On a whim, and spurred by an
unusually insatiable need to go see things, I decided to do a Big Year in
Brazos County in 2015. It at least kept me close to home and kept me busy (or
productively procrastinating).
Why did I do this? I don’t
know… I’ll try to explain more at the end. Suffice to say, it was the right
time to commit to something a little eccentric like this!
Let’s break this down by
some general grouping, as I’m sure no one wants a day-by-day report (and I
don’t want to write it!)!
 |
| How many roads must a man walk down, before he finds that dang finch!?!? Frequently traveled county roads highlighted in blue. |
January & February
This will take us up to the beginning of migration…
First bird of the year was a
flock of BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS flying over the house before sunrise on
01Jan! Woohoo! A quick start! After a good breakfast (and some feeder watching),
Sarah humored me and came along for a tour of south Brazos County... and I bet
she’s glad she did! A big loop to Cox Cemetery, Allan Farm/Millican area, and
the ponds at Peach Creek Dr/TX 6 yielded a GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, HARRIS’S
SPARROWS, a lone SNOW GOOSE hanging out with a flock of CANADA GEESE, 2 HOODED
MERGANSERS, and a hunting BALD EAGLE!
I went out the next day to
cover the north half of the county. This was, in my opinion, the big unknown. Sure
Lake Bryan is up there, but with the numerous fields, plots, and fencerows, it
was easy to let my imagination get the better of me. This trip didn’t yield
anything particularly unusual, but it was good to explore new territories and
get familiar with the terrain.
All told, January was a
productive month, with other highlights including COMMON GOLDENEYE, MERLIN,
CINNIMON TEAL, PEREGRINE FALCON, ROSS’S GEESE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE,
AMERICAN WOODCOCK, SANDHILL CRANES, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, WHITE-BREASTED
NUTHATCH, and all 3 of our expected OWLS.
 |
| (Clockwise from top left) Speckled-bellies, Ross's and Snow Geese, Sandhills, and a Rufous Hummer |
At the end of the month, I
had 126 species! 126! Don’t let the
grey clouds and cool temps fool you… winter birding is FULL of birds! It’s just
a matter of getting out there and having a look!
With so many birds in
January, February naturally slowed down a bit… kind of. I picked up CATTLE
EGRET, but also had the PURPLE FINCHES reported at Lick Creek Park! Wow! That’s
the kind of bird a Big Year is made of!
 |
| Look at those funny looking sparrows! Oh wait... |
Migration
March to May
In March, we started seeing
the usual early migrants like some grass-pipers, swifts, vireos, and a couple
of warblers. Right on time! But as the spring progressed, it turned into a
major challenge to find the usual species, let alone the rarities! Rain off shore
and between us and the coast was persistent and meant most of our warblers
either landed at the coast and then flew on past us, or never made it to land.
Never the less, I was able
to accumulate 25 warblers, including some tougher finds like GOLDEN-WINGED and
BLUE-WINGED, PROTHONOTARY, and BAY-BREASTED. I was able to find a couple of
other birds that were important for the count total due to their infrequency in
the county, such as EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL, AMERICAN AVOCET, BANK SWALLOW, TREE
SWALLOW, OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, FOX SPARROW, and
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD.
 |
| (Clockwise from top left) Prothonotary Warbler, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Laughing Gull, and American Avocet |
Key to a Big Year is finding
the one-off, unusual, rare, or I-don’t-believe-my-eyes birds… and migration
didn’t disappoint! BOBOLINKS were found in the far northeast corner of the
county! Wow! What a great bird! I dug up and EARED GREBE at Cox, a couple of
RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS at Carter Lake, and a WHITE-TAILED HAWK (that I didn’t
realize until recently) in far northwest part of the county. We also had a
BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO at Brison that Sarah initially found (and we all had to
hunt for) during the Texas Birding Classic at Brison!
 |
| (Clockwise from top left) Bobolinks, Red-breasted Mergansers, Eared Grebe, White-tailed Hawk |
Oh and there was the little
sighting of the SWALLOW-TAILED KITE during the Migration Count… my nemesis
bird!
 |
| Yeah. That's the one. |
Wow. I still can believe it.
That bird cast a long (swallow-tailed) shadow over every other bird this year.
Summer
June and July… and an unexpected interruption!
With the rain hampering my
migration birding, I kept at it. Summer is a great time to find birds that have
finished their nesting and are out and about on a tour of the area. Wood storks
are notorious for this- and one of my hopeful birds that I did NOT find. Two new
birds that did show up were PURPLE GALLINULE and ROSEATE SPOONBILL!
 |
| (Left to right) Roseate Spoonbill (with a Great Egret) and Purple Gallinule |
But then… I got a job out of
town that would take me away from the Brazos Valley.
 |
| Thanks to everyone for the great going away party! |
Bad news for the Brazos Big Year...A job that wasn’t based on
grant money for once! It meant a lot of sacrifices (especially for Sarah) and a
lot of changes, but in the end it was the move we probably had to make.
My
Brazos Big Year, Interrupted.
