EVENTS

December 26, 2004

Texbirders,

Greg Cook, Brian Gibbons and I birded around Lake Ray Hubbard today 12/26, spending a good bit of time searching waxwing flocks for a Bohemian. Waxwings were everywhere, with 1000+ birds on the east side of the lake feasting on ornamental crab apples and other fruits. Also several hundred robins doing the same. No Bohemians. Highlights from today include an Osprey (in hot pursuit of a Great Blue Heron!) and 10+ Pine Warblers and:

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 2nd winter bird seen from John Paul Jones Park, originally found 12/19

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1 at a boat-ramp park

Red Crossbill - 1 flyby at Terry Park on the east shore of the lake

Purple Finch - 3 at Terry Park

Pine Sisken - 3+ at Terry Park


Good birding,
Derek Hill

from the Garland Morning News...

Thanks to all who participated...unofficially we have 124 species for Count Week and 117 species for Sunday, Dec. 19. Wow! Notable species included Pacific Loon, Little Gull, Virginia Rail, Sora Rail, Baltimore Oriole, White-eyed Vireo, and Cattle Egret.

Dec.12 James Rusk sends us this field note. Thanks James.

Sunday, December 12 was warm and sunny, so I thought it might be a good time to check for butterflies. At Spring Creek I saw several species:

Common Buckeye
Dainty Sulphur
Orange Sulphur
American Snout (photo below)
Question Mark
Cloudless Sulphur
 

Ben Cox sends us this nice digital photos of  Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and

White-crowned Sparrow at Spring Creek taken this year...

Thanks Ben...

Tom Frey has send us a field report. Thanks, Tom.

Week of November 21, 2004

Purple Finch is a new one for the Spring creek list.
On 11/25 Brian and i found 3 of them from the parking lot

=====
Derek Hill
 

Barbara Bynham send in these photos of a Rough Green Snake and Green Tree Frog from a recent workday at the Forest to control invasive privet. Thanks, Barbara . . . didn't realize it but you found the first Green Tree Frog ! It wasn't on the amphibian list.  Thanks!

The Cedar elms are more colorful this year than ever...especially in the Spring Creek Nature Area in Richardson near Plano Road at Renner. This is several miles upstream of Spring Creek Forest.

                      Location

Immature Sharp-shinned Hawk ..taken with Canon Powershot through some old Nikon 7.5 Egret binoculars.

Derek heard a Horned Lark flying overhead at the Preserve also...another new species for the Spring Creek list this week, in addition to the Henslow's Sparrow.

Full article in Journal of the American Medical Assoc. (JAMA).

Ozone and Short-term Mortality in 95 US Urban Communities, 1987-2000
Bell et al. JAMA.2004; 292: 2372-2378.

Both seen at the Preserve today between 4:00-5:00.  Refer to Derek's Birding Texas

Laura McLarry reports:

Week of Oct. 24, 2004

Spring Creek north - during a second walk to this rocky outcrop Derek keyed out

this G3 globally vulnerable plant, Hall's Prairie Clover (Dalea hallii). This species

is endemic to Texas.

Left photo - Sept. 21

Right photo - post bloom Oct. 27.  

This area also has a large population of Blazing Star or Gayfeather (Liatris glandulosa),

recently discovered at Spring Creek Preserve and other recently. Most likely this species

of Blazing Star also deserves protective status.

Week of Oct. 17, 2004

Texas Crescent (Physiodes texana), Heard Wildlife Sanctuary

Derek Hill

Week of Oct. 10, 2004

Richard Prather found a Bobcat ! . . .

Added Spring Creek North page to show images of land located north of the Preserve on the

other side of Spring Creek. The unique beauty there warrants a place on this web site.

Week of Oct. 3, 2004

Derek added West Indies bird photos by Brian Gibbons to his website..

http://nctexasbirding.com/photos.htm

James Rusk reports:

Last week I found a Bordered Patch (Chlosyne lacinia) at Audubon Park in Garland. This is a stray to

our area, and a very colorful butterfly. I've enclosed a picture that you can use on the web site if you want to.

Hawk Migration

An interesting account of a massive hawk migration in Fort Worth..

 (24 hrs late - sorry! I got home yesterday & found the sewer people in the
street had cut the phone cable) posted on Tex Birds on Wed. Oct. 5.

---> Texbird help file http://www.texbirds.org <---

Ok, Wow.

I had no idea birding had something as completely amazing up its sleeve...
but about 2:15 this afternoon a completely astounding number of Swainson's
Hawks, with a peppering of other types (probably unable to escape the
gravitational pull) along, drifted generally SSE through (all of !!) the skies above the
southwest corner of Tarrant County. The folks working the ranch property out at
the second RR crossing at the end of Winscott-Plover Rd stopped what they
were doing to stare, and a gal among them walked clear across the pasture to ask
me what was going on !!

