Counting Birds

2023 Christmas Bird Count
San Marcos, Texas

Betsy Cross

Rebekah Rylander, PhD, Science Coordinator of the Rio Grande Joint Venture for the American Bird Conservancy—and good friend and mentor to bird enthusiasts across Hays County—once again organized and led the San Marcos Christmas Bird Count (CBC).

Here’s what Rebekah had to say about the 2023 bird census finale:

I am excited to announce that we had 51 people participate in the count and ended up with 128 unique species, which makes this the third highest count for the circle (tied with last year's total). So despite a somewhat slow morning and afternoon, we still managed to detect an impressive diversity of birds across the city. This could not have been done without enthusiastic participants, knowledgeable leaders, and fabulous weather too! So please give yourselves a pat on the back, as I could not have hoped for the day to go more smoothly!

Some highlights and top finds from the day included:

White-tipped Dove and Winter Wrens found by Shelia Hargis in Zone 4
Long-billed Dowitchers observed by Jesse Huth and Colton Robbins east of I-35
Gray Catbird skulking near Spring Lake by Christina Farrell
Short-eared Owl seen by Justin Bosler at dusk near the airport

We also had our highest counts of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (477), Great Horned Owls (13), Eastern Bluebirds (91), and Harris' Sparrows (12). Additionally, we had surprisingly low counts of several species that are often quite abundant, including American Robins (only 18) and Cedar Waxwings (94), and low numbers of other relatively common species, including Hermit Thrush (3), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (2), and Common Grackle (1).

All in all, this CBC was a success and continues to be a fantastic way for all of us to understand how bird diversity and populations are shifting within our circle across time. So, bravo for a job well done and for contributing to important citizen science!

—Rebekah Rylander

At the end of the day, Rebekah (standing) and a few CBC participants enjoyed one another’s company and grabbed a little food and drink at Industry in San Marcos.

Many Hays County Master Naturalists and community birders took part in the event. Specifics about the zones and their leaders along with the final tally of bird species counted are found a little further down the page.

But first, take a walk with Jesse Huth’s Zone 1 Team to see a sample of the over 80 species documented in downtown San Marcos and across Zone 1.

Every bird counts!

A chilly morning didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the Zone 1 team, who met up at Crook’s Park in San Marcos early on December 17—Team Leader Jesse Huth, Susan Evans, Suzanne James, Doray Lendacky, and Betsy Cross (taking the photos).

Need a closer look? Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Flock of female Red-winged Blackbirds in a pecan tree

Then, on to the John J. Stokes Park and adjacent greenbelt area and to the A.E. Wood Fish Hatchery.

Mostly Great Egrets, a few Cormorants (in the water), and a single Great Blue Heron (distant profile)

…and along the roadway overlooking the San Marcos River.

We closed out the day with a round trip along the San Marcos River Walk at Bicentennial Park and a stroll through the campus at Texas State University, where we saw this Barred Owl.

Barred Owl — Texas State University Campus

San Marcos Christmas Bird Count - Zones Covered
December 17, 2023

Zone 1: Leader – Jesse Huth This team covered much of downtown San Marcos, including river access, greenbelt parks, and the State Fish Hatchery.

Zone 2: Leaders – Amanda Haverland, Saunders Drukker, and Silas Ott This team covered the old National Fish Hatchery, several small ponds with waterfowl, a few trails (Upper Purgatory Park), and did some car-birding.

Zone 3: Leader – Anna Matthews This team birded at the Freeman Center, a large Texas State University owned property covering a multitude of habitats.

Zone 4: Leader – Shelia Hargis, Sonia Duran, and Grady Terry This team’s section included locations with access to the Blanco River, birding on private lands, and some fun back roads.

Zone 5: Leader – Kenneth Bader This team covered Blanco Shoals Park and many open fields perfect for scanning and flushing thousands of birds.

Zone 6: Leader – Christina Farrell The gem of this team’s section was Spring Lake Preserve and the Meadows Center, as well as a couple of other parks nearby.

Zone 7: Leader – Colton Robbins This team covered the most ponds, tanks, and depressions for waterfowl, with opportunities to pick out several species of raptor that hunt the open fields of the area.

Zone 8: Leader – Stephen Ramirez This team covered University Camp along the Blanco River, the pecan bottomlands off of Fulton Ranch Road, and the back roads of some great hill country habitat.

Final Tally of the 2023 Christmas Bird Count

Key to the highlighted rows:

Species in gray are groups of birds not identified to species or are considered “domesticated / exotics.” They did not count toward the official total.
Species in yellow require additional “rare bird” documentation. For more information, see the Audubon CBC Rare Bird Documentation Form.

Zone 8 Leader **Christina Farrell** (front right), with her team at Spring Lake this year.

“An extra big shout out goes to Christina, who will be moving to California and will likely be unavailable to assist in the future. THANK YOU, CHRISTINA, for playing such an important role with this section over these last 8 years. We will miss you and hope you can find a way to join us anyway!”

—Rebekah Rylander

Every bird counts!

Final Tally of the 2023 Christmas Bird Count

Land Stewardship in a Time of Climate Variability

Autumn Trail