Group Walk Report October 18, 2014

Five folks participated in this month's group bird walk. We started at 9:00 AM and got back to the cars by about 11:30. Things were a bit slow, but I ended up recording 26 species of birds and the group got to see some neat stuff. All morning we observed Monarch Butterflies, both high in the sky on their migratory journey south to Mexico, and feeding on mostly Frostweed which is in bloom in shady areas all over the preserve. Here's one we got pretty close to in the northeast corner of the Bunny Run:

We only got a few good looks at birds that morning. The first was this Golden-fronted Woodpecker that landed at the top of a dead cottonwood tree:

Golden-fronted Woodpeckers are a southwestern species that just barely occurs in the Austin area, on the west side. One neat thing about the Bunny Run is that both this species and the very similar Red-bellied Woodpecker, an eastern species, can be found.

Nearby close to the lake's edge, we were lucky to get pretty close looks at four Wood Ducks, two males and two females. These are one of the few species of wild duck that is resident year-round in the Austin area. The ornate males are always a treat to see. Here's one of the pairs:

The last neat bird we got a good look at was a beautiful male American Kestrel. These exotic looking little falcons are newly returning winter residents in central Texas. The one we saw was perched high and eating something that we couldn't quite identify. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of it.

The bare patches of sand near the northeast corner of the preserve continue to hold interesting wildlife tracks! I'm pretty sure these were made by a coyote: