Elusive American Woodcocks Showing Up
Have you ever been on a winter walk in a deciduous woods when a bird bursts out from almost underfoot? After you recover from your shock, you wonder what is was and where it went. Chances are it was an American Woodcock. A few winter in Austin, in wooded areas without much understory, often close to streams. This unusual member of the shorebird family is a squatty-looking bird with large black eyes almost on the top of its head. These help it keep tabs on the sky above while it forages for worms, snails and insects with its very long straight bill. It has superb camouflage with muted gray, buff and brown tones, and it relies on this cryptic coloration to frustrate bird watchers and keep it safe from predators. Recent sightings have occurred at Mayfield Park, Commons Ford Park and the golf course in Hyde Park. Right before they migrate north in early spring Woodcock males put on quite a display flight for the females, with a characteristic “peent” sound and twittering of wings. Count yourself fortunate if you get to witness this behavior –one that noted conservationist Aldo Leopold said was “a refutation of the theory that the utility of a game bird is to serve as a target, or to pose gracefully on a slice of toast.”
The Teddy Bear of Sparrows is Coming to Town
Harris’s Sparrow – James Giroux
The Harris’s Sparrow is making a list and checking it twice before it catches the next cold front to the Austin area. When you say the word “sparrow” most people think of the monotonous chirp and drab colors of the non-native House Sparrow, but Austin has a plethora of beautifully understated native sparrows that spend the winter here. For identification purposes, the Harris’s Sparrow has the advantage of a song in a minor key all on one pitch. Unlike many wintering birds, it does sing while here. The warm tan/ochre coloration on its cheeks give it a Teddy Bear look. The black on its head, throat and breast is distinctive – some say it looks like it is dipped in black paint. And its pink bill and bright white belly help cinch the identification. Since Austin had good rains earlier in the year the native grasses have bloomed well. That is good news for this large sparrow, which summers in far northern Canada – it should find plentiful seeds along the hedgerows and in weedy fields where you can look for it.
House Sparrow – Jeff Whitlock, The Online Zoo Compare to Harris’s Sparrow
Christmas Bird Counts Just Around the Corner
Just when most people are hitting the malls for last minute shopping, bird watchers fan out across the nation to continue a tradition begun over one hundred years ago, to census birds and determine how well bird populations are faring. You can participate in the fun, as a feeder watcher or active participant. Austin has several bird counts – learn about the Austin, Westcave, Balcones Canyonlands, Bastrop and other central Texas counts and sign up for a new experience and contribute to citizen science. Click here for info on Christmas Bird Counts.
Bird watchers visit parks, greenbelts, county roads and private property on Christmas Bird Counts- Jane Tillman
