Texas Region

texas region Zoology); S.S.W.T.R (South SideWaterTreatment Plant,Dallas); T.B.R.C. (TexasBirdRecords ComßAmarillo ß Buffalo Lake NWR

l

ßMuleshoe NWR

•/VichitaßHagermarl NWF{

ßLubbock

Falls Forl Woflh

ß

Guao, al,_h• ßElPaso •; Nat.

.

ß Dallas

"'•, ßAbll .... '"'A

'Pa,k

oMidland ßSan'

mittee/Texas Ornithological Society); T.C.W.C. (TexasCooperative WildlifeCollection/Texas A&M University); U.T.C.(UpperTexasCoast); V.C.D.B. (Village Creek Drying Beds, Tarrant Co.). The following are shortened namesfor the respective county, state,or national parks, wildliferefuges, etc.:Anahuac, Anzalduas, Aransas, Balcones Canyonlands, Balmorhea, Bentsen, Big Bend(N.R),BigBendRanch(S.N.A.), Buffalo Lake, Devil's River, Dinosaur Valley, Laguna Atascosa,LostMaples, PaloDuro,Palmetto, Packery Channel, SabalPalms, SanBernard, SantaAna,

andTaylor Lakes.

N

LOONS

• • aNa•o•

*San A•omo -• Fr• •

G•[F

TO IBISES

The Red-throated

Loon at L Tawakoni in

winter stayeduntil Mar. 14 (MWh, ph., MG), while another was at Galveston's

s

Offat'sBayouApr.1-May 3 (m.ob.,ph.).Of 4 PacificLoonreports,themostsignificant wasone on S. PadreI., Cameron,April 23 (fide BMc) and a 2nd Austin recordat HornsbyBendMay 23-24 (BRe,RF,ph., CS). A winteringLeastGrebein Calhoun

CHUCK SEXTON, (;RE(;W. LASLEY, HARKLOCKWOOD, WILLIESEKULA,

late as March 19 and hundred-degree weatherby the end of the seasonsouthward.E1Nifiogavewayratherquicklyto La

remaineduntil Apr. 15 (PH). The new San SolomonCienegaat Balmorheaproduced its firstsignificant nestingrecord:a brood of young Pied-billedGrebesin the first

and CLIFF SHACKELFORD

turnedinto a verydry spring.Nonetheless, week of March (TJ, m.ob.). A Red-necked a wetfrontalpassage April 17-19causedan Grebewaswell photographed at L. Lewisexcellentmigrant fallout on the entire ville Mar. 29-30 (LHa); the T.B.R.C. will coast,with remarkable resultson the lower reviewrecordsof singleRed-neckeds from coast.The last few daysof April, as the Monahansand ImperialRes.Apr. 8 (BJP). GreatTexasBirdingClassic wasbeginning, An unusuallyhigh count of 71 Western/ Clark's Grebes was made on El Paso area alsohad a goodfallout,and a final flurry wasnotedwith rainson May 14-15, with reservoirsMar. 1 (JPa). A Band-rumped the central coast getting rave reviews. Storm-Petrel was found on N. Padre I., Noting that good weather brings dull Kleberg,May 12 (fide TA *), while eight migrations andviceversa,KellyBryanironwereseenon a boat trip off CalhounMay ically noted that the worseningdrought 16-17 (PH). About a dozenMaskedBoobconditions in the Trans-Pecos were accomies,manyof them in weakenedcondition, paniedby "oneof themostexcitingspring werefoundApr. 27-May 30 on severalc. migrationsin memory" in that region. coast barrier islands (TA, MC et al.). Six Brown Pelicans were scattered at 5 localities Recallingthe storyaboutthreeblind men trying to describe an elephant, Brent from Abileneand Lubbockw. to Hudspeth Oftegoaptlyoffered:"Yoursenseof whatis (m.ob.)duringApril and May.Of interest happeningwith migrationis very much in n.e.Texas wasa breeding colonyof about relatedto whereyoutouchit: 100 Neotropic Cormorants at L. Fork, Wood,in earlyMay (MWh). A countof 29 GlossyIbisesin rice fieldsin Calhounin Abbreviatioas: Ft.Bliss (Ft.Bliss sewage ponds, earlyMay (BFr,PH) wasthe highestcount

Kin•ville

•

•

B•ntsen

•ta[e

• •a

•Bro•svdle

Nifia: The wet winter over much of the state

hich way should we look? Where do

we turn? The geographicinfluences on the migrationthroughTexasthisspring werebothmoreevidentandamazingthan our usualhyperbolecould describe.The mysteryof the originof anygivenmigrant passing throughone'sfavoredbirdingspot is the agelessintrigue of the season.In Spring1998,we had palpableevidenceof contributionsfrom suchdisparateregions as the easternside of the Atlantic (two lar-

ids) and the low latitude tropics(Piratic Flycatcher), alongwith an unexpected visitor froma regularsource(an eiderfromthe high Arctic), and a heavierdosefrom the east and west coastsof the continent. Then,

asif toppingoff a tastylayercake,Mother Nature took a big butter knife and spread thesegoodiesall acrossthe state,blurring any pre-existingconceptsof ecological boundariesor limits.Welcometo spring migrationin Texas. The season's weatherran the gamut, with snow in the northern 354

Panhandle as

ElPaso); G.M.N.R (Guadalupe Mountains Nat? everin Texas.Elsewhere,individual Glossies Park);L.R.G.V. (LowerRio GrandeValley); includedoneat ChokeCanyonS.E Mar. 19 L.S.U.M.Z.(Louisiana State Univ.,Museumof

