Mark W. Lockwood 
Eric Carpenter 
Willie Sekula 
T he weather events that dominated the 
season were the landfalls of two tropi- 
cal storms on the Upper Texas Coast 
and some rainfall from a third. The eastern 
half of the state was in a significant dry peri- 
od when these storms began to make landfall, 
starting with Tropical Storm Edouard in early 
August and followed by the remnants of Hur- 
ricane Gustav in early September, and Hurri- 
cane Ike on 13 September. Despite these 
storms, the rainfall total at Houston at the end 
of the period was still just 79 cm, or 36.5 cm 
below normal. Although Edouard and Gustav 
brought much-needed rain to the eastern 
third of the state, Ike devastated habitats 
along the immediate coast with a storm surge 
of 3-4.5 meters. The slow-moving storm 
heavily impacted woodland habitats, and 
these areas along with millions of acres of 
coastal prairie were flooded with salt water. 
The impact on the birds was dramatic, with 
most of these areas missing their permanent 
residents in the weeks after the storm. This is 
the third year in a row that Upper Texas Coast 
coastal woodlands, particularly those at High 
Island and Sabine Pass, have been negatively 
impacted by hurricanes. Ike carried large 
numbers of Brown Pelicans, Magnificent 
Frigatebirds, Laughing Gulls, and other 
coastal species inland. 
WATERFOWL THROUGH 
FRIGATEBIRDS 
Eleven Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks in jack 
8 Aug (ReC, RCh) provided still another sign 
of range expansion, while 35 in Van Zandt 25 
Nov (HB) was a high count and a late sighting. 
An impressive count of 250 Fulvous 
Whistling-Ducks was noted at San Bernard 
N.W.R., Brazoria 10 Aug (CRi, MGr, RW). In- 
land Surf Scoters included one at Red Bluff L., 
Reeves 25 Oct-12 Nov (AnH, SW) and 2 at 
Firehouse Pond, Grayson 15 Nov (GC, TR, 
m.ob.). Lake O’ The Pines, Upshur held a 
Long-tailed Duck 22 Nov (DB). The only Pa- 
cific Loon of the season was one in Port O’- 
Connor, Calhoun 16 Nov+ (BrF, PH). The Least 
Grebe at Village Creek Drying Beds, Tarrant 
first discovered in May continued through the 
period (m.ob.), while one in Kaufman 19 Oct 
(GC et al.) was another sign of the continued 
expansion of this species. Another pair of Least 
Grebes was found incubating eggs near Round 
Top, Fayette in mid-Aug for a first county 
breeding record (DV, WV, MSe). A Western 
Grebe was unexpected at Dagger Pt., Aransas 
N.W.R., Aransas 19 Nov (PH). 
An imm. Brown Booby riding a shrimp boat 
back into Freeport, Brazoria 21 Aug was an 
excellent find (ph., tMR). Unprecedented 
numbers of Brown Pelicans were blown inland 
by the season’s hurricanes, and several re- 
mained throughout the period on reservoirs in 
the Pineywoods and the Central Brazos Valley, 
including sightings from Burleson, Grimes, 
Henderson, Navarro, Polk, San Jacinto, Waller 
and Washington (m.ob.). The most notable 
counts were 8 on L. Livingston, Polk 26 Nov 
(RS, RT, DW) and 11 on L. Somerville, Wash- 
ington as late as 16 Nov (DV). A Neotropic 
Cormorant at White River L., Crosby 28 Nov 
(AnH, AvH) was a rare find for the South 
Plains. An Anhinga at Musquiz 
L.,Jeff Davis 27 Sep-20 Oct (ph. 
ML, KB) provided a first county 
record and only the 2nd well- 
documented record for the 
Trans-Pecos; another visited the 
same location 8 Oct (COJ). As a 
result of Hurricanes Gustav and 
Ike, Magnificent Frigatebirds, 
varying from one to 3 individu- 
als, showed up on at least 10 in- 
land reservoirs around the Piney- 
woods, as far n. as L. Tawakoni, 
Van Zandt, and as far w. as L. 
