Birding Granger Lake: 12/31 - 1/15

Granger Lake has always been one of the best birding spots in the Austin area, but until this winter is has really been an area that I know nothing about. Last year, I made a trip to Granger, but spent my entire time looking for Sedge Wren in the wrong places, and looking for longspurs and Mountain Plovers in fields where they had never been seen. Our trip yielded a Bald Eagle, and lots of American Pipits and meadowlarks.

This year my goal was to get to know the Granger area better, so I decided to embark on the Granger Christmas Bird Count. Luckily, I got put in the group led by my friend Chuck Sexton. Our group was assigned Area 1, which is covers the entire north section of count circle. This is the best place in central texas for longspurs, mountain plovers, Burrowing Owls, and apparently 1st state records. But more on that later.

I originally went on the Granger CBC to tack on a few lifers, and pad my very mediocre 2011 year list. But what happened was something much better.

Chuck and Christian Walker, another YB like myself, picked me up at my house at 5:15 in the morning. On the way up, I expected the drive to be silent, I mean it was 6 hours before I typically wake up on a weekend. But we all told stories of finding rare birds, 1st Texas records, failed twitches, successful chases, and all the weird looks we have gotten when people hear our answer "We're birding" to the age old question: "What the hell are you doing?"

We arrived at the Sore Finger Unit of Granger WMA, our meeting point and first birding spot, at 6:20, a good 30 minutes before first light. We noticed how every sign had multiple shotgun holes in them. That's rural Texas for you.  Barry Noret and Ken Williams arrived a tad later, but not before we got our first bird of the day, a Great Horned Owl calling from some distant trees along a small creek. We then proceeded into Sore Finger, where we walked onto the mowed trail about 200 yards. Right as the first light filled the sky, our targets silhouettes appeared, flying low over the tall grass: Short-eared Owls! We watched the owls for about 20 minutes, but in the blink of an eye, the owls were down, and the harriers woke up, thus giving the rodents another predator to worry about.

From Sore Finger, we drove to the Granger Lake Dam, were we walk about 300 yard out onto the dam to scope the waterfowl on Granger Lake. We located the Whooping Cranes that have become local celebrities off in the distance, as well as the overwintering 23 Cackling Geese (Lifer #505). But before we could scope of some close waterfowl, about 250 geese flying north stole our attention. Most of the geese were Snow Geese but we found about 20 Ross's Geese scattered among them. A group of 35 Greater White-fronted Geese followed them, and then the 23 Cackling Geese followed about 5 minutes later. We suspected that the geese roost on the lake and spend the day foraging in some agricultural fields in southern Bell County.

Snow and Ross's Geese

Ross's Geese and Snow Goose 

Ross's and Snow Geese

Cackling Geese

Bad time to have IS off

Cackling Geese

We then scoped the waterfowl on the lake, and despite low numbers, found two Hooded Mergansers, several Mallards, Northern Pintails, and the best duck of the day, a female Common Goldeneye found by Christian Walker. (As he was scanning the lake, he asked "Is Common Goldeneye?" Yeah...yeah it is!)

Getting tired of ducks, we decided to head over to Friendship Park. Having seen some sparrows along the base of the dam, Christian, Ken, and I made decide to walk to Friendship Park, while Barry and Chuck drove. We walked down through the tall grass, and the number of sparrows were incredible. Harris's, Fox, White-crowned, Vesper, and Song were all numerous in the shrubby areas lining the beach, while Field, Savannah, Chipping, and Vesper dominated the birds in the dead grass. We eventually kicked up Lincoln's and Swamp Sparrows also. We ended up with 10 sparrow species!

We made it to Friendship Park, where Chuck informed us that they had a Dunlin which flew across the cove to where we were. Ken continued on to Friendship, where he racked up more sparrows, while Christian and I trekked back along the beach to look for the Dunlin. We couldn't find the bird, but we did find a beautiful Say's Pheobe that offered superb looks. Once back at Friendship, we birded around. We were able to pick out a Bonaparte's Gull out of a large group of Ring-billed Gulls, American White Pelicans and Forsters Terns. Also another Say's Pheobe was on the beach, and of course the Whooping Cranes were feeding along the Sore Finger Peninsula. After a while at Friendship, we headed up to the agricultural fields.

Say's Pheobe

Say's Pheobe

Say's Pheobe

Whooping Cranes

Our first stop was along CR 360, where we immediately located several flocks of longspurs, almost entirely consisting of McCowns', but three or four Laplands were confirmed (Lifer #506). Luckily, one flock of longspurs landed on the road, including one Lapland, but it flew of quickly. Horned Larks and American Pipits foraged on the road too.

Longspur Flock

Lapland Longspur

McCown's Longspur and American Pipits

Horned Lark and McCown's Longspur

MCLO, AMPI, and HOLA

McCown's Longspur

McCown's Longspur

McCown's Longspur (just an over glorified House Sparrow)

Next we headed to Alligator Road, where we failed to find a Burrowing Owl and Prairie Falcon, but we did add American Wigeon, Lark Bunting, and Brewer's Blackbird to the count list.