(ML) andanotherin KenedyApr. 17 (BFr). FIELD NOTES

WATERFOWL

Rludc)TORS

A Black-belliedWhistling-Duckwas outof-placeat AscartePark, El Paso,May 9 (SP).Russell watcheda maleGarganeydart pastin a flockof Blue-winged Tealon the BolivarPen.Apr. 17 (J-WRu). Leukeringdiscoveredan imm. drake

Swallow-tailed

IOn 4 Eiderattempting to feedin thesurfat QuintanaBeachApr.30. The bird wasrefoundMay 1 duringtheGreatTexasBirding Classic byLeukering andhisteam.Theflight feathers of the bird were worn to the shafts

and the bird wasflightless. Its attemptsto reston the beachwerefrequently disrupted by cars,dogs,and pedestrians. Although numerousobservers enjoyeda doselook, the eiderbecameweakerasthe weekprogressed. Finally,onMay9, thebirdwaspicked up by rehabilitator DanaSimon.Aftera

periodof rehabilitation, thebirdwassentto SeaWorldof Ohio,an intermediate stopon its way home to the Arctic.This bird furnished the first documented occurrence in

Texas. Thereisaprevious sightrecord(without -•) by LeonardGoldmanand Connie Hagarat RockportOct.23, 1968(Audubon Field Notes 23:78, 1969). Photos of

Louisiana's first KingEidera fewyearsago showa birdin virtuallyidenticalplumage. A lingering Oldsquaw remained at Monahansuntil Apr. 8 (BJP).A female BlackScoterwasat PossumKingdomRes. May 3 (KN). Findingfive Surf Scoterson the Rio Grandeat ChapefioApr. 17 (B& KFi) was unexpected.A single WhitewingedScoterwasin DallasMar.6 (LHa).A late Com. Merganserwasat L. Lewisville, Denton,May 1 (MG). The MaskedDuckat CullinanPark near Sugafiand,Fort Bend, waslastobservedApr. 4. AnotherMasked Duckwasat a Riviera,Kelberg, pondduring May; the only documentationwas from May 17 (J-A&MC).

Kites were seen in numbers

on the coastal plain from mid-March onward;mostnotablewasa migrantin San Antonio Mar. 28 (CCu). A TexasPartnersIn

Flight monitoringproject for Swallowtailed Kitesproduceda nestingrecordin Orange,the 4th knownnestin Texassince ca. 1911 (fide CSh). A single-daytally of 18,000 MississippiKites at the Kenedy RanchApr. 18 (BFr)wasoneof the highest everreported.TwoMississippi's in Ft. Davis May 23 (KB, D&LH) offereda very rare arearecord,asdid a singlebird the following day at Big Bend (MPec). SingleCorn. Black-Hawks wereseenbrieflyat SantaAna in April andoverBentsenin May,a bit late on their winter range.A pair of Com. Black-Hawks built a nestat BigBend'sRio GrandeVillage,and therewerereportson the w. sideof the park Mar. 27 (MF) and May 24 (TMo, KW). Interesting recordsof GrayHawkincludeda singlebirdin Kenedy Apr. 18 (BFr) and an adult on Limpia Cn nearFt.DavisMay24 (PSu).A dark-morph imm. Short-tailedHawk was reportedby Andy Farnsworth's BirdingClassicteamat BentsenApr. 27, and a light-morph ad. Short-tailedwasat SantaAna from May 21 onward (J-SBe,LM, JK). A White-tailed

Hawk near High I. Apr. 30-May 1 (GMc, DY) waswelle.of thespecies' regularrange. PRAIRIE-CHICKENS

TO

SHOREBIRDS

Two Lesser Prairie-Chickens

were encoun-

SnowyPloverson a dry playalakeat MidlandMay 2 wasremarkable. A countof 138 Snowieson SanJoseI., Aransas, Apr. 7 was noteworthy; alsopresentin the samearea that day were 207 Piping Plovers(TA). Mountain Ploversremainednear Granger into mid-April;anotherfour-fivewereseen in e.BexarMar.23-24 (fideGSc).The quest to discovernestingMt. Ploversin the n. Panhandle continued: Threecourtingbirds were found e. of Texline,Dallam, Apr. 7 (KM) andfivewereat thesamefieldApr.15 (KS); subsequent visits in May failed to

turn up anybirds.A singleWhimbrelat L. Balmorhea May3 (JD)wasedipsed by29at Kirby L. near AbileneMay 16 (JAP)and sevenat MidlandMay 17(GG). Smallnumbersof HudsonJan Godwitsdriftedthrough the w. half of the state (m.ob.); sevenwere

at ImperialRes.Apr.21, threewerein Gray in the Panhandle Apr.25, a singlebird was in LubbockMay 10, and 17 were at San AngeloMay 24. MarbledGodwit numbers werealsosomewhathigherwest:Fivewere at L. Meredith,Hutchinson, Apr. 11 (EK et al..);ninewerein RandallApr.21 (KS);and up to ninewereat ImperialRes.Apr.21-23 (BJP).Anothergoodconcentration was27 MarbledsApr. 21 at V.C.D.B.(RR). A Red Knot at L. Lewisville, Denton,Mar. 29-Apr. 5 providedperhapsonly the 2nd spring recordfor n.c.Texas(ph.,LHa, RR et al.).A concentration

of 500 Buff-breasted

Sand-

pipersinhabiteda Chambersrice field in mid-April(BbeJ-etal.).Another1800Buffbreasteds werein CalhounApr.30 (TxB).A Reeve was described at the same Calhoun

