Nalle Bunny Run 2020-10-24

Today I enjoyed a cool morning in the 50s with a north wind blowing on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run wildlife preserve. Bird activity was a little slow to start but I enjoyed two mixed-species foraging flocks in the denser areas of the parkland habitat area. On windy days little songbirds find areas sheltered from the wind, so that's where I went. Returning winter residents included Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Orange-crowned Warblers, a heard-only Northern Flicker, and a juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. I got this photo of the sapsucker while I was playing an Eastern Screech-Owl recording to attract one of the flocks:

The two flocks included several Nashville Warbler too, which are just passing through on their way further south, but I was unable to get a photo of one.

Down on the sandy prairie I was excited to discover that the croton (dove weed) was full of sparrows! Lincoln's Sparrows were most numerous but there were also Savannah Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, and a few White-throated Sparrows. The sandy prairie area is great habitat for these sparrows. They forage on the ground and in the low mix of native plants like croton and Camphorweed. But there are plenty of scattered trees and shrubs around that they can fly into when alarmed. A few winter-resident House Wrens were also using this habitat.

Here's one o the Savannah Sparrows, a species I don't have many records of for the Bunny Run:

Another much larger returning winter resident flew over me as I looked for sparrows, this Osprey:

Near the northeast corner of the preserve, still on the sandy prairie, I noticed an interesting plant. People have asked me about it before but I've never been able to tell them what it is. Today it was flowering, so I took some photos and later got it identified as Yakeeweed (Eupatorium compositifolium). It might be the first record of it in Travis County!

On my way back up the hill I spent some time in the sometimes waterfall that the spring drains into. In the last large pool at the bottom I was surprised to find a dead floating Red-tailed Hawk! I made a video of the experience. Be warned it contains footage of the dead carcass that some might not like to see:

Here's my complete eBird list.

Here are a few more photos on Flickr.

And see my attached observations.

הועלה ב-אוקטובר 25, 2020 04:59 אחה"צ על ידי mikaelb