Rio Brazos Audubon and the Great Texas Birding Classic 2014

Well what a great way to spend a Saturday! The weather was great, the conversation was friendly, and the birds kept us busy! We started off quite early- about 5:00AM- and immediately had a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD calling and calling and calling from the top of a nearby tree. Soon after, two EASTERN SCREECH OWLS came over to investigate us, and a GRAY FOX thought he could sneak by without getting spotted! Ha! We're here to see stuff! There's no sneaking by us! Unfortunately it was too dark/I wasn't awake enough to figure out how to use my camera in low light to get a picture of either.

One picture I did manage... Sarah and Mark

As the sun came up, the birds started their morning routines. Lots of fly-overs and singing from the woods. NORTHERN CARDINALS, TUFTED TITMICE, EUROPEAN STARLINGS and CEDAR WAXWINGS filled the air with their choruses, and a flock of FRANKLIN'S GULLS headed north. As the morning progressed, more eyes came to help us, with Jackie Girouard and April Serig joining in.

Some of the highlights from the morning included a several nice migrants- BALTIMORE and ORCHARD ORIOLES, MAGNOLIA, YELLOW, and NASHVILLE WARBLERS, a lingering BLUE-HEADED VIREO, and a GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER. The bird of the day, for entertainment purposes, were the MISSISSIPPI KITES! Brison Park seems to be the place to go for socializing and meeting other Kites... we had 10 on the ground at one time... with others still in the air! I didn't get a picture, but I think someone from the group did. There was some nest building activity by the Kites also, so it looks likes Brison will host another crop of Mississippi's this year!

One of the many Mississippi Kites in Brison Park

As the day wore on, the birds settled down and our attention turned to other critters in the air. For the butterflies, several types of SULPHURS, a BLACK SWALLOWTAIL, a COMMON BUCKEYE, and several types of LONGWINGS floated by- with most not staying for a picture. ROSEATTE SKIMMERS, EASTERN PONDHAWKS, COMMON WHITETAILS, and RED SADDLEBAGS cruised the stream and field (along with numerous damsel flies that we think were FAMILIAR BLUETS? But we didn't have time to key them out completely- there were birds to see!). There were also EASTERN COTTONTAILS nibbling on grass, a stick that was briefly IDed as a snake, an actual snake in the water, a turtle in the creek, and lots of minnows swarming in the eddies. There was a lot more in that little patch of the park than I thought!

COUNT ALL THE BIRDS! Mark, Sarah, April and Jackie keep watch.

As the heat of the day waned, we were kept on our toes by appearances by a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, and several WESTERN KINGBIRDS. Our last arial sighting of the day was a COMMON NIGHTHAWK and a MEXICAN FREE-TAILED BAT. We ended the evening at 9:00PM- a full 16hr day of birding... without going through a tank of gas!

I'd like to thank the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for organizing the Great Texas Birding Classic- it's an excellent program and a great excuse to get out and do some birding. The conservation grants program that comes out of funds raised from the Classic supports worthy projects that benefit bird habitat, birding, conservation, education and outreach. Our efforts in Brison Park wouldn't have been possible without the cooperation and encouragment of the College Station Parks and Recreation Department. They were very obliging and understanding at this fairly unusual request!

I'd also like to thank our sitters and supporters that made the team possible: Mark McDermott, April Serig, Jackie Girouard, Sarah Laughlin, Betty Vermeire, and Bruce Neville. Additionally, thanks to all the people that came by to say hello and chat with us! It was great to see everyone and helped us pass the time!

For an hour-by-hour (+/-) recap, check out the live blog from Saturday. More pictures of the day are here!