teredin DeafSmithApr.4, nearwhereseen lastspring(EKet al.).A migrantYellowRail in Tarrantwasout-of-rangeandhabitatin a garagein Fort Worth (it wasreleased the next day at nearbyV.C.D.B.). Observers heardvocalizingBlackRailsat 6 locations in Kleberg,Brazoria,and Calhoun;the species ispresumed breedingin the latter2 counties.An early Purple Gallinule was foundon campusat TexasA & M University in CollegeStationMar. 5 (fide KA). Common Moorhen appearsto have be-

ricefieldon thelatterdate(BFr,PH). A pair of Com.Snipeswereobserved courtingin the n. Panhandlein HemphillApr. 26, but couldnot be relocatedin May (JHu). An Am. Woodcockwith young at Palmetto Apr.3 (PBo)offereda veryrarenestingrecord for c. Texas.An extremelyrare record

come establishedas a resident(and breed-

(Victoria Apr. 13), Corn. Ringed Plover (TarrantApr. 26), and Eur. Golden-Plover (Chambers Apr.26).Anyof thesewouldbe stunningrecords.All will be reviewedby

ing)species atTaylorLakes,Donley,in thee. Panhandle (KS). A concentrationof 70

for w. Texas was a woodcock at Monahans

Apr.21 (fideBJP,ph. RA). We received written details from various

experienced observersdescribingEskimo Curlew (GalvestonMarch 31), Eur. Dotterel

the T.B.R.C.

Farfromits usualArctichaunts,this male KingEiderwascompletely unexpected on the Texascoastat (•uintanaBeach,

BrazoriaCounty,whereit wasdiscovered at the end of April 1998. Texashad no previousdocumentedrecords. Photograph/Steve Bentsen VOLUf4E 5Z (1998), ISSUE3

GULLS

TO

SKIMMER

The Black-headed Gull wintering at V.C.D.B.gainedbreedingplumagein early March and remained until Mar. 23; a 2nd

bird joinedit Mar. 2 and stayeduntil Mar. 21 (MR et al.). Remarkably, the latter bird 355

was banded (no band info could be ob-

tained);no individuals of thisspecies have ever been banded in N. America (fide MGu). A first-winterMew Gull (appearing to be a "CommonGull"type)remainedat Galveston's E. Beach until at least Mar. 14

(TxB, ph., J&WRi, T&PF). Another firstwinter Mew was at L. Grapevine,Tarrant,

May 5-7 (tRR). A 2nd-winterCalifornia Gull wasat S.S.W.T.P.,Dallas,Mar. 6 (RR).

Up to threeCaliforniaGullswerereported from Galveston in April. One to threedifferentThayer'sand an Icelandgull were reportedin April and earlyMay at Bolivar

May 10, a first county record (* to L.S.U.M.Z.).White-wingedDovesextended their rangein the n. Panhandlewith a recordin Hansford May 23 (MT); therewere also interestingrecordsin n.e. Texasin Nacogdoches Apr. 19 (CR) and Texarkana Apr. 23-30 (ShC, CMi). A Coin. GroundDovein SmithApr. 21 wasexceptional for n.e.Texas(PeB,DHa), aswasa pairfar west at Indian Hot Springs,Hudspeth, May 16 (JPa).

A pair of Red-loredParrotswere seen battlinga pair of GreenParakeets for a tree

cavityin Brownsville Apr.26 (TB).Among

Flatsand E. Beach,Galveston (m.ob.). There

thehordesof easternmigrantsin theTrans-

is currentlyonlyoneaccepted Texas record for the latterspecies. The Thayer's winter-

Pecoswere three Black-billed Cuckoos,all

dinaR. in BexarApr.2 (BDo),anda male on Independence Cr., Terrell,Apr. 18 (JPa) We receivedphotosof yet anotherRinged at Junctionfrom the previousfall,Nov.25, 1997(ALe).GreenKingfishers werepresent

alongthe Rio Grandein the e. partof Big Bend (MF, RW). Well out-of-rangewas another Green Kingfisherin the Brazos

Valleyat L. Somerville Mar.14(SBr).After a winterwith noreports,it wasa surprise to seedetailsof a Lewis'sWoodpecker at Mason Mar. 10-14 (DFe, BoF). South Llano

RiverS.P.hosteda HairyWoodpecker, very rare for the Hill Country,Apr.4 (LHo) A bit lessout-of-range wasa PileatedWoodpeckerin SanMarcosMay29 (fideDHe)

