Field Trip to Hardin County, June 2, 2007

Field trip to Hardin County, June 2, 2007

The purpose of this field trip is not to amass the largest number of species possible, but to seek good views of the breeding birds of the southern Big Thicket. The 2007 Field Trip was very successful in this respect.

The morning of June 2nd dawned clear, but, in Hardin County a least, with fog that reduced visibility quite substantially. Birds are generally not very active in foggy weather, so we waited while one group sought out facilities (and we suspect, the gastronomic offerings in Silsbee in the early morning, severely limited as they are).

We proceeded, as usual, to our first birding area, Firetower Road. This is off Old Kountze Road, immediately north of FM 418 (at a point just west of the junction with FM 1122 and right opposite the South Hampton refinery). Proceeding slowly up Firetower Road, we did not see any of the Eastern Bluebirds that normally are around. They presumably were still sleeping because trying to catch insects in the fog is likely unproductive. We stopped at the first creek crossing, marked as Dry Creek on maps. This area, still very trashy, has gradually produced fewer and fewer birds as the years have passed. We did manage glimpses of a calling White-eyed Vireo, reasonable views of two Carolina Wrens, a treetop view of a Red-eyed Vireo, and a distant call of a Pine Warbler.

The tactic in birding Firetower Road is to drive slowly up the road, listening for calls, stopping when something interesting is heard, and in locations that have proven productive in previous years. In between Dry Creek and our first stop, we heard another White-eyed Vireo , and saw a female Northern Cardinal, and a lone Cattle Egret.

We stopped again, more or less in the first area away from houses. Tufted Titmice were active, with an estimate of five for the stop. Two Red-bellied Woodpeckers were around, as were a pair of Carolina Chickadees. A Yellow-billed Cuckoo, somewhat uncharacteristically allowed good views at not too great distances. A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was, predictably, easily coaxed into good close views. Four American Crows flew past in the distance, and we hears a Carolina Wren and two White-eyed Vireos.

Moving on, we stopped on hearing a calling Swainson's Warbler. This bird was very cooperative, and everyone got good close looks at it. Higher in the pine trees were four Brown-headed Nuthatches., a pair of Carolina Chickadees, while a one year old White-eyed Vireo, still not showing a white eye, was much lower. In addition, we saw two more American Crows, a Black Vulture, a Northern Cardinal, and heard a Downy Woodpecker, a Red-bellied Woodpecker and a fairly distant Hooded Warbler.

While en route to the next stop, some participants saw a Pileated Woodpecker fly across the road. The next stop was at the edge of an area with pine trees of the size (10-15 feet) normally favored by Prairie Warblers. With some difficulty one male was lured into view, but spent most of his time with the sun behind him. At this stop, we also had two Brown-headed Nuthatches, a Pine Warbler (male) that was actually visible, and a Brown Thrasher that perched in mid-story for a short time. We heard a very distant Painted Bunting, and a Yellow-breasted Chat.

At the next stop, we parked and walked a short distance in from the road along a logging road to view an area that has been productive in past years. The pines in the area are growing, and this may be the last year this area will be so productive. A male Indigo Bunting was seen at a great distance at the top of a deciduous bush of some kind and soon enticed to come much closer, but it was very flighty, and did not stay on one perch for more than a second or two. However, we were also able to attract a male Painted Bunting, which stayed still for prolonged views at close distances. A Yellow-breasted Chat was in the vicinity, and perched up once, and made a quick flight on another occasion, but did not give satisfactory views. Another male Prairie Warbler was more cooperative. We also heard two more Swainson's Warblers, a White-eyed Vireo, a Pine Warbler and a Great Crested Flycatcher.

At the next stop, a large kettle of vultures, comprising both Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures soared overhead. Among them, and eventually climbing above them was a Buteo. This bird was missing a significant number of flight feathers in the wings, and some tail feathers. The most obvious field marks were black wing linings, well in excess of the normal patagial markings on a light phase Red-tailed Hawk. The rest of the undersides were light. No color could be detected in the tail. The missing feathers made it very difficult to determine the true shape of the wing. Presumably it was either a Red-tailed Hawk with at least some dark phase features or a youngish Swainson's Hawk. A male Prairie Warble was also seen, and both Swainson's and Hooded Warblers and Yellow-bellied Chat were heard.

