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Aransas NWR Complex
Weekly Bird Census
A weekly bird census has been conducted by local Refuge Volunteers for over fifteen years. These volunteers from the Golden Crescent Nature Club in Victoria and the Aransas Bird Club in Rockport have dedicated hundreds of hours tallying avian species they find on the tour loop. Ask to see their latest updated checklist at the Visitor Center front desk. It will not only tell you what birds were observed recently, but also will usually identify the trail or viewing area where they were seen. The census is not done during the hot summer months.
Vermilion Flycatcher
Black and White Warbler
Last Updated 5/24/06 by: P.Julian & B. Farnsworth. 49 species noted.
RT = Rail Trail HF = Heron Flats Trail HL = Hog Lake
P = Picnic Area & Bay JL = Jones Lake BT = Big Tree Trail
T = Obs. Tower & Boardwalk Area VC = Visitor Center pond,
Headquarters Area
R = Roadways
DP = Dagger Point 
Species Location   Species Location
Loons      
Common Loon
     
Grebes   Goatsuckers  
Least Grebe
  Common Nighthawk
 
Pied-billed Grebe
  Swifts
Eared Grebe  
  Chimney Swift
 
Pelicans   Hummingbirds 
American White Pelican
T
  Ruby-throated Hummingbird
 
Brown Pelican
R
  Kingfishers  
Cormorants   Belted Kingfisher
Neotropic Cormorant
sp.
  Woodpeckers 
Double-crested Cormorant
sp.
  Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Darters   Northern Flicker
Anhinga
RT
  Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Bitterns, Herons, & Egrets    Downy Woodpecker
 
Great Blue Heron
JL
  Tyrant Flycatchers
Great Egret
HL
  Brown-crested Flycatcher
VC
Snowy Egret
HL
  Eastern Wood-Pewee
 
Little Blue Heron
RT
  Eastern Kingbird
 VC
American Bittern
 
  Empidonax sp.
Least Bittern
 RT
  Couch's Kingbird
VC
Tricolored Heron
JL
  Shrikes
Reddish Egret
T
  Loggerhead Shrike
Cattle Egret
HL
  Vireos
Green Heron
RT
  White-eyed Vireo
All
Black-crowned Night Heron
JL
 
Swallows
Ibises and Spoonbills   Purple Martin
White Ibis
JL
  Barn Swallow
All
White-faced Ibis
  Wrens
Roseate Spoonbill
  Carolina Wren
 RT
Vultures      Winter Wren
Black Vulture
 All
  Sedge Wren
      Marsh Wren
Turkey Vulture 
All
  Kinglets
Ducks, Geese & Swans   Golden-crowned Kinglet
Black-bellied Whistling Duck  
JL
  Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-winged Teal
 
  Gnatcatchers 
Snow Goose
  Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Ross' Goose
  Thrushes
American Wigeon
  American Robin
Gadwall
  Eastern Bluebird
Mottled Duck
JL
  Mockingbirds and Thrashers
Northern Shoveler
  Gray Catbird
Northern Pintail
  Northern Mockingbird
All
Green-winged Teal
  Brown Thrasher
Lesser Scaup
  Long-billed Thrasher
Bufflehead
  Curved-billed Thrasher  
Redhead
   
Common Goldeneye
   
Ruddy Duck
   
Red-breasted Merganser
  Pipits
Hawks, Kites & Eagles   American Pipit
Osprey
P
  Sprague's Pipit
Northern Harrier
 
  Waxwings
Red-shouldered Hawk
  Cedar Waxwing  
Red-tailed Hawk
  Wood-Warblers
Caracaras and Falcons     Orange-crowned Warbler
American Kestrel
  Nashville Warbler  
Crested Caracara
     
Grouse and Turkeys     Northern Parula  
Wild Turkey
 VC
  Yellow Warbler  
Rails, Gallinules & Coots   Chestnut-sided Warbler  
Sora
  Magnolia Warbler  
Clapper Rail
  Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler

 

 

Common Moorhen
RT
  Black-throated Green Warbler  
Purple Gallinule
JL, HL
  PineWarbler
 
Cranes     Palm Warbler  
Sandhill Crane
  Black-and-White Warbler  
Whooping Crane
  America Redstart  
Plovers   Prothonotary Warbler  
Black-bellied Plover
  Swainson's Warbler  
Piping Plover
     
Semipalmated Plover
  Ovenbird  
Killdeer
VC
  Northern Waterthrush  
Oystercatchers        
American Oystercatcher
     
Stilts and Avocets     Louisiana Waterthrush  
Black-necked Stilt
 HF
  Common Yellowthroat
All
American Avocet
  Hooded Warbler
Sandpipers, Phalaropes & Allies   Wilson's Warbler  
Greater Yellowlegs
  Yellow-breasted Chat  
Lesser Yellowlegs
  Tanagers 
Willet
T
  Summer Tanager  
Solitary Sandpiper 
  Scarlet Tanager  
Spotted Sandpiper
  Western Tanager  
Marbled Godwit
  Sparrows, Towhees and Allies
Semipalmated Sandpiper
  Chipping Sparrow
Least Sandpiper
  Savannah Sparrow
Dunlin
  Seaside Sparrow
Dowitcher sp.
  Lincoln's Sparrow
Common Snipe 
  LeConte's Sparrow  
Wilson's Phalarope     Swamp Sparrow
Gulls, Terns and Skimmers   White-throated Sparrow  
Laughing Gull
 T
  Cardinals, Grosbeaks & Buntings 
Herring Gull
 
  Northern Cardinal
 All
Ring-billed Gull
  Pyrrhuloxia
Lesser Black-backed Gull
HF
  Rose-breasted Grosbeak
 
Caspian Tern
R
  Indigo Bunting
Gull-billed Tern
P
  Painted Bunting
 BT
Forster's Tern 
JL
  Dickcissel
 
Black Skimmer
T
  Blackbirds 
Pigