July 23, 2024 Complete Bird Census

51 Species Observed, 825 individuals 

The morning started out with a bit of fog and the temperatures were quite mild for late July. Lake levels are still high and there are still no mudflats. There was a large number of Canada Geese in the field north of the visitor center. Probably the best bird of the day was a Grasshopper Sparrow on Short Road which was a lifer for a visiting birder. Purple Martins are continuing to stage and there have been large numbers on the wires near the pole where Lucy used to sit. We saw 4 Red-headed Woodpeckers at Deaver Pond. There was a Mississippi Kite near the low water crossing on Bennett Ln. where it has been catching frogs. Later on we saw 3 Mississippi Kites at the same location. We saw Painted Buntings at quite a few locations and had a total of 20 for the day. Summer Tanagers are mostly silent now but we did hear one and saw another one. There were 9 Forster's Terns off the end of Plover. The species count was low today with only 51 species seen but that is not unexpected for this time of year. Hopefully there will be some mudflats soon so that we will see more shorebirds. Today's photos: Mississippi Kite and Blue Grosbeak.

July 16, 2024 Complete Bird Census

68 Species Observed, 730 individuals 

Piping Plover, Western Sandpiper and Tricolored Heron

It was another hot summer day with a light breeze blowing as we started our census. We started by walking Harris Creek Trail to the pond by the photo blind. There was very little activity there but Indigo Buntings were singing. There we did have a flyby Tricolored Heron. From there we went down Raasch Trail and saw the usual bunch of vultures hanging out as well as a Green Heron. Next we went to the Goode Area and Dead Woman Pond. At Dead Woman Pond there was another Tricolored Heron as well as Mallards and some egrets. In the picnic area at Goode we found a tree near the picnic tables that had several Painted Buntings, a Summer Tanager and a Black-and-white Warbler. Then we proceeded to Wildlife Drive and saw the 6 American White Pelicans that have been here for a few weeks and lots of Mallards and Canada Geese. We continued on to the Goose Point area and along the shoreline there we found the best bird of the day, a Piping Plover accompanied by a Western Sandpiper. In the pond on the left before Plover Pad we saw a flock of American Avocets feeding as well as a couple of Stilt Sandpipers and more egrets and Canada Geese. On the road to Meadow Pond we saw quite a few Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and lots of Painted Buntings. On the west side of the refuge there were a couple of Greater Roadrunners near the entrance to Sandy Point Road. On the far west side of the refuge we saw a Northern Parula in the same area where they nested this year. We finished the day with 68 species which is pretty good for summertime. Today's photos, Piping Plover, Western Sandpiper and Tricolored Heron. Thanks for looking.

July 9, 2024 Complete Bird Census

71 Species Observed, 952 individuals

Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Purple Martins and White-tailed deer fawns

After rain yesterday afternoon from the remnants of Hurricane Beryl we were treated to a beautiful cool July morning for today's census. The north low water crossing as well as all of the pad roads are now open. We started off by walking Harris Creek Trail to the first pond and the Red-headed Woodpeckers were very active in that area and we saw several flying back and forth. We saw a total of 9 for the day. We also saw a Chimney Swift flying there. Purple Martins continue staging for their trip south and we counted 117 sitting in trees and on power lines. The American Lotus are impressive at Meadow Pond and we saw a couple of Green Herons there. On Bennett Lane just past the Big Mineral bridge we had close up looks at a mature Yellow-crowned Night Heron feeding on Crayfish in a small pool of water. On the far west side of the refuge we heard a Barred Owl and a Northern Parula sing. We had a couple of early shorebirds, a Black-bellied Plover and a Short-billed Dowitcher along with a Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, a Solitary Sandpiper, a Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpipers and Killdeers. We finished the day with 72 species. Today's photos, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Purple Martins and White-tailed deer fawns. Thanks for looking.