The next stop on the edge of a somewhat overgrown previously clear cut area at the transition to tall mature trees, where a male blue Grosbeak was seen briefly perched on top of a young pine. Two Swainson's Warblers all but attacked us, and continued to call loudly the entire time we stayed there. A male Hooded Warbler came out to investigate us, and perched above us where all could see. Normally, Hooded Warblers, so very easy to see on migration, are extremely difficult to coax into view on the breeding ground, normally preferring to stay well hidden in dense low underbrush. A Great Crested Flycatcher was also seen. We repeatedly heard the call of a Wood Thrush, but nothing we did brought it out of hiding. Pine Warbler and White-eyed Vireo were also heard.

En route to the next stop, we heard at least two more Swainson's Warbler, and a Pine Warbler. At the stop, we saw yet another male Indigo Bunting, and finally lured a Yellow-breasted Chat into plain view for all to see. We heard a Pileated Woodpecker in the distance, and yet another Swainson's Warbler. A Hummingbird zipped past so quickly that only one member of our party saw it.

En route to Gore Store Road a Great Blue Heron was seen lumbering across our path. We heard another Indigo Bunting, another Pine Warbler, three Hooded Warblers, and a Carolina Chickadee. The hour was wearing on, so we elected to omit a side excursion down the road to Camp Waluta that we have made in previous years. The pines along this road are now quite mature, and comprise monocultures of same age trees, a situation which is very unfavorable for birdlife. In addition, the road is narrow and somewhat soft after the first mile or so.

Stopping immediately after turning west along Gore Store Road produced two more male Indigo Buntings, and, after some coaxing, a Gray Catbird perched up for a good while. A little further along two White-eyed Vireos, a Swainson's Warbler and a Pine Warbler could all be heard.

As we began to descend toward the Beech Creek bottomlands, we stopped as son as we reached a swampy area. After prolonged coaxing, a male Prothonotary Warbler was goaded into investigating us, and eventually gave us all good looks. At the Beech Creek crossing itself, we heard a Vireo call that sounded suspiciously slower than a Red-eyed call, and, sure enough, a Yellow-throated Vireo spent the next few minutes bounding from tree to tree to check us out. A "real" Red-eyed Vireo also came out to see us. A not commonly heard buzzy song turned out to be a pair of Northern Parulas which were induced to come down from their lofty domain. Then we spotted a small Empidonax Flycatcher, uncharacteristically high in a tree. We were discussing the ID when it came down to the water and began calling, confirming it was an Acadian. It began to take splash baths, dipping into the water and then perching on a low hanging branch on the bank to shake the water off. Another call from a different place confirmed there were in fact two (and maybe even three) of them. A Red-bellied Woodpecker was heard in the distance, as well as another Prothonotary Warbler.

At that point, being near noon, we declared the Field Trip completed. Altogether, this was one of the most successful fields trips to the area. Not only were Swainson's Warblers so numerous that the species was actually the most numerous Warbler that we recorded (although we confess that some Pine Warbler vocalizations may not have been added to the written list), but we had good views of at least three of them, and good views of almost every other species nesting in the area. We normally have difficulty luring a Hooded Warbler into view, and only rarely are we treated to good views of Acadian Flycatchers. Hooded Warblers were perhaps less numerous than usual in the areas the trip birded, although they seem to be more normal elsewhere in the area. Sometimes, we do not even record Prothonotary Warbler, although the habitat in the Beech Creek bottoms is wetter this year than in recent memory.

For those who prefer a walking birding trip rather than a "drive and stop" trip, we would recommend the Kirby Nature Trail in the Turkey Creek Unit of the Big Thicket National Preserve. Although the thick understory will probably mean you will hear many more birds than you will see, bird activity was recently at a high level there, even in the normally slower middle part of the day. The trail goes through a number of moist wooded areas, and crosses both Village Creek and Turkey Creek. The well marked trailhead, with toilets and water fountains, is reached by going west along FM420 about three miles from the Big Thicket NP Visitor Center on Highway 96 seven miles north of Kountze.

John A. Whittle

June 3, 2007

Total: 45 species