I had been watching a cattle pen where Simone J & Lynn B had seen a Yellow
Headed Blackbird yesterday ( an hour after I'd been there for 45 minutes
without seeing it !!), when an innocent little group of 8 Swainson's came circling
into view from over the trees. The group became a trickle; the trickle became a
river; the river began to flood; and 40 days & 40 nights worth of hawks came
through in the next 45 minutes. They made their way in the thousands from
somewhere just west of due north; along about right overhead they zigged eastward
for a ways; then veered right again to continue off southward. At one point,
every visible bird had formed up within one of two colossal spiralling flocks,
(this was what stopped work at the ranch)... my poor estimate is 4,000 + birds
each! One group straight overhead for sheer amazement... the other a half
mile or mile away for sheer perspective.! They spiralled up through thousands of
feet of sky... & then re-formed into the river which just kept coming!!
All you hawkwatch folks... Wow! You never did enough to describe how
amazing it is!!

Just for grins, a Prarie Falcon sat in the top of a tree right next to me &
craned its neck to look upward for awhile; the Blackbird never showed (nor did
any others during the spectacle!); and down on Mustang Pt on Lake Benbrook
there were a few FOS ducks; including 9 Ruddy's; about as many AM Wigeon; a few
Scaups; and a raft of over a hundred Coots.

(BTW- Did I say wow !! ?)

Dp in Ft Worth
 

Derek Hill
Richardson, TX
kinglet32@hotmail.com
http://nctexasbirding.com

See Derek's account of today's walk at the Old Fish Hatchery by White Rock Lake at his website

Birding Texas.  More information about White Rock Lake can be found at the following website:

For the Love of the Lake

Highlights included...

Mallow Scrub Hairstreak

Green Tree Frog

Cooper's Hawk

Nashville and Wilson's Warblers

Monk Parakeet

Green Parakeet

Beautiful False Dragon's-Head

Left to Right:  Old Fish Hatchery trails, wetland, Swamp Milkweed

Added Society President Barbara Bynham's Yellow Violet (Viola pubescens )images to the site,

taken during a work day last spring.

Added two new plants to the master list...both of these were found while walking on or near trails

on the north side of Spring Creek, not part of the Preserve or Forest.

Left:  Spider-Lily, Red Spider Lily  (Lycoris radiata) escape

Right:  Green-Flower Cholla, Jumping Cholla (Opuntia trunicata var. davisii)

One of several groups of students who helped clean up stream trash on Saturday, Sept. 18

Debbie (Save Our Springs) and Buffy get ready to clean up in stream trash

Visited Rose Hill Park and set up the new Rose Hill Park page.. We also visited Long Branch

Prairie in Mesquite and, to our dismay, found most of it gone or in a weedy, disturbed condition. Recovery

of the remaining remnants is doubtful due to encroaching hardwoods, recreational vehicles, and continued

fragmentation of habitat due to surrounding development.

We will add a separate page on Rose Hill Park, a prairie located in another part of the City of Garland

to make local citizens aware of its unique beauty...thank you Tom for your suggestion.

Gayfeathers (Liatris mucronata) blooming at the Preserve

Bob Woodruff Park, Plano

We visited this nice bottomland hardwood park located a few miles

north of Spring Creek. Brown Creek intersects this park and, like Spring

Creek, is a tributary to Rowlett Creek.

Butterflies seen included:

dark swallowtail sp.
Giant Swallowtail
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Harvester ~ 5!
Dusky-blue Groundstreak
Eastern Tailed-Blue
American Snout
Gulf Fritillary
Silvery Checkerspot
Pearl Crescent
Goatweed Leafwing
Hackberry Emperor
Gemmed Satyr
Monarch
Hayhurst's Scallopwing
Zabulon Skipper

Ichneumon wasp (Megarhyssa macrurus)  laying eggs on dead tree

Harvester (Feniseca tarquinius) above

is the only carnivorous butterfly in North America. It belongs to a family of butterflies found

in Asia and Africa, but represented in North American by this single species. Usually
scarce throughout its range, the larvae feed on wooly aphids on white ash
(Fraxinus americana) and Chinaroot (Smilax tamnoides). The adult harvester feeds on

the sweet liquid, or honeydew, produced by the aphids.

Hayhurst's Scallopwing (Staphylus hayhurstii)

Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis)

We have a report that Mike More, with Prairie and Timbers Audubon Chapter, saw

an immature Golden-Cheeked Warbler at the Preserve during the August 18th

Plant Walk led by Jim Varnum, Texas Master Naturalist.

Images from this week...