July 2, 2024 Complete Bird Census

61 Species Observed, 970 individuals

Tricolored Heron and immature Little Blue Heron

Summertime has definitely arrived and it heated up fast today. We started off on Raasch Trail and encountered a large number of Black and Turkey Vultures resting in the dead trees and on the bridge across Myers' Branch. There was not much activity in that area and then we continued on to the Goode Area via Terry Lane because the north low water crossing is still closed. The lake level is dropping very slowly. and Plover, Tern and Egret pads are still closed but should be open soon. Last week a late afternoon thunderstorm passed over the refuge with strong winds and there was a lot of tree damage evident today but blown over trees have been removed from the roads. At Dead Woman Pond we saw 4 Wood Ducks, a Mississippi Kite, Blue Grosbeaks and Painted Buntings. Also there is a large number of Hibiscus flowering in that area. At the low water crossing on Bennett Ln., we saw a Pileated Woodpecker and a Belted Kingfisher. Early on there was a Least Bittern calling near the entrance to Egret Pad. The only shorebirds seen today were37 Killdeer and 1 American Avocet. Some returning shorebirds should start showing up soon but there are still no mudflats. Purple Martins are congregating and we saw 69 today. We counted 250 Canada Geese today and they are spread out all over the refuge. We finished the day with 61 species and called it a day early due to the heat. Today's photos, Tricolored Heron and immature Little Blue Heron transitioning from white to blue gray coloration. Of interest to me was the subdued barring on some of the feathers which can be observed better in full screen mode. Thanks for looking.

June, 2024

June 25, 2024 Complete Bird Census

61 Species Observed, 913 individuals

American Kestrel

It was a partly cloudy day that heated up quickly. Bird activity dropped off quickly after about 09:30. The Barn Owls were still present and we counted 3 in the box. There are now large numbers of Canada Geese present with a count of 206 including many young of varying ages. They like to hang out along the edges of Wildlife Drive. Bennett Lane is now open and the low water crossing on Bennett is now passable. We saw 4 Red-headed Woodpeckers on the road to Meadow Pond. They are present at Deaver and along the road just past Deaver Pond. We found Wood Ducks at Dead Woman Pond. Since the north low water crossing is still closed we had to take the long way around via Terry Lane to get to the Goode Area. We counted 40 Killdeer and the only other shorebird we saw was a single Long-billed Dowitcher. Purple Martins are beginning to bunch up and we saw them at several locations. Plover, Tern and Egret pads are still closed and probably will be for the rest of the week. We finished the day with 61 species. Today's photo, an American Kestrel.

June 18, 2024 Complete Bird Census

64 Species Observed +1 other taxa, 726 individuals

June 4, 2024 Complete Bird Census

74 Species Oberved, 810 individuals

Black-crowned Night Heron, Green Heron, American Golden-plover with Whimbrel, Whimbrel, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Swainson's Hawk and Red-headed Woodpeckers

The early morning rain had just passed by as we began today's census. We had some very good late spring sightings today. In the pond on the left just before you get to Plover pad we saw 2 Whimbrels resting along with an American Golden-Plover, 4 Franklin Gulls, some White-rumped Sandpipers and a Semi-palmated Sandpiper. On the crossover from Egret pad to Tern pad we found a nice breeding plumage Black-crowned Night Heron along with some of the many Snowy Egrets we saw today. We saw 6 Red-headed Woodpeckers, 4 of which were at Deaver Pond. We got nice closeup looks at a Green Heron at Meadow Pond and we also saw a Belted Kingfisher there. Coming back from Meadow Pond we had great looks at an Olive-sided Flycatcher. There was a Swainson's Hawk at the southwest end of Short Road. We saw 3 mature Bald Eagles at Sandy Point flying out over the lake as well as 4 Black Terns. We saw a total of 10 Painted Buntings. We finished the day with 74 species. Today's photos, Black-crowned Night Heron, Green Heron, American Golden-plover with Whimbrel, Whimbrel, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Swainson's Hawk and Red-headed Woodpeckers. Thanks for looking.

