Fairly brief report, see the flickr album for many additional photos.
Wednesday 7/10: Morning flight via Chicago. Arrived in Austin midafternoon, got the car quickly and headed somewhat north before pulling off and finding a supermarket. Got a few supplies then picked an area with hotels in Cedar Creek. First of many Scissor-tailed Flycatchers on the wires along the way. Dinner at Popeye’s.
Thursday 7/11: Had most of the day free before getting to the meeting hotel late afternoon. Plan was to try for the two central Texas endemic breeding birds: Black-capped Vireo and Golden-cheeked Warbler. It’s a bit late in the year but not impossibly so. The obvious spot for the vireo is the Shin Oak Observation Deck, so I pulled in there right at 7:30. It was a bit cloudy (and actually sprinkling a bit). I immediately realized I barely recognized any song. The bunting in the parking lot proved to be a Painted. Several vireos were singing, some were obvious White-eyed but others I wasn’t sure about (in hindsight, one was a Black-capped). I sat around for an hour without any sign before deciding to move on. Back at the car, some movement in the taller trees got my attention and turned out to be a warbler! Talking to locals later, this was a pretty good bird for the spot this late in the year.
Thursday 8/2: Left the house around 8, was at the Longmeadow sand bar just after 9:30. About the second bird I saw was a juvenile tern, so doubled back for the scope. It appeared to be a Common (first one this year in the county). Decent bit of other stuff including an egret, a few other herons, a peep, etc. On to Fannie Stebbins. Hot and steamy plus wet trails made for a quiet walk. Tried Bondi’s Island next but I wasn’t up for dealing with the dump and moved on.
On Saturday I headed west hoping for a few new dragonflies for the year (and for my county list). First stop was the Nashua River in Shirley, which is a good spot for Arrow and Zebra Clubtails (not that I’ve seen them yet). A few things flying around when I arrived proved to be mostly Illinois River Cruisers with a Black-shouldered Spinyleg or two, both new for the year. Unfortunately after maybe 15 minutes of wading around, it clouded up and activity dropped. I checked the radar, saw one little spot over where I was heading but figured it would clear by then, so off towards Ashby I went.
