Western kingbird spotted nearby

About the most exciting birds around my place these days are Carolina chickadees, northern cardinals and tufted titmice. Nothing very exceptional.

Other folks, however, are seeing some most interesting species.

At Hornsby Bend, the sewage treatment facility just outside Austin, a western kingbird and two rednecked phalaropes showed up on September 17.

On that same day, a zone-tailed hawk was seen on the south side of New Braunfels. On September 19, a male black-chinned hummingbird was seen near Luling – my hummers have been long gone, so it’s good to know at least one is still around.

September 21 was a good day for birds, with two Bullock’s orioles seen near Anderson Mill and common gallinules photographed on ponds near Niederwald. On October 2, an olive-sided flycatcher was seen at Lake Waxahachie, near Ellis.

If you would like to broaden your birding horizons and add to your life list, I have a suggestion. Get you down to Harlingen for the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival set for November 6-10. Green jays and great kiskadees are just two of the many avian attractions.

Keynote speakers are Pete Dunne and Ted Floyd and the Alamo Inn in nearby Alamo is one of my very favorite places to stay – they really cater to birders. For information on the festival, call 956 423-5565 or visit [email protected].