Pedernales Falls State Park Prothonotary Warbler Nest Box Study: Rufous Hummingbird & Summer Tanager

Prothonotary Warbler Occurrence In Texas

Central Texas draws the western line for the Prothonotary Warbler range. This species occupies much of eastern North America up to the southern boarder of Ontario Canada.
Prothonotarys' nest in natural cavities but also readily use nest boxes located on or near water. Flooded swamps represent ideal habitat but they will also nest along rivers or small bodies of water.
In May 2007 I saw a brightly colored male Prothonotary Warbler at Pedernales Falls State Park bird blind. After some research I learned male birds have been seen building nests in neighboring counties to Blanco County. Further research revealed a pair of Prothonotary Warblers successfully nested at Heard Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney, Texas.
In December 2007 I decided to undertake a nest box study at the park. January through February 2008 I hiked the entire Pedernales River and tributaries within park boundaries, in an effort to choose the best sites. Habitat selection proved a challenge do to high flood levels along the river.
Five sights were eventually selected where two nest boxes each were placed. Most boxes were attached to trees however two were attached to metal poles. These boxes were monitored from March through June 2008 on a weekly basis. A Breeding Bird Study was conducted at each nestbox location in 2008 and will be continued in 2009.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Rufous Hummingbird & Summer Tanager

Overcast skies and the threat of rain did not keep the birds away on this beautiful Spring day in Texas Hill Country. I biked to Tobacco Creek for the first nest box survey of the day. Just up hill from nest box #5 I identified the first Summer Tanager of the year. Moving over to East Park Boundary site, I was surprised by a Rufous Hummingbird protecting his patch of blooming Buckeyes. Click on the photo above to obtain a larger view of this bird. I am sure every Buckeye patch found along the Pedernales River are now being vigorously protected by male Hummingbirds, most of which are Black-chinned Hummingbirds.

This week I saw a different variety of Buckeye blooming, the Texas Bucke y e, with pale yellow flowers, in addition to the Red Buckeye. Butterflies continued to frequent these flowers as well as other flowering shrubs throughout the park.
I even saw White-lined Sphinx Moths, also known as

hummingbird moths, flying around the Buckeye at Twin Falls. The Sphinx photo was taken in my back yard.
This is the second week in a row I saw and heard sing a Yellow-throated Vireo high up in a Bald Cypress tree along the river.
To finish out the day I drove slow along the road into the Picnic Area where I saw my first Ash-throated Flycatcher of the year. This is the same area I saw one last year. Finally, I ended up at the bird blind to report three White-crowned Sparrows and one White-throated Sparrow still lingering before their migration north to Canada.