May, 2024

May 28, 2024 Complete Bird Census

79 Species Oberved, 784 individuals

Red-shouldered Hawks and Northern Rough-winged Swallow

The day started out stormy for the census but cleared up some by 10:30. The pad roads are now open but I don't know for how long with more rain and storms in the forecast. Early on we found a Red-breasted Merganser in the pool on the left before you get to Plover Pad. Birding was pretty slow until the rain let up. We got a couple of first of year swallow species, Tree Swallow and Northern Rough-winged Swallow. We found a lone Buff-breasted Sandpiper in an area on the north side of Silliman Rd. We found a couple of warbler species, Prothonotary Warbler and Black-and-white Warbler, We saw over 200 Western Cattle Egrets today. We had a total of 3 Eastern Kingbirds. There was a Bewick's Wren singing near the residences on the road to the Goode Area. We finished the day with 78 species which was not bad considering the slow start.

Today's photos, the young Red-shouldered Hawks near the Big Mineral Picnic Area, that seem to be doing well and the Northern Rough-winged Swallow we saw at Meadow Pond.

May 14th, 2024 Complete Bird Census

94 Species Oberved, 719 individuals 

Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Indigo Bunting

Today was cool with a northerly breeze blowing. Wildlife Drive as well as Bennett from the Big Mineral bridge west is still closed but the lake is receding and hopefully the roads will be opened again soon after the lake recedes another foot or so and necessary repairs are made. Early on we walked from headquarters to the Harris Creek bridge to observe some shorebirds and were treated to very close up views of Sanderlings, Stilt Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, White-rumped Sandpipers, a Baird's Sandpiper and Least Sandpipers as well a a couple of Tricolored Herons.. Black Terns and a Least Tern were also flying nearby. We saw a few warbler species but I suspect that will change later in the week. Indigo Buntings, Painted Buntings and Dickcissels were numerous. Summer Tanagers were singing in quite a few places. We found 3 Mississippi Kites on the far west side of the refuge. We saw 4 Greater Roadrunners. We saw an Olive-sided Flycatcher at Meadow Pond hawking insects from his perch high up on a dead tree. We finished the day with 94 species. Today's photos, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a skulker that you find in wooded areas but it is a species that is very easy to overlook. You are more likely to hear there strange calls. They are sometimes referred to as Rain Crows by locals. The other photo is an Indigo Bunting.

May 7th, 2024 Complete Bird Census

85 Species Oberved, +2 other taxa, 1,044 individuals 

Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks and a Bobolink

It was a clear sunshiny day for our census, with a break in the rain. But recent rains have caused the lake level in Lake Texoma to rise and Wildlife Drive is covered in water for much of its length and has been closed. Bennett Lane from the Big Mineral bridge to the west side of the refuge is also closed. We had to go on Hwy 82 to Sadler to get to the west side of the refuge. The pad roads are now under water. We found Bobolinks in quite a few places, including north of headquarters in the fields, and west of the refuge east of Short Road. Our final count on Bobolinks was 41. Dickcissels were singing most everywhere we went. One good find was a pair of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks on the far west side of the refuge. They are becoming more common in this area but we don't often see them on the refuge. On the edge of the water covering the road north of headquarters there were some shorebirds accumulated including a couple of Hudsonian Godwits, Stilt Sandpipers, Pectoral Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers and Lesser Yellowlegs. On the other end of Wildlife Drive we found a Black-necked Stilt, 4 Long-billed Dowitchers, 20 Wilson's Phalaropes. Painted Buntings were singing in many places. There were 3 Red-headed Woodpeckers at Deaver Pond. Flycatchers were abundant with 39 Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, 17 Eastern Kingbirds, 5 Great Crested Flycatchers and 4 Western Kingbirds. We heard 9 Summer Tanagers. Warblers were conspicuously absent today and we only saw 1 Prothonotary Warbler and 2 Northern Parulas. We finished the day with 85 species.

