Region 6
Region VI Central Prairie
Bert Frenz
221 Rainbow Drive
PMB 12190
Livingston, TX 77399-2021
e-mail: bert@bafrenz.com
WARBLERS
WARBLERS REPORTED THIS SEASON - CENTRAL PRAIRIES Golden-winged Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Golden-cheeked Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Pine Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Prothonotary Warbler, Swainson's Warbler, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Louisiana Waterthrush, Kentucky Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Canada Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat. (30).
Golden-winged Warbler: (2) 23 April (David Shackelford), Hensel Park, College Station, Brazos County [occasional].
Golden-winged Warbler: (1) 1 May (Tim Fennell), Granger Lake, Williamson County [rare].
Golden-winged Warbler: (1) 6 May (Derek Muschalek), Adanal Ranch, Karnes County [occasional].
Golden-winged Warbler: (1 male) 6 May (Peter Barnes), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [occasional].
Tennessee Warbler: (17) 6 May (Derek Muschalek), Adanal Ranch, Karnes County [high count].
Northern Parula: (1 male singing on territory) 5 March (Jennifer Reidy, Chris Merkord), Lick Creek Park, Brazos County [early arrival].
Northern Parula: (1) 7 March (Brush Freeman), Utley, Bastrop County [early arrival].
Northern Parula: (2 feeding fledglings) 8 May (Darrell Vollert), Brazos River at US290, Washington County [breeding evidence].
Yellow Warbler: (26) 6 May (Derek Muschalek), Adanal Ranch, Karnes County [high count].
Yellow Warbler: (2 singing) 25 May (Derek Muschalek), his yard, DeWitt County [late migrant?].
Magnolia Warbler: (26) 6 May (Derek Muschalek), Adanal Ranch, Karnes County [high count].
Cape May Warbler: (1) 5-6 May (Derek Muschalek), Huisache grove behind his mailbox, Karnes County [rare].
Cape May Warbler: (1) 9 May (Randy Pinkston), Temple Lions Park, Temple, Bell County [rare].
Golden-cheeked Warbler: (1 male) 20 April (Tim Fennell), Cedar Breaks Park, Lake Georgetown, Williamson County [rare?].
Black-throated Green Warbler: (28) 6 May (Derek Muschalek), Adanal Ranch, Karnes County [high count].
Blackburnian Warbler: (1) 24 May (Brush Freeman), Wilbarger Creek, Bastrop County [somewhat late migrant].
Yellow-throated Warbler: (1 singing male) 28 May (Brush Freeman, Cliff Shackelford), Alum Creek area, Bastrop County [breeding bird; first evidence of breeding since 1992-93; a second individual was singing as though on territory on 22 May in the upper reaches of Alum Creek].
Pine Warbler: (1) 11 April (Darrell Vollert), heard one singing in a stand of medium height Loblolly Pine trees at the intersection of FM390 and SH105, Washington County [rare in April].
Blackpoll Warbler: (1) 4 May (Chris Sargent), Lion's Park, Temple, Bell County [rare migrant].
Black-and-white Warbler: (14) 6 May (Derek Muschalek), Adanal Ranch, Karnes County [high count].
Black-and-white Warbler: (3) 20 May (Brush Freeman, Mark Lockwood), upper drainages of Alum Creek, Bastrop County [breeding probable; territorial behavior].
American Redstart: (11) 6 May (Derek Muschalek), Adanal Ranch, Karnes County [high count].
American Redstart: (25+) 5 May; (30+) 6 May (David Wolf, et al.), Pecan Park, Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County [high counts].
American Redstart: (several) 26 May (Susan Schaezler), her yard, southeast of New Braunfels, Guadalupe County [late migrant].
Prothonotary Warbler: (1) 20 April (David Shackelford), Hensel Park, College Station, Brazos County [few records for College Station, although occasional for the Central Brazos Valley].
Swainson's Warbler: (1) 17 April; 5 May; 8 May (Darrell Vollert), Hwy 290 and Brazos River, Washington County [rare, typical arrival date, known breeding area].
