About the Cover…
“Pinky - Famous Westcave Golden-cheeked Warbler”
Photographer Tom L. Hausler
Betsy Cross
Photo: Tom Hausler
Westcave Preserve’s famous Golden-cheeked Warbler Pinky was tagged (banded) in 2019. He has returned to Westcave Preserve each spring for the last 4 years. Our April cover photo of Pinky—taken in the spring of 2022—and the other photos included here were taken by Hays County Master Naturalist Tom Hausler. Pinky has yet to be spotted in 2023.
The Golden-cheeked Warbler is a “stunning but endangered warbler found only in the Texas Hill country where it nests in juniper-oak woodlands.” The Cornell Lab All About Birds
Range map for the Golden-cheeked Warbler
It is the only bird species whose population nests entirely in the state of Texas and was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1990
Nests are cups woven of Ashe juniper bark, twigs, and leaves, and they may also incorporate grass, oak leaves, lichen, seeds, rootlets, moss, spider cocoons, feathers, hair, and wool. The cup is held together partly by spider silk.
Their breeding habitat of old-growth and mature second-growth juniper-oak woodlands are climax communities and take decades to recover from disturbance.
Golden-cheeked Warblers feed heavily on caterpillars, especially during the breeding season. Photo: Tom Hausler
They sometimes remove the wings and tenderize larger prey items by smashing them against a branch. Photo: Tom Hausler
Photo: Tom Hausler