(The Austin area Rare Bird Alert is a service of the Travis Audubon Society. This update is as of 10:00 on November 10, 2011. Send interesting sightings–complete with species name, location, and contact information–to Kenny Anderson.)

Rarities Found This Week

A Mountain Bluebird was photographed at Dana Peak Park at Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir in Bell County 11/4.

American Golden Plover continues to have a strong showing this fall with a sighting at Friendship Park at Granger Lake 11/9.

Sage Thrasher has erupted:

1 bird at West Bouldin Greenbelt in South Austin 11/4
4 birds at Milton Reimer’s Travis County Park 11/5-9
2 birds at Commons Ford Park in west Austin 11/6, 10
1 photographed at Warbler Woods 11/6
2 at Sore Finger at Granger Lake 11/9, (photo’d) 11/10
2 on Lund-Carlson Road 11/10
1 photographed at Sunset Valley, near the Town Hall 11/10
1 on a private property in Hays County 11/10

Lark Bunting is putting on a show:

4 on the Lake Creek Trail at the Town and Country Complex were photo’d 11/4
1 at Sunset Valley’s Community Garden, near the Town Hall 11/10
21 were recorded on a trip to Granger Lake. Birds were at the Corps Office
and Sore Finger on 11/10.
Several were on Werchen Road in Northeastern Travis County 11/10.
Lark Buntings were also at Sore Finger and Willis Creek park near Granger
Lake on 11/10.

Say’s Phoebes:

2 at Sore Finger 11/9
1 on CR359 near Granger Lake 11/9
1 continues on Wells Lane and Wells School on 11/10 in Travis County.

1 Green-tailed Towhee was photographed at Nalle Bunny Run, a Hill Country Conservancy property, on 11/8.

A male Red-naped Sapsucker was studied on Carlson Lane on 11/5.

A fresh roadkill Common Poorwill was photographed on Carlson Lane. The location is off the Edwards Plateau and the date is late. 11/5

American Woodcocks were reported from a private residence in north Austin 11/10. Another was flushed at Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Bastrop County 11/10.

A Tricolored Heron was below Mansfield Dam on 11/10.

A female Vermillion Flycatcher was observed Southeast of Coupland on Cr 469 11/10.

A Long-billed Curlew was at Hornsby Bend on 11/6.

A Black-throated Green Warbler was at Big Webberville on 11/7.

An American Bittern was reported from the Balcones Canyonlands Refuge Headquarters on 11/6 in Travis County.

Continuing Birds for Previous Weeks

An Anna’s Hummingbird continued at an Utley residense on 11/6-9.

Great Kiskadee remains along the Lower Colorado River at big Webberville Park 11/7.

Reports for the Austin area RBA cover a 60 mile radius, centered from the Capitol in downtown Austin. The circle extends north to Belton (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 and scrutinized by the compiler and are believed to be genuine. When documentation or photographs were provide, 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 nollanderson@sbcglobal.net.

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

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