Birds

Wood Storks and Roseate Spoonbills in the back pond (plus Great Egret and cow)

We’re on one of the big migration routes, so we see lots and lots of birds. We’re also lucky to have wetlands, ponds (tanks as we call them), riparian areas next to Walker’s Creek, woodlands, and what once were prairies (and now are pastures or former pastures). That means lots of kinds of birds like it here!

Bird Counts

I’m putting the list of birds identified monthly from my spreadsheet, now that I’m tracking them. This started in December 2023. You can also access these pages in the drop-down menu under Sightings.

Birds Identified on iNaturalist

These are the birds on the ranch that have been identified on iNaturalist as of July 2024. Since these are based on photos and I’m not a great photographer of birds, there aren’t all that many. At some point, I’ll go through and italicize the Latin names and update the list.

  1. Agelaius phoeniceus Red-winged Blackbird
  2. Anthus rubescens American Pipit
  3. Antigone canadensis Sandhill Crane
  4. Antrostomus carolinensis Chuck-will’s-widow
  5. Archilochus alexandri Black-chinned Hummingbird
  6. Ardea alba Great Egret
  7. Ardea herodias Great Blue Heron
  8. Aythya collaris Ring-necked Duck
  9. Baeolophus bicolor Tufted Titmouse
  10. Bartramia longicauda Upland Sandpiper
  11. Bombycilla cedrorum Cedar Waxwing
  12. Bubulcus ibis Western Cattle Egret
  13. Caracara plancus Crested Caracara
  14. Cardellina pusilla Wilson’s Warbler
  15. Cardinalis cardinalis Northern Cardinal
  16. Cathartes aura Turkey Vulture
  17. Cathartidae New World Vultures
  18. Charadrius vociferus Killdeer
  19. Chondestes grammacus Lark Sparrow
  20. Chordeiles minor Common Nighthawk
  21. Coccyzus americanus Yellow-billed Cuckoo
  22. Columba livia domestica Feral Pigeon
  23. Coragyps atratus Black Vulture
  24. Coragyps atratus Black Vulture
  25. Corthylio calendula Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  26. Corvus brachyrhynchos American Crow
  27. Dryobates scalaris Ladder-backed Woodpecker
  28. Egretta tricolor Tricolored Heron
  29. Gallinago delicata Wilson’s Snipe
  30. Geococcyx californianus Greater Roadrunner
  31. Hirundo rustica Barn Swallow
  32. Hirundo rustica erythrogaster American Barn Swallow
  33. Icteridae New World Blackbirds and Orioles
  34. Lophodytes cucullatus Hooded Merganser
  35. Megaceryle alcyon Belted Kingfisher
  36. Melanerpes carolinus Red-bellied Woodpecker
  37. Meleagris gallopavo Wild Turkey
  38. Mimus polyglottos Northern Mockingbird
  39. Molothrus ater Brown-headed Cowbird
  40. Mycteria americana Wood Stork
  41. Nyctanassa violacea Yellow-crowned Night Heron
  42. Passer domesticus House Sparrow
  43. Passerculus sandwichensis Savannah Sparrow
  44. Passerina ciris Painted Bunting
  45. Passerina cyanea Indigo Bunting
  46. Petrochelidon pyrrhonota Cliff Swallow
  47. Platalea ajaja Roseate Spoonbill
  48. Poecile carolinensis Carolina Chickadee
  49. Progne subis Purple Martin
  50. Quiscalus mexicanus Great-tailed Grackle
  51. Quiscalus quiscula Common Grackle
  52. Sayornis phoebe Eastern Phoebe
  53. Setophaga coronata Yellow-rumped Warbler
  54. Sialia sialis Eastern Bluebird
  55. Spatula discors Blue-winged Teal
  56. Spiza americana Dickcissel
  57. Strix varia Barred Owl
  58. Sturnella Yellow-breasted Meadowlarks
  59. Thryothorus ludovicianus Carolina Wren
  60. Tringa Shanks, Tattlers, and Allies
  61. Tringa melanoleuca Greater Yellowlegs
  62. Turdus migratorius American Robin
  63. Tyrannus forficatus Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
  64. Tyrannus tyrannus Eastern Kingbird
  65. Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus Yellow-headed Blackbird
  66. Zenaida macroura Mourning Dove
  67. Zonotrichia leucophrys White-crowned Sparrow
  68. Zonotrichia querula Harris’s Sparrow