Left to Right

False Mint, American Beautyberry, Wild Petunia (new for our list..Reullia brittoniana),

Sad Underwing (here camouflaged), Raccoon tracks, Green Lynx Spider, Jumping Spider

eating small wasp,Cardinal Flower, Parking Oval Wildflower with Johnson Grass removed,

Zabulon Skipper on Elephant's Foot flower

Unusual Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemus simpleicicollis) image by James Rusk

Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longpennis) infested with a red patch of water mites

(we think) by Derek Hill.   These mites live as ecotoparasites on dragonfly nymphs,

sucking their blood. When the nymphs transform into adults, they crawl onto the

adult and spend a few weeks airborne before dropping off into the water.

Ticks and lice are other examples of parasites living on the surface of their hosts.

A good example of camouflage is this Three-banded Grasshopper (Hadrotettix trifasciatus)

on the gravelly hilltop and slopes of the rocky prairie portion of the Preserve. For more

information on camouflage, try searching key words such as Batesian and Mullerian mimicry,

animal camouflage, cryptic coloration, countershading and related keywords.

There are many types of camouflage to be seen at Spring Creek, from bee flies to butterflies to

bluegills. Some plant species also exhibit a chemical form of mimicry to get pollinated.

Liatris glandulosa (Gay-feather)

discovered in 2001 at Spring Creek

and other north central Texas sites.

Photo taken 7/26/2004

Bill Cox sends  us these photos of a Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis) at Spring Creek...

This handsome bird nests in isolated trees and at forest edges.  It forages in the prairie portion of

the Preserve, where it is aggressive and commonly seen.

Thanks Bill and Ellaine.

Hi..this is just an update on the dragonfly photo exhibit...As some of
you know, the Texas Discovery Gardens was trying to get funding for an
exhibit of some of my dragonfly photos for this summer.  The funding was
not procured, so the exhibit is not going to happen this summer.  We
will not give up though, there will be plenty of other summers, and they
are still wanting to have them. 

For the good news...this Saturday, July 24th, the Texas Discovery
Gardens will have a dragonfly workshop, and have asked me to bring what
I have in the way of my cards, photo enlargements, etc.  So, I will be
there with my photographs, and cards.  People can purchase cards, or
order enlargements.  It will be a fun day, for those of you interested
in dragonflies, bugs, etc., and there will be a field trip following the
presentation by Omar (a dragonfly expert).  You can log on to
texasdiscoverygardens.org for more information.  The cost of the
workshop is $15.00.   
 
Winged Jewels: Dragonfly Workshop
9 am - 3:30 pm Sat., July 24

Welcome

A year-round urban oasis, Texas Discovery Gardens is located at
historic Fair Park in Dallas. The first certified organic public garden
in the state, Texas Discovery Gardens showcases beautiful native and
adapted plants grown using sustainable methods that conserve water and
protect the environment.

Hope to see you there! 
dede

Dede Crusinberry
469-752-1598

 

Purple Martins

Derek reports:

Tens (or hundreds?) of thousands of Purple Martins are gathering every evening at their

traditional roost in Lewisville.  Their numbers probably peak sometime in July or early August,

and most are gone by the end of August.  Many birds are roosting on the powerlines by 8:30pm,

with huge swirling clouds visible overhead and in the distance.  By 9:00pm it's nearly too dark to

see, but the martins are still swarming in, looking for any available twig in the small live oaks in

the parking lot of the local Sack N Save and neighboring areas.
 

Neon Skimmer (Libellula croceipennis)

This fairly common dragonfly is not easy to photograph, however this individual

was stationary for a few minutes.

Rudist

Keith Manor, the fossil expert, has resolved the debate over the "fossil coral".

It's a piece of a large rudist (or rudistid) called Durania austinensis (Roemer, 1852). 

Thanks again Keith for your consultation. Click here.

thanks to Jesus Colina  for this email: (THIS IS IN REFERENCE TO THE DARK BUCKEYE FOUND

MARCH 21)

A few images...left to right

Late afternoon at Spring Creek Preserve, Purple Horsemint or Lemon Beebalm,

mating Eufala Skippers
 

Thanks to Dale Clark for correcting the id of the Fiery Skipper to Delaware Skipper (Anatrytone logan)

and Derek Hill for correcting spider crab to crab spider. Oops. Refer to Dale's Dallas Lepidopterist's

Society web site for a Delaware Skipper photo:

delaware skipper:
http://www.dallasbutterflies.com/Butterflies/html/logan.html

The Delaware Skipper is now a new addition to our butterfly list.

Tues, June 1

Storms hit Dallas county this afternoon and the sky looked ominous....these are mammatus

clouds because of the mammal like protuberances....more info can be found at

Sorry for the inconvenience, but we experienced a web site shut down due to increased bandwidth usage

(3.1 Gigs for May...our limit was 1.5). I guess we should be glad since it means the site is becoming more

popular. We are also experiencing web storage limits.