Swainson's Warbler: (1 singing) 17 May but not located thereafter (Darrell Vollert), in a thicket along FM1155 on the north side of downtown Chappell Hill, Washington County [not a known nesting site; Darrell states, "Good habitat for them to nest in, as there is a creek nearby … That warbler may have been a young male or just out of his normal territory."].
Swainson's Warbler: (1 singing) 18 April and 26 May (Darrell Vollert), Jackson Creek near Gaskamp Road and SH105, Washington County [nesting bird].
Swainson's Warbler: (1) 27 May (Darrell Vollert), Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [rare].
Darrell, "On Sunday, May 27th in the morning- while doing my weekly bird survey of Clarann Estate- I heard a Swainson's Warbler singing north of Cedar Creek. The song was very faint and at the threshold of my hearing. I decided to cross the creek and try to find the singing warbler. The bird song led me to area that was slightly open with leaf litter covering the forest floor. It was moist woodland as well, very good habitat for nesting Swainson's Warblers. I could not see the warbler. He then flew into a thicket that was impenetratable. I decided to leave and was on my way back to the creek, but then I heard the Swainson's Warbler singing again in the original area where I heard him singing. I decided to be patient hoping he would pop up on an exposed perch. After waiting for about 10 minutes the Swainson's Warbler flew up to an exposed perch about 25 feet above the ground and began singing. I watched him for approximately 5 minutes before he flew away to the east. I wonder if this Swainson's has been at that site for very long this spring. The forest is fairly large and he could have been in the northern region of the forest and therefore I could not hear him singing. Or he could be a young male trying to establish a territory. I doubt if he is a late migrant."
Swainson's Warbler: (4 breeding territories) 20-28 May (Brush Freeman), Alum Creek, Bastrop County [good showing for the county].
Swainson's Warbler: (2) 30 May (Derek Hill, Brian Gibbons), at southern entrance, southwest of the dam off 488, Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [rare].
Ovenbird: (5) 6 May (Derek Muschalek), Adanal Ranch, Karnes County [high count].
Northern Waterthrush: (1) 24 May (Derek Muschalek), 6 miles southeast of Gillett, Karnes County [late migrant].
Louisiana Waterthrush: (4) 31 March (Derek Muschalek), six miles southeast Gillett, Karnes County [unusually large number].
Louisiana Waterthrush: (4) 20 May (Brush Freeman, Mark Lockwood), upper drainages of Alum Creek, Bastrop County [breeding probable; territorial behavior].
Kentucky Warbler: (17+ territories of breeding birds) 20-28 May (Brush Freeman, Mark Lockwood), upper drainages of Alum Creek, Bastrop County [breeding probable; territorial behavior].
Kentucky Warbler: (5-10) 30 May (Derek Hill, Brian Gibbons), at southern entrance, southwest of the dam off 488, Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [rare in region].
Common Yellowthroat: (4-5 singing on territory?) 30 May (Derek Hill, Brian Gibbons), at northern entrance, off Hwy 287 east of the dam, Richland Creek WMA, Freestone County [probable breeder, previously unreported for the Central Brazos Valley].
Common Yellowthroat is an uncommon migrant in May but rarely to the last week of May. Heretofore, breeding has not been established in the Central Brazos Valley and except for Richland Creek WMA, there is only one other record of yellowthroats staying beyond May; BLOT lists the breeding period as early April to mid-July with eggs 9 April to 22 June and the migration period from mid-April to mid-May with extremes of 4 June and 4 July. Subsequent discussions with Peter Barnes brought to light that in 2000 he found yellowthroats on three occasions in June and once in July, strongly supporting the speculation that the species breeds at the WMA. He also found one on 2 June 2001.
Hooded Warbler: (1 adult male) 23 March (Darrell Vollert), Margie Young's yard in Brenham, Washington County [typical arrival date by Central Brazos Valley records].
Hooded Warbler: (1 male singing) 1 April and 19 May (Darrell Vollert), along Cedar Creek at Clarann Estate, Chappell Hill, Washington County [probable breeder].
Hooded Warbler: (11 breeding territories) 20-28 May (Brush Freeman), Alum Creek, Bastrop County [good showing for the county].