Lake Waco Nesting Bald Eagles

For several years there have been nesting Bald Eagles on Lake Waco.  This is a great triumph of environmental commitment, law, and effort.  It is a joy worth celebrating.  Local birders hailed the first successful fledge and continue to do so in subsequent years.

 

There have been successful fledges, but there have also been tragic losses. The problem has come in the form of not so sturdy, desirable nesting trees. The fishing is good; the parent birds have proved that. The snags available have not all withstood decay and high winds.

 

To assist future nesting, The Central Texas Audubon Society (CTAS) has proposed building a platform based on a successful design used in Oklahoma for these majestic birds. It is a substantial undertaking and will require raising funds, proper design, and placement such that safety for the nest and the fledglings is assured.

 

For the curious, and to deter the interference of humans about the nest, a camera is being planned for the platform which is hoped will be viewable from the internet.

All photographs by Bill Ravenscroft.

Afternoon Blues

The end of April and beginning of May are superb birding times in our neck of the woods. The recent storms have produced a fallout. In and around Lake Waco we are finding migrating Blue Grosbeaks, Orioles and Warblers. This Blue Grosbeak was found on the eastern side of the lake near Lakeshore Drive. Photo by Bill Ravenscroft.

Pine Warblers

The Pine Warblers seem to be increasing in numbers and frequency in Central Texas. Many are saying it was about three years ago that this species began to show around Lake Waco. Today many local birders are reporting them. A small group of birders went to the Pecan Grove and Soccer Fields last month and were delighted by the sighting of several of these as they hopped along the ground and flew to low lying branches in the grove. Their yellow neck and breasts made sharp contrasts to the blue backs and orange fronts of the Eastern Bluebirds which inhabit this area. Still, others are reporting Pine Warblers at their feeders and bird baths. In fact, this writer has notice far fewer Yellow-rumped Warblers this year and wonders if the Pines are not the cause.

Photographs by Bill Ravenscroft

Nesting Bald Eagles at Lake Waco

Photograph by Bryan Stone

For the last several years Lake Waco has been visited by at least one pair of Bald Eagles. These Eagles were discovered at Lacey Point on the western side of Lake Waco and photographed Oct 19, 2008. There has never been a recording of nesting by Bald Eagles in this county. This pair seems to be building a structure that may well turn out to be a nest. If they do, then this would be a record for McLennan County.

Fall Migrants

Migration has begun. These warblers were photographed in the area around Lake Waco by photographer Bill Ravenscroft. The above is a Nashville Warbler. Below is a Yellow Warbler.

A Brown Thrasher was spotted tooling around under my Rose-A-Sharon near the waterbath. I fumbled trying to get a picture and did not succeed. Most of the hummers have departed, although I have one to three still visiting my feeder and the few remaining flowers.

We are experiencing cool mornings and mild, pleasant afternoons,--perfect conditions for some great fall birding.

Eastern Bluebirds & The Pecan Grove

I find myself often roaming the Pecan Grove near the Soccer Fields below Lake Waco Dam in Central Texas. This is prime habitat for Eastern Bluebirds. The old grove of pecans provides abundant nesting cavities. Because of its juxtaposition to the open fields and the adjacent spillway for the water flowing from the impounded lake, this is one of the best birding places within the area. Eastern Bluebirds are species of “the edge effect”. They enjoy and utilize to great success places where forest adjoins field.

Often sighted in the vicinity are Downy and Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Great Crested Flycatchers, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice. Overhead Great Blue Heron, Great Egrets, and Double Crested Cormorants fly crossing from the river to the lake and back. Raptors and Vultures are sometimes gliding across the fields high above. In the spring and summer, one is treated to some wonderful acrobatics of low and fast flying Barn Swallows. In winter, Brown Creepers forage in the grove, and overhead you can spy ducks and geese. An hour or two any morning spent at this locale is well worth the time.

Photo by Bill Ravenscroft