braved the 15 windy miles. Our birders today include Sally Breed, Joan Bishop, Julia Balinsky, Andy Balinsky, Chris Masey, Nevin Durish, Jason Stuck and John Barr.  Thanks for the help collecting all these birds.