Note: Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time.

For digital devices, the bandwidth is often expressed in bits per second (bps) or bytes per second.

For analog devices, bandwidth is expressed in cycles per second, or Hertz (Hz). 'Bandwidth usage'

refers to the total amount of information that has been served to our visitors during a given month.

Every file on your Web site has a size (e.g. 24K), and every time that file is downloaded

by a visitor, the bandwidth usage goes up by that amount. The larger the file, the higher the bandwidth

usage when it is downloaded; the more traffic to a site, the more bandwidth used.

We will try to resolve the issue soon, so please bear with us.

Monday

A crab spider  has ambushed a Delaware Skipper  which was nectaring on a thistle. Spider crab often are

camouflaged as they wait for prey.  Right photo: a new plant for the floral list: Anglepod (Matelea gonocarpos).

According to Shinners and Mahler's, this species may be separated from the other milkvines into the genus

Gonolobus.

We found this unusual rodent on a trail at Prairie Creek while looking for warblers...it was a tame

glossy black gerbil.  Upon our return the next day it was nowhere to be seen.

Added Dede Crusinberry's Dragonfly photos to image page

Sunday, May 16

James Rusk reports:

Sunday morning I visited the Dexham Road Prairie remnant in Rowlett (behind Dorsey Elementary).

Did you ever discover who owns it?

There is some damage by dirt bikes, but nothing fatal. The land may be too hilly to build on.

 It would certainly make a nice small preserve area for the city of Rowlett.

I found lots of wildflowers blooming: Englemann's daisy, Texas star, Indian paintbrush, Indian blanket,

basket flowers (just opening), and even some bull nettles in bloom.

James

Monday, May 18

Prairie Creek  12:40-4:40 PM

Warblers are still diverse at Prairie Creek (Several Mourning,  a few Canada, a few Magnolia, Black-throated

Green, Yellow, and Common Yellowthroats. Also seen was new butterfly for the list, the White M Hairstreak and

a five-foot Texas Rat Snake (Derek Hill's photos below):

YB Cuckoo (1) HO

E. Wood-Pewee (2)

Least Flycatcher (2)

Traill's Flycatcher (1)

Great Crested Flycatcher

Blue-headed Vireo (3)

Swainson's  Thrush (2)

Gray Catbird (2)

Tennessee Warbler (1)

Yellow Warbler

Magnolia Warbler (6)

Black-throated Green Warbler (3)

Black-and-White Warbler (1)

American Redstart (6)

Ovenbird (2)

Mourning Warbler (8)

Common Yellowthroat (3)

Wilson's Warbler (4)

Canada Warbler (5)

Orchard Oriole (2)

Derek Hill

Jack Hill

Cindy Ward

Go see the nicest spring blooming in several years....at Spring Creek Preserve

Based on bird reports around north Central Texas there were a few inland "fallouts" of neotropical

migrants today, including Lake Tawakoni and other areas

Sunny w. front moving in

Two hour walk along the western side of Prairie Creek (mainly under the pecans) yielded the

following neotrops:

Mourning, Canada, Yellow(2), Tennessee(4), Nashville(2), Magnolia(3), Blackburnian (2), Wilson's (6)

Black-throated Green (2), American Redstart (3), Baltimore Oriole, Philadelphia Vireo (2), Red-eyed

Vireo (1).

Highlights included immature female Blackpoll Warbler and 3 reported Canada Warblers.

Birded some today with Brian Gibbons, and saw many warblers, including

Mourning, Canada, Yellow, Tennessee, Nashville, Magnolia, Ovenbird, Chestnut-sided,

Bay-breasted, Blackburnian, Wilson's, Black-throated Green and American Redstart

as well as Orchard and Baltimore Orioles. Brian will post his sightings on  Tex Birds Archives (under May) .

I agree with Brian that a rainstorm tonight could bring in even more birds and

some the best birding yet at Prairie Creek.

Jack Hill

James Rusk photo of meadow flax (Linum pratense)

Some of Derek's photos from May 8:

Wahoo, Burning Bush (Euonymus atropurpurea var.atropurpurea)

bloom (left)

leaves (right)

mealy sage, Engelmann's daisy, greenthread

Ratany

Northern Cloudy Wing

Orange Sulphur on Engelmann's Daisy

Posted Saturday, May 8

Refer to Derek's Birding Texas site

Texbirders,

Dad and I had fantastic looks at a Worm-eating Warbler today at Prairie
Creek Park in Richardson.  This bird was roughly 50 yards south of the foot
bridge (just south of Lookout Drive @ Prairie Creek Drive West).  He was
singing off and on and quite active in the mid-story along the creek (both
sides of the creek).  This is the first Wormie I've seen in NCTX.  Otherwise
very few migrants around.

