Region 4
Summary
Region 4 - Trans-Pecos
Compiled by Carol E. Edwards
region4@texasbirds.org
Summary
The Trans Pecos reporting area includes a total of 31,469 square miles but only nine counties. The area has a great diversity of habitat including mountain islands, riparian valleys, desert scrub, highland grasslands and man-made lakes and ponds. This reporting area includes two national parks, several state parks and a large preserve owned by The Nature Conservancy of Texas.
Most of the people contributing sighting reports commented about the exceptionally warm winter and the higher than normal amounts of rain, especially in February. Big Bend National Park received from one inch to 1.70 inches of rain ABOVE the same period for last year. (The Chisos Basin received 1.82 inches total.) Likewise, John Sproul reports that in El Paso, “Rainfall for the period (3.02”) was above average (1.63”).
And, Barry Zimmer also from El Paso comments, “This was an exceptionally warm winter in far west Texas. Starting in early January most days reached 60 or higher. The fall rains combined with the warm temps to produce a fantastic wildflower display (especially Mexican Poppies in the Franklin Mountains). Poppies started blooming in late December (!) and by about the10th of February were blanketing the east slopes of the mountains. “
All contributors agreed that the warm, wet winter season encouraged good wintering bird populations. Barry Zimmer commented that swallows, shorebirds, ibis, etc. wintered further north than normal, while Mark Flippo in Big Bend National Park attributed the mild and wet conditions to good winter populations of flycatchers, bluebirds, mimids, and sparrows. Birders on the annual Christmas Counts in the national park (December 28-29), noted improved food crop conditions, and species and individual numbers were up over the previous year.
In the Region there
were five Texas Review Species (noted in the report with capital
letters): Euasian Wigeon, Northern Goshawk, Costa’s Hummingbird,
Varied Thrush, and Clark’s Nutcracker.
There were several reports of unusual species during the period in BBNP, all of which lacked sufficient detail or any follow-up reports to confirm the observations. Short-tailed Hawk 2 miles south of Dugout Wells on 2/14 (first documented park record was 4/28/02:Benesh); two Pauraques along the Boquillas Canyon road on 2/05, (no previous records); Bendire's Thrasher at RGV on 1/25 (nine previous reports but none documented/accepted): Eastern Towhee in the Chisos Basin on January 2 (only accepted Trans-Pecos record March 4-22, 1987 in El Paso County - per Peterson & Zimmer); and a Summer Tanager at Sam Nail Ranch on 1/19 (normally not in the park in winter).
Abbreviations used include: BBNP = Big Bend National Park; CBC = Christmas Bird Count; and RGV= Rio Grande Village)
Special thanks to people contributing to this report: Mark Adams, Kelly Bryan, Mark Lockwood, Jim Paton, Marcy Scott, John Sproul, Jimmy Zabriskie and Barry Zimmer.