Lark Bunting

Lark Bunting

Lark Bunting

Our last stop before lunch was CR 356, where we saw a more reliable Burrowing Owl, despite it being far away.

Burrowing Owl

After lunch, we headed over to Willis Creek WMA. We had no idea what was in store for us. After we arrived, we found some typical woodland birds: Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Carolina Chickadees, Hermit Thrush, and the like. As we ventured down the trail playing Screech-Owl tape, Christian called "Winter Wren." Chuck and I refound the bird on a big fallen log, then it disappeared. We then started hearing a bizarre, high pitch trill, which none of us had ever heard. After 5 minutes, the wren showed itself as the source of the bizarre call. It was then how we noticed how dark the bird was. The bird had a dark buffy/cinnamon throat, dark rufous brown back, and no white spots on its wings...it baffled us, until we proposed it was not a winter wren, but a PACIFIC WREN (lifer #507, to say the least), which would be a 1st Texas record. Time to start freaking out. We documented the bird well, by recording it's call and photographing the bird. It is a bird I would come to know well.

probable Pacific Wren

probable Pacific Wren

probable Pacific Wren

probable Pacific Wren

probable Pacific Wren

After spending the better part of an hour with the wren, we headed back to Friendship Park, where we rescued a Ring-billed Gull from a fishing lure, and refound the Dunlin.

Dunlin

Christian with the rescued Ring-billed Gull

We then headed back to CR 360 to look for longspurs at sunset. No longspurs, but great scenery.

As we drove out of the town of Granger, we saw my last bird of 2011: a Great Horned Owl.

Couldn't ask for a better end of the day, month, and year.

However, the DAWR (Damn Wren) pulled me back out to Granger sooner than expected. But I wasn't complaining, it is superb birding.

On Sunday January 8th, Chuck Sexton, Randy Pinkston and I refound the Wren, and another confusing twist in this saga occurred...a definite Winter Wren was also in the area, only 80 yards or so down the creek from the Pacific Wren's favorite log. To make things more complicated, they call back and forth, and often at the same time, making many recordings tainted with WIWR's call. Despite this, the Pacific Wren remained around his log for most of the time, allowing pictures.

probable Pacific Wren

probable Pacific Wren

probable Pacific Wren

probable Pacific Wren

probable Pacific Wren

probable Pacific Wren

probable Pacific Wren

probable Pacific Wren

probable Pacific Wren

We headed up to Alligator Road, and once again missed the Burrowing Owl, and there were no sign of the Mountain Plovers reported earlier in the week.

Chuck and I continued to CR 360, where we met a gentleman from Tennessee (blanking on his name). We saw McCown's Longspurs and Horned Larks well, but dipped on Chestnut-collared and Lapland.

Horned Lark

Horned Lark

We stopped over at Friendship Park on our way back, and found the Whooping Cranes. We also made a quick run up to CR 356 for the Burrowing Owl, and found a flock of 80-90 Lark Buntings while doing so.

Lark Buntings

Lark Buntings

Lark Buntings

Lark Buntings

Lark Buntings

Lark Buntings

Lark Buntings

Lark Buntings

My most recent trip to Granger was this past Sunday, January 15th. Victor Emanuel and I saw the  Pacific Wren briefly but well with the help of Chuck Sexton. Victor and I then headed to Friendship Park, where we found one of the two Whooping Crane families foraging out on the Sore Finger Peninsula. Victor and I then did a sparrow crawl through some grass on the west side of Friendship, and were not disappointed by two beautiful LeConte's Sparrows.

Whooping Cranes

Whooping Cranes

LeConte's Sparrow

LeConte's Sparrow

LeConte's Sparrow

LeConte's Sparrow

As we walked back to the car, the other Whooping Crane family flew over us, and joined the other along the peninsula and continues to snack on freshwater muscles.

Whooping Cranes

Whooping Cranes

Whooping Cranes

Next (despite some initial trouble finding the spot) we saw the CR 356 Burrowing Owl. We then droe the short distance to CR 360, where we say several large Longspur flocks. I could only confirm McCown's by sight, but I heard at least one definite Lapland.

Next stop was Alligator Road, where we refound the Alligator Road Burrowing Owl, which posed nicely for pictures.

Burrowing Owl

Burrowing Owl

Burrowing Owl

Burrowing Owl

Burrowing Owl

We stopped back at Friendship to eat lunch, and then headed back into town.

Granger Lake is such a superb birding area, and I'm so thankful that I've become more familiar with it, with help from other birders especially Chuck Sexton.

I look forward to birding Granger, in three outing we found one state record...if I go to Granger Lake once a week for the rest of the year, I should get 17 new state records!! :)

Unlikely as that BS math statistic is, I plan to bird Granger Lake much more 2012. In fact, I've made it my new years resolution.

I'm thrilled to see what 2012 has in store for me bird wise!