Christmas Bird Count

San Marcos, Texas

Betsy Cross

Rebekah Rylander, PhD, Science Coordinator of the Rio Grande Joint Venture for the American Bird Conservancy—and good friend and mentor to bird enthusiasts across Hays County—once again organized and led the San Marcos Christmas Bird Count (CBC).

Here’s what Rebekah had to say about the 2022 bird census finale:

“We beat our personal best for the San Marcos CBC circle this year with a total of 127 species recorded! This is absolutely remarkable and couldn't have been done without amazing leaders and participation from fantastic volunteers—65 people total! So please give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done!
Highlights this year included a Red Crossbill at the Texas State theatre building (Christina Farrell's group), an elusive Long-eared Owl at Upper Purgatory Creek (Saunders’ group), Long-billed Dowitchers in the eastern portion of the circle (Colton’s and Jesse's groups), a Common Gallinule (Colton's group), a Zone-tailed Hawk at Spring Lake (Sasha's observation), a handful of Bald Eagle sightings, and a Black-throated Sparrow detected by Stephen Ramirez.”

Many Hays County Master Naturalists took part in the event. Specifics about the zones and their leaders, along with the final tally of bird species counted, are found a little further down the page. But first, take a walk with Jesse Huth’s Zone 1 Team to see a sample of the diversity that we documented in downtown San Marcos and across Zone 1.

William and Eleanor Crook Park

Green Kingfishers—Male (upper perch) and Female (lower perch)—were spotted early on at the footbridge over the San Marcos River. The kingfishers’ nest burrow can be seen in the side of the riverbank.

**Green Kingfishers** *Chloroceryle americana*

My Merlin app labels the Green Kingfisher “Rare.” From their range map, you can see why. In North America, it barely extends into southern Arizona and is limited to a small area of South and Central Texas. The Green Kingfisher is not a migratory bird but rather a year round resident across its range. All About Birds
Male Green Kingfishers have a rust-red chest, noticeable in the photo above. These birds also have an oversized bill, which is not just a tool for fishing but is used to hammer into hard-packed soil to build a nest burrow. They do not build traditional nests; instead, they lay their eggs on bare soil at the end of their nest burrow.
Green Kingfishers are typically less conspicuous than their noisy cousin, the Belted Kingfisher. But these two were a chatty pair—we heard them before we saw them.
Jesse pointed out this couple’s nest burrow in the side of the riverbank. Fascinating!

Belted Kingfisher—This female Belted Kingfisher was a mile or so upstream from the Green Kingfishers.

**Belted Kingfishers** *Megaceryle alcyon*

Unlike Green Kingfishers, Belted Kingfishers can be residents or long-distance migrants. At least some tend to stay year round in Central Texas. “They also make long commuting flights over fields and forests, far from water, so be prepared for the occasional surprise flyover wherever you are birding.” All About Birds
The Belted Kingfisher is one of the few bird species in which the female is more brightly colored than the male. Females have a blue and a chestnut band across the white breast (as shown in the photo above), while males have one blue band.
Belted Kingfishers also nest in burrows in a dirt bank near water. Tunnel lengths range from 1 to 8 feet, curving upwards from the entrance, perhaps to keep water from entering the nest. During breeding season, they defend a territory along a streambed averaging 0.6 miles in length.

The interesting behavior caught in these photos was described on Cornell’s All About Birds website: “You may sometimes see Red-bellied Woodpeckers wedge large nuts into bark crevices, then whack them into manageable pieces using their beaks. They also use cracks in trees and fence posts to store food for later in the year, a habit shared with other woodpeckers in the genus.”

Another Red-bellied Woodpecker was jamming and hammering away on top of this pole.

Along with the kingfishers and the woodpeckers, some of the more common species included Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Carolina Chickadees, a few Orange-crowned Warblers, and many others not pictured here.

Cape Road Pond

A Crested Caracara surveyed the landscape.

John J. Stokes Park

A.E. Wood Fish Hatchery

Total Ducks Reported: Lesser Scaup (35), Ring-necked Duck (30), Gadwall (28), Redhead (19), Northern Shoveler (8), Green-winged Teal (4), Canvasback (3), Blue-winged Teal (1)

A few other birds of note included the Greater Yellowlegs (2), Neotropic Cormorant (4), Great Egret (35), and Snowy Egret (2). We watched a Belted Kingfisher whack its prey over and over again on a pipe fence until it was safe to toss it up aiming it headfirst down its gullet—how do they do that? We also saw a Great Blue Heron with a rather large catfish (1.5 pounder?), which it had stabbed with its bill. A caracara stood by hoping to sneak a bit of the heron’s catch.

Bicentennial Park and Beyond

San Marcos River Walk

The Zone 1 Team finished the day by covering the San Marcos River, starting in Centennial Park and walking through part of the Texas State University campus.

Bald Eagle - Juvenile spotted by HCMN Doray Lendacky

Included among the least common birds (not photographed) was a Couch’s Kingbird, a Golden-crowned Kinglet, a pair of Wood Ducks, and a Neotropic Cormorant. As the day came to a close, we saw hundreds of vultures preparing to roost—over 120 Black Vultures and 100 Turkey Vultures.

But the prize of the day was Doray’s sighting of a juvenile Bald Eagle, which flew directly over us!

San Marcos Christmas Bird Count - Zones Covered
December 18, 2022

Zone 1: Leader – Jesse Huth This team covered much of downtown San Marcos, including river access, greenbelt parks, and the State Fish Hatchery.

Zone 2: Leaders – Saunders Drukker and Silas Ott This team covered the old National Fish Hatchery, several small ponds with waterfowl, a few trails (Upper Purgatory Park), and did some car-birding.

Zone 3: Leader – Sonia Duran This team birded at the Freeman Center, a large Texas State University owned property covering a multitude of habitats.

Zone 4: Leader – Shelia Hargis This team’s section included locations with access to the Blanco River, birding on private lands, and some fun back roads.

Zone 5: Leader – Kenneth Bader This team covered Blanco Shoals Park, Quail Creek Country Club, and many open fields perfect for scanning and flushing thousands of birds.

Zone 6: Leader – Christina Farrell The gem of this team’s section was Spring Lake Preserve and the Meadows Center, as well as a couple of other parks nearby.

Zone 7: Leader – Colton Robbins This team covered the most ponds, tanks, and depressions for waterfowl, with opportunities to pick out several species of raptor that hunt the open fields of the area.

Zone 8: Leader – Stephen Ramirez This team covered University Camp along the Blanco River, the pecan bottomlands off of Fulton Ranch Road, and the back roads of some great hill country habitat.

Final Tally of the Christmas Bird Count

Key to the highlighted rows:

Species in yellow are considered “domesticated / exotics” and did not count towards the total.
Species in green require additional “rare bird” documentation. For more information, see the Audubon CBC Rare Bird Documentation Form.
Species in red are groups of birds not identified to species. They did not count towards the official total.