April, 2024

April 30, 2024 Complete Bird Census

90 Species Oberved, +2 other taxa, 1641 individuals

Grasshopper Sparrow by Mike Sanders, Spotted Sandpiper, and White-faced Ibis

Bird migration is reaching peak activity with many migrants making their long journey north. We set out with high hopes for some exciting finds. Our first stop was Harris Creek Trail where we found our first new migrant – a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. We also saw Painted and Indigo Buntings, a male and female Blue Grosbeak, and many of our usual birds. Four male Wood Ducks flew by and gave us all a good view. From there, we headed to the Goode picnic area. Along the way we saw a male Baltimore Oriole at the top of a tree. We also saw a large flock of Cedar Waxwings feasting on the nearly ripe Mulberries in a yard in the area. Our next destination was Enterprise Road where we made our first futile search for Bobolinks, but we had to settle for a Bell’s Vireo and more Blue Grosbeaks. We returned to the refuge and found a single Upland Sandpiper and a few Cormorants on Plover Rd. Ducks, shorebirds, and gulls were scarce due to high water after the recent rains. At Meadow Pond we found a Green Heron on the emerging Lotus pads and a Tree Swallow perched in a dead tree. Turtles were very active and we had to dodge several crossing roads and trails. Out west, we found some lingering Meadowlarks and some arriving Grasshopper Sparrows. Our final count for the day was 90 species of birds, three snakes, four turtles, and a very large spider crossing the road. Photos today are Grasshopper Sparrow by Mike Sanders, Spotted Sandpiper, and White-faced Ibis.

April 23, 2024 Complete Bird Census 

87 Species Observed +2 other taxa, 1,171 individuals

Observers: Jack Chiles, Mike Petrick, Nancy Riggs, Terry Goode, Laurie Sheppard.

Savannah Sparrow, Upland Sandpipers, and a pair of Mallards.

The day started out cool but the sun soon brought the temperatures up and with it, the birds. The annual Turkey Hunt prevented us from taking our usual route for the bird census, so we improvised. We started the day with a short walk on the Harris Creek Trail, where we got good looks at a Spotted Sandpiper on the bank of the creek. From there we drove east of the refuge and picked up our first Western Cattle Egrets. By the end of the day, we had collected over 200 of those. Continuing east, we saw our first Wild Turkey crossing Old Quail Run. At Enterprise Road, we heard a Bell’s Vireo along with Blue Grosbeaks and a few of our 21 Scissor-tailed Flycatchers. We returned to the refuge and along the Auto Tour Route we saw 26 White-faced Ibis fly by. The water levels are high so there are few places for shorebirds, but we found a few Least Sandpipers, Long-billed Dowitchers, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, and some others. Blue-winged Teals were the most common ducks today. Out to the west of the refuge, a few Upland Sandpipers are still in the fields and a Broad-winged Hawk was resting on a wire. We logged 87 species today despite our unusual route. Today’s photos are a Savannah Sparrow, Upland Sandpipers, and a pair of Mallards.

April 16, 2024 Complete Bird Census 

97 Species observed, 1,270 individuals

Observers: Jack Chiles, Mike Petrick. Laurie Sheppard, Nancy Riggs and Terry Goode.

Bald Eagles and a Solitary Sandpiper

Today was a mostly clear day with a moderate breeze blowing. Early on we went to the Goode area and saw a flyby Crested Caracara. Then when we got to Dead Woman Pond we were greeted by a beautiful male Prothonotary Warbler sitting up in a dead tree. We had an immature Bald Eagle fly into a tree on Dead Woman Pond.. As we drove toward it, it took flight and disappeared but we soon saw 2 more Bald Eagles there near the lake having a dispute over a fish that a mature Bald Eagle had picked up. A near mature Bald Eagle decided he would try to take it away from the other eagle which then proceeded to land on the shore with the fish. It soon flew off to the west and disappeared with the other eagle in hot pursuit. At the end of Plover Pad we found a Sanderling, a Western Sandpiper, 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers and 10 Hudsonian Godwits. In the last several days we have seen over a hundred Hudsonian Godwits come thru as well as a Marbled Godwit. The Yellow-headed Blackbirds have begun to come thru and we saw one on Plover Pad and more out on the west side of the refuge near Short Road. Summer Tanagers, Indigo Buntings, Red-eyed Vireos as well as Bell's Vireos. have also arrived. We saw 2 Greater Roadrunners, We finished the day with 97 species. Today's photos Bald Eagles and a Solitary Sandpiper.

