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Selected Bird Reports, August 2005
August usually marks the first big push of “fall” passerine migrants. This August was kind of sparse for the passerines, but shorebirds made up the difference. With good water levels and shoreline in the ponds and polders, “good” shorebirds were almost a daily occurrence.

Ducks began to return to Bexar County, with flocks of Blue-winged Teal at Mitchell Lake throughout the month, 2 Green-winged Teal and Northern Shovelers there on the 25th (HR). The most unusual duck reported, although not entirely unexpected, was a Mottled Duck on Bird Pond at Mitchell Lake for much of the month (m.o.). Reddish Egret have become a rare, but almost annual visitor in the county in late summer. This pattern held up with a white morph Reddish Egret at Mitchell Lake on the 28th (MR). Wood Stork have been scarce this year, so one flying over Mitchell Lake on the 11th was a good find (GS). A Harris’s Hawk was seen in the egret colony at Bird Pond on the 9th and 25th (GS and HR). A Purple Gallinule was present on Bird Pond at least from the 20th (DP) through the 23rd.

August is shorebird season. Black-bellied Plovers were present at Mitchell Lake on the 14th (MR, SC). Semipalmated plovers were present at several times throughout the month (m.o.), and at least one Snowy Plover was present from the 25th on (HR). Willet were present throughout the month, with a high count of at least 13 (m.o), and 1 juvenile Marbled Godwit was present for much of the month. Sanderling were present from the 25th to the end of the month (HR). Buff-breasted Sandpipers were reported on the 15th at Blue Wing Road sod farms (MC) and the 22nd at Mitchell Lake (MR). Wilson’s Phalarope swelled from 2 on the 8th (MC) to more than 500 on the 22nd (MR). Red-necked Phalaropes were reported on the 13th (MC) and the 20th through 22nd (DP, m.o.). In all, 25 species of shorebird were reported at Mitchell Lake during the month.

Beyond shorebirds, other migrants began to make their appearance. The first Rufous Hummingbirds for the area were reported on the 11th (GS, CB). Two Ringed Kingfishers were seen near Mission San Juan on the 14th (MMS). A Yellow-throated Vireo was reported in Guadalupe County on the 27th, along with a very early Wood Thrush (6th) and Swainson’s Thrush (31st; all SS).

First of season migrant warblers were represented by a Yellow Warbler and a Wilson’s Warbler in Guadalupe County on the 7th (MP), a Black-throated Green Warbler along Avenue A on the 15th (MC), a Northern Waterthrush on the 22nd and a Louisiana Waterthrush (late) on the 28th, both by SS in Guadalupe County, and a Hooded Warbler at Mitchell Lake on the 25th (HR). The first Baltimore Orioles of the season were reported on the 17th at Mitchell Lake ( HR, GS) and became widespread for the remainder of the month.

Observers: Charles Boone (CB), Sheridan Coffey (SC), Mike Creese (MC), David Goodrich (DG), Bill Holliday (BH), Barbara Lapp (BL), Greg Lisciandro (GL), Derek Muschalek (DM), Maren Phillips (MP), David Pueppke (DP), Martin Reid (MR), Helen Rejzek (HR), Susan Schaezler (SS), Georgina Schwartz (GS), Mike and Mathilde Scully (MMS), multiple observers (m.o.)

Reports are compiled by Georgina Schwartz and written up by Bob Doe. All reports go to the Bird Records Committee, even if they don’t appear here. Thanks for your submissions! Send your reports to <birdreports@saaudubon.org> or Bob Doe, 748 Copper Rim, Spring Branch, TX 78070. Report your birds using the online form at <www.saaudubon.org/birdreportform.html>, call them to the club’s tape at 308-6788, or paper forms can be had at any SAAS meeting or by mail from the club address.

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