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Seasonal Reports

Winter 2003

Region 3

Summary

Grebes to Nightjars

Hummingbirds to Finches 

Summary

The first freeze of the season occurred on 11/28/02 when the morning low was 28.5°F [1].  This was the latest first freeze of the year for Overton, TX in the past 6 years.  This was not surprising, since most of the fall was wet and warm with mild temperatures (see Region III report for Fall 2002), but several strong, early cold fronts left many feeling like this would be a colder winter.  However, weather in between fronts was warm and sunny.  This warming and cooling weather pattern continued throughout the season.  As a result, the average daily temperatures for each month were not significantly different from 30-year averages (t-test, all p>>.025, a=.05).  Rainfall amounts for December (10.30 inches) and February (7.74 inches) were well above 30-year averages of 4.62 and 3.87 inches, respectively [1,2].  January at 0.65 inches was well below the 30-year average of 4.36 inches [1,2].  However, overall precipitation was high and many area lakes and reservoirs were at full capacity throughout the winter. 

Late freezes, warming and cooling trends, and high rainfall amounts, what affect did this have on birds in the East Texas region?  This season was excellent for rarities as can be seen by the highlighted species below.  This winter seemed particularly good for western strays.  Western Grebe, Cinnamon Teal, Vermilion Flycatcher, Mountain Bluebird, Western Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, and a first East Texas record Lesser Goldfinch, were all reported this past season.  Other excellent finds included a Barrow’s Goldeneye, Black-headed Gull, Little Gull, and the Couch’s Kingbird (seen since November).  Great-tailed Grackle (first Nacogdoches county record) and Bronzed Cowbird (2^nd report this year with the first East Texas record being last May) were both recorded in the Pineywoods and could represent a continued expansion of these species into our region. 

The warmer temperatures between fronts may have helped a few species hang around (winter?) longer than expected.  There were several reports (and too many to be mentioned here) from all over the region of White-eyed Vireos, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Gray Catbirds, and Common Yellowthroats.  Amazingly, a Louisiana Waterthrush remained near Longview for only our 2^nd winter record!   In addition, typical winter residents were in good numbers.  This meant many CBC’s experienced near record high counts.  Good to exceptional numbers of American Robins, Cedar Waxwings, Rusty Blackbirds, Common Grackles, and American Goldfinches were reported.  Cedar Waxwings and American Goldfinches were in large concentrations early in the season (December), but seemed to disappear sometime in January, possibly to areas further south.  Ironically, on my recent trip to El Salvador I saw several hundred Cedar Waxwings.  Were some of these flocks birds that had left Nacogdoches sometime in January? 

Absent from all of this activity were the seed-finches.  Purple Finch and Pine Siskin were nearly absent from the Pineywoods this winter.  The few reports are listed below.  It is clear that ground-foraging species (e.g. American Robin and Rusty Blackbird) experienced adverse conditions (frozen ground and snow?) to the north and contributed to their increase into our region.  However, Purple Finch and Pine Siskin must be finding favorable conditions and food (large seed crop or backyard feeders?) to the north that prevent them from making the journey south.  It did appear that winter conditions to the north were extreme and snowfall amounts were above average. 

[1] Data taken from the Texas A&M University Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Overton, Texas.  Overton is about 60 miles northwest of Nacogdoches, TX.  Information can be accessed from their website at: http://etweather.tamu.edu.

[2] Data taken from The Weather Channel website at: www.weather.com. 

I would like to thank Peter Barnes, Matt White, and David Wolf for submitting reports and helping with this write-up.  High-counts and birds that are rare in the Pineywoods for this time period are in bold.  Species that are very rare or casual for this time period are bold and underlined.   All other species reported are underlined.  A useful reference when birding in the Pineywoods of East Texas is:

Wolf, David E., Clifford E. Shackelford, Guy G. Luneau, and C. Dean Fisher.  2001.  Birds of the Pineywoods of Eastern Texas: A Field Checklist.  Texas Parks and Wildlife PWD BK W7000-603 (01/01).  12pp.

The taxonomic order follows (as closely as possible) that of the A.O.U. Checklist of North American Birds 7^th edition and supplements.

Observers:  Peter Barnes (PB), Nancy Bird (NB), David Brotherton (DB), Walt Brotherton (WB), Claudia De La Cruz (CC), Louis Debetaz (LD), Dr. Charles Ealy (CE), Jesse Fagan (JF), Dr. Charles Dean Fisher (CDF), Sandy Gipson (SG), Georgette Guernsey (GG), Ron Gutberlet (RG), Peggy Harding (PH), Roger Hughes (RH), Shirley Hughes (SH), Diane Jones (DJ), Guy Luneau (GL), many observers (m.o.), Dorothy Metzler (DM), Charles Mills (CMi), Fran Monroe (FM), Robert Monroe (RM), Carroll Moore (CM), Jason Pike (JP), Pineywoods Audubon Society (PAS), Dick Pike (DP), Geraldine Pike (GP), Randy Pinkston (RP), Truman Powell (TP), Eddie Ray (ER), David Ringer (DR), Cliff Shackelford (CS), Rick Schaefer (RS), Cecily Sterling (CS), Randy Treadway (RTr), Robert Truss (RT), David Weaver (DWe), Carol Wells (CW), Matt White (MW), David Wolf (DW), Mimi Hoppe Wolf (MW)

# of observers:  39+

# of counties mentioned:  16 out of 39 counties (16/39 or 41% of coverage area)