Greetings All:
I knocked out my second Breeding Bird Survey in the vicinity of Plains this
morning. This one starts at a point northeast of Plains runs generally
eastward to the Yoakum/Terry County line and then straggles southward along
roads that seem, at times, to be contested territory for the two counties,
and finishes at a point south-southeast of Plains. As far as google earth
and eBird are concerned the route is, in its entirety, in Yoakum County.
This is generally a very dry count but early season rains have made for
rather spectacular crops (both in terms of wildflowers and of things that
farmers plant), leading to some unexpectedly southern sightings of American
Crows. This route generally supports, in the way of galliforms, only
Northern Bobwhite but, perhaps due to the lushness of crops, I encountered
both Scaled Quails and a Ring-necked Pheasant.
Highlights were: 1 Ring-necked Pheasant northeast of Plains, 2
Black-crowned Night Herons northeast of Plains, 1 Scaled Quail northeast of
Plains, 1 American Crow northeast of Plains, 2 more American Crows
east-northeast of Plains, 2 Cave Swallows east of Plains, 1 Scaled Quail
east of Plains, and 1 Scaled Quail southeast of Plains.
I had not highlights on the way over in the darkness and the only highlight
on the way back was a pair of American Avocets on/at a nest at the Tokio
Playa in Terry County.
Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson; Lubbock
