Welcome to my world of birds!

Welcome to my world of birds!

Details

Hello, my name is Sherie. Thank you for visiting my blog about my encounters with birds. I decided to blog about birds to share my passion, dedication and experiences with birds. I want to present a plethora of birds to inspire you to appreciate birds for the beauty they bring to the world.
I submitted my first official eBird Checklist in February 2016. I have been hooked ever since. At this point I have birded in twenty-one states and six countries. My favorite place to bird is in my own yard while sitting on my T-house with a hot cup of tea and my binoculars.
I love talking “birds” with anyone who will listen and most are interested since birds are everywhere in the world. Most people have some kind of experience with a bird. It might be as simple as seeing them in the backyard or seeing them on an organized bird walk or bird tour in some exotic country.
I want to get people excited about birds and help them pursue their curiosity about them. I also feel strongly about the conservation of birds and so I am involved in many conservation projects and efforts that help them out. My blog will focus on birds with a handful of conservation efforts and a sprinkle of butterflies that share the habitat with the birds.

No Place Like Texas

This blog will feature two Texas specialties in that they live in other countries but come to Texas to breed. These two birds are the Golden-cheeked Warbler and the Colima Warbler. They can only be seen in a short window of time and in a very restricted range here in Texas.

The Golden-cheeked Warbler is a rare and endangered species found in the Hill Country of Central Texas. They spend their wintering grounds (July to early March) in southern Mexico and northern Central America. Mid-March they migrate to the Hill Country in Texas and start a family. The reason they have selected this area to breed is because of the old-growth stands of oak and Ashe juniper (cedar trees). They need the bark from the Ashe junipers to construct their nests. The female combines the bark with cobwebs, animal hair, grass and other soft fibers to construct a cup-shaped nest. Without the cedar bark, this bird species would cease to exist.

This warbler is highly sought after by birders around the world because it is so rare and a short time frame to see it. It is a five inch bird with all the warbler traits of being colorful, energetic and fidgety. It has bright, sunny yellow cheeks (hence the name) and a thin, black eyeline, black back and wings with two white wing bars and a white belly.

I would like to address why this little bird is endangered. The reasons are strictly anthropogenic due to climate change, extensive urbanization, over population, pesticides, window collisions and habitat destruction here in Texas. In the birds’ wintering grounds, reasons for mortality include lumbering, killed for food, hunting, the pet market, and to be made into jewelry.

This little bird has many obstacles to face in both places that it resides. Fortunately, there are many conservation groups and government organizations that are protecting this species by preserving the habitat they live in, namely, the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It is against the law to destroy the habitat in order to develop the land. Developers and landowners must get permission from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and prove they will mitigate acre for acre any habitat destroyed. It has become quite political and usually the big money holders end up getting what they want while the species continues to decline.

I am involved in a Golden-cheeked Warbler survey at Friedrich Wilderness Park for the Bexar Audubon Society. This survey shows the population distribution and has been conducted for over a decade now. Surveys are also conducted at other parks in Bexar County during breeding season. It is always so rewarding and comforting to see one of these little birds. It is confirmation that they still exist, for now.

Golden-cheeked Warbler at Sakey Creek Wildlife Ranch – April 8, 2024

The Colima Warbler is a bird from Mexico that prefers to breed in Texas high up in the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend. It is attracted to the oak woodlands of Boot Canyon with a mixture of maples, pines and Arizona Cypress trees. The birds arrive from Mexico in late April and depart by August. The male and female both build a simple nest on the ground where there is plenty of leaf litter and grass to conceal the nest from predators.

It is a plain warbler, not flashy and bright like the other typical warblers. The bird is a dull gray with a yellow patch on its rear, a rufous spot on the crown of its head and a distinct white eye ring.

The Colima Warbler is not an endangered species but it is range restricted to the Chisos Mountains. This is another bird that birders come to see from all over the world. It is not an easy bird to get, a birder has to work hard for it. There is a 4.5 mile hike up a steep, rugged trail to Boot Canyon for anyone who wants to get this bird on their life list. I made this trek twice and still didn’t get to see it. I did hear it which counts and so I got to add it to my life list. Many of you have seen my license plate which has COWA on it. This stands for Colima Warbler in bird code. It still remains my nemesis bird. I still have a yearning to see this bird and maybe someday in the near future I will consider hiking up the Boot Canyon Trail again to see the famous Colima Warbler.

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