CBC
The last chance to dance
I managed to pull off a
couple of lucky tricks with my schedule and got to come back to College Station
for several days before the Christmas Bird Count. Woo hoo! I knew some of my
big misses from the year, and where to go looking. My first birding morning
out, I was able to get a couple of CANVASBACK and a bonus BEWICK’S WREN at Cox
Cemetery! The hits kept coming, with a pair of PYRRHULOXIA and SPRAGUE’S PIPITS
turning up in our section! Everyone in the car got looks! Wow what luck!
 |
| (Left to right) Pyrrhuloxia and Sprague's Pipit. Almost too easy! |
FINAL NUMBER
Miles driven/walked: 361
Hours in the field: 219.8
(both of these are underestimates)
Number of birds: 230.
I don’t know if this is the
most ever seen in a year in Brazos County, but it’s a lot. I want to put this number out there to 1) see if anyone
had tried a big year in Brazos County before, and 2) inspire someone in the
future to have a go at it!
My 2015 checklist is below
for anyone that wants to browse it. I’ve also posted everything to Ebird.
There are several big misses
that I was surprised at… no IBIS! Either WHITE or WHITE-FACED! AMERICAN WHITE
PELICANS are a tough find, but do show up. I couldn’t find a BITTERN (AMERICAN
or LEAST) anywhere, and I couldn’t refind the reported SHORT-EARED OWL, Betty’s
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS, Jason Hunt’s VERMILLION FLYCATCHER, or anyone’s HAIRY
or RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS. I missed Bryan’s BULLOCK’S ORIOLE by 30 minutes! I
never could catch up with Mark’s Aggie BARN OWL. And don’t get me started about
the Flycatchers. Guh!
OK, so why on earth did I do this?
One of my main goals in this
little adventure was of course to see as many birds as I could during the
calendar year, but also to bird out-of-the-way or previously unexplored roads,
fields, pull-offs, and fence rows. There are plenty of areas of the county that
aren’t regularly birded because they are out of the way, inconsistently birdy,
or just generally non-descript. But you can only walk the same trails and drive
the same roads so many times!
I encourage anyone reading
this- in Brazos County or beyond- to take a walk, a drive, or an afternoon to
explore a new place. It can be close to home or somewhere completely new.
There’s always a pond, a park, a culvert, a creek, a field, or a fencerow that
could be hiding something special.
And besides, there’s a 100%
chance of not seeing anything if you don’t go and have a look!
Tip Jar
I owe these folks a fine beverage of their choosing
for helping me on this quest
Shirley and Dan Wilkerson-
Rufous Hummingbird and White-breasted Nuthatch
Kate and John Kupps -
Bobolinks
Bryan Calk- Wood Thrush
Charlene Lusk- Pyrrhuloxia
and Sprague’s Pipit
Jackie Girouard- Fox Sparrow
Amy Bishop, Doug Booher-
initial Purple Finch sighting
Bryan Calk- second Purple
Finch sighting
Mark McDermott- American
Avocet and for endless hours of driving back roads, scanning fields and ponds,
and many shared stories
Sarah Laughlin- for putting
up with everything that went along with this past year!
Members of Rio Brazos Audubon and Texas Master Naturalist- Brazos Valley Chapter for inspiring my interest and curiosity in everything outside!
THE BIG LIST!
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Duck and Geese
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Plovers
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Shrikes
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Warblers
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Black-bellied
Whistling-Duck
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Black-bellied Plover
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Loggerhead Shrike
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Northern Waterthrush
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Greater White-fronted
Goose
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American Golden-Plover
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Golden-winged Warbler
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Snow Goose
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Killdeer
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Vireos
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Blue-winged Warbler
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Ross's Goose
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White-eyed Vireo
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Black-and-white Warbler
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Cackling Goose
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Sandpipers
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Yellow-throated Vireo
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Prothonotary Warbler
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Canada Goose
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Spotted Sandpiper
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Blue-headed Vireo
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Swainson's Warbler
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Mute Swan
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Solitary Sandpiper
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Warbling Vireo
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Tennessee Warbler
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Wood Duck
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Greater Yellowlegs
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Philadelphia Vireo
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Orange-crowned Warbler
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Gadwall
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Lesser Yellowlegs
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Red-eyed Vireo
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Nashville Warbler
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American Wigeon
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Upland Sandpiper
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Mourning Warbler
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Mallard
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Baird's Sandpiper
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Crows and Jays
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Kentucky Warbler
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Blue-winged Teal
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Least Sandpiper
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Blue Jay
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Common Yellowthroat
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Cinnamon Teal
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White-rumped Sandpiper
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American Crow
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American Redstart
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Northern Shoveler
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Buff-breasted Sandpiper
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Northern Parula
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Northern Pintail
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Pectoral Sandpiper
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Larks
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Magnolia Warbler
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Green-winged Teal
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Semipalmated Sandpiper
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Horned Lark
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Bay-breasted Warbler
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Canvasback
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Western Sandpiper
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Blackburnian Warbler
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Redhead
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Long-billed Dowitcher
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Swallows
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Yellow Warbler
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Ring-necked Duck
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Wilson's Snipe
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Northern Rough-winged
Swallow
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Chestnut-sided Warbler
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Lesser Scaup
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American Woodcock
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Purple Martin
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Pine Warbler
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Bufflehead
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Tree Swallow
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Yellow-rumped Warbler
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Common Goldeneye
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Gulls and Terns
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Bank Swallow
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Black-throated Green
Warbler
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Hooded Merganser
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Laughing Gull
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Barn Swallow
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Canada Warbler
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Red-breasted Merganser
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Franklin's Gull
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Cliff Swallow
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Wilson's Warbler
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Ruddy Duck
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Ring-billed Gull
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Cave Swallow
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Yellow-breasted Chat
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Black Tern
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Grouse,
Turkeys, Old World Quail
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Forster's Tern
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Chickadees and Titmouse
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Sparrows
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Northern Bobwhite
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Carolina Chickadee
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Grasshopper Sparrow
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Wild Turkey
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Pigeons and Doves
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Tufted Titmouse
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Le Conte's Sparrow
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Rock Pigeon
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Chipping Sparrow
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Grebes and Loons
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Eurasian Collared-Dove
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Creepers and Nuthatches
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Clay-colored Sparrow
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Pied-billed Grebe
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Inca Dove
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White-breasted Nuthatch
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Field Sparrow
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Eared Grebe
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Common Ground-Dove
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Brown Creeper
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Lark Sparrow
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White-winged Dove
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Fox Sparrow
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Cormorants and Darters
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Mourning Dove
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Wrens
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Dark-eyed Junco
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Neotropic Cormorant
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House Wren
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White-crowned Sparrow
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Double-crested Cormorant
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Cuckoos and Roadrunners
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Winter Wren
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Harris's Sparrow
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Anhinga
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Yellow-billed Cuckoo
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Sedge Wren
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White-throated Sparrow
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Black-billed Cuckoo
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Marsh Wren
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Vesper Sparrow
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Herons, Bitterns, and
Allies
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Greater Roadrunner
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Carolina Wren
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Savannah Sparrow
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Great Blue Heron
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Bewick's Wren
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Song Sparrow
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Great Egret
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Owls
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Lincoln's Sparrow
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Snowy Egret
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Eastern Screech-Owl
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Gnatcatchers and
Kinglets
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Swamp Sparrow
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Little Blue Heron
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Great Horned Owl
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Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
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Spotted Towhee
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Cattle Egret
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Barred Owl
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Golden-crowned Kinglet
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Eastern Towhee
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Green Heron
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Ruby-crowned Kinglet
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Yellow-crowned
Night-Heron
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Goatsuckers
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Tanagers
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Roseate Spoonbill
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Common Nighthawk
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Thrushes
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Summer Tanager
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Chuck-will's-widow
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Eastern Bluebird
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Diurnal Raptors
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Eastern Whip-poor-will
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Swainson's Thrush
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Cardinals and
Allies
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Black Vulture
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Hermit Thrush
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Northern Cardinal
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Turkey Vulture
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Swifts
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Wood Thrush
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Pyrrhuloxia
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Osprey
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Chimney Swift
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American Robin
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Rose-breasted Grosbeak
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Swallow-tailed Kite
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Blue Grosbeak
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Mississippi Kite
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Hummingbirds
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Mimids
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Indigo Bunting
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Northern Harrier
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Ruby-throated Hummingbird
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Gray Catbird
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Painted Bunting
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Sharp-shinned Hawk
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Rufous Hummingbird
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Brown Thrasher
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Dickcissel
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Cooper's Hawk
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Northern Mockingbird
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Bald Eagle
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Kingfisher
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Blackbirds
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White-tailed Hawk
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Belted Kingfisher
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Starlings
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Bobolink
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Red-shouldered Hawk
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European Starling
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Red-winged Blackbird
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Broad-winged Hawk
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Woodpeckers
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Western Meadowlark
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Swainson's Hawk
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Red-bellied Woodpecker
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Pipits
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Eastern Meadowlark
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Red-tailed Hawk
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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
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American Pipit
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Yellow-headed Blackbird
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Crested Caracara
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Downy Woodpecker
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Sprague's Pipit
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Brewer's Blackbird
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American Kestrel
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Northern Flicker
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Common Grackle
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Merlin
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Pileated Woodpecker
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Waxwings
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Great-tailed Grackle
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Peregrine Falcon
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Cedar Waxwing
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Brown-headed Cowbird
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Flycatchers
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Orchard Oriole
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Rails, Gallinules, and
Coots
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Olive-sided Flycatcher
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Baltimore Oriole
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Sora
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Eastern Wood-Pewee
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Purple Gallinule
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Acadian Flycatcher
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Finches and such
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Common Gallinule
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Least Flycatcher
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House Finch
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American Coot
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Eastern Phoebe
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Purple Finch
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Great Crested
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Pine Siskin
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Flycatcher
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Cranes
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Western Kingbird
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American Goldfinch
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Sandhill Crane
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Eastern Kingbird
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Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
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Old World Sparrows
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Stilts and Avocets
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House Sparrow
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Black-necked Stilt
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American Avocet
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| One last stop by the Butterfly Gardens! |
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