The CyFair college campus on Barker Cypress Road has been quiet for birds for several months but the arrival of fall has certainly changed that. Yesterday morning I spent just over an hour birding the campus and I listed 25 species.
The retention ponds had Great and Snowy Egrets. The parking lots had Common and Great-tailed Grackles. The soccer fields had Killdeer (12 of them), Mourning Doves, Loggerhead Shrike and European Starlings, while the standing water behind them had more Killdeer, a Lesser Yellowlegs, three Least Sandpipers, and a Solitary Sandpiper (my first of 2008). Everywhere had N. Mockingbirds.
The area near the mobile buildings had Sedge and House Wrens, plus a FOS Lincoln's Sparrow.The nature trail had Red-winged Blackbirds, a Brown-headed Cowbird, Northern Cardinals, Carolina Chickadees, a Blue Jay, an Eastern Phoebe and two Scissor-tailed Flycatchers. Flyovers included 6 Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and 4 White Ibis.
The bird of the day was a Nashville Warbler, my first of 2008, near the nature trail. There were at least two other warblers in the area but I didn't have enough time to wait to ID them. I do hate how work interferes with birding!
P.S.
This morning, I saw a pair of Pine Warblers near the college nature trail.
4 comments:
That is a very impressive list for any time of the year.
I think it's as long a list as I've ever had for our campus, even though I spent less time than usual birding there on Tuesday.
Jeff,
I just found your blog via Birdfreak's link page, and was ecstatic to find someone writing about birds and such in places that I know.
Congrats on such a successful birding experience at the school. That's quite a list you compiled in one outing!
Just curious, but in your previous post are you talking about Spring Creek Park, off Brown Road and 249? If so, I'm glad to hear it survived Ike so well. It's probably been almost a year since I've been there.
I'm not sure if you've ever spent any time at Burroughs Park (just west of Tomball off 2920). My kids and I went there a couple of weeks after Ike passed through. I'm happy to report that, while we saw plenty of damage and downed trees on the way, the park itself weathered the storm pretty well.
Happy belated birthday!
~Kyle
Hi, Kyle.
Yes, the park I mentioned is the one of 249, just behind Tomball College.
I have been to Burroughs Park. If I have time, I'll try to visit it this weekend.
Do you know the Birdwoman blog? She lives in Tomball. There's a link on my page.
Jeff
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