Award Winning Birding Today

Today was quite the birding day at Pedernales Falls State Park. For the first few hours after sunrise no winds made for some great sitings back behind the bird blinds in the horse pastures. A male Vermilion Flycatcher set the morning on fire as he darted for insects from a perch in the morning sunlight. Add to this a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and five Meadowlarks feeding in the field. Also of note was a male American Kestrel hanging around the new nest box placed along the utility line along the edge of this field.

Golden-cheeked Warblers are back and happily singing along most trails, most notably the Nature Trail. Black & White Warblers and White-eyed Vireos are also setting up territories. I detected the song of a Swainson's Thrush at sunrise along the Hackenberg Creek Trail.

Spring migration has begun and though some new birds can be seen around the bird blinds it really takes walking different trails throughout the park to catch them all.

I am including a picture of what I believe to be a Morel mushroom. I actually found several along a rocky trail leading down to the river. Regular rains in the Hill Country not only has made this a good year for wildflowers but mushrooms as well.

Todays Birds & Freezing Wind Chills

The wind chills kept me from walking far from my vehicle and shut up the birds as well. I missed my target bird today, the Golden-cheeked Warbler. But I can say it was seen by park personnel on the Nature Trail this week. One other new bird sited in the past week was a Black & White Warbler.
I must post Pedernales Falls State Park is now on Facebook. Volunteer bird hosts said they have also been asked to put all bird sitings on Ebirds. This is quite a task to ask of volunteers. I hope they can post rarities on Facebook as well.
I am happy to report there is still a pair of Eastern Bluebirds hanging around the horse coral behind the blinds. There are two new nest boxes awaiting their approval. The second bird blind now has glass windows. It is a very nice addition but on a cold, windy day, the old blind is a better place to hang out.

Spring Arrivals Not Yet

I traversed a few Golden-cheeked Warbler territories today at the park but no Golden-cheeks to be found yet. Perhaps the cold February weather really has curtailed insect activity for which these warblers depend on. But how do the warblers know what the weather is like in Texas if they are wintering in Panama?

The new park bird blind is almost complete. Just waiting for the windows to come in. The enclosure has a few benches in place. Now the park will be ready for bird spring migration.

I did see a pair of Eastern Bluebirds feeding in the horse fields behind the blinds. There are several new bird houses up along the utility poles which I surmise this pair are eyeing. A Crested Caracara was sited today near the headquarters. One has been seen in the area for the past two months. Not a common siting in the park says the park manager.