Waco, McLennan (m.ob.). Sight- 
ings also came from at least 
Bowie, Cherokee, Grimes, Nacogdoches, San 
Augustine, Smith, Walker, and Waller. 
Aug (MR, SC) had been reduced to a lone bird 
1 Sep (ML); one at Keystone Heritage Park, El 
Paso 30 Aug-6 Oct was joined by another 13 
Sep-6 Oct (BJ, JP, ph.); and one at Red Bluff L., 
Loving 25 Oct-12 Nov seemed late (AnH, SW). 
Another Tricolored made its way to Amarillo, 
Potter 8 Aug (EK, LJa, BP, ph.). Inland Reddish 
Egrets from the e. side of the state included 
one at L. Arrowhead S.P., Clay 24 Aug (PM), 
one along the Guadalupe R. near New Braun- 
fels, Comal 9 Aug (StB), up to 2 on Canyon L., 
Comal 8 Aug-4 Oct (BN), one at Granger L., 
Williamson 22 Aug (BrF), one at Cook’s 
Slough, Uvalde, Uvalde 19 Sep (KH, MiH), and 
a white morph on L. Sam Rayburn, San Augus- 
tine 6 Nov-i- (ph. DW), the latter a first Piney- 
woods record. Another visited Balmorhea L., 
Reeves 17 Aug-1 Sep (SC, MR, m.ob.). Village 
Creek Drying Beds, Tammt hosted a Glossy 
Ibis 22-23 Sep (m.ob.). Roseate Spoonbills 
made a very strong showing well inland in e. 
and n.-cen. Texas. Notable concentrations in- 
clude 9 at Village Creek Drying Beds, Tarrant 
12 Oct (m.ob.), 28 at L. Sam Rayburn, Angeli- 
na 24 Aug (RT, DW), and 100 or more at Rich- 
land Creek W.M.A. 24-28 Aug (PBa, JD). Eight 
Roseate Spoonbills near Tow, L. Buchanan, 
Llano 27 Sep (ph. TiF, BSt) likely made a record 
number for the Edwards Plateau. AJabiru ex- 
cited Texas birders during its stay near Ray- 
mondville, Willacy 10-22 Aug (ph., TRHo, 
With oniy one previous record for the Trans-Pecos, this Anhinga was a surprise 
at Musquii Lake, Jeff Davis County, Texas 27 September (here) through 20 Oc- 
tober 2008. Photograph by Kelly Bryan. 
HERONS THROUGH RAPTORS 
An American Bittern at Anahuac N.W.R., 
Chambers 16 Aug (CW, TiF) had either sum- 
mered or was an early migrant; another across 
the state near Floydada, Floyd 29 Sep (BrG) 
was a rare find for the South Plains. A Great 
White Heron was present along the intra- 
coastal waterway at Aransas N.W.R., Aransas 
22-29 Nov (ph. MiS, ECa). Tricolored Herons 
made it to the Trans-Pecos in good numbers: 
an unprecedented 6 at Balmorhea L., Reeves 17 
m.ob.). A count of 400 Wood Storks at Rich- 
land Creek W.M.A. , Navanv 24 Aug (DDC, 
DL) was impressive for that far inland. 
Swallow-tailed Kites again made a great 
showing at the coastal hawkwatches. Hazel 
Bazemore, Nueces tallied 349 for the season, 
while Smith Point, Chambers posted a single- 
day record for that location of 97 individuals 
23 Aug (m.ob.). Two ad. White-tailed Kites 
with a fledgling in Kent 1 Aug-18 Nov pro- 
vided the first successful breeding of this 
species on the South Plains. Ten Broad- 
winged Hawks over Midland, Midland 21 Sep 
(MCr) was a good count for that w. location. 
VOLUME 63 (2009) 
NUMBER 1 
117 
