Big Spring

TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE BIRDS OF BIG SPRING S T A T E P A R K A FIELD CHECKLIST 2009 Cover: Illustration of Rufous-crowned Sparrow by Clemente Guzman III. INTRODUCTION B ig Spring State Park is located just off I-20 within the city limits of Big Spring in Howard County. Acquired by the state in 1934, the park was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps using limestone quarried on the site. The three-mile driving and walking route that loops around the mountain follows the ledge of limestone rimrock that caps the 200-foot bluff. Vegetation in the 382-acre park includes mesquite, shin oak, skunk-bush sumac and red-berry juniper with prickly-pear cactus on the rocky slopes. There is also a 2/3-mile rocky nature trail that cuts through the veg­ etation and climbs more than halfway to the summit. This checklist is based on observations made by members of the Midland Naturalists group of Midland, Texas, during monthly visits over a period of seven years. The list includes only those birds which have been seen within or flying over the park. Park visitors are urged to report sightings to the Midland Naturalists’ Web site: www.midnats.org Checklist nomenclature and organization follow the A.O.U. Checklist of North American Birds (7th Edition) as currently supplemented. Please help us protect the natural avian communities in our parks by refraining from using playback tapes of bird songs. Frequent use of these tapes disrupts normal avian activity patterns, disrupts essential territorial behavior and may lead to nest failure. Thank you for your cooperation. 1 LEGEND C U R ^ — — — — Common – seen in numbers every year Uncommon – present but may be difficult to see Rare – few records, not seen every year Flyover – seen flying over the park SP — March – May S — June – August F — September – November W — December – February CHECKLIST SP S ___^ American White Pelican .............................. F W R ___^ Double-crested Cormorant .......................... R ___^ Great Blue Heron.......................................... R R R ___^ Snow Goose ................................................... R ___^ Canada Goose ............................................... R ___^ Blue-winged Teal .......................................... R ___^ Turkey Vulture .............................................. C C ___^ Osprey............................................................. ___^ Mississippi Kite ............................................. U C R C U ___^ Northern Harrier .......................................... R R ___^ Sharp-shinned Hawk .................................... R ___^ Cooper’s Hawk .............................................. R R ___^ Harris’s Hawk ................................................ R ___^ Swainson’s Hawk .......................................... R ___^ Red-tailed Hawk ............................................ R U ___^ Ferruginous Hawk ........................................ ___ American Kestrel .......................................... U 2 R R R R U R SP S ___^ Merlin ............................................................. F W R R C ___^ Peregrine Falcon ........................................... R ___ Scaled Quail................................................... C C C ___ Northern Bobwhite ...................................... R R U ___^ Sandhill Crane .............................................. U C C ___^ Killdeer ........................................................... R R R ___^ Upland Sandpiper ......................................... R ___^ Ring-billed Gull ............................................. ___^ Rock Pigeon ................................................... R U U ___^ Eurasian Collared-Dove ............................... R R R R ___ Mourning Dove ............................................. C C C C ___^ White-winged Dove ...................................... C C C C ___ Inca Dove ....................................................... R ___ Yellow-billed Cuckoo .................................... U U ___ Greater Roadrunner ..................................... U U ___ Burrowing Owl.............................................. ___^ Common Nighthawk .................................... U U ___ Common Poorwill ........................................ R R ___^ Chimney Swift............................................... U C U ___ Black-chinned Hummingbird ...................... U C R ___ Rufous Hummingbird................................... ___^ Belted Kingfisher .......................................... R R R R R U U R U R ___ Golden-fronted Woodpecker ....................... R ___ Ladder-backed Woodpecker ........................ R ___ Northern Flicker ........................................... R ___ Olive-sided Flycatcher .................................. R ___ Western Wood-Pewee ................................... R 3 R R SP S F ___ Least Flycatcher ............................................. R ___ Eastern Phoebe ............................................. R ___ Say’s Phoebe .................................................. R R ___ Ash-throated Flycatcher ............................... U U ___ Western Kingbird.......................................... C C R ___ Scissor-tailed Flycatcher .............................. U U ___^ Purple Martin................................................ U C ___^ Cliff Swallow ................................................. U U R ___^ Barn Swallow ................................................ R C C ___ Golden-crowned Kinglet .............................. R W U R R R ___ Ruby-crowned Kinglet .................................. C C C ___ Cedar Waxwing ............................................. C U C ___ Cactus Wren................................................... C C C C ___ Rock Wren ...................................................... U U U U ___ Canyon Wren ................................................. R R ___ Bewick’s Wren ............................................... C C C C C C C ___ House Wren ................................................... R ___ Northern Mockingbird ................................. C R ___ Sage Thrasher................................................ U U U ___ Curve-billed Thrasher .................................. C C C C ___ Crissal Thrasher............................................ R R R R ___ Eastern Bluebird ........................................... R ___ Mountain Bluebird ....................................... R ___ Hermit Thrush .............................................. R ___ American Robin ............................................ R U ___ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher .................................. R C ___ Black-crested Titmouse ................................ R 4 R C C U ___ Bushtit ............................................................ C ___ Red-breasted Nuthatch ................................. R C R C SP S F W ___ Verdin ............................................................. C C C U ___ Blue Jay .......................................................... R U ___ Western Scrub-Jay ......................................... C C C ___^ Chihuahuan Raven ....................................... ___ European Starling......................................... U C R U C U ___ Orange-crowned Warbler............................. C C C ___ Nashville Warbler ......................................... R ___ Hutton’s Vireo ............................................... R ___ Yellow Warbler .............................................. R ___ Yellow-rumped Warbler ............................... C ___ MacGillivray’s Warbler ................................ R ___ Wilson’s Warbler........................................... R R U R R R R ___ Spotted Towhee ............................................ C R C C ___ Canyon Towhee ............................................. C C C C ___ Cassin’s Sparrow .......................................... C C U ___ Rufous-crowned Sparrow ............................ C C C R ___ Chipping Sparrow ........................................ C R C U ___ Summer Tanager ........................................... R ___ Western Tanager ........................................... ___ Green-tailed Towhee .................................... U ___ Clay-colored Sparrow................................... U C ___ Brewer’s Sparrow ......................................... R ___ Field Sparrow ................................................ U R U ___ Vesper Sparrow............................................. R ___ Lark Sparrow................................................. R R ___ Black-throated Sparrow............................... R U R ___ Lark Bunting.................................................. R ___ Song Sparrow................................................ R 5 R R SP S F W ___ Lincoln’s Sparrow......................................... R U R ___ White-crowned Sparrow.............................. C C C ___ White-throated Sparrow.............................. R ___ Dark-eyed Junco ............................................ C C C ___ Northern Cardinal ........................................ C C C C ___ Pyrrhuloxia .................................................... C C C C ___ Blue Grosbeak ............................................... R R ___ Painted Bunting ............................................ R U ___^ Red-winged Blackbird .................................. R R ___^ Yellow-headed Blackbird ............................. R ___ Common Grackle.......................................... R R U ___ Great-tailed Grackle ..................................... C C C ___ Bronzed Cowbird .......................................... R R ___ Brown-headed Cowbird ............................... C C ___ Bullock’s Oriole ............................................. R C R ___ Scott’s Oriole ................................................. R U R ___ House Finch ................................................... C C C ___ Pine Siskin..................................................... ___ Lesser Goldfinch ........................................... R citation C R U ___ American Goldfinch ..................................... R ___ House Sparrow.............................................. C C C C U U U U U Midland Naturalists. October 2009. Birds of Big Spring State Park: a field checklist. Natural Resources Program, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. 6 NOTES 7 NOTES 8 In 1983, the Texas Legislature created the Special Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Fund. This fund may be used for nongame wildlife and endangered species research and conservation, habitat acquisition and development and dis­ semination of information pertaining to nongame management. Money for this fund is obtained through private donations and sale of nongame wildlife art prints and stamps. This fund now gives Texans a unique opportunity to help support this state’s valuable and sensitive nongame resources. Your individual con­ tributions and purchases of nongame art prints and stamps will help determine the level of nongame conservation activities in Texas. For more information call toll-free (1-800-792-1112) or contact: Nongame and Endangered Species Program, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, Texas 78744. Natural Resources Program Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 4200 Smith School Road Austin, Texas 78744 © 2009 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department PWD BK P4506-0037H (9/09) In accordance with Texas Depository Law, this publication is available at the Texas State Publications Clearinghouse and/or Texas Depository Libraries.