Good birding,

Derek Hill

Posted Saturday, May 1:

Friday, April 30:

Refer to Derek's Birding Texas site and Tex Birds Archives (under April, 2004) for our bird list, which includes

a male Golden-Winged Warbler.

Jim Varnum reports:

Dear Friends,

Thirty-Nine Bloomers on a Wet Sunday Morning
Spring Creek Forest and Park preserves - April 25, 2004

1. Antelope horns milkweed
2. Bindweed
3. Bur clover
4. Canada wild onion (Fraser var.)
5. Carolina false dandelion
6. Carolina geranium
7. Curly dock
8. Engelmann's daisy, Cut-leaf daisy
9. Field madder
10. Four-nerve daisy
11. Foxglove penstemon
12. Golden-alexanders
13. Green milkweed
14. Greenthreads
15. Hedge parsley, Beggar's lice
16. Japanese honeysuckle
17. Kisses, Jeum
18. Knotweed leaf-flower
19. Mealy blue sage
20. Missouri primrose
21. Pale-seed plantain
22. Pin clover, Filaree
23. Prairie fleabane
24. Prairie verbena
25. Roemer's sensitive vine
26. Showy evening-primrose, Buttercup
27. Singletary pea
28. Skullcap
29. Smooth ruellia
30. Standing winecup
31. Sundrops, Square-bud day-primrose
32. Texas bindweed
33. Texas paintbrush
34. Two-flowered milkvine
35. Western lettuce
36. White avens, Geum
37. White Barbara's buttons
38. White lawn clover
39. Wooly-white, Old plainsman

And lots of squishy blue-green alga and a flock of birders.

Week of April 18, 2004

Another Spring Creek post on Tex Birds by Monty Gordon...

Like Derrick's earlier report, I decided to revisit Spring Creek Preserve -
Renner around noon today. Some of the highlights today included:
(Apr. 24)

House Wren - 1
Nashville Warbler - 9
Tennessee Warbler - 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler - many
Black-and-white Warbler - 1
Blue Grosbeak - 2 m/f
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK - 1m FOS
Indigo Bunting - 3
Hairy Woodpecker - 3
OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER - 1 FOS
Cooper's Hawk - 1
SWAINSON'S HAWK FOS being harrassed by crow
White-eyed Vireo 3
Purple Martin - 2
Painted Bunting - 2 m
Lincoln Sparrow - 1
Chipping Sparrow - 8
SWAINSON'S THRUSH - 1 FOS
 

Tex Birds post by Derek Hill

(Apr. 24)

Texbirders,

The storm front and 2" of rain last night made for an exciting day of
birding today near Dallas.  Spring Creek Park Preserve was hopping this
morning.  8 warbler species and 9 sparrow species, not too shabby.
Highlights include:

Red-eyed Vireo - 3, FOS
White-eyed Vireo - 2-3
WOOD THRUSH - 1, FOS
Swainson's Thrush - 2
Gray Catbird - 1-2, FOS
Black-and-white Warbler - 1
Tennessee - 1, FOS
Nashville - didnt count
Orange-crowned - 2
Ovenbird - 1, FOS
waterthrush sp. - 1
HOODED - 1
Yellow-breasted Chat - 1-2, FOS
Indigo Bunting - 6
Painted Bunting - 2, FOS
Dickcissel - 1, FOS
Clay-colored Sparrow - 2-3, FOS
Le Conte's Sparrow - 1
Lark Sparrow - 12
Harris's Sparrow - 5

Afterwards we ventured to Prairie Creek Park, expecting it to be loaded.
Actually we had to work hard for what we found. Highlights here include:

Empidonax sp. - 1, FOS
GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH - 1, FOS
Swainson's Thrush - 6
Gray Catbird - 1
White-eyed Vireo - 1-2
Tennessee Warbler - 2
Nashville - quite a few
Black-throated Green - 4-5
Black-and-white - 3
Ovenbird - 1
Northern Waterthrush - 1
KENTUCKY - 1
HOODED - (1 seen yesterday, but not today)
Common Yellowthroat - 1, FOS
Summer Tanager - 1, FOS
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 1 seen by Dave & Carolyn Oldham
Painted Bunting - 2

Apr. 24 Spring Creek and Prairie Creek see Derek's Birding Texas page

Hooded Warbler (1) FOS

Black-and-White Warbler (1)

Nashville Warbler (4)

Black-throated Green Warbler (1)

Yellow-billed Cuckoo (2)

Swainson's Thrush (2)

Yesterday & this morning, my friend Jerry and I birded Spring Creek - Renner
(Richardson, Dallas Co) and spent a short time this morning walking through
Prairie Creek Park (also Richardson). We were able to see quite a few FOS these
2 mornings. Looks like with the storms expected tomorrow night and Saturday,
the weekend might be good in the warblers, etc.

