Location: Webberville to Big Webberville Park, Travis County, US-TX
Observation date: August 3, 2013 – 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Number of species: 39 (+ 2 other taxa)
EPISODE 87: Too Hot for Turtles
Normally we see turtles by the dozens on every log or rock sticking out of the river. Today we could not collectively recall a dozen for the entire trip. Nor did we see any snakes. They must be hiding from the heat of the day and the intensity of the direct sun. It was very hot out. There are still lots of plants in the river as you will see in the photos. Thick to the point they are blocking some of the narrower paths with slow moving water. The left side of the island is blocked off.
Our bird list was very typical for this time of year. We did see a shorebird first thing that was medium size with yellow legs but it was too far for identification.
Surprisingly we did get a couple of Belted Kingfishers and several Inca Doves. Probably the best of the day were two juvenile Tri-Colored Herons. They were very cooperative and let us get some great photos. We also got a Pileated Woodpecker in beautiful downtown Webberville. We tallied 41 species on the day.
In the other species department, I saw three Monarch butterflies and a huge number of all kinds of dragonflies. All colors and sizes.
Today I would like to thank Joan Bishop, Elizabeth Sirico, Mary, Sharon Richardson, Jeff Richardson, John Barr, Denis Breining, Bob West. Your help is appreciated.
Don’t forget to like the Austin Bastrop River Corridor Partnership Facebook page. Here you will find more information about the river and water issues in central Texas. I also post more photos than I send with the email.
Also, these surveys are posted on the Travis Audubon web site.
(Click any image below to view larger. Photos by Claude Morris and Bob West.)
Number of species: 39 (+ 2 other taxa)
Great Blue Heron 6
Great Egret 8
Snowy Egret 2
Little Blue Heron 6
Tricolored Heron 2
Cattle Egret 28
Green Heron 23
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 3
Black Vulture 7
Turkey Vulture 18
Red-shouldered Hawk 5
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Spotted Sandpiper 8
White-winged Dove 7
Mourning Dove 3
Inca Dove 3
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 3
hummingbird sp. 3
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Downy Woodpecker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Crested Caracara 2
Eastern Phoebe 2
Great Crested Flycatcher 2
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 3
White-eyed Vireo 18
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 5
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 18
Purple Martin 20
Barn Swallow 12
Cliff Swallow 32
Carolina Chickadee 16
Tufted x Black-crested Titmouse (hybrid) 2
Carolina Wren 8
Northern Parula 1
Northern Cardinal 43
Indigo Bunting 1
Red-winged Blackbird 14
Great-tailed Grackle 14
