Birds go the distance! Take the Franklin’s Gulls that we see every year in Austin especially during April and May and again in October. You might hear them before you see them. These gregarious black-headed gulls pass through Texas on the way to and from the prairie and pothole regions of the Dakotas, Montana, and prairie Canada. Their summer home is freshwater marshes, but in winter you will find them along the coasts of Peru and Chile! Franklin’s Gulls look similar to the Laughing Gulls of the Texas coast. In the breeding season though, many of the Franklin’s Gulls have a rosy blush on their breasts and bellies which stands out, even on birds in flight. Compared to Laughing Gulls they have slightly smaller bills and larger white spots on their wing tips. Good places to look for these gulls are Bob Wentz Windy Point on Lake Travis, and at Lake Walter Long, where they may drop in to spend the night. You might encounter them resting on soccer fields, and they are known to follow farmers plowing up fields.
Franklin’s Gull with rosy breast Courtesy: Jeff Osborne© Provided by KXAN Austin
In North America they primarily eat insects and other invertebrates, but on their wintering grounds they eat crabs, insects and small fish, venturing up to 30 miles offshore.
On their breeding grounds, both the male and female build their nest on floating vegetation. As it decays, they add more to it so it might grow from 17 inches diameter to 40 inches! They sometimes nest within two feet of other gulls, and a colony of a thousand birds is not unusual.
The Hooded Warbler is another Neotropical migrant on the wing in April. The Texas population breeds in the eastern part of the state, with many more passing through to destinations in the eastern U.S. The Hooded Warbler is one of the birds that gives bird migration its reputation as a not-to-be-missed annual event. The male has an olive green back and wings, with bright yellow plumage below, and yellow cheeks set off by a black hood. It can be found flitting along forest floors, preferring the understory to the canopy of trees. The Hooded Warbler flashes its tail to reveal white outer tail feathers. Research has found that the white patches startle insects into flight. Birds with feathers temporarily darkened did not have the same success in catching insects. Like most warblers it has a slender bill suited to the insects it hunts.
Male Hooded Warbler COURTESY: James Giroux© Provided by KXAN Austin
The Hooded Warbler has a loud song that it uses to defend its winter and breeding territories. It sounds like a clear weeta-weeta-weet-tee-o with an emphatic ending. A loud chip note often lets people know one is around.
The Painted Bunting is a tropical looking bird with its blue head, electric green back and red underparts. If it’s on your bucket list, they typically arrive in mid-April and the males announce themselves with a song similar to the House Finch. The females and young males are green. The Wildflower Center, Commons Ford Ranch Metro Park, Milton Reimers Ranch Park, and St. Ed’s Park are good places to look, although sightings occur all around Austin. Try the free Merlin app from Cornell Lab of Ornithology to recognize their song and then look for the male perched high in a cedar or oak tree.
Male Painted Bunting COURTESY: Jeff Osborne© Provided by KXAN Austin
Painted Bunting displaying to female COURTESY: Jeff Osborne© Provided by KXAN Austin
Peak bird migration underway in Central Texas (msn.com) |