seenMay20 in widelyscattered localities in TO SWALLOWS theBigBendregion(m.ob.).Groove-billed FLYCATCHERS Anis showedup in the Trans-Pecos at Rio Sightingsof GreaterPeweewere made in Lesser Black-backed and seven Glaucous GrandeVillageApr.29 (JOG)andin Shafter, BigBendMar. 5 (MEn) andMidlandMay Gullswerereportedon the coastin March Presidio, May 24 (AA). A firstcountynest30-31 (?FR,RMS),thereareonly5 acceptandApril.A first-yearGreatBlack-backed ing recordwasprovidedby a pair of Elf ed recordsfor the state.Two singingE Owlsat DavisMountainsS.P.(m.ob.),and Gull was on MustangI., Nueces,Apr. 28 Wood-Pewees were locatedat Big Bend (TA); a separate and confusing blacka 2ndpairwasat anotherJeffDavislocation RanchMay 21-22 (KB, DDi, SCa);addion backedgull,perhaps a GreatBlack-backed, (DH, m.ob.).SomeLesserNighthawks tional reportscamefrom Big BendMay theU.T.C.wereinteresting: A femalewasat wasreportedat BolivarFlatsaslateasMay 22-28 (TMo,KW,MF).Vermilion Flycatch1 (m.ob.). High I. Apr. 16 (JD et al.). Anotherfemale erswereawayfromtheirnormalhauntsat Lesserwas at TexasPt., Jefferson, May 2 Two reportsof RoseateTern will go V.C.D.B. Apr. 1 (RCu); Amarillo, Potter, (ML, GL). An earlyCorn.Poorwillwasin throughthe T.B.R.C.:Four birdswerenear Apr.11-13 (ph.,A&MK, TG);andin Brazos MatagordaI., Matagorda, Mar. 15 ('•B&JFa) Amarillo Mar. 24-29 (RSc). A pair of Apr. 30 (fide BeF).A GreatCrestedFlyanda singlebird wasdescribed at Browns- ChimneySwiftsin Ft. Davisrepeatedan catcherprovideda rare springrecordat ville Mar. 30 (tIF, MN, MPo). There are occurrence of lastyear(KB). MidlandMay 16 (m.ob).GreatKiskadees only2 accepted Texasrecordsof Roseate. wandered N to MitchellL.May16(SD)and HUMMINGBIRDS Two Com. Ternsat L. BalmorheaApr. 29 Devil'sR. May22 (BA),moreunusual were TO WOODPECKERS constituted a rare w. Texasfind; four Comsinglesat PackeryChannelApr. 9 (PBe), monsreportedin n.c.Texaswerealsorare. Fort Bend Apr. 24 (HB), and at Port A GreenViolet-earprovideda newrefuge An ad. Sootywas seenfrom the Bolivar recordat AransasMay 21-26 (BJ,RWe,BF, O'ConnorApr.25-27 (PH). FerryMay2 (BP).A BrownNoddyin heavy ph., JT). A male Broad-billedHummingFour English observers (A&RCo, molt was found s. on Padre Island N.S., B&PBu)visitingBig Bendin earlyApril birdshowed upatKellyBryan's homein Ft. Kenedy, May 26 (ph., ?BSa),providingthe weresurprised to find an unfamiliarflyDavisMay 23 andremainedinto the sum5th staterecord.A BlackNoddywasdismer (?KB).A Buff-belliedHummingbird catcherat Rio GrandeVillageApr.4, which coveredon BolivarPen.Apr. 15 (ph., •JD, theyinitiallythoughtwasa Sulphur-belhed, wasseenMay2 andanotherMay 3 in BraBBeet al.); what appearedto be the same zoria(RWe).A Violet-crowned veryrarein Texas. Fortunately, thebirdwas H. mmln•bird wasrediscovered on BolivarFlatsby bird was a one-daywonderat L. Jackson extensively video-taped (ACo).Stillphotos BirdingClassic teamsMay 1 (ph.,• m.ob.), Mar. 2 (A&JWh,'•T&SC),the firstreportof from the tape (and the video-tapeitself) althoughvariousobserverson the latter were later submitted to these editors, who the species in the e. half of the stateanda dateinitiallythoughtthebirdto bea Brown 4th for Texasif accepted.A Blue-throated were stunned to see that the bird was a Noddy. This will becomethe 2nd state Hummingbird was video-taped at PiraticFlycatcher(Legatus leucophaius), a recordif accepted. An inland BlackSkimfirstforTexas andapparently the3rdforthe Brownsville May 29 (ET,fide BMc).A femer wasat Mitchell L., SanAntonio,May U.S.Excellentdocumentation by the origimaleArchilochus nestingat PackeryChan23 (S.A.A.S.). nal observers made all the difference! nel, Nueces,May 22 represented the first knownnestingattempton N. PadreIsland TropicalKingbirdsmade anotherapDOVES TO NIGHT JARS by any hummingbird. Adult maleRuby- pearanceat Big Bendwith up to four at A singleRed-billedPigeonwasreportedat throatedsprovidedrare w. Texasspring CottonwoodCampgroundMay 1 onward (TJ, MF, TMo, m.ob.). Out-of-range SantaAna Apr. 15-18 (TxB) and againon recordsat BigBendApr. 17 (RHo) andApr. Couch'sKingbirdswere locatedin sw May 27 (TB). A nestwasfoundupriverin 27-29 (MF), and in Canyon,Randall,Apr. BexarApr. 25 (KBa),Rio GrandeVillage Webb(SCa). Reportsof Eur. Collared- 26-28 (A&MS, TFo). We received a remarkable 4 records of Doves on the coast continue to mount, May 1 & 21 (MPec,MF), andJefferson May 10 (JWh). EasternKingbirdsmadean unincludingphotodocumentation of a nest RingedKingfisherin the TexasHill Counnear Port Lavaca(G&BMa, RW). Cardiff precedented appearance in the Trans-Pecos try: Onein AustinMar. 17 (RF),a pair at collected a Eur. Collared-Dove in Atascosa with 11 reportedbetweenMay 21-24 (m ConcanMar. 18 (JHeng),one on the Melng at the CorpusChristi landfillwaslast reportedMar. 7 (A&MC). At least eight

356

FIELD NOTES

texas ob.). Tree Swallowsbreedvery locallyin Texas;a nestingpair wasat L. Fork,Wood, May4 (MWh). Unusualwasa springreport of one-two Violet-green Swallows at

billedThrasherdiscovered in HansfordApr. 13 subsequently nested(MT). TwoAm. Pipitsfoundlatein the season

Mitchell L. Mar. 6 (LG). CaveSwallowswere

Ranch,Presidio, May22 (KB$et al.) andat BigBendMay24 (MPec).A Phainopepla at MidlandMay 31 wasa goodfind (RMS).A

nestingat 2 locationsin Brazos(FC, KA) andnestingwassuspected at Abilene(JAP).

in the Trans-Pecos were at the Cibolo Cr.

late N. Shrike was in Palo Duro Mar. 6 & 20 JAYS

TO

SHRIKES

(EK, DR • et al.).