Birds Identified on Merlin and by Sight

  1. Acadian Flycatcher
  2. Alder Flycatcher
  3. American Coot
  4. American Crow
  5. American Goldfinch
  6. American Kestrel
  7. American Pipit
  8. American Wigeon
  9. American Robin
  10. American Tree Sparrow
  11. Baltimore Oriole
  12. Bank Swallow
  13. Barn Owl
  14. Barn Swallow
  15. Barred Owl
  16. Bell’s Vireo
  17. Belted Kingfisher
  18. Bewick’s Wren
  19. Black Capped Chickadee
  20. Black Phoebe
  21. Black Tern
  22. Black Vulture
  23. Black-bellied Plover
  24. Black-bellied Whistling Duck
  25. Black-chinned Hummingbird
  26. Black-crowned Night Heron
  27. Blue-winged Teal
  28. Black-throated GreenWarbler
  29. Blue Grosbeak
  30. Blue Jay
  31. Blue-headed Vireo
  32. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
  33. Blue-headed Warbler
  34. Boat-tailed Grackle
  35. Blue-winged Teal
  36. Brewer’s Blackbird
  37. Brown Creeper
  38. Broad-winged Hawk
  39. Brown Thrasher
  40. Brown-headed Cowbird
  41. Canada Goose
  42. Carolina Chickadee
  43. Carolina Wren
  44. Cassin’s Sparrow
  45. Cattle Egret
  46. Cave Swallow
  47. Cedar Waxwing
  48. Chestnut-sided Warbler
  49. Chimney Swift
  50. Chipping Sparrow
  51. Chuck-Will’s Widow
  52. Clay-colored Sparrrow
  53. Cliff Swallow
  54. Common Grackle
  55. Common Ground Dove
  56. Common Nighthawk
  57. Common Raven
  58. Common Yellowthroat
  59. Crested Caracara
  60. Crested Lark*
  61. Dark-eyed Junco
  62. Diskcissel
  63. Downy Woodpecker
  64. Eastern Bluebird
  65. Eastern Kingbird
  66. Eastern Meadowlark
  67. Eastern Phoebe
  68. Eastern Towhee
  69. Eastern Wood-pewee
  70. Eurasian Collared Dove
  71. European Starling
  72. Field Sparrow
  73. Fox Sparrow
  74. Gadwall
  75. Franklin’s Gull
  76. Golden-crowned Kinglet
  77. Grasshopper Sparrow
  78. Gray Catbird
  79. Great Blue Heron
  80. Great Crested Flycatcher
  81. Great Egret
  82. Great Horned Owl
  83. Greater Roadrunner
  84. Greater Yellowlegs
  85. Great-tailed Grackle
  86. Green Heron
  87. Harris’s Sparrow
  88. Hermit Thrush
  89. Hooded Merganser
  90. Horned Lark
  91. House Finch
  92. House Sparrow
  93. House Wren
  94. Indigo Bunting
  95. Inca Dove
  96. Killdeer
  97. Ladder-backed Woodpecker
  98. Lark Sparrow
  99. Least Flycatcher
  100. Least Sandpiper
  101. Lesser Yellowlegs
  102. Lincoln’s Sparrow
  103. Little Blue Heron
  104. Loggerhead Shrike
  105. Long-billed Dowitcher
  106. Mallard
  107. Marsh Wren
  108. Merlin
  109. Mountain Bluebird
  110. Mourning Dove
  111. Nashville Warbler
  112. Northen Flicker
  113. Northern Bobwhite
  114. Northern Cardinal
  115. Northern Harrier
  116. Northern Mockingbird
  117. Northern Pintail
  118. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
  119. Orange-crowned Warbler
  120. Orchard Oriole
  121. Osprey
  122. Ovenbird
  123. Painted Bunting
  124. Pectoral Sandpiper
  125. Pregrine Falcon
  126. Pileated Woodpecker
  127. Pine Siskin
  128. Purple Finch
  129. Purple Martin
  130. Red-bellied Woodpecker
  131. Red-breasted Nuthatch
  132. Red-eyed vireo
  133. Red-headed Woodpecker
  134. Red-shouldered Hawk
  135. Red-tailed Hawk
  136. Red-winged Blackbird
  137. Rock Pigeon
  138. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
  139. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  140. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  141. Rufuous Hummingbird
  142. Sandhill Crane
  143. Savannah Sparrow
  144. Scissor-tailed flycatcher
  145. Semi-palmated sandpiper
  146. Short-eared Owl
  147. Snow Goose
  148. Solitary Sandpiper
  149. Song Sparrow
  150. Spotless Starling
  151. Spotted Towhee
  152. Spotted Sandpiper
  153. Sprague’s Pipit
  154. Summer Tanager
  155. Swainson’s Hawk
  156. Swainson’s Thrush
  157. Swamp Sparrow
  158. Tennessee Warbler
  159. Tree Swallow
  160. Tufted Titmouse
  161. Turkey Vulture
  162. Upland Sandpiper
  163. Vermillion Flycatcher
  164. Vesper Sparrow
  165. Warbling Vireo
  166. Western Kingbird
  167. Western Meadowlark
  168. Western Wood Pewee*
  169. White-breasted Nuthatch
  170. White-crowned Sparrow
  171. White-eyed Vireo
  172. White-faced Ibis
  173. White-throated Sparrow
  174. White-winged Dove
  175. Wild Turkey
  176. Wilson’s Snipe
  177. Wilson’s Warbler
  178. Winter Wren
  179. Wood Duck
  180. Wood Stork
  181. Yellow Warbler
  182. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
  183. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
  184. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
  185. Yellow-breasted Chat
  186. Yellow-crowned Night Heron
  187. Yellow-green Vireo
  188. Yellow-headed Blackbird
  189. Yellow-rumped Warbler
  190. Yellow-throated Vireo
  191. Yellow-throated Warbler