Greetings All:
As I packed up for a trip to the Purina Mountain Bike Trail this morning I
heard 1 Western Kingbird in my front yard (I haven't had one in the yard
for a couple of weeks - this may be a latish migrant) and 1 Ruby-crowned
Kinglet in my front yard.
Flying over at least 3 Upland Sandpipers (by flight call) and at least 2
Swainson's Thrushes (by flight call).
The Purina Mountain Bike Trail was hopping and I stayed for four hours,
covering 3.2 miles of road and trail. The best birding was in thickets in
the uplands; birding right along the river was quite slow.
Highlights included 1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo, 1 immature Black-chinned
Hummingbird, 3 Western Wood Pewees, 1 Willow Flycatcher, 4 Least
Flycatchers, 1 Eastern Phoebe, 2 Verdins, at least 11 House Wrens, 2
Carolina Wrens, 4 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, 7 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 2 Brown
Thrashers, at least 7 Orange-crowned Warblers, at least 6 Nashville
Warblers, 1 first fall male Common Yellowthroat, at least 9 Wilson's
Warblers, 4 Cassin's Sparrows, 2 Chipping Sparrows, 18 Clay-colored
Sparrows, 5 Vesper Sparrows, 2 Lark Buntings, 3 female Blue Grosbeaks, 1
first fall male Indigo Bunting, 1 male Bronzed Cowbird, and 1 female
Bullock's Oriole.
House Wrens were as abundant as I have ever seen them in the region - I
tried to avoid overcounting and suspect I saw at least fifteen-twenty.
Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson; Lubbock
