The Austin Area Rare Bird Alert is a service of the Travis Audubon Society. This update is as of 1/17/2014. Send interesting sightings–complete with species name, LOCATION, and contact information to Kenny Anderson at kennya290@gmail.com.

Rarities Found This Week

• A Long-tailed Duck continues at Inks Lake National Fishery, with latest reports/photos on 1/11-15 (Burnet County).
• A Lesser Black-backed Gull continued at the landfill; bird is being seen from Blue Goose Road as it occasionally comes to the detention pond. Latest report was on 1/11. A Franklin’s Gull also continues at same location.
• Ferruginous Hawk continued to be seen in the Granger Lake area with latest report on 1/12 in Williamson County.
• Harris’s Hawk found last week along I-35 in mile 268 was seen again on 1/11 north of Georgetown and a short distance away at Berry Springs Park where it was photographed on 1/13. (Williamson)
• A female Calliope continues at an Austin home in Travis County 1/14 latest report.
• A White-tailed Kite was photographed on 1/2 in Bastrop County on CR 297, less than a mile north of CR307.
• A male Red-naped Sapsucker was photographed at Hornsby Bend. The bird was found on the monthly survey held on 1/11. It was seen again 1/12.
• An American Bittern is being seen at Mueller Austin pond near Brauning Hanger. Photographed most recently on 1/11. (Travis)
• Great Kiskadee continues to be reported from a Caldwell County private property. 1/12/2014
• 2 Greater Scaup are reliably seen at Slough Pond in Bell County.
• At least 2 Short-eared Owls are being seen at Union Grove WMA on Stillhouse Hollow Lake in Bell County.
• Up to 30 Rusty Blackbirds are being seen around the Hornsby Bend property. Birds seen at the CER parking lot, Pond 1 W and Pond 3 area.
• Horned Grebes: 1 at Lake Pflugerville 1/11, 6 at Black Rock Park on Lake Buchanan 1/12 (Burnet), 3 at Canyon Lake 1/16 (Comal).
• Common Goldeneye: 1 at Lake Fail in Travis County 1/9 an one at Slough Pond in Bell County on 1/9.
• Vermilion Flycatchers: 1 at Hornsby Bend near the western edge of Pond 2, 1 at Berry Springs Park in Williamson County 1/13.
• A fascinating pipit has been reliable on the western shore of Lake Pflugerville. Bird has been photographed numerous times and does exhibit many characteristics of japonicus subspecies.

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.