Birds of Elm Fork Preserve

Birds of Elm Fork Preserve

Birds are characterized by having feathers and laying eggs.

Comments: The comments section lists remarks in the following order:

^{1Interesting facts and natural history associated with the
animal. Its place of origin is also listed if it is an alien.}^{2Edible, medicinal or otherwise useful qualities of the animal
(for humans). Poisonous potential}^{3Food preferences of the animal and potential predators.}^{4Identifying features of the animal, especially differences
between similar species.}^{5Dates, times and locations of animals sighted. Observed
behaviors.}^{6Synonyms; outdated or recently changed scientific names are
inserted here.}^{7Good references for further information on this animal.}

Common Name	Scientific Name	Comments

Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	¹A year-round resident in Texas. ^{3A wide variety of insects comprise the bulk of the diet through spring and summer, including: Caterpillars, grasshoppers, beetles and true bugs (Martin, Zim & Nelson, 1951, p. 178). In the late fall and winter the diet favors a wide variety of plant foods, namely: Ragweed, hackberry, rusty blackhaw, sumac and nightshades such as trompillo (Milam, Dec 1995, pp.1-4) ^{514 Jan 03 – Numerous adults, male & female along the slough.}} 7(Tveten, 1993, p.342)
Cormorant, Double Crested	Phalacrocorax auritus	⁵14 Jan 03 -- Observed 2 adults & 3 juveniles in a dead tree on the far side of the big pond. Roosting almost immobile for ~30 minutes (at ~3:00 pm). When I first appeared at the pond edge, one adult flew a loop over the pond and returned to the same perch several times. This same individual decided to go fishing – it would paddle around on the surface for awhile then dive and remain completely submersed for ~ 5 seconds and emerge ~10’ away. At one point it surfaced, struggling fiercely with what I first took to be a short 2’ long snake. It became obvious that it was a gar. The cormorant had the gar smack dab in the center of its body. The gar was writhing intensely and appeared to be biting/striking at the cormorant’s head. The cormorant would dive and reappear almost immediately, suffer the thrashing for a few more moments then dive again. It dove 4 times then surfaced with an empty beak. It shook its head violently several times then made several brief forays, coming up each time in the same vicinity – futilely searching for the gar that got away. 7 (Robbins, Bruun &Zim, 1983, p. 36); (Tveten, 1993, p. 57)
Crow, American	Corvus brachyrhynchos	¹These intelligent birds make a number of calls and variations of the standard, loud caw so frequently heard. Research has shown that a wide variety of information is conveyed through these vocalizations. Crows are omnivorous, consuming insects, invertebrates such as snails, carrion and small vertebrates as well as seeds and fruits (Tveten, 1993, p.269). 514 Jan 03 – Observed a murder of crows moving from the live oak grove (across the street from the parking lot) to trees at the periphery of the preserve.
Duck, Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	⁵14 Jan 03 – Watched a mallard couple on the far side of the big pond. ^{7(See "Key for Male Ducks in Breeding Plumage for North Central Texas", Milam, Nov 95, p.2)} (Tveten, 1993, p. 78)
Hawk, Red-tailed	Buteo jamaicensis	⁴When viewed from below, look for these markings: rusty red tail on top (if the bird is swooping or banking), pale red on tail below, ‘belly band’ -- a series of short, dark streaks in a wide strip across the white belly (Tveten, 1993, p.160). 514 Jan 03 – Noted one adult perched in a tall tree at the juncture of pond and slough
Jay, Blue	Cyanocitta cristata	¹Common, year-round resident. (see Tveten, 1993, p.264). 514 Jan 03 – Saw one in a tree near the interpretive center.
Mockingbird, Northern	Mimus polyglottos	¹Common year-round resident. "The mockingbird imitates other birds so expertly that sound spectrographs show the renditions to be exact duplicates, even to the high-pitched overtones inaudible to human ears" (Tveten, 1993, p.292). 5Frequently observed at the preserve.
Owl, Great-horned	Bubo virginianus	⁵22 April 99 – In a bird identification walk with Chris Clendenin, we heard one calling around noontime.
Robin, American	Turdus migratorius	¹The breeding behavior of robins in Texas has changed in recent decades: ^{"American robins winter throughout Texas but remain to breed primarily in the northern and eastern portions of the state and locally in the mountains of the west. In The Bird Life of Texas, Oberholser notes that in historic times the robin was only a local breeder in Texas, except in the forested eastern quarter. Most of the state was too hot, dry and bare to provide suitable habitat. Between 1925 and 1940, however, there was an increase in tree planting and lawn sprinkling in Texas communities, resulting in well-spaced trees, increased humidity, and mud for nest construction. Breeding robins thus increased in North Texas and spread south to Waco, Austin and San Antonio, reaching Corpus Christi by 1967." (Tveten, 1993, p. 290)} 5Frequently observed at the preserve, especially in winter & spring.
Woodpecker, Downy	Picoides pubescens	⁵22 April 99 – In a bird identification walk with Chris Clendenin, he made a positive identification of one seen in a tree.
Woodpecker, Red-bellied	Melanerpes carolinus	³In the wild this bird eats huge numbers of wood-boring beetles and their larvae, grasshoppers, fruits and acorns. The acorns are stored in cracks and crevices for later retrieval. The red-bellied can often be found at backyard bird feeders where it satisfies itself with suet, bread, seeds, fruit and even sugar water (Tveten, 1993, 219). ^{4Although called the red-bellied woodpecker, there is usually no more than a rosy blush on the lower abdomen. The male has a bright red head that extends from the forehead to the nape of the neck. ^{522 April 99 – In a bird identification walk with Chris Clendenin, he made a positive identification of one seen in a tree.}} 6Formerly Centurus carolinus 7(Peterson, 1960, p. 147)