Below is a listing of birds seen:

    Spring Creek - Renner:
    Snowy Egret   1

    TENNESSEE WARBLER   3 (FOS)
    Great Blue Heron   1

    NASHVILLE WARBLER   28 (FOS)
    Cooper's Hawk   1   

    BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER 1 (FOS)
    Rock Dove   7 

    Yellow-rumped Warbler 113 many
    Mourning Dove   1 

    BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARB  3 (FOS)
    YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO    2  (FOS)

    Northern Cardinal   16
    Chimney Swifts   5 

    BLUE GROSBEAK   3 (FOS)
    Belted Kingfisher   1    

    INDIGO BUNTING   2 (FOS)
    Red-bellied Woodpecker   5 (1 nesting) 

    PAINTED BUNTING male  1 (FOS)
    Downy Woodpecker   15 

    Chipping Sparrow   7
    Eastern Phoebe   3      

    White-throated sparrow 40
    Barn Swallow   6  

    LINCOLN'S SPARROW   2 (FOS)
    Blue Jay   5   

    Brown-headed Cowbird  8
    American Crow   5
    Tufted Titmouse   21
    Carolina Chickadee   26
    HOUSE WREN   6 (FOS)
    Carolina Wren   32
    Ruby-crowned Kinglet   1
    BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER   2 (FOS)
    Hermit Thrush   2
    Nothern Mockingbird   5
    European Starling   7
    RED-EYED VIREO   3 (FOS)
    WHITE-EYED VIREO   3 (FOS)

    Spring Creek - Prairie Creek Park:
    Mourning dove   1
    Chimney swift   3
    Red-bellied woodpecker   2
    Tufted Titmouse   2
    European Starling   5
    Common Grackel   5
    Great-tailed grackel  2
    GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER   1 (FOS)
    NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH   1 (FOS)
    White-throated sparrow   8
    House sparrow   1

Also, at my home south of Princeton, I still have the White-crowned sparrows,
lots of Harris's sparrow, Savannah sparrow, pair of Lincoln sparrow and Lark
sparrow.

Continued Good Birding,

Monty W Gordon
S of Princeton TX
 

China-Berry (Melia azedarach) - bloom fell onto a hackberry leaf and looked like an exotic orchid...

Prairie Creek - Nashville Warbler, Great-crested Flycatcher.  Prairie Creek is the premier spot in

the Dallas-Ft.Worth area to see spring neotropical migrants, with the best period in late April to mid May..

Also found a stinkhorn attracting flies...this type of fungus produces a sticky mass of spores

on its tip which smells like carrion and attracts flies. The flies, in turn, transport the spores to

other locations.

added image art of buffalo on tall-grass prairie on image page..enjoy. This was formally called the

photo page but since many of the images are not raw photos I have renamed it the image page.

April 16

Joined an EPA  tour of Clymer Meadow near Celeste, Texas under management of The Nature Conservancy

and Jim Eidson. Jim manages Clymer as well as other TNC properties in North Central Texas with a staff of one person. We saw wetland mitigation sites, native plant materials nursery, and interesting aspects of Clymer Meadow, part of 1,300 acres of prairie and associated riparian areas in this region.  Bird report: Greater yellow-legs, Upland sandpipers, E. meadowlarks, Cooper's Hawk, Grasshopper Sparrow, and others.  We saw a globally endangered forb at Clymer, the Wide-leaf False Aloe (Manfreda virginica subsp. lata) and a true prairie indicator plant, the Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium). In bloom were many spring forbs, including Prairie Paintbrush, Blue-eyed grass (not a grass), and Prairie verbena. What few tallgrass prairies remain are embedded in a matrix of both agricultural and urban land use.  According to Jim, genetic isolation and invasive non-native plants are some of the threats to prairies from Texas to Illinois. Jim agreed at the last meeting of the Society to do a threat assessment for Spring Creek Preserve sometime this summer.

Thanks for the tour Jim.

Also visited Collin County's Parkhill Prairie (see information on Blackland Prairie page).

Jack Hill

James Rusk has sent us a report of stream restoration on Duck Creek, located sw of Spring Creek in Richardson

Texas:

And another Dallas area event in the City of Richardson after work on that same Thursday and Friday

(April 15 and 16th)  that might be of interest to some of you...the Duck Creek Homeowners and the

Richardson Parks and Recreation Department are doing their first-ever inner-city habitat restoration

along the shores of Duck Creek, just upstream of the Jupiter Road bridge.

Native American Seed (Junction, Texas) is supplying a diverse mixture of native seeds and over

10,000 live native roots for the project. It seems that the creek has more ducks than habitat...and the

citizens are on the move to fix it.

refer to Native American Seed web site
Thanks for this report James.