Up to four Blue Jayswere in Hidalgo throughthe period(TB). SingleBluelays werew. of the regularrangein the Davis Mts. Mar. 10-Apr. 3 (D&LH, m.ob.) and Independence Cr.Apr. 19 (JPa).Unexpectedwasa GreenJayat a feederin SanAntonio Apr.23-24 (fideKBa).ThreeBlack-billed Magpiesappeared in SanMarcosMar. 24Apr. 18 (ph., Dhe, tetal.); origin is unknown.Tamaulipas Crowswereobserved at a nestin Brownsville Apr.25-26 (TB,BMc). A Brown-headedNuthatch strayedfrom the pineywoods to High I. Apr. 11.Cactus Wrenswerefoundwithincreasing frequencyin thew. Panhandle; reportscamefrom2 localitiesin Oldhamand Deaf Smith(KS, EK, BiMc • et al.).

SamNail Ranchin Big Bendhosteda VeeryMay 24 (TMo, KW); otherswereat BuffaloLakeMay 2 & 8 (TFer et al.). Graycheeked Thrushes were also at Buffalo Lake.

Otherw. TexasGray-cheekeds wereat Boot Springs,Big Bend,Apr. 24 (CN); in MidlandMay 7 (JMe);andanotherat BigBend RanchMay 19 (SCa, DDi, KB). The Big Bendregionalsosawa majormovement of Swainson's Thrushesin May, which often out-numberedHermits (KB • et al.). The

latterseemedto hangaroundlatein c. and n. Texas, the last to leave was in Amarillo

May 29 (EK). Despiteall thethrushactivity in theBigBendarea,theonlyWoodThrush reportin w. Texascamefrom E1PasoMay 26 (BRo).

Our tropical robins from the winter werestill in evidence wellinto spring.Several Clay-coloredswere reported from Hidalgoall season, with asmanyasfourat Bentsen and two at Santa Ana; most nota-

bly, an activenestwas discovered in McAllen Apr. 24 (PB, A&MC, BMc). Other potentially territorialClay-coloreds wereat Chapefio,Starr,Apr.25 (TB) andat AnzalduasMay 7 onward(IF, MN, RPr). The one-two White-throated

Robins at Bent-

senremaineduntil at leastApr. 3 (m.ob.). Remarkably,anothertwo White-throateds were discovered at Santa Ana Mar. 1 and

remained until at least Mar. 12 (ph., tin.oh.). FiveGray Catbirdsin the TransPecosMay 2-29 wereanothersymptomof the W drift of easternspecies. A CurveVOLUI4E52 (1998), ISSUE3

VIREOS

AND

WARBLERS

White-eyedVireosin far w. Texasincluded singlesat Big Bend RanchApr. 11 (KB, MAd, D&LH; first park record), near Boquillasin Big Bend Apr. 28-May 14 (RW),andatMidlandApr.30-May2 (JMe). Bell'sVireoson territorywereon theblackland prairiein Deltain earlyMay (MWh) and at Midland in late May (f•/e FW); one-twomigrantswereatV.C.D.B.,Tarrant, in earlyMay (MG, MR et al.). Very rarely recorded in migration,a maleBlack-capped Vireo was observedat SantaAna Apr. 9 ($RRoet al.). Lockwood surveyed for nesting Black-cappeds at DinosaurValley in April but failedto find any.Addingto our sparsedatabase on Plumbeous Vireo wasa migrantat Midland May 2 (RMS, JAd).A Yellow-throated Vireo singingon the CanadianR. in PotterMay 11 wasnot expected (KS). SevenPhiladelphiaVireosand nine Red-eyeds in the Trans-Pecos, all in May, swampedthe numbersof any previous spring(KB •et al.); perhapsmostsignificantwasa Philadelphia in E1PasoMay 26 (JPa).Yellow-green Vireosin the L.R.G.V. madeappearances at LagunaAtascosa Apr. 19-24 ($PG, TxB) and SabalPalmsApr. 21-22 (TxB,$BMc);muchmoresurprising wereYellow-greens in AustinMay 17 ($SM) and at AransasMay 25-26 (BFr, pBBr). Black-whiskered Vireos,formerlya superrarity,are nowjust shyof beingreported annually; a singleBlack-whiskered wasphotographed on Galveston I. May 28 (JiSt•et al.).

We wereswamped with reportsof unusualwarblers,particularlyfrom w. Texas and the Panhandle. Our traditional table of

springwarblersightings can'tdo it justice (Table1); KellyBryan'sreportincludedan amazing32 species, amassing no lessthan 118 recordsof birdsnormallyrareto accidental in the Trans-Pecos. The numbers of

Tennessee,Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Blackburnian, Blackpoll, Mourning,Hooded, and CanadaWarblerswere unprecedented.Even regular migrants,such as Townsend's, seemedoverlynumerous. Wewill singleout a fewnotablerecords aroundthestate.SingleLawrence's Warbler

DuringMarch1998, fourWhite-throated Robinswere presentsimultaneously in southernTexas;therehadbeenonlyone previousrecordof one individualnorth of the border.

This bird was at Bentsen-

Rio

GrandeValleyStateParkMarch27, 1998.