April 2, 2024 Complete Bird Census 

100 Species observed, +1 other taxa, 1,757 individuals

Observers: Jack Chiles, Mike Petrick, Nancy Riggs, Terry Goode, Laurie Sheppard, Mike Sanders and Gary Meyer.

Bald Eagle, Wild Turkey, Lark Sparrow and Upland Sandpiper.

It was windy and chilly for today's census but it was a good day species wise for our count. As we started out we found a beautiful male Hooded Merganser in the marsh by the north low water crossing. Later we saw an adult Bald Eagle at Dead Woman Pond as well as a flyby Wood Duck. Shorebird numbers are increasing along with the number of species. We saw 139 Long-billed Dowitchers, 19 Wilson's Snipes, 7 Lesser Yellowlegs, 10 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Dunlin, 4 Baird's Sandpipers, 23 Least Sandpipers, 45 Pectoral Sandpipers, 3 Western Sandpipers, 2 Wilson's Phalaropes, 4 Killdeer, 2 American Golden-Plovers and 45 Upland Sandpipers. There were 12 Little Blue Herons all in a group in Mineral Marsh along with a Tricolored Heron. While we were at Mineral Marsh an Immature Bald Eagle flew over. There was an American Bittern in Taylor Marsh. We saw 3 Red-headed Woodpeckers, 3 Red-bellied Woodpeckers, a Pileated Woodpecker and a Hairy Woodpecker. We found a singing Black-and-white Warbler on the road to Sandy Point. We finished a great day with 100 species for the second week in a row. 

March, 2024

March 19, 2024 Complete Bird Census 

90 Species observed +1 other taxa, 1,468 individuals

Observers: Jack Chiles, Mike Petrick, Nancy Riggs, Terry Goode, Laurie Sheppard, Mike Sanders, Gary Meyer.

March 5, 2024 Complete Bird Census List

91 Species observed +2 other taxa, 3,261 individuals

Observers:Jack Chiles, Mike Petrick, Nancy Riggs, Terry Goode, Laurie Sheppard, Mike Sanders

Fox Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow

It was a cool and cloudy day for our census with a lot of bird activity. Surprisingly about 350 Ross's and Snow Geese are still present. There are also good numbers of ducks and some of the duck species with larger counts were, 174 Northern Shovelers, 413 Green-winged Teals and 151 Gadwalls. We saw 13 species of sparrows with a really good count of 25 Vesper Sparrows, 42 White-crowned Sparrows, 47 White-throated Sparrows, 40 Savannah Sparrows, 28 Dark-eyed Juncos as well as other sparrow species. We had a great count of 75 Northern Cardinals. We found a couple of Winter Wrens on our trip to Meadow Pond and Big Mineral Creek. We had the first Barn Swallows of the season. We had a high count of 18 Eastern Phoebes. There was one Great Egret present in Silliman Marsh. We finished the day with 91 species. Today's photos, Fox Sparrow and Vesper Sparrow.

March 2, 2024 The Little Sit Event Complete Little Sit List

46 Species observed +1 other taxa 1,074 individuals

The Little Sit is held at sunrise the first Saturday of every month, the public is welcome!

February, 2024

Bird Walk February 10, 2024 Complete Bird List

42 Species observed in a 1.5 mile bird walk on Harris Creek Trail!

Join us for the next Early Bird Walk on March 9th at 8:00 AM meeting at the Visitor Center

February 6, 2024 Complete Bird Census List

93 Species observed +2 other taxa, 2,361 individuals

Observers: Jack Chiles, Mike Petrick, Terry Goode, Mike Sanders, Carlos Haller, Nancy and Janet Heath.

