Lake Casa Blanca

TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE BIRDS OF LAKE CASA BLANCA INTERNATIONAL S T A T E P A R K A FIELD CHECKLIST 2018 Cover: Illustration of Lark Sparrow by Clemente Guzman III. INTRODUCTION L ake Casa Blanca International State Park is located in the city limits of Laredo in Webb County. The park consists of 525 acres and is located Lake Casa Blanca, a lake built for recreation. You will find typical monte (brush) species year-round along the hiking trails. These include vermilion flycatcher, golden-fronted and ladder-backed woodpeckers, cactus wren, pyrrhuloxia, mourning and white-winged doves, Couch’s kingbird and greater roadrunner. Summer residents of the park include Bullock’s and hooded orioles, scissor-tailed and brown-crested flycatchers, and western kingbirds. The fall and spring migrations bring a variety of warbler species, vireos and flycatchers. Green jays and great kiskadees live here year-round. Lark sparrows are frequent in the summer, while winter brings other sparrows such as Lincoln’s and grasshopper. The lake provides habitat for wading birds such as great blue heron, snowy egret and great egret year-round. American white pelicans and various waterfowl (such as northern shoveler and blue-winged teal) make their homes here in the winter months. Susan Foster compiled this checklist using Cornel Labs of Ornithology’s eBird reports. This checklist is preliminary and will be periodically updated. Additional records are needed and contributions of sightings, even of the most common birds, can be very helpful. 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 and essential territorial behavior, and may lead to nest failure. Thank you for your cooperation. 1 LEGEND Abundance c – Common (Present, easy to find) u – Uncommon (Present, harder to find) r – Rare (Present, hard to find, or may not occur every year) x – Accidental (not usually present, lost, result of an event) Seasons W – Winter (December, January, February) Sp – Spring (March, April, May) S – Summer (June, July, August) F – Fall (September, October, November) 2 CHECKLIST W Sp S F DUCKS & GEESE ____ Black-bellied Whistling-Duck.............................r u u ____ Fulvous Whistling-Duck...................................... r ____ Greater White-fronted Goose..............................u r ____ Wood Duck........................................................r ____ Gadwall..............................................................c c c ____ American Wigeon...............................................c u c ____ Mallard..............................................................u u r ____ Mottled Duck.....................................................u u u u ____ Blue-winged Teal................................................c c r c ____ Cinnamon Teal...................................................u u r ____ Northern Shoveler..............................................c c r ____ Northern Pintail..................................................u r u ____ Green-winged Teal..............................................c u r ____ Canvasback........................................................f f f f ____ Redhead.............................................................r r ____ Ring-necked Duck..............................................c u ____ Greater Scaup.....................................................r r ____ Lesser Scaup......................................................u u u ____ Bufflehead..........................................................u u ____ Common Goldeneye........................................... u ____ Hooded Merganser.............................................r ____ Red-breasted Merganser....................................r ____ Ruddy Duck.......................................................u u u CHACHALACAS & GUANS ____ Plain Chachalaca................................................ x NEW WORLD QUAIL ____ Northern Bobwhite.............................................r r x r ____ Scaled Quail.......................................................r r u r 3 W Sp S F GREBES ____ Least Grebe........................................................u u r ____ Pied-billed Grebe...............................................c c c ____ Eared Grebe.......................................................c r r ____ Horned Grebe....................................................x ____ Western Grebe....................................................u u r PIGEONS & DOVES ____ Rock Pigeon.......................................................u u u u ____ Eurasian Collared-Dove......................................c c c c ____ Inca Dove...........................................................u u u u ____ Common Ground Dove.......................................u u u u ____ White-tipped Dove..............................................u u x ____ White-winged Dove.............................................c c c c ____ Mourning Dove..................................................c c c c CUCKOOS & ANIS ____ Yellow-billed Cuckoo.......................................... u u u ____ Greater Roadrunner...........................................u u u u ____ Groove-billed Ani............................................... u u NIGHTJARS ____ Lesser Nighthawk............................................... c c c ____ Common Nighthawk........................................... u u ____ Common Pauraque.............................................u u u ____ Common Poorwill.............................................. r SWIFTS ____ Chimney Swift.....................................................u u u HUMMINGBIRDS ____ Ruby-throated Hummingbird.............................. r ____ Black-chinned Hummingbird............................. u u u RAILS ____ Virginia Rail........................................................ r ____ Sora...................................................................c c c 4 W Sp S F ____ Common Gallinule..............................................c c u c ____ American Coot....................................................c c u c CRANES ____ Sandhill Crane....................................................r STILTS & AVOCETS ____ Black-necked Stilt..............................................u c u ____ American Avocet................................................. r r PLOVERS ____ American Golden-Plover.....................................u ____ Semipalmated Plover.......................................... r ____ Snowy Plover...................................................... r ____ Killdeer..............................................................c c c c SANDPIPERS ____ Spotted Sandpiper..............................................c c r c ____ Solitary Sandpiper..............................................r r x ____ Sanderling.......................................................... r ____ Greater Yellowlegs..............................................u u r u ____ Willet.................................................................. r r ____ Lesser Yellowlegs................................................ u u ____ Long-billed Curlew............................................. r ____ Baird’s Sandpiper............................................... x ____ Least Sandpiper..................................................c c c c ____ White-breasted Sandpiper.................................. r ____ Buff-breasted Sandpiper..................................... r ____ Pectoral Sandpiper............................................. r ____ Semipalmated Sandpiper.................................... r ____ Western Sandpiper.............................................u u u u ____ Short-billed Dowitcher....................................... r r ____ Long-billed Dowitcher........................................ u u ____ Wilson’s Snipe....................................................u u u ____ Wilson’s Phalarope............................................. x x 5 W Sp S F GULLS & TERNS ____ Bonaparte’s Gull.................................................u u ____ Franklin’s Gull....................................................u u u ____ Laughing Gull.....................................................u u u ____ Ring-billed Gull..................................................c c c ____ Herring Gull.......................................................u u u ____ Slaty-backed Gull................................................x ____ Lesser Black-backed Gull...................................u u ____ Least Tern........................................................... u u ____ Caspian Tern......................................................r r ____ Black Tern.......................................................... r r ____ Forster’s Tern.....................................................u u u u LOONS ____ Common Loon....................................................u u r CORMORANTS ____ Neotropic Cormorant.........................................c c c c ____ Double-crested Cormorant.................................c c r c ANHINGAS ____ Anhinga..............................................................c u r PELICANS ____ American White Pelican......................................c u u ____ Brown Pelican....................................................r r x HERONS ____ American Bittern................................................ r ____ Least Bittern....................................................... u r ____ Great Blue Heron...............................................c c u c ____ Great Egret.........................................................c c c c ____ Snowy Egret........................................................c c u c ____ Little Blue Heron................................................u u r r ____ Tricolored Heron...............................................c u x r ____ Reddish Egret..................................................... x x 6 W Sp S F ____ Cattle Egret.........................................................c u u c ____ Green Heron......................................................r c c c ____ Black-crowned Night-Heron...............................u u u ____ Yellow-crowned Night-Heron.............................. r r IBIS & SPOONBILLS ____ White Ibis...........................................................r r x ____ White-faced Ibis.................................................u u u NEW WORLD VULTURES ____ Black Vulture......................................................c c u c ____ Turkey Vulture....................................................c c c c OSPREYS ____ Osprey................................................................c c u c HAWKS, KITES & EAGLES ____ White-tailed Kite................................................. x ____ Northern Harrier................................................c u x ____ Sharp-shinned Hawk..........................................u u u ____ Cooper’s Hawk...................................................u u u ____ Mississippi Kite................................................... x ____ White-tailed Hawk..............................................r ____ Harris’s Hawk.....................................................u u u u ____ Gray Hawk..........................................................r r ____ Red-shouldered Hawk........................................u r ____ Broad-winged Hawk........................................... x ____ Swainson’s Hawk................................................ c u u ____ Zone-tailed Hawk...............................................r ____ Red-tailed Hawk.................................................c u u TYPICAL OWLS ____ Great Horned Owl..............................................r r r KINGFISHERS ____ Ringed Kingfisher...............................................u u u u ____ Belted Kingfisher................................................u u u u 7 W Sp S F ____ Green Kingfisher.................................................u u u WOODPECKERS ____ Golden-fronted Woodpecker..............................c c c c ____ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker....................................r r ____ Red-naped Sapsucker.........................................x ____ Ladder-backed Woodpecker...............................c c c c ____ Northern Flicker.................................................u u FALCONS & CARACARAS ____ Crested Caracara................................................c c u c ____ American Kestrel................................................u u u ____ Merlin................................................................u u u ____ Peregrine Falcon................................................u TYRANT FLYCATCHERS ____ Olive-sided Flycatcher........................................ u ____ Eastern Wood-Pewee.......................................... u ____ Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.................................... u ____ Willow Flycatcher............................................... u u ____ Least Flycatcher.................................................. c u ____ Black Phoebe.....................................................u u u u ____ Eastern Phoebe..................................................c u u c ____ Say’s Phoebe.......................................................u u u ____ Vermillion Flycatcher..........................................c u u c ____ Ash-throated Flycatcher...................................... u r ____ Great Crested Flycatcher..................................... r r r ____ Brown-crested Flycatcher................................... u c ____ Great Kiskadee...................................................c c c c ____ Tropical Kingbird...............................................r r ____ Couch’s Kingbird................................................c c c c ____ Western Kingbird................................................ c c ____ Eastern Kingbird................................................. r ____ Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.....................................r c c c 8 W Sp S F SHRIKES ____ Loggerhead Shrike.............................................u r u VIREOS ____ White-eyed Vireo................................................r r r r ____ Bell’s Vireo......................................................... r ____ Blue-headed Vireo..............................................u r ____ Warbling Vireo................................................... r JAYS & CROWS ____ Green Jay............................................................c c c c ____ Chihuahuan Raven..............................................c c r c SWALLOWS ____ Purple Martin.....................................................u c c ____ Tree Swallow......................................................u u ____ Northern Rough-winged Swallow........................r u u r ____ Bank Swallow..................................................... u u ____ Cliff Swallow....................................................... u u ____ Cave Swallow......................................................u u u ____ Barn Swallow.....................................................u c c c TITMICE ____ Black-crested Titmouse......................................u u u u VERDINS ____ Verdin................................................................u u u u WRENS ____ House Wren........................................................c c c ____ Sedge Wren........................................................ r ____ Marsh Wren........................................................u u u ____ Carolina Wren....................................................r r r ____ Bewick’s Wren....................................................u u u u ____ Cactus Wren.......................................................c c c c GNATCATCHERS ____ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher........................................c c u c 9 W Sp S F ____ Black-tailed Gnatcatcher....................................r KINGLETS ____ Golden-crowned Kinglet.....................................r ____ Ruby-crowned Kinglet........................................c THRUSHES ____ Eastern Bluebird................................................r ____ Swainson’s Thrush.............................................. ____ Hermit Thrush....................................................r ____ American Robin.................................................r THRASHERS & MOCKINGBIRDS ____ Gray Catbird.......................................................r ____ Curve-billed Thrasher.........................................u ____ Long-billed Thrasher..........................................u ____ Northern Mockingbird.......................................c STARLINGS ____ European Starlings.............................................u WAXWINGS ____ Cedar Waxwing................................................... OLD WORLD SPARROWS ____ House Sparrow...................................................c PIPITS ____ American Pipit....................................................c FINCHES ____ House Finch.......................................................c ____ Lesser Goldfinch.................................................r ____ American Goldfinch............................................r NEW WORLD SPARROWS ____ Olive Sparrow.....................................................c ____ Green-tailed Towhee...........................................r ____ Spotted Towhee..................................................r ____ Brewer’s Sparrow...............................................r r r r 10 c c r r u x u u u c c c u u u r r c c c r u c c c x r r c c u W Sp S F ____ Cassin’s Sparrow................................................r c u ____ Chipping Sparrow...............................................c c c c ____ Clay-colored Sparrow.........................................u u r ____ Field Sparrow.....................................................r r r ____ Vesper Sparrow..................................................u u u ____ Lark Sparrow.....................................................c c c c ____ Black-throated Sparrow.....................................c c c c ____ Lark Bunting......................................................r x ____ Savannah Sparrow..............................................c c c ____ Grasshopper Sparrow.........................................r r u ____ Fox Sparrow.......................................................x ____ Song Sparrow.....................................................u r ____ Lincoln’s Sparrow...............................................c c c ____ Swamp Sparrow.................................................r r r ____ White-crowned Sparrow.....................................r r YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT ____ Yellow-breasted Chat..........................................r r r BLACKBIRDS & ORIOLES ____ Red-winged Blackbird........................................c c c c ____ Eastern Meadowlark...........................................u u u ____ Western Meadowlark..........................................u u u ____ Yellow-headed Blackbird....................................u ____ Brewer’s Blackbird.............................................x x ____ Great-tailed Grackle...........................................c c c c ____ Bronzed Cowbird...............................................r c c r ____ Brown-headed Cowbird......................................c c c c ____ Orchard Oriole................................................... r ____ Hooded Oriole...................................................u u u ____ Bullock’s Oriole.................................................u c u ____ Altamira Oriole...................................................r r ____ Audubon’s Oriole...............................................r r r 11 W Sp S F ____ Baltimore Oriole................................................x x WOOD WARBLERS ____ Northern Waterthrush.........................................r ____ Black-and-white Warbler....................................u u ____ Tennessee Warbler.............................................r r ____ Orange-crowned Warbler...................................c c c ____ Nashville Warbler...............................................u u u ____ MacGillivray’s Warbler........................................r ____ Common Yellowthroat........................................c c c c ____ American Redstart..............................................x u u ____ Yellow Warbler...................................................u c c ____ Pine Warbler......................................................u x ____ Yellow-rumped Warbler.....................................c u c ____ Black-throated Green Warbler............................ u u CARDINALS and GROSBEAKS ____ Summer Tanager................................................ x ____ Northern Cardinal..............................................c c c c ____ Pyrrhuloxia........................................................c c c c ____ Blue Grosbeak....................................................r r ____ Indigo Bunting...................................................r r ____ Varied Bunting.................................................... x ____ Painted Bunting..................................................r r ____ Dickcissel...........................................................x r TANAGERS ____ Morelet’s Seedeater............................................u c c u 12 citation Foster, Susan. January 2018. Birds of Lake Casa Blanca State Park: a field checklist. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Natural Resources Program, Austin, Texas. 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 dissemination 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 contributions 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. TPWD receives funds from the USFWS. TPWD prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, and gender, pursuant to state and federal law. To request an accommodation or obtain information in an alternative format, please contact TPWD on a Text Telephone (TTY) at (512) 389-8915 or by Relay Texas at 7-1-1 or (800) 735-2989 or by email at accessibility@ tpwd.texas.gov. If you believe you have been discriminated against by TPWD, please contact TPWD, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744, or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office for Diversity and Workforce Management, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041. Natural Resource Program Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 4200 Smith School Road Austin, Texas 78744 © 2021 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department PWD BK P4502-0156G (7/21)