TropicalParulas,onceconsidered specialtiesof the LowerRio Grande Valley, are nowbeingfoundfarther north in Texas. This male was at Lost

MaplesStateNaturalAreaApril 1S, 1998. Photograph/Mary BethStowe

hybridswereat HighI. Apr.19(RRe,m.ob.) and in SanAntonioMay 17 (CCu). There werea fewsightings of Lucy'sWarblersupriver of their usual haunts in Presidio,such

as singlebirds in El PasoApr. 16 (BZ); MaddenL., Hudspeth, May 6 (BZ); andothers along the river in HudspethMay 16 (TPe). Tropical Parulas pushed farther north;a malewasat LostMaplesin the Hill CountryApr. 15 (ph., MBS), anothernot far awayat ConcanApr.29 (pM&CM); yet anotheron the U.T.C. at SanBernardMay 16 (Jori); and two maleswere singingat Aransas May 23 (RWe,BF).Freemanfound 357

yetanothersingingmaleTropicalin Beethe nextday.Thepushof Townsend's Warbler m the westalsobroughtat least5 reports alongthecoastfromS.PadreI. n. to Galveston I. Two Hermit Warblers in the Chisos

Mts.of BigBendApr.2 wereearly(RW).In recentyears,PaintedRedstarts havebeen veryirregularin BigBend;thisseason, singleswerenotedin BlueCr. CanyonApr.29 (JDu,WRi) andin the ChisosBasinApr.30 (EH). The winteringRufous-capped Warbler on L. Amistad near Comstock was last

reportedMar. 6 (PSv,SBa);otherRufouscappedWarblerswere written up at Hot Springs, BigBend,May ! (•-BMa,DT), and in MidlandMay 10 (?JHe). T.•IlI•L•GERS

TO

FINCHES

A femaleHepaticTanagerat PalmettoMar. 1 (DF1)fit a patternofwintervagrancy in c. Texas,ratherthanbeinga migrant.Scarlet Tanagerreportsincludedan earlymale at BigBendMar.31 (MBo) anda singingmale in HemphillMay 12 (KS).Our usualsmatteringof coastalW. Tanagers wasa small flood:At least13werereportedat 10local•tlesthelengthof thecoastfromApr. 11to June3. Somebirdsapparently remainedat givenlocationsfor weeks.Thesewereprecededby a Westernin SanAntonioApr.9 (KBa). The wintering Pyrrhuloxiasin Randallremained aslateasApr.15 (m.ob.), and onewasseenin AmarilloMar. 1 (CSt).

A dozenRose-breasted Grosbeaks passing throughthe Trans-Pecos provideda counterweightto thewesternavianinfluences in the east(m.ob.).Two male and one female

BlueBuntingsat Bentsenstayedfrom the winter until at leastMar. 15, when one male

flewintoa window,providingTexas withits firstspecimen(fideMQ, * to T.C.W.C.).A Lazuli Buntingreportedin SmithMay 7 providedonly the 2nd recordin the past few decades from the Pineywoods (PeB), and therewas a hint of highernumbers throughthe c. third of the state. Thebulldozing of brushneartheZapata librarycreateda stirin thebirdingcommunity (comingasit didduringtheGreatTexasBirdingClassic in lateApril) andcaused concern about the status of White-collared

Usuallyquite hardto find in Texas• Baird•sSparrows were reportedregularly this springin Big BendNationalPark,evidentlyattractedto waterbeingusedfor irrigation.Thisone wasat RioGrande Villagein BigBendNay St lgg$. Photograph/Greg W. Lasley

Seedeaters there. While a least one male was

heardsingingin lateMay (Bba? et al.),the long-termsituationneedsto be monitored. A handfulof Clay-colored Sparrows were on the U.T.C.in April (m.ob.)anda large falloutreportedlyoccurredon S. PadreI. late in the month (fideWRu). A Brewer's Sparrowat Packery ChannelApr.17offered anotherrare barrier islandrecord(ROB), and Brewer'swerelate at Big BendRanch May 21 and Randall May 30 (m.ob.). MigrantBaird'sweremuchmoreconspicuousaroundirrigatedareasin BigBend;up to sevenbirdswereseenApr.30 to May 21 and severalwerephotographed (DO ? et al., ph. GL). A Baird'swas alsoin Parker May 21 (JMcH),providingraredocumentation in n.c. Texas.Rare in the Panhandle,

a SwampSparrowwas at TaylorLakes, Donle• Mar. 24 (KS). The corridor for migrating YellowheadedBlackbirdsspreadto the eastthis spring;numerousreportscame from the U.T.C.,and hundredswerein the e. portions of n. Texas,including150 in Delta May 16 (fideMWh). A fewHoodedOrioles wereawayfromtheirnormalhauntsalong the immediate Rio Grande corridor and s.

ed to rule out that species; the tapedcalls are still beingstudied.Unexpected Scott's Orioles in c. Texas included birds in Mason

Apr.6 (DFe,BoF),at Balcones Canyonlands May 5 (JKe), and in Midland May 16 (DHu). After a winter absence,it wascuri-

ous to find PurpleFinchesin the Austin areaApr.19(banded,PK) andApr.22 (PR) A HouseFinchwasat Riviera,Kleberg, May

28, wherepreviouslyunrecorded (GPer) SingleRed Crossbills wereseenat Qmtaque, Floyd, in March (TFer) and at L Tanglewood,Randall,Apr. 26 (TLJ). Re-

markably, crossbills werestillpresent in the Pineywoods, holdoversfrom their invasion a year and a half ago:Two were in San Augustine Mar. 30 andninewerein NacogdochesApr. 20 (RiS). A LesserGoldfinch

wasa barrierislandrarityat Packery Channel May 16 (MC). An Am. Goldfinchin alternate plumage brightened up a feederin VictoriaMay 29 (RW). UNDOCUMENTED

I?JU•ITIES

Little Gull, V.C.D.B., Mar. 2; Broad-btlled

Hummingbird, Big Bend, Apr. 7; Forktailed Flycatcher, Cameron, Apr. 10; RedfacedWarbler,E1 Paso,May 10; Shiny Cowbird,CorpusChristi,Apr.28.

