This is the Austin Area Rare Bird Alert. This update is as of 6/30/2016. Send interesting sightings, complete with species name, location, and contact information to Arman Moreno at armanmorenobirds@gmail.com.

Rarities found this week

• A SEMIPALMATED PLOVER was photographed on the drying basins at Hornsby Bend, Travis, on 6/26.
• On the morning of 6/29, a LESSER NIGHTHAWK was seen and heard at the Village Shopping Center off Anderson Ln and Northcross Dr in Austin, Travis. The bird was suspected to have went to roost on top of one of the buildings. Later that evening, several observers saw and photographed the bird. Remarkably, at the time of this writing, there are reports from 6/30 of 4 birds.
• A HAIRY WOODPECKER was reported from the trails around the bird blind and greenhouse south of Pond 2 at Hornsby Bend on 6/28. Attempts to relocate the bird have been unsuccessful.
• A COUCH’S KINGBIRD was photographed at Llano City Park, Llano, in 6/28. While this species nests in low numbers in the Austin area, this South Texas specialty appears to be slowly expanding northward.
• Yet another GREAT KISKADEE was reported from the Laurel Estates Subdivision on Hunter Road south of San Marcos, Hays, most recently on 6/23. The bird has reportedly been present for a month.

Continuing birds from previous weeks

• The long-staying GREAT KISKADEE continues at Berry Springs Park in Georgetown, Williamson, most recently on 6/25. The most recent report indicates there are now two birds present.

Reports for the Austin area RBA cover a 60 mile radius, centered on 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 email to armanmorenobirds@gmail.com.

Arman Moreno
Rare Bird Alert Compiler
Travis Audubon Society

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