(The Austin Area Rare Bird Alert is a service of the Travis Audubon Society. This update is as of 4:18 on July 21, 2011.)
Birds are clearly on the move with the expected shorebird arrivals, some expected passerine migrants, some early departures, and birds massing up in staging areas. Get out and find something; report what you find somewhere! No need to hide in the AC, it is plenty palatable in the early mornings and late evenings- especially when you are the one finding the gooders. Here’s what some brave souls discovered and divulged…
Rarities Found This Week
3 Wood Storks were 3 miles south of Cistern, just off Highway 95 in Fayette County 7/19
A Long-billed Curlew was seen as a low fly-over on the north/south section of Skogg Lane in northeastern Travis County on 7/16
A Yellow-throated Warbler was in a Whimberley yard on 7/15 Hayes County
An unsubstantiated report of Lesser Nighthawk occurred in the 51st and I-35 area in Austin. Those in the area be advised to check all nighthawks for this rarity. Reported on 7/16
Continuing Birds for Previous Weeks
2 Yellow-headed Blackbirds, originally found 7/9, remain around Hornsby Bend’s main ponds as 7/21
Green-winged Teal and Redhead remain at Hornsby Bend (Travis County) 7/21
Reports for the Austin area RBA cover a 60-mile radius centered from the Capitol in Austin. This circle extends north to Belton Lake (Bell County), south to Leesville (Gonzales County), east to Somerville WMA (Lee/Burleson County), and west to Blumenthal (Gillespie County).
Bird sightings mentioned here have been filtered & 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.
The most recent update can always be found at: Travis Audubon’s Rare Bird Alert Page
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 nollanderson@sbcglobal.net.
Waiting for the flood of reports!
-Kenny Anderson, Rare Bird Alert Compiler, Travis Audubon Society