We visited the Park and nearby Cedar Ridge Preserve based on recent sightings of a

Golden-cheeked Warbler at the Park.   White-eyed vireo, Black-chinned

hummingbird, Bewick's wren, and Yellow-rumped warbler were among the birds we saw. Little

wood satyrs were abundant and active in the forest even though it was cool and overcast.

We observed thousands of tiny swarming gall wasps on the forest floor at Cedar Ridge

Preserve (left photo). These wasps inject their host oak with chemicals that cause galls

to form on the twigs of the oak. The gall provides protection for the wasp's eggs and later

provides food for the hatched larvae.

Cedar Ridge Preserve - administered by the Dallas Chapter of National Audubon Society:

http://www.audubondallas.org/cedar_ridge_preserve.htm

Little Wood Satyr (Photo by Derek)

Slender-leaf Hymenoxis

Texas Paintbrush

Drummond's Wild Onion

Prairie Verbena

Wild Hyacinth

Coral Honeysuckle

Puccoon

Spiderwort

Evening Primrose

Winecup

Meadow Flax

Buffalo Plum fruit

Bluebonnet

Very rare yellow specimen of Texas paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa) - in a small remnant prairie near Naaman

Forest High School

Normal Texas paintbrush in same prairie:

Some new images added to photo page

Scissor-tailed flycatchers have arrived

E. Meadowlark

Lark Sparrows passing through

Pollinators seen on or near Fragrant Sumac(Rhus aromatica), a shrub that is found along the edges of the tree

islands or copses, where you also find  Elbow Bush.  These are just a few of the dozens of pollinating insects

found here. The Grapevine Epimensis(Psychomorpha epimenis)- photo, another striking

moth occurs at Spring Creek.

RightCuckoo Wasps (sp.?)- On fragrant sumac. Adults lay eggs in bee nests and the larvae parasitize their hosts.

Right: Mournful Thyris (Thyris sepulchralis)-

March 27....Students from Eastfield Community College and Tarrant County

Community College conduct a remote sensing field exercise as members of the

Society measure a large bur oak in the Forest Preserve with Jim Varnum.

Other images...

These two species were added to the butterfly list, bringing total to 58

Vesta Crescent (Phyciodes vesta)

Rocky prairie portion of the Preserve.. several were spotted

Juvenal's Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis)

Rough Green Snake

Blue-eyed Grass w. Jumping Spider

Jim Varnum sent us his wildflower report for Spring Creek:

From: JEVarnum@aol.com [mailto:JEVarnum@aol.com]
Subject: Wildflower Report

I spent a couple of hours wildflower searching this morning (3/22) at the SC Forest Preserve and SC Park Preserve. 

 First, here is what I saw in bloom.

Aromatic sumac (a shrub)
Baby blue eyes
Bedstraw
Buglossoides
Bur clover
Coral honeysuckle
Crow poison (false garlic)
Dandelion
Drummond's onion
Field madder
Funnel flower (tube lily)
Golden groundsel - abundant
Grape hyacinth
Henbit
Iris sp.
Mexican plum (tree)
Missouri violet
Persian speedwell
Redbud (tree)
Shepherd's purse
Stork's bill
Ten-petaled anemone
Texas paintbrush
Wedge-leafed draba

Second, I found hundreds of trout in the woods at SC Park Preserve and
hundreds way in the back of SC Forest Preserve.  None were in bloom.  But that's
okay.

Naturally,
Jim

DARK BUCKEYE

Dr. Chris Durden
Curator Emeritus of Historical Biology
Texas Memorial Museum:

To: TX-BUTTERFLY@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Subject: Re: Junonia ID help needed
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 11:11:43 -0600

Very fine!
    This looks like a rare variant of *J. coenia* which is activated by anomalous
temperature during pigment formation in the pupal stage. Similar variants are
found in Red Admirals, Painted Ladies and Mourning Cloaks. I would say this is
*J. coenia*, based on the much larger fore-eye of the hindwing upperside, but
it could be a *nigrosuffusa*. Number of teeth at the apex of the genital valve
would suggest one or the other.
............Chris Durden

 

Sunday, March 21- what we thought would be an ordinary walk around Spring Creek was otherwise...

we added 3 butterfly species ( we think?) - Falcate Orange-Tip, Horace's Duskywing, and Dark Buckeye?

and one new plant, the  Platte River Milk Vetch (Astragalus plattensis).   Derek spotted what at first

appeared to be a large dark skipper, but his closer observation showed otherwise (photo below).

We will wait on confirmation of this one, but characteristics resemble the Dark Buckeye, sometimes

called the Dark Tropical Buckeye. To date there have been no confirmed sightings in Dallas county.

