Greetings All:
I spent about five hours in Hockley County today, thinking great things but
not necessarily achieving them.
At about 4:00 AM I awoke to the sound of rose bushes beating on my north
windows - usually a good sign with regards to downed migrants during
spring. I went back to sleep but, later, with much excitement set out for
Hockley County at 7:30. The weather was great for downed migrants (maybe -
though I saw little sign of this) but remained horrible for both
birdwatching (with steady, vicious cold winds from the north as well as
intermittent spits of light rain and worse) and photography through the
entire morning and turned worse shortly after lunch when I had to flee
Bison Road Playa in exactly the sort of moderate rain that turns the
region's roads into a mudfest. I kind of felt like Hockley County had
chewed me up and spit me out!
I did see a few goodies though, including 2 Cackling Geese at Lobo Lake, 1
female Wood Duck at Lobo Lake, 12 Blue-winged Teals along Alamo Road, 16
Blue-winged Teals at Bison Road Playa, 2 Cinnamon Teals along Alamo Road,
12 Cinnamon Teals at Bison Road Playa, 2 Scaled Quails near Pep, 2 Scaled
Quails at the Smyer Cemetery, 1 Ring-necked Pheasant near Pep, 4
White-faced Ibises at Bison Road Playa, 1 Cooper's Hawk near Pep, 2
Black-necked Stilts along Alamo Road, 12 Black-necked Stilts at Bison Road
Playa, 84 American Avocets at Bison Road Playa, 4 Spotted Sandpipers at
Bison Road Playa, 1 Spotted Sandpiper at Lobo Lake, 1 Greater Yellowlegs
along Alamo Road, 1 WILLET at Bison Road Playa, 2 Lesser Yellowlegs at
Bison Road Playa, 2 Upland Sandpipers in the grasslands to the north of
Pep, 2 Stilt Sandpipers at Bison Road Playa, 12 Baird's Sandpipers at Bison
Road Playa, 3 Least Sandpipers at Bison Road Playa, 1 White-rumped
Sandpiper at Bison Road Playa, 2 Western Sandpipers at Bison Road Playa, 4
Semipalmated Sandpipers at Bison Road Playa, 22 Long-billed Dowitchers at
Bison Road Playa, 28 Wilson's Phalaropes at Bison Road Playa, 2 Franklin's
Gulls at Bison Road Playa, two most likely breeding pairs of Say's Phoebes
in Pep, 5 Tree Swallows near Anton, 2 Tree Swallows at the Smyer Sewage
Ponds, 1 House Wren at Levelland City Park, 1 House Wren at West x 13th in
Levelland, 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets along Highway 597, 1 Swainson's Thrush
at West x 13th in Levelland, 1 Hermit Thrush at Levelland City Park, 1
Nashville Warbler at Levelland City Park, 2 Green-tailed Towhees at the
Smyer Cemetery, 2 Chipping Sparrows at Levelland City Park, 12 Chipping
Sparrows near Pep, 16 Chipping Sparrows in Pep, 6 Clay-colored Sparrows at
Levelland City Park, 5 Clay-colored Sparrows near Pep, 6 Clay-colored
Sparrows in Pep, 1 Clay-colored Sparrow at West x 13th in Levelland, 2
Brewer's Sparrows near Witharral, 2 Lincoln's Sparrows at Levelland City
Park, 1 Lincoln's Sparrow near Pep, 2 Lincoln's Sparrows at West x 13th in
Levelland, 1 female Blue Grosbeak near Pep, 4 male Yellow-headed Blackbirds
at Bison Road Playa, 4 Pine Siskins at Lobo Lake, 13 Pine Siskins in Pep,
and 3 Pine Siskins at West x 13th in Levelland.
Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson; Lubbock