Texas: A malewasat Balmorhea May 12-18 (TJ)anda pairseemed to be onterritoryin theDavisMts.May 13-27,but disappeared Cited observers(subregionaleditors in thereafter(E&PS,m.ob.). A Hooded at San

AntonioMay 19-20 wasa goodfind (KBa) andsneaking everfarthernorthwasa pair in SanMarcos,alsoMay 19 (DHe).A curious-looking oriolewasat SantaAnaMar. 1 and later suggested a possible Altamirax Hoodedhybrid (TC1,GMc, ph., SBe).A

mystery orioleat Devil'sR. May10-15was at first thoughtto be an imm. maleAltamira (BA),but recordings of itscallsseem-

boldface): Richard Acosta, John Adams (JAd), Mark Adams (MAd), Artie Ahler,

TonyAmos,Bill Armstrong, KeithArnold, Carl Ault, Paul Baicich,Helen Baines,Nick Barber, Peter Barnes (PeB), Keith Bartles

(KBa), Sue Barton (SBa), Boyd Bauer (BBa),Bill & PattyBeasley (B&PBe),Gift Beaton, Bob Behrstock (BBe), Robert Benson(RBe), SteveBentsen(SBe),Gor-

don Berkey,Ray& LynnBieber,PeterBillingham,P.Bing,NancyBird, TeelBivlns, Lorie Black, Pat Bodme

(PBo), Mary Bolson (MBo), Bill & Sarah Bourbon (B &S Bo), Joan Bowen, Bruce Bowman,

David Bradford (DBr) (U.T.C.: 18046 Green Hazel, Houston, TX 77084.

email:

brdfrd@

tenet.edu),ScottBrandes

(SBr), Ned Brinkley (NBr), Philip Bristow, Barbara Bruns (BBr),

Tim Brush,Kel• BITan (Trans-Pecos: P.O. Box 786, Ft. Davis, TX 79734

email: kellyb@nexus as utexas.edu),lohn Buckman (JBu), Lawrence 358

FIELD NOTES

texas Buford,Mike Bumgardner, Barry& Pauline Burton (B&PBu),Mary Campbell,Marty Campbell (MCa), Steve Cardiff (SCa),

Farnsworth, Bill & Julian Farnsworth

Oscar Carmona, Ralph Carmona, Eric

Feuerbacher(DFe), Ian Fisher,Bob& Karen

Carpenter,SharonCarter (ShC), Carrie

Fisher (B&KFi), Mark Flippo, Anthony

Cate, Clifford Cathers, Thomas Chornock

Floyd,David Flynt (DF1),TylerFordham (TFo), Tony & Phyllis Frank, Bobbye

(TCh), CharlieClark,JeremyClark (JC1), ThereseClawson(TC1),Alec& RoseCockle (A&RCo), Fred Collins, Tom & Sherri Colhns(T&SC), Don Connell,Arlie & Mel

(B&JFa),KathyFarr, Tim Fennel(TFen), Rob Fergus,Terry Ferguson(TFer), Dixie

(JAP),JimPaton(JPa),Dick Payne,Dwight Peake(DPe),TomPeal(TPe),GeorgePeck, Mark Peck (MPec), Brandon Percival,

Frazier (BoF), BrushFreeman(BFr), Bert

MarcosPeredes, GlennPerrigo(GPer),Tom Pincelli, Randy Pinkston,Mike Pollock (MPo), BarbaraJeanPotthast(BJP),Robert Proctor(RPr),SandyProfeta,Mike Quinn, BobRasa(BRa),RossRasmussen, JimRay,

Frenz(BeF),Dan Froehlich,Larry Galvez, MurrayGardler,BrianGibbons(BGi),Jack

Don Reed, Robert Reeves(RRe), Martin Reid, Bill Reiner, John & Barbara Ribble

Cooksey (South Texas: 15825 Socorro Giltinan, Jeff Gordon (JGo), Joel Gorton Tim Green(TGr), Loop,CorpusChristi,TX 78418.email: (JOG),PeterGottschling, (MGu), Jim [email protected]),Jim Crusinberry, GeneGrimes,Mary Gustarson Hailey (Jill), Laurens Halsey (LHa), CarolynCuthbertson(CCu), RosyCutrer,

(J&BRi),Jan& Will Risser(J&WRi),Betty Roberts (BR0), Terry Rosenmeier,Paul Roush,RexRowan(RRo), ForrestRowland,

CraigRudolph,Will Russell(WRu), Mary

JohnDale (JDa), SumnerDana,Phil Davis,

BeatriceHarrison, Dale Hartsfield (DHa),

Ann Ruthruff,

Ross Dawkins, Anne Dickson, Donna

Scott Haywood,David & Linda Hedges

AntonioAudubonSociety,Billy Sandirer

Dlttmann (DDi), Ken Dixon, Bob Doe

(D&LH), Ruth Heino, Dick Henderson (DHe), Jim Henderson (JHe), Jim

(BDo),AndrewDonnelly,DaveDorchester (DDo), John & Kathleen Duchak, Jon Dunn, CharlesEasley,Mark & Mary Ann Eastman, ChuckEly(CE1),VictorEmanuel, Marguerette Empie,MichaelEngel,Dodge Engleman(DEn), Ted Eubanks,Andrew

Hengeveld (JHeng),JoseHernandez(Jori), JimHines(JHi),PetraHockey,GaryHodne (GHo), Sallie Homan, Eric Horvath, Lee

