Martin Creek Lake

TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE BIRDS OF MARTIN CREEK LAKE S T A T E P A R K A FIELD CHECKLIST 2016 Cover: Illustration of Great Blue Heron by Rob Fleming. INTRODUCTION M artin Creek Lake State Park is located approximately 20 miles south of Longview and 3.5 miles west of Tatum in Rusk County. The park consists of 286 acres and is located on the 5,000-acre Martin Creek Lake. The lake was constructed to provide cooling water for a lignite-fired, electric power generation plant. The park is dominated by pine-oak forest consisting of loblolly pine, post, blackjack and water oaks. Birds can be observed on the lake from the boat ramp and from various location on the two hiking trails. One of these trails leads to a small island near the boat ramp. The other trail is 1.5 miles long and begins at the Bee Tree camping area. This trail follows the lakeshore for a short distance before entering the pine-oak woodland. Bald Eagles and Ospreys can sometimes be seen on this lake in fall, winter, and spring. There are eagle watching boat tours available every Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. from November through January. Mike Dillon of Marshall, Texas, compiled this checklist, from records collected by the North East Texas Field Ornithologists. 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. The organization and nomenclature of the birds listed here follow the American Ornithologist’s Union Check-list of North American Birds, 7th edition. 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, including essential territorial behavior, and may lead to nest failure. Thank you for your cooperation. 1 LEGEND c f u r x – – – – – Sp – Su – F – W– Common (Present, easy to find) Fairly common (Present, should see or hear) Uncommon (Present, harder to find) Rare (Present, hard to find, or may not occur every year) Accidental (Not usually present, lost, result of an event) Spring Summer Fall Winter March, April, May June, July, August September, October, November December, January, February CHECKLIST Sp Su F W ___ Greater White-fronted Goose........................ u ___ Snow Goose.................................................. u ___ Canada Goose............................................... u ___ Wood Duck.................................................. f f f f ___ Gadwall........................................................ f f f ___ American Wigeon......................................... f f f ___ Mallard......................................................... f u f f ___ Blue-winged Teal.......................................... f u f ___ Northern Shoveler........................................ f f f ___ Northern Pintail............................................ f ___ Green-winged Teal........................................ f f f ___ Canvasback................................................... f f f f ___ Redhead....................................................... u u ___ Ring-necked Duck........................................ f f f ___ Greater Scaup............................................... u u ___ Lesser Scaup................................................. f f ___ Bufflehead.................................................... f f f ___ Common Goldeneye...................................... u 2  Sp Su F W ___ Hooded Merganser....................................... f f f ___ Red-breasted Merganser............................... u ___ Ruddy Duck.................................................. c c ___ Northern Bobwhite....................................... u u u u ___ Common Loon.............................................. u ___ Pied-billed Grebe.......................................... c c c c ___ Wood Stork.................................................. u u ___ Neotropic Cormorant.................................... u ___ Double-crested Cormorant........................... c u c c ___ Anhinga........................................................ u u u ___ American White Pelican................................ f f f ___ American Bittern.......................................... u ___ Great Blue Heron.......................................... c c c c ___ Great Egret................................................... c c c c ___ Snowy Egret.................................................. f f f ___ Little Blue Heron.......................................... f f f ___ Tricolored heron.......................................... r ___ Reddish Egret............................................... x ___ Cattle Egret................................................... c c c u ___ Green Heron................................................. f f f ___ Yellow-crowned Night-Heron........................ u u u ___ White Ibis..................................................... u u ___ White-faced Ibis............................................ r ___ Black Vulture................................................ c c c c ___ Turkey Vulture.............................................. c c c c ___ Osprey.......................................................... u u u u ___ Mississippi Kite............................................. f f ___ Bald Eagle.................................................... f f f f ___ Northern Harrier.......................................... u u u ___ Sharp-shinned Hawk.................................... u u u u ___ Cooper’s Hawk............................................. u u u ___ Red-shouldered Hawk.................................. c c c c ___ Broad-winged Hawk..................................... u u 3  Sp Su F W ___ Red-tailed Hawk........................................... c c c c ___ American Coot.............................................. c u c c ___ American Avocet........................................... u ___ Black-bellied Plover..................................... u ___ American Golden-Plover............................... u ___ Killdeer......................................................... c c c c ___ Spotted Sandpiper........................................ f f f f ___ Solitary Sandpiper........................................ u u ___ Greater Yellowlegs........................................ f f f ___ Willet............................................................ u ___ Lesser Yellowlegs.......................................... u u u ___ Upland Sandpiper......................................... u u ___ Stilt Sandpiper.............................................. u ___ Baird’s Sandpiper......................................... u u ___ Least Sandpiper............................................ f f f f ___ Pectoral Sandpiper....................................... f f f ___ Semipalmated Sandpiper.............................. u u u ___ Western Sandpiper....................................... u u u ___ Wilson’s Snipe.............................................. f u f f ___ American Woodcock.................................... u u u u ___ Bonaparte’s Gull........................................... u ___ Franklin’s Gull.............................................. u ___ Ring-billed Gull............................................ f f f ___ Least Tern..................................................... r ___ Caspian Tern................................................. u ___ Black Tern.................................................... u ___ Forster’s Tern............................................... u c c ___ Rock Dove.................................................... f f f f ___ Eurasian Collared-Dove................................ u u u ___ Mourning Dove............................................. c c c c ___ Inca Dove..................................................... u u ___ Yellow-billed Cuckoo.................................... c c c ___ Greater Roadrunner..................................... u u u u 4  Sp Su F ___ Eastern Screech-Owl..................................... u u u ___ Great Horned Owl......................................... u u u ___ Barred Owl................................................... u u u ___ Short-eared Owl........................................... r ___ Common Nighthawk..................................... f f f ___ Chuck-will’s-widow....................................... f f ___ Eastern Whip-poor-will................................. u ___ Chimney Swift............................................... c c c ___ Ruby-throated Hummingbird........................ c c c ___ Belted Kingfisher.......................................... c c c ___ Red-headed Woodpecker............................. f f f ___ Red-bellied Woodpecker.............................. c c c ___ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.............................. c c ___ Downy Woodpecker..................................... c c c ___ Hairy Woodpecker........................................ f f f ___ Northern Flicker........................................... c u c ___ Pileated Woodpecker.................................... c c c ___ American Kestrel.......................................... f f ___ Merlin.......................................................... u ___ Eastern Wood-Pewee.................................... c c c ___ Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.............................. r ___ Acadian Flycatcher........................................ f f ___ Least Flycatcher............................................ u ___ Eastern Phoebe............................................. c c c ___ Great Crested Flycatcher............................... c c c ___ Western Kingbird.......................................... r ___ Eastern Kingbird........................................... c c c ___ Scissor-tailed Flycatcher............................... c c c ___ Loggerhead Shrike........................................ u u u ___ White-eyed Vireo.......................................... c c c ___ Yellow-throated Vireo................................... f f f ___ Blue-headed Vireo........................................ u u ___ Philadelphia Vireo........................................ u u 5 W u u u c f c c c f c c f c u u  Sp Su F W ___ Red-eyed Vireo............................................. c c c ___ Blue Jay........................................................ c c c c ___ American Crow............................................. c c c c ___ Fish Crow..................................................... u ___ Purple Martin............................................... c c c ___ Tree Swallow................................................ f u ___ Northern Rough-winged Swallow.................. f f f ___ Bank Swallow............................................... u ___ Cliff Swallow................................................. c c ___ Barn Swallow................................................ c c c u ___ Carolina Chickadee....................................... c c c c ___ Tufted Titmouse............................................ c c c c ___ Red-breasted Nuthatch................................. r r r ___ White-breasted Nuthatch............................... f f f ___ Brown-headed Nuthatch............................... c c c c ___ Brown Creeper............................................. u u u ___ House Wren.................................................. u u u ___ Winter Wren................................................. f f ___ Sedge Wren.................................................. u u u ___ Marsh Wren.................................................. u u ___ Carolina Wren.............................................. c c c c ___ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.................................. c c c ___ Golden-crowned Kinglet............................... f f f ___ Ruby-crowned Kinglet................................... c c c ___ Eastern Bluebird........................................... c c c c ___ Gray-cheeked Thrush................................... r ___ Swainson’s Thrush........................................ u ___ Hermit Thrush.............................................. c c c ___ Wood Thrush................................................ c c c ___ American Robin............................................ c c c c ___ Gray Catbird................................................. u u u ___ Brown Thrasher........................................... c c c c ___ Northern Mockingbird.................................. c c c c ___ European Starling......................................... c c c c 6  Sp Su F W ___ American Pipit.............................................. f f f ___ Sprague’s Pipit.............................................. r r ___ Cedar Waxwing............................................. c c c ___ Lapland Longspur......................................... r ___ Louisiana Waterthrush.................................. u u ___ Northern Waterthrush................................... u ___ Blue-winged Warbler.................................... r ___ Black-and-white Warbler.............................. f f f ___ Prothonotary Warbler................................... c c ___ Swainson’s Warbler...................................... u u ___ Tennessee Warbler....................................... u ___ Orange-crowned Warbler............................. u u u ___ Nashville Warbler......................................... u u ___ Kentucky Warbler......................................... f f f ___ Common Yellowthroat.................................. f f f ___ Hooded Warbler........................................... f ___ American Redstart........................................ u ___ Northern Parula............................................ c ___ Magnolia Warbler......................................... u ___ Bay-breasted Warbler................................... u ___ Yellow Warbler............................................. u u u ___ Chestnut-sided Warbler................................ u u ___ Pine Warbler................................................ c c c c ___ Yellow-rumped Warbler................................ c c c ___ Yellow-throated Warbler............................... c c ___ Prairie Warbler............................................. f f ___ Black-throated Green Warbler...................... u ___ Canada Warbler............................................ r ___ Yellow-breasted Chat.................................... c c ___ Eastern Towhee............................................ c c c ___ Bachman’s Sparrow...................................... r ___ Chipping Sparrow......................................... c c c c ___ Field Sparrow............................................... f f f f ___ Vesper Sparrow............................................ u u 7  Sp Su F W ___ Lark Sparrow................................................ u u u ___ Savannah Sparrow........................................ c c c ___ Le Conte’s Sparrow....................................... u u u ___ Fox Sparrow................................................. u u ___ Song Sparrow............................................... c c c ___ Lincoln’s Sparrow......................................... f f f ___ Swamp Sparrow............................................ f f f ___ White-throated Sparrow................................ c c c ___ White-crowned Sparrow............................... u u u ___ Dark-eyed Junco........................................... c c c ___ Summer Tanager.......................................... c c c ___ Scarlet Tanager............................................. r ___ Northern Cardinal......................................... c c c c ___ Rose-breasted Grosbeak............................... u u ___ Blue Grosbeak.............................................. f f f ___ Indigo Bunting.............................................. c c c ___ Painted Bunting............................................ f f ___ Dickcissel..................................................... f f ___ Red-winged Blackbird.................................. c c c c ___ Eastern Meadowlark..................................... c c c c ___ Yellow-headed Blackbird.............................. r ___ Rusty Blackbird............................................ u ___ Brewer’s Blackbird....................................... x u ___ Common Grackle.......................................... c c c c ___ Great-tailed Grackle...................................... f f ___ Brown-headed Cowbird................................ c c c u ___ Orchard Oriole............................................. c c ___ Baltimore Oriole........................................... f ___ House Finch................................................. u u ___ Purple Finch................................................. u u u ___ Pine Siskin.................................................... u ___ American Goldfinch...................................... c c c ___ House Sparrow............................................. c c c c 8 CITATION Dillion, Mike. June 2015. Birds of Martin Creek Lake State Park: a field checklist. Natural Resource Program, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. 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 (TDD) at (512) 389-8915 or by Relay Texas at 7-1-1 or (800) 735-2989. If you believe you have been discriminated against by TPWD, please contact TPWD or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office for Diversity and Workforce Management, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041. Natural Resources Program Texas Parks and Wildlife 4200 Smith School Road Austin, Texas 78744 © 2016 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. PWD BK P4000-561 (3/16) In accordance with Texas Depository Law, this publication is available at the Texas State Publications Clearinghouse and/or Texas Depository Libraries.