Reference:

Hickman, Cleveland P., Larry Roberts & Frances Hickman. Biology of Animals. St. Louis, MO: Times Mirror/Mosby College Publishing, 1986.

Martin, Alexander C., Herbert Zim & Arnold L. Nelson. American Wildlife & Plants - A Guide to Wildlife Food Habits. New York, NY: Dover Publications Inc., 1951.

Milam, Royce. "What Do Animals Eat in Winter?". Wild Vision Newsletter. December 1995, Volume 1, Issue 7, pp.1-4

Milam, Royce. "Key for Male Ducks in Breeding Plumage for North Central Texas". Wild Vision Newsletter. November 1995, Volume 1, Issue 6, p.2

Milam, Royce. Natural History Notebook. The following dates: 28 Oct 97, 12 Feb 98, 9 July 98, 22 July 98, 27 Sept 98, 31 Oct 98,

1 Nov 98, 13 April 99, 22 April 99, 28 April 99, 29 Oct 99. (All dates pertain to Elm Fork Preserve, but not all contain bird data).

Milam, Royce. Completed Program Summaries. The following dates: 2 May 98, 19 June 98, 8 July 98, 24 July 98, 22 Aug 98, 1 Oct 98, 10 Oct 98, 31 Oct 98, 1 Nov 98, 2 Nov 98, 26 March 99, 25 April 99, 21 May 99, 21 June 99, 24 June 99, 6 July 99, 28 Oct 99, 4 Nov 99, 31 Jan 00, 30 April 00, 9 Oct 01, (All dates pertain to Elm Fork Preserve, but not all contain bird data). (personal note: This is not a full listing of completed programs for EFP – only those with an after walk summary.)

Peterson, Roger Tory. A Field Guide to the Birds of Texas. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1960.

Robbins, Chandler S., Bertel Bruun, and Herbert S. Zim. Birds of North America. New York, NY: Golden Press, 1983.

Tveten, John L. The Birds of Texas. Fredricksburg, Texas: Shearer Publishing, 1993.

Caution: Alteration of this electronic document destroys data integrity and voids all liability for species misidentification by the author.

All identifications were made by the author unless specifically noted. If additions are made to the species list, please be sure to include the person’s name that is making the identification, as well as the date, time, location, evidence used for identification (bones, tracks, scat, photos, etc) and the reference used.