The Red-headed Woodpecker near the bridge at the Big Mineral picnic area, the Winter Wren and the House Wren

It was a beautiful, calm, early February day for our census. Birds were very active. Snow and Ross's geese numbers were low today but the large flocks have been coming and going. Usually the best time to see the most geese is in the afternoon. It is getting near the time that most of the white geese will depart the refuge. Duck numbers are very good with nearly 700 Northern Pintails, many of which are in the marsh near the Harris Creek bridge. Other species of ducks seen today included, 2 Cinnamon Teal, 68 Northern Shovelers, 92 Gadwalls, 6 American Wigeons, 21 Mallards, 108 Green-winged Teals, 35 Canvasbacks, 30 Redheads, 10 Ring-necked Ducks, 1 Greater Scaup, several Lesser Scaups, 24 Buffleheads, 2 Common Goldeneyes, and 44 Ruddy Ducks. An American Woodcock was seen by one member of our team early on in the field at the southeast corner of the refuge on Bennett Lane. The Woodcocks will probably be leaving soon and the best time to see them is around dawn or dusk. We saw 4 species of Wrens today, a Winter Wren, near the low water crossing on Bennett, a House Wren on B pad, a Bewick's wren on the road to Goode and Carolina Wrens in several locations. The large culvert area on the crossover from C pad to Sandy Point road was good today, with a couple of Barred Owls hooting at each other, an Orange-crowned Warbler, an Eastern Towhee and several other species. We saw 5 species of Woodpeckers including several Red-headed Woodpeckers and a couple of Pileated Woodpeckers. We finished a great day with 93 species. Today's photos, The Red-headed Woodpecker near the bridge at the Big Mineral picnic area, the Winter Wren and the House Wren.

January, 2024

85 Species observed

Observers: Jack Chiles, Mike Petrick, Terry Goode, Laurie Sheppard, Mike Sanders and

Keiko Inagaki

American Pipit, Ring-billed Gulls and American White Pelicans of the end of J pad and a Northern Pintail

The weather was fantastic today for our census. The Long-tailed Duck is still present. It was a good day for ducks. The Long-tailed Duck has been using Silliman and Muleshoe marshes. Also still present are Canvasbacks with a total of 98 today. We saw 726 Northern Pintails, , 506 Green-winged Teals, 7 Ruddy Ducks, 2 Common Goldeneyes, 115 Gadwalls, 11 American Wigeons, 14 Mallards, all seen in the marshes. We also saw 40 Redheads and 24 Ring-necked Ducks in the large pond by the railroad tracks east of the refuge. We saw over 1200 Ring-billed Gulls as well as a mature Lesser Black-backed Gull and a couple of Herring Gulls. A large number of 7200 Snow and Ross's Geese were present arriving from south of the refuge as the day progressed. We saw 7 woodpecker species today. We had a good count of 7 Loggerhead Shrikes. A good number of 85 Savannah Sparrows were seen. We had a good count of raptors today with 11 Red-tailed Hawks and 8 Red-shouldered Hawks. We finished the day with 83 species. Today's photos, American Pipit, Ring-billed Gulls and American White Pelicans of the end of J pad and a Northern Pintail.

The Bald Eagle at Meadow Pond, Wilson's Snipes and the Long-tailed Duck

It was a dismal day with rain most of the time for our bird census but bird activity was good. The ice on the lake and in the marshes at the refuge is starting to melt and there are more patches of open water each passing day. First of all, the rare Long-tailed Duck is still present in the west end of Silliman Marsh. The Long-tailed Duck we had last year stayed around for several weeks and hopefully this one will do the same. Duck numbers and species numbers of ducks are also good. We estimated a total of 894 Northern Pintails, and also counted 4 Wood Ducks, 41 Northern Shovelers, 145 Gadwalls, 18 American Wigeons, 70 Mallards, 93 Green-winged Teals, 18 Canvasbacks, 12 Ring-necked Ducks, 13 Lesser Scaups, 28 Buffleheads, 2 Common Goldeneyes, and 1 Hooded Merganser. An immature Bald Eagle that was harassing American Coots and Pied-billed Grebes last week at Meadow Pond was still present there today. We found a nice flock of 17 Wilson's Snipes near the entrance to Wildlife Drive. We counted 54 Dark-eyed Juncos most of which were in a large flock picking up grit on the road to Sandy Point. We found one flock of Brewer's Blackbirds on Judge Elliot Road. We counted almost 800 Red-winged Blackbirds. We finished the day with 65 species. Today's photos, Long-tailed Duck, the Bald Eagle at Meadow Pond and Wilson's Snipes.

January 21, 2024