Meridian

TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE BIRDS OF MERIDIAN S T A T E PA R K A FIELD CHECKLIST 2018 INTRODUCTION L ocated on Hwy 22 about three miles southwest of Meridian, visitors will find a hidden gem. Meridian State Park lies at the top of the Texas Hill Country in the Lampasas Cut Plains natural region of Texas. This 505 acre park is home to diverse plant and animal communities, similar to those found on the southeastern margin of the Edwards Plateau. Birders have identified over 175 bird species in the park. This is no surprise as the park contains soggy bottomlands, stream corridors, high ridges with Ashe juniper and oaks, and the 72-acre Meridian Lake. Over 5 miles of trails give ample opportunity to view the variety of bird life. Along the Bosque Hiking Trail look for wood warblers, sparrows, woodpeckers and flycatchers. Birds of prey are often seen soaring overhead. The bird blind on the Little Forest Junior Trail offers exciting new possibilities for the avid birder and the amateur alike. A trip to Shinnery Ridge Trail could reward you with a sighting of the endangered golden-cheeked warbler. Prime stands of Ashe juniper and oak woodland are the nesting necessities that attract this special visitor to the park. Look and listen for the golden-cheeked warbler in late March through June. Aaron Lincoln of Meridian, Texas, compiled this checklist with data from the 2006 edition of Birds of Meridian State Park by Warren Pulich and additional input from Ebird.org and Inaturalist.org. Special thanks to Frank Bumgardner and Joseph Allen for their assistance and support. The organization and nomenclature of the birds listed here follow the American Ornithologist’s Union Check-list of North American Birds, 7th edition. We encourage park visitors to share any new or unusual bird sightings with park staff and help us in maintaining and revising this checklist. 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 essential territorial behavior and may lead to nest failure. Thank you for your cooperation. Cover: Illustration of Golden-cheeked Warbler by Clemente Guzman III. 1 LEGEND Abundance c – Common (present, easy to find) f – Fairly common (present, should see or hear) 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) CHECKLIST Sp S F W ___ Snow Goose ....................................................r ___ Canada Goose ................................................r r r ___ Wood Duck ....................................................r r u ___ Blue-winged Teal ........................................... f f r ___ Northern Shoveler .......................................... f u f ___ Gadwall ..........................................................c c c ___ American Wigeon ...........................................c c c ___ Mallard ..........................................................c c c ___ Northern Pintail .............................................. c ___ Green-winged Teal .......................................... f f f ___ Canvasback ....................................................r ___ Redhead ......................................................... f ___ Ring-necked Duck ......................................... f f f ___ Greater Scaup ................................................x ___ Lesser Scaup ..................................................u u f ___ Bufflehead ........................................................ u ___ Common Goldeneye .......................................r ___ Common Merganser ......................................r ___ Ruddy Duck ...................................................u u f ___ Northern Bobwhite ......................................... f f 2 Sp S F W ___ Wild Turkey ....................................................u u u u ___ Pied-billed Grebe ...........................................c c c ___ Horned Grebe ................................................r r ___ Eared Grebe ................................................... u ___ Rock Pigeon ...................................................u u u u ___ Inca Dove .......................................................r r r r ___ White-winged Dove ........................................ f c c c ___ Mourning Dove ..............................................c c c c ___ Yellow-billed Cuckoo .....................................u c ___ Greater Roadrunner ....................................... f f f f ___ Common Nighthawk .......................................u u ___ Common Poorwill ..........................................x ___ Chuck-will’s-widow ........................................ f f ___ Chimney Swift ................................................ f u f ___ Sora ...............................................................r ___ American Coot ...............................................c c c ___ Sandhill Crane ................................................. r ___ American Avocet ............................................r ___ Killdeer ..........................................................c c c c ___ Upland Sandpiper ...........................................u ___ Sanderling ......................................................r ___ Least Sandpiper ..............................................u u u ___ White-rumped Sandpiper ...............................r ___ Pectoral Sandpiper .........................................u ___ Semipalmated Sandpiper ...............................u ___ Long-billed Dowitcher ...................................u u u ___ Wilson’s Snipe ................................................. u u ___ Spotted Sandpiper .......................................... f f f f ___ Solitary Sandpiper ..........................................r ___ Lesser Yellowlegs ...........................................u f 3 Sp S F W ___ Willet .............................................................r ___ Greater Yellowlegs ......................................... f f f ___ Franklin’s Gull ................................................r ___ Ring-billed Gull ............................................... u ___ Black Tern .....................................................u ___ Forster’s Tern .................................................. u ___ Neotropic Cormorant........................................ r ___ Double-crested Cormorant ............................c c c ___ Anhinga ..........................................................x ___ American White Pelican .................................u f ___ American Bittern ............................................r ___ Least Bittern ...................................................r ___ Great Blue Heron ...........................................c c c c ___ Snowy Egret ...................................................c f ___ Little Blue Heron ............................................u u ___ Tricolored Heron ...........................................r ___ Cattle Egret .....................................................r ___ Green Heron ..................................................c c ___ Black-crowned Night-Heron ..........................r ___ Yellow-crowned Night-Heron .........................r ___ White-faced Ibis .............................................r ___ Black Vulture .................................................c c c c ___ Turkey Vulture ...............................................c c c c ___ Osprey ........................................................... f f ___ Mississippi Kite ..............................................u ___ Northern Harrier ............................................. f ___ Sharp-shinned Hawk ......................................u c u ___ Cooper’s Hawk ............................................... f ___ Broad-winged Hawk ...................................... f c ___ Swainson’s Hawk ...........................................u r 4 Sp S F W ___ Red-tailed Hawk ............................................c c c c ___ Rough-legged Hawk ........................................ r ___ Barn Owl ........................................................u u u u ___ Eastern Screech-Owl ......................................u u u u ___ Great Horned Owl ..........................................u u u u ___ Barred Owl ....................................................r ___ Long-eared Owl...............................................x ___ Ruby-throated Hummingbird .........................c c ___ Black-chinned Hummingbird .........................c c ___ Belted Kingfisher ............................................c c c c ___ Golden-fronted Woodpecker ..........................r r ___ Red-headed Woodpecker ...............................r ___ Red-bellied Woodpecker ................................c c c c ___ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker ...............................c c c ___ Ladder-backed Woodpecker ..........................c c c c ___ Downy Woodpecker .......................................c c c c ___ Northern Flicker ............................................c c c c ___ Crested Caracara ............................................ f f ___ American Kestrel ............................................ f c c ___ Merlin ............................................................r ___ Prairie Falcon ................................................r ___ Olive-sided Flycatcher ....................................u ___ Eastern Wood-Pewee ......................................u c ___ Yellow-bellied Flycatcher ...............................r ___ Alder Flycatcher .............................................r ___ Willow Flycatcher ...........................................r ___ Least Flycatcher .............................................u f f ___ Willow Flycatcher.............................................r ___ Black Phoebe .................................................r ___ Eastern Phoebe ..............................................c c c c 5 MERIDIAN STATE PARK 6 7 Sp S F W ___ Ash-throated Flycatcher .................................u f ___ Great Crested Flycatcher ................................ f c ___ Western Kingbird ............................................ r ___ Eastern Kingbird ............................................u u ___ Scissor-tailed Flycatcher .................................c c c ___ Loggerhead Shrike .........................................c c ___ Black-capped Vireo ........................................r r ___ White-eyed Vireo ............................................c c c ___ Bell’s Vireo ....................................................r r ___ Yellow-throated Vireo ....................................u u ___ Blue-headed Vireo .........................................r ___ Philadelphia Vireo ..........................................r ___ Warbling Vireo ...............................................r ___ Red-eyed Vireo ............................................... f f ___ Blue Jay ..........................................................c c c c ___ American Crow ..............................................c c c c ___ Horned Lark ................................................... u ___ Purple Martin ................................................. f f ___ Tree Swallow ..................................................r ___ No. Rough-winged Swallow ............................u ___ Bank Swallow ................................................r ___ Cliff Swallow ...................................................c c ___ Cave Swallow .................................................c c ___ Barn Swallow .................................................c c ___ Carolina Chickadee ........................................c c c c ___ Black-crested Titmouse ..................................c c c c ___ Black-crested x Tufted Titmouse...................... f f f f ___ Red-breasted Nuthatch ...................................u f u ___ White-breasted Nuthatch ................................r ___ Brown Creeper ...............................................u u c 8 Sp S F W ___ Rock Wren .....................................................r ___ Canyon Wren .................................................. f f ___ House Wren ................................................... f f f ___ Carolina Wren ................................................c c c c ___ Bewick’s Wren ...............................................c c c c ___ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher ....................................c c ___ Golden-crowned Kinglet .................................. f f ___ Ruby-crowned Kinglet ..................................... c c ___ Eastern Bluebird ............................................ f f f ___ Townsend’s Solitaire ....................................... r ___ Veery ..............................................................r ___ Gray-cheeked Thrush .....................................r ___ Hermit Thrush ............................................... f f f ___ American Robin .............................................c c c ___ Gray Catbird ...................................................r ___ Brown Thrasher .............................................. f ___ Northern Mockingbird ...................................c c c c ___ European Starling .......................................... f f f f ___ Cedar Waxwing ..............................................c c ___ Phainopepla ...................................................r ___ House Sparrow .............................................. f f f f ___ American Pipit ................................................ f ___ House Finch ................................................... f f f f ___ Purple Finch .................................................... u ___ Pine Siskin .....................................................u ___ Lesser Goldfinch ............................................r ___ American goldfinch ........................................c c ___ Spotted Towhee .............................................. f c ___ Eastern Towhee ............................................... r ___ Rufous-crowned Sparrow .............................. f f 9 Sp S F W ___ Cassin’s Sparrow ............................................u u ___ Chipping Sparrow .......................................... f f f ___ Clay-colored Sparrow ....................................r ___ Field Sparrow ................................................. f c ___ Vesper Sparrow ............................................... f ___ Lark Sparrow .................................................c c c c ___ Savannah Sparrow ......................................... f f f ___ Fox Sparrow .................................................... f ___ Song Sparrow ................................................. f f ___ Lincoln’s Sparrow .......................................... f f ___ White-throated Sparrow .................................c c ___ Harris’s Sparrow ............................................ f f ___ White-crowned Sparrow ................................c c ___ Dark-eyed Junco ............................................ f c ___ Yellow-Breasted Chat .....................................u u ___ Eastern Meadowlark ......................................u ___ Western Meadowlark .....................................u f ___ Orchard Oriole ..............................................u u ___ Bullock’s Oriole ..............................................r ___ Baltimore Oriole ............................................r ___ Red-winged Blackbird ................................... f f f u ___ Brown-headed Cowbird ................................. f f f f ___ Brewer’s Blackbird ......................................... f ___ Common Grackle ...........................................u u u ___ Great-tailed Grackle ....................................... f f f f ___ Ovenbird ........................................................r ___ Northern Waterthrush ....................................u ___ Black-and-white Warbler ............................... f f ___ Swainson’s Warbler .........................................r ___ Tennessee Warbler .........................................r 10 Sp S F W ___ Orange-crowned Warbler ............................... f c ___ Mourning Warbler .........................................r ___ Kentucky Warbler ...........................................r ___ Common Yellowthroat ....................................u u u u ___ Hooded Warbler ............................................r ___ American Redstart .........................................r ___ Magnolia Warbler ..........................................r ___ Bay-breasted Warbler .....................................r ___ Blackburnian Warbler ....................................r ___ Yellow Warbler .............................................. f f ___ Chestnut-sided Warbler ..................................r ___ Blackpoll Warbler ..........................................r ___ Yellow-rumped Warbler .................................c c c ___ Golden-cheeked Warbler ............................... f u ___ Black-throated Green Warbler ....................... f ___ Wilson’s Warbler ............................................u u ___ Summer Tanager ............................................ f f ___ Scarlet Tanager ..............................................r ___ Northern Cardinal ..........................................c c c c ___ Rose-breasted Grosbeak ................................r ___ Black-headed Grosbeak .................................r ___ Blue Grosbeak ............................................... f f ___ Indigo Bunting ............................................... f f ___ Painted Bunting ..............................................c ___ Dickcissel ...................................................... f f 11 citation Lincoln, Aaron. January 2018. Birds of Meridian 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 (1-800-7921112) or contact: Nongame and Endangered Species Program, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, Texas 78744. 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