070923. SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/lifestyles/life-at-boomer-lake-young-birds-are-out-exploring/article_858eff42-1c25-11ee-a760-df893f545b08.html 

062523 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/lifestyles/life-at-boomer-lake-when-nature-bounces-back-so-do-birds/article_c904377c-111e-11ee-9d01-67e351b6de07.html 

071421 SNP Edition, Life At Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/life-at-boomer-lake-many-varieties-of-birds-making-appearances/article_072eb0c6-e058-11eb-b2d4-8f3bcf3e0b7b.html 

Birding On a Shoestring: Devils River State Natural Area and Dolan Falls Preserve

                                                                    Eastern Pewee

                                                                Yellow-breasted Chat

04-25-19

Devils River State Natural Area, Val Verde County is comprised of three ecosystems--Edwards Plateau, Chihuahuan Desert, and the Tamaulipan mezquital.   Home to the Mexican free-tailed bat, pecan, sycamore, and live oak, the remote region is surrounded by private ranches.

                                                            Yellow-throated Warbler

                                                             Yellow-throated Warbler

                                                              Yellow-throated Vireo


Dolan Falls Preserve is bisected by the Edwards plateau, Rio Grande Plain brushland, and Chihuahuan Desert, a world unto itself.  These beauties were found there with a lot more.  Property of the Nature Conservancy, it is closed to the public.

                                                        Tropical x Northern Parula hybrid

                                                                  (notice partial eye arcs)

aviannovice@aol.com 

From:aviannovice@aol.com

To:ecarpe@gmail.com

Mon, Nov 20 at 12:39 PM

I remember that bird SPECIFICALLY, as I was the one to pish it out of the leaves where it was concealing itself.  I did both Northern and Tropical calls, and it answered the Tropical call, which pulled it out of its hiding place.

Writer sees the partial eye arcs, as well, and I also concur with your assessment, as there is evidence in all the shots that I took of those eye arcs.  With it being in a very shady area, there is also no possible way that the sun could have given us light to call this anything othr than what it appears to be.

Nice catch!! 

On Monday, November 20, 2023 at 12:20:17 PM CST, Eric Carpenter via eBird <ebird-review@ebird.org> wrote:

Dear Terry Hibbitts,

Thank you for being a part of eBird. To help make sure that eBird can be used for scientific research and conservation, volunteers like me follow up on unusual observations as a part of the eBird data quality process.

I am writing about the following observation:

Species: Tropical Parula
Count: X
Observation Date: Apr 25, 2019
Location: Dolan Falls Preserve, Val Verde, Texas, US
https://ebird.org/checklist/S55605141

The documentation you have provided shows a **
**Terry - We are sorting through parula photos from Texas to see if some would better be classified as hybrids. Your photo shows a bird with traits of both species and seems to be better classified as "Northern x Tropical Parula (hybrid)". Please review/consider when you have a chance. --Eric**
**

To make this correction please open your checklist, click Edit Species, find Tropical Parula, and click Change Species on the right side of the list. Then choose the Change Species option that fits the scenario (move entire observation or just photos), save, and you're all set.

Thank you again for your contributions to eBird—your observations help to make eBird useful to millions of people each year, providing real-time bird information and powering eBird science around the world.

Learn more about eBird data quality here
and eBird science here.

Eric Carpenter
ecarpe@gmail.com

                                                          Tropical x Northern Parula hybrid

                                                          Tropical x Northern Parula hybrid

Black Phoebe at the Dolan Falls area

The Birds of McCurtain County, Oklahoma, Including the Endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker

                                                                         Tree Swallow

                                                                    Carolina Wren

                                                                  Great-tailed Grackle

                                                               Prothonotary Warbler

                                                                       King Rail

                                                              Brown-headed Nuthatch

                                                              Broad-winged Hawk

                                                             Yellow-breasted Chat

                                                                       White Ibis

                                                            Red-cockaded Woodpecker

                                                                American Alligator

                                                                      Tree Swallow


May 6 through May 10, 2016

These birds and the American alligator all hail from McCurtain County, Oklahoma, which is
in the southeast part of the state, just a hop, skip, and a jump from the Arkansas border.  This trip
had very strong possibilities for two of some of the rarest birds of the state, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker and Swainson's Warbler, both of which were seen.  However, I have no photo of the warbler.  I do hope to redeem myself with the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, which is rare all over the country, as well as an endangered species.

Also included in this package, is the King Rail, which is uncommon and local in the southern states.  Even more rarely, it will go quite far north, mostly in the central part of the country and the northeast
states.

McCurtain County also hosts a fairly sizable and diverse warbler population, though a good part of it is just temporary.  Most of these warblers were observed at Red Slough, as well as a few in Little River, most notably of course, the Swainson's Warbler.

The Red-cockaded Woodpecker was located in the McCurtain County Wilderness Area, and my knowledge on this bird was increased by being in the field with it as well as having excellent instruction through the Oklahoma Forestry Service, namely Clay Barnes, who I definitely hope to see
again, and gain additional knowledge through the state and the national wildlife refuges, all who do
a superb job in keeping our wildlife thriving.  I have seen naked nestling Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, as well as the eggs.

This is an experience that I will not soon forget, and I hope that you also enjoy what is here as seen through my eyes.