Western Cottonmouth & Birds Building Nests

My first survey of the morning was at Twin Falls where a Western Cottonmouth Snake made an appearance swimming around the middle of the pool at 7:20 AM. It was just over a foot long, black with lighter rings of color. Its body was very thick in the middle and its head was triangular shaped and noticeably wider than its neck. This venomous snake swam leisurely in circles. A man from San Antonio and myself viewed this snake from the overlook with binoculars. The park manager says the Western Cottonmouth is somewhat common in the park around water.
Bird wise, it is the height of nesting season for birds in Central Texas. A White-eyed Vireo had 4 eggs in the nest at Tobacco Creek. I “pisshhed” in a female Golden-cheeked Warbler at East Park Boundary with nest material in her bill, and I saw a female Summer Tanager collecting cobwebs. A female Black & White Warbler was observed flying away with a caterpillar at Tobacco Creek, and finally, I found a Black-chinned Hummingbird nest above the seep at Tobacco Creek. The female was adding her final touches to an already lichen laden nest. In the photo above you can see the nest, without bird, protruding from a broken off limb.
There is still no activity at any of the ten nest boxes. However migrants are still moving through as evidenced by the many Nashville Warblers heard and seen. Several Northern Parulas are still present and two new arrivals for the year were a Warbling Vireo and a Swainson's Thrush. I also watched and tried to photograph a Lark Sparrow from the Primitive Campground Parking Lot up on the hill. The photo to the right is a Lace Hedgehog Cactus correctly identified by Irwin Lightstone, president of the North Texas Cactus & Succulent Society. The Hedgehog Cactus is a small cactus species found in rocky open areas within the park.
The Pedernales River is 106 miles long originating 25 miles SE of Junction, Texas. It drains an area of the Edwards Plateau running west to east and empties into Lake Travis 10 miles west of Austin. With the volume of water the river moves, many natural and man-made materials get washed into it. Pictured here is a lounge chair pad hung up on a branch along a fast flowing portion of the Pedernales. Just a few weeks earlier I found a drowned dog hung up on the same stick. The Earth's rivers readily show how much humans have impacted the natural environment.

April Full Moon & Buntings

The April Full Moon greeted me on my drive to Pedernales Falls State Park this morning. Clear skies and moon lit nights are allowing many migrants safe passage north because few new migrants were detected at the park today. I did identify both a Painted Bunting and Indigo Bunting singing across the river at East Park Boundary and Tobacco Creek locations. The Indigo Bunting can readily be identified by its song which is comprised of paired phrases. Folks at the bird blind reported a Lazuli Bunting last Thursday.
A Broadwing Hawk was sited again this week and Louisiana Waterthrushes were present at four sites. Northern Parulas and Nashville Warblers were still abundant throughout the park as were Red-eyed, White-eyed and Yellow-throated Vireos, and Summer Tanagers. I just learned Parula's do nest in Texas so I am hoping some individuals may nest here. The White-eyed Vireo nest I found under construction two weeks ago now has a bird sitting tight.
I did see a River Otter for the first time on the Pedernales riding the rapids at East Park Boundary. It was a marvelous day to be out enjoying Texas natural lands.

Louisiana Waterthrushes On Territory

Today I saw and heard Louisiana Waterthrushes at all nest box locations. This includes the Tobacco, Twin Falls and Hackenburg creeks. Red-eyed Vireo was the only new spring arrival for today. They were singing vigorously at all locations along with the White-eyed and Yellow-throated Vireos.

Northern Parulas, which nest in Canada, are still present and very vocal down by the river. Summer Tanagers are setting up territories along the river at all nest box locations.

Today I saw four species of wren within the park: Carolina, Canyon, House and Bewicks. The Bewicks is the only wren whose habitat does not include the river.
Todays photos include Twin Falls from the overlook and some ferns growing on a vertical rock near nest box 3 in Twin Falls Creek.

Wilson's Warbler & Nest Occurrences

Northern Parula's were singing everywhere today as were a number of Summer Tanagers. I had six species of warblers including a female Wilson's Warbler and the Louisiana Waterthrush, for the second week in a row, at Tobacco Creek. Both the Yellow-throated and Blue-headed Vireos made appearances today. The Blue-headed Vireo is migrating north to Canada, but the Yellow-throated Vireo will stay to nest here where it's habitat is restricted to riparian corridors.

I found two active nests today but not in my nest boxes. Both were found at the Tobacco Creek site, which may be the most diverse site of the five. A Carolina Chickadee is nesting in a cavity in a pecan tree right above nest box 5. This cavity is 20 feet up. The second nest was under construction by a female White-eyed Vireo. This hanging nest is 9 feet high in a Buckeye tree also located near nest box 5 at Tobacco Creek.

Some Buckeye were still in bloom, however its peak flowering is over. I only saw half as many hummingbirds around these flowers and all were Black-chinned Hummingbirds, the majority of which were females.

A pair of Green Kingfishers have been sited again at East Park Boundary and I got my first Broad-winged Hawk of the year at Twin Falls.