The Austin Area Rare Bird Alert is a service of the Travis Audubon Society. This update is as of 2/8/2014. Send interesting sightings–complete with species name, LOCATION, and contact information to Kenny Anderson at kennya290@gmail.com.

Rarities Found This Week

• A Cape May Warbler, found on 1/31 at Hornsby Bend, had further reports on 2/1,2,4. Bird has been nicely photo-documented near the Hergotz Crossing portion of the property.
• Terrific voucher shots of Warbling Vireo in Bell County on 1/31, 2/1-4 are an amazing seasonal find.
• A Western Tanager coninues to come to a Travis County home’s peanut butter feeder. Bird was photographed again 2/6,7.
• A Long-tailed Duck at Inks Lake National Fishery had successful updates 2/2,4 in Burnet County.
• A Williamson County Harris’s Hawk seen at Berry Springs Park on 2/1,2,3,4 has become somewhat findable near the livestock corral.
• A Purple Finch is at a Bastrop County home on 2/3-6.
• 2 Franklin’s Gulls continue at the Austin landfill; birds are viewed from the Blue Goose Road shoulder. Latest report 2/3 (Travis).
• Rusty Blackbirds are regularly seen at Hornsby Bend with 25 birds reported 2/14.

Reports for the Austin area RBA cover a 60 mile radius, centered from the Capitol in downtown Austin. Bird sightings mentioned here have been filtered and scrutinized by the compiler and are believed to be genuine. When documentation or photographs were provided that is mentioned, along with the other information about the bird(s) being seen. For questions or updates about birds mentioned here or to report rare or unusual bird sightings in the Austin area, please send an e-mail to kennya290@gmail.com

-Kenny Anderson, Rare Bird Alert Compiler, Travis Audubon Society

To view our archive of previous RBA reports, click here.