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.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Bird Blind & Pedernales River Sitings

This morning I was hoping to see some migrant birds at the bird blind. The only migrant was a juvenile Baltimore Oriole. There has been an albino-crested female Northern Cardinal hanging out at the bird blind since July. Photo to the left.
White-eyed Vireos were singing incessantly both at the bird blind and down by the river.
On the Pedernales River at Hackenburg Creek, I had a Western Cottonmouth Snake swim upstream to me. At 15 feet it picked up my scent and turned around heading down stream again. I was able to get two photos of this snake. An Eastern Phoebe kept me company for the hour I sat by the river with a nice breeze out of the north. Winds spiraling off of Hurricane Gustav.
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