Brewster County Birding Karma

This is our preliminary 'weekend' report (our weekend is Tues/Weds), with notable sighitngs in bold. While Rose-breasted Grosbeak was reported from Rio Grande Village as well as Christmas Mountains Oasis, we missed them along with Crissal Thrasher. But for very little effort we racked up a good number of critters. So, so many critters.

Report Details
Date range: May 1, 2011 - May 7, 2011 Total # of Species: 92
Total # of Checklists: 8
Location(s): Big Bend NP--Rio Grande Village; Big Bend Ranch SP - Barton Warnock Visitors Ctr. (Brewster Co.); Brewster; Christmas Mountain Oasis; Terlingua- Ghost Town area


Summary
May 1 May 2 May 3 May 4 May 5 May 6 May 7
Number of Species -- 6 63 77 -- -- --
Number of Individuals -- 3 40 1 -- -- --
Number of Checklists -- 2 5 1 -- -- --


Highest Count for a Species Show Sample Size
Species Name May 1 May 2 May 3 May 4 May 5 May 6 May 7
Mallard (Mexican) -- -- -- X -- -- --
Scaled Quail -- X X X -- -- --
Green Heron -- -- -- X -- -- --
Black Vulture -- -- -- X -- -- --
Turkey Vulture -- -- X X -- -- --
Northern Harrier -- 1 -- -- -- -- --
Common Black-Hawk -- -- -- X -- -- --
Gray Hawk -- -- -- X -- -- --
Zone-tailed Hawk -- -- 1 X -- -- --
Red-tailed Hawk -- -- 1 -- -- -- --
American Kestrel -- -- 1 -- -- -- --
Killdeer -- -- X X -- -- --
Solitary Sandpiper -- -- -- X -- -- --
Eurasian Collared-Dove -- -- 2 -- -- -- --
White-winged Dove -- -- X X -- -- --
Mourning Dove -- X X X -- -- --
Common Ground-Dove -- -- -- X -- -- --
Greater Roadrunner -- -- X X -- -- --
Elf Owl -- 1 -- -- -- -- --
White-throated Swift -- -- -- X -- -- --
Lucifer Hummingbird -- -- 2 -- -- -- --
Black-chinned Hummingbird -- -- 5 -- -- -- --
Golden-fronted Woodpecker -- -- X X -- -- --
Ladder-backed Woodpecker -- 1 1 X -- -- --
Gray Flycatcher -- -- X X -- -- --
Dusky Flycatcher -- -- X -- -- -- --
Black Phoebe -- -- -- X -- -- --
Say's Phoebe -- -- X X -- -- --
Vermilion Flycatcher -- -- X X -- -- --
Ash-throated Flycatcher -- -- X X -- -- --
Western Kingbird -- -- 1 X -- -- --
Loggerhead Shrike -- -- -- X -- -- --
Bell's Vireo -- -- X X -- -- --
Plumbeous Vireo -- -- -- X -- -- --
Common Raven -- -- X X -- -- --
Northern Rough-winged Swallow -- -- -- X -- -- --
Barn Swallow -- -- 2 X -- -- --
Cliff Swallow -- -- -- X -- -- --
Verdin -- -- 1 X -- -- --
Cactus Wren -- -- X X -- -- --
House Wren -- -- 1 -- -- -- --
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher -- -- -- X -- -- --
Swainson's Thrush -- -- 2 X -- -- --
Hermit Thrush -- -- -- X -- -- --
Gray Catbird -- -- -- X -- -- --
Northern Mockingbird -- -- X X -- -- --
Curve-billed Thrasher -- -- X X -- -- --
Nashville Warbler -- -- 2 X -- -- --
Yellow Warbler -- -- X X -- -- --
Yellow-rumped Warbler -- -- X X -- -- --
Townsend's Warbler -- -- -- X -- -- --
Black-and-white Warbler -- -- -- X -- -- --
American Redstart -- -- -- X -- -- --
Ovenbird -- -- -- X -- -- --
Northern Waterthrush -- -- -- X -- -- --
MacGillivray's Warbler -- -- -- X -- -- --
Common Yellowthroat -- -- -- X -- -- --
Wilson's Warbler -- -- X X -- -- --
Yellow-breasted Chat -- -- X X -- -- --
Green-tailed Towhee -- -- 2 X -- -- --
Canyon Towhee -- X X -- -- -- --
Chipping Sparrow -- -- X X -- -- --
Clay-colored Sparrow -- -- X X -- -- --
Brewer's Sparrow -- -- X X -- -- --
Vesper Sparrow -- -- X X -- -- --
Lark Sparrow -- -- X X -- -- --
Black-throated Sparrow -- -- X X -- -- --
Lark Bunting -- -- 3 X -- -- --
Savannah Sparrow -- -- X -- -- -- --
Lincoln's Sparrow -- -- -- X -- -- --
White-crowned Sparrow -- -- X X -- -- --
Summer Tanager -- -- -- X -- -- --
Scarlet Tanager -- -- -- 1 -- -- --
Western Tanager -- -- 3 X -- -- --
Northern Cardinal -- -- X X -- -- --
Pyrrhuloxia -- -- X X -- -- --
Black-headed Grosbeak -- -- 2 X -- -- --
Blue Grosbeak -- -- X X -- -- --
Lazuli Bunting -- -- 1 X -- -- --
Indigo Bunting -- -- X X -- -- --
Varied Bunting -- -- 3 -- -- -- --
Painted Bunting -- -- X X -- -- --
Red-winged Blackbird -- -- X -- -- -- --
Yellow-headed Blackbird -- -- 1 -- -- -- --
Brewer's Blackbird -- -- X X -- -- --
Brown-headed Cowbird -- -- X X -- -- --
Hooded Oriole -- -- -- X -- -- --
Bullock's Oriole -- -- X X -- -- --
Scott's Oriole -- -- 1 X -- -- --
House Finch -- -- X X -- -- --
American Goldfinch -- -- 1 -- -- -- --
House Sparrow -- -- X X -- -- --


Northern Harrier - adult male, VERY late!
Common Black-Hawk - in the nesting area at RGV
Gray Hawk - pair calling over RGV store and Daniel's Ranch
Zone-tailed Hawk - at least 3 individuals in the region
Elf Owl - heard only at CMO
Lucifer Hummingbird - displaying at CMO
Black-and-white Warbler - still haven't left?
American Redstart - young male
Ovenbird - out in the open acting like a pipit, palest crown markings we've ever seen
Northern Waterthrush - waggling through flooded campground
MacGillivray's Warbler - wins the least cooperative bird of the trip award
Green-tailed Towhee - EVERYWHERE, very strange!
Lark Bunting - still. not. gone.
Scarlet Tanager - startled us by cooperating near Daniel's Ranch
Lazuli Bunting - two males and a female at RGV, female at CMO
Indigo Bunting - quite common around RGV
Varied Bunting - CMO, most cooperative sightings of this spp to date
Painted Bunting - worse than Wilson's Warblers!

Eventually we'll get the numbers deciphered from notes, but the sheer number of Indigo and Painted Buntings was mind-boggling. Now we know why the rest of west TX has no other birds; they're still hanging around BBNP!