Hoy (LHo), Rich Hoyer (RHo), John Hughes (JHu), Don Hunter (DHu), Joe

Notable Warbler Records in W. Texas, Spring 1998

Specms (no.) Blue-winged Golden-winged Golden-winged Golden-winged Tennessee (8) Tennessee N Parula Chestnut-sided (13)_ Magnolia (8) Magnolia Black-throatedBlue __ Black-throated Green(I 3) Blackbumian (25) Blackburnian Blackbumian (2) Yellow-throated Praarle

Dates May6 April21 May8 May25 April5-May25 May8 April27-28 May5-30 May6-27 May21 April7 May2-28 May15-28 May22 May25 April5 May23

Location Observer DavisMts. ]Da BigBend RHo Uvalde ML Midland RMS,FR Brewster, Presidiom.ob. Buffalo Lake LS,RSc Lubbock PKi Presidio, Je•is m.ob. Trans-Pecos m.ob. Amarillo B•c, RSc Ward .... BJP Trans-Pecos m.ob. Trans-Peco•s m.ob. Amarillo BiMc,RSc Midland RMS,FR Brewster DO BigBend DEn

Palm

April7

Ward

Palm Bay-breasted Blackpoll (3) Blackpoll (2) Blackpoll Cerulean Worm-eating (3) Worm-eating

May10 May22-23 May1-21 May3-9 May10 May9 April20-May10 May2

BigBend Gho,MPec BigBend DEn,CW Trans-Pecos •m.ob. Panhandle m.ob. Midland GG,JHe Dickens GJ,PKi BigBend m.ob. Midland GKe __

_Ovenbird (9)

;April22-May2•

Presidio, Jeff Davis m.ob.

BJP

LomslanaWaterthrush [May9

Lubbock

BRa

Lomslana Waterthrush

May14

FortDavis

E&PS

Kentucky Kentucky Mourning (5)

April28 Randall ___ May21 BigBend April21-May31 BigBend,

Mouming Mourning

April29 May23

Midland Randall__

JMe KS,TB

Hooded(7) Hooded (3) Hooded(1-37) Canada (10)

March26-May7 April13-May24 March31-May21 May21-31

Trans-Pecos Panhandle Tarrant Trans-Pecos

m.ob. m.ob. ;McH m.ob.

Canada.............

May26-27

Midland

VOLUME 52 (1998), ISSUE3

TX

78113-2627.

email:

wsekula@the-

cia.net), Chuck Sexton, Ken Seyffert (Panhandle:2206 S. Lipscomb,Amarillo,

nice Jackson, JimmyJackson, FrancieJeffery,Tom

TX 79109), Cliff Shackelford (CSh)(East Texas:TexasParks& Wildlife Dept., 4200

Johnson,ThomasL. Johnson (TLJ), Greg Joiner,

Paul Julian,John Karges

Smith SchoolRd., Austin, TX 78744. emafi

[email protected] ), Paul Sharp, J.W. Sirford, Joel Simon, Gad

(JKa), Tim Kaspar,Ann &

Simons, Richard Smith, Aletha Snowden,

Mike Keck, Gary Kelley (GKe), John Kelly (JKe), Phillip Kite (PKi), Jane Kittleman, Karen Kluge, Ed Kutac,Paul & GeorgeannKyle,GregLasley, Ann

AndySpencer, AliceStevens, JimStevenson (JiSt),JohnStewman,Cliff Stogner(CSt), Bob Stone,RoseMarie Stortz,Mary Beth Stowe,Paul Sunby (PSu), Bill Sverdlik, Peder Svingen(PSv), Glenn Swartz,Ken Sztraky (KSz), David Tannahill, Jay Tomlinson, MarianTomlinson, ErickTripp, PeggyTrosper, Al Viola,Pat& KittyWade,

Layton, Lee Lemmons, Ann Lemon (ALe), Tony Leukering, Mark Lockwood,SteveLong,Guy &

KarenWalz, Ro Wauer, Ron Weeks(RWe),

Billie Mauer (G&BMa),

CarolWells,Bill & MickeyWest,JohnWest, Ed Wetzel, Andy & Joyce Wheeler (A&JWh), Donald White, Kristin & Matt White (K&MWh)(N.C. Texas: 2518

Blake Maybank (BMa),

Monroe, Commerce, TX 75428. emall

Karen McBride (KMc),

[email protected]), E.G. White-Swift (EGW), John Whittle (JWh),Egon& SueWiedenfeld(E&SWie), FrancesWilliams, Steve Williams (SWil),

Joan Luneau (G&JLu),

Guy McCaskie (GMc), Michael& CheryllMcGehee, Jim McHanney (JMcH), Debra McKee, Bill McKinney (BiMc), Brad McKinney (BMc), Stennie Meadours, Joann

Merritt (J&DMe), Charles Mills (CMi), LauraMoore, Jim Morgan, Terry Morgan (TMo), Kevin Mote, Jenna Mueller, Ken Nan-

DavisMts.

(BSa), Laura Sare, Rick Schaefer (RiS),

Elgin& PriscillaSchaeffer, Adriel& Monty Schoenhals(A&MS), Georgina Schwarz (GSc),Rosemary Scott(RSc),WillieSekul• (CentralTexas:7063Co.Rd.228,FallsCity,

Ideker, Marshall Iliff, Ber-

Curtis Marantz, Glenn &

TFo MB m.ob.

Sheridan Samano, San

Fred Wills, David Wolf, David Yee, Joe

Yelderman, BarryZimmer. Chuck Sexton, 101 E. 54th St.,Austin,TX 78751-1232 (email:cwsexton@onr. com) and

GregI/I/.Lasley,305 Loganberry Ct.,Austin, TX78745-6527 (email: [email protected])

ney, Val Naylor, Mark _

Nowers,Clay Nunn, Dale Ohl, Carolyn Ohl-Kolb, Steve Olson, Jay Packer 359