This was spotted north of the Fred E. Harris Section of the Spring Creek Greenbelt on a small rocky

prairie.

Dark Buckeye Junonia nigrosuffusa Barnes & McDunnough, 1916.
South - Cameron, Hidalgo, Duval.
West Central - Travis.
East Central - Bastrop.
Coast - Nueces, Aransas.
West - Val Verde, Culberson.

Update: Derek called in a male Falcate Orange-tip after lunch while at Harry Moss Park.

On Saturday, March 20, over forty Dallas Lepidopterist Society members, led by Dale Clark, walked

Harry Moss Park looking for butterflies. At least seventeen species were observed. The official list will

be on the Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society  website. Below: Dale points out a pair of Common

Buckeyes to children and adults. The elusive Falcate Orange-tip  and Henry's Elfin were not found on this

particular trip.

Derek's photo of "Buffalo Plum" Astragalus crassicarpus. This plant is also called ground plum,

buffalo bean, or Indian pea. The Dakota Sioux in Kansas called the fruit "food of the buffalo". Dakota and

Lakota used the fruit for food and the Lakota used it for horse medicine. The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked,

but this species can be confused with locoweed, so it should not be eaten. Source: Kansas State University

web site: http://www.lib.ksu.edu

Butterflies are out...seen were Cabbage White, Orange Sulphur, Dainty Sulphur, Sleepy Orange,

Gulf Fritillary, Question Mark, Red Admiral, Goatweed Leafwing, Common Checkered Skipper,

and Henry's Elfin (3).

Henry's Elfin

Peak blooming for Spring Coralroot. Image taken March 16

Henry's Elfin (Callophrys henrici) seen on elbow bush. The larvae feed on Redbud, American

holly, and other species. Martin Reid has some nice images of this species at the following URL:

http://www.martinreid.com/leps18.html

Spring Coralroot, Wister's Coralroot (Corallorrhiza wisteriana )

One of the earliest blooming orchids in north central Texas, this saprophyte

is found in rich woods in early spring....we found just a few near the Preserve trail in

the same habitat as trout lilies on March 9.

A field of henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) in the upper part of Spring Creek watershed off

Plano Road in Richardson.  Fewer and fewer open spaces exist in the watershed as more land

is developed.

Some recent images from Spring Creek Preserve....

Left to right  Trout Lily, Trout Lily, Bee on Trout Lily, Snout, Question Mark

We noticed considerable variations in leaf and petal colors...

Jack & Derek

Monday, March 1

Early spring pollinators were out on Trout lily, Ten-Petal Anemone and Elbow bush...butterflies, flies,

bee flies, hover flies, and honeybees. Two blue birds near their nest box were also spotted. Other birds were

red-tailed hawks, ruby-crowned kinglet, hermit thrush, and Carolina chickadee..

Derek reports: not the prettiest photo, but here is the first trout lily of the year (at the Preserve).

Restoring Bottomland hardwoods and wetlands restoration project

at Garland Landfill (Castle Drive Landfill)

Over 11,000 bare-root seedlings are being planted today through Monday, and for the next week or so.

Matt will need as  many people as possible.  Early successional species such as cottonwood, green ash, 

and black willow are being planted along with later species such as water oak, Shumard's oak, American elm,

sycamore, and pecan.

Sundogs are visible when the sun is near the horizon and on the same horizontal plane as the observer and the ice crystals. As sunlight passes through the ice crystals, it is bent by 22 degrees before reaching our eyes, much like what happens with 22 degree halos. This bending of light results in the formation of a sundog.  Source: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/opt/ice/sd.rxml

(click to enlarge)

Go see Spring Creek now, it's beautiful!....very few footprints early this morning. Rabbit and songbirds tracks as well. Lower right is property immediately adjacent to the Preserve and slated for residential development (if you can believe that).

(Canon Powershot A-80 / Photoshop 7.0 images) (click to enlarge)

Added Wetland Walks  for the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex.

Preliminary trail maps added.  Approximately 4 miles of trail mapped.

Hello Jack, found another "new" fish today not listed on the page
http://springcreekforest.virtualave.net/new_page_18.htm

It is the blacknose dace, Rhinichthys atratulus.  It was found in Beck's
branch at North Star and Beck street. Which is about a half a mile from
where this creek merges with Rowlett Creek.

Cheers.

Art
 

Forwarded by Derek Hill:

Martin Reid is hosting a most interesting photo of a Screech Owl...it displays large eyes and a beak on

its breast to ward off larger birds of prey and perhaps annoying crows....

See the photo taken by Brush Freeman at:

http://www.martinreid.com/screech.html

    Consultants who identified fish in the Preserve in 1991 apparently mistook this species for a Fathead Minnow