Recent Rarities
Rufous-backed Robin
Rufous-backed Robin
When an ultra-rare bird lingers in the same spot for over a week, I had the same thought as nearly every other birder in Texas—you can’t not go try to see it! The Rufous-backed Robin, usually found in Western and Central Mexico, is rare in Texas but has become a regular visitor to Arizona and the Southwest border region. This individual has been appearing at regular intervals throughout the day at the water feature at Lora's Blind in South Llano River State Park near Junction.
Photographed at South Llano River State Park, 2.18.25.
Ferruginous Hawk
A large, pale, attractive hawk of open country, the Ferruginous Hawk is uncommon to locally common in winter in Central Texas. With the kind help of a local birder, I spotted three of these birds near Bastrop and got some photos when one of them flew very close to the road as we were watching another one in a tree. They can look very similar to pale Red-tailed Hawks, but the dark feathered legs, yellow gape to the bill, and near-white tail make them stand out.
Photographed on Loop Road, Smithville, 1.18.25.
Anna’s Hummingbird
In the U.S., most people think of hummingbirds as summer residents that head south for the winter. But some species of hummingbirds stay in the U.S. year round, and others move from more northern latitudes to southern states like Texas, where they spend the more mild winters feeding from hummingbird feeders and gardens. Still others may wander north from Mexico, or east from their usual haunts out west, like this Anna’s Hummingbird at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. Texas has had a particularly good winter for this primarily west coast species, with a number of sightings reported all over the state. I caught this immature male flashing a little bit of pink as he turned away from this Turk’s Cap.
Photographed at San Antonio Botanical Gardens, 12.26.24
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Finally got another one of my nemesis warblers today - a Black-throated Gray Warbler. Normally found in the western part of the country from the Pacific Northwest through New Mexico, we occasionally see them in Texas as winter vagrants, much like the Black-throated Blue from last month. Texas's mild winters offer these insect-eating birds a steady food supply during their stay, and this adult male has been munching on caterpillars at Lakeshore Park since at least Friday. It remains to be seen if he sticks around after a cool front comes through on Wednesday, but I hope to get more opportunities to photograph him.
Photographed at Lakeshore Park, Austin, 12.21.24.
Western Bluebird
I was watching bluebirds at Roy G. Guerrero Park when I heard one make a call I wasn’t familiar with- a short “kew”, very different from the usual two-note slurred call of our Eastern Bluebirds. Upon closer examination, it was a very rare for the county Western Bluebird, and subsequent observations by others turned up a pair! A very exciting find especially for the eastern part of the county.
Photographed at Roy. G. Guerrero Park, 11.12.24.
Black-throated Blue Warbler
I just missed seeing one of these in Port Aransas back in September, so I was thrilled when I got a tip that one was hanging out in San Antonio. These eastern warblers tend to show up in the winter months in Texas as vagrants, and unlike many warbler species, the males do not have a different "alternate" (breeding) plumage, so they look handsome year-round. The greener females look so different that early ornithologists thought they were a separate species, but they have a telltale small wing patch similar to the males. These warblers often forage in low shrubs or on the ground, which makes them easy to observe, and this little guy didn't seem fazed by a small group of us taking his picture. An exciting day and beautiful bird for an otherwise difficult week!
Photographed in Brackenridge Park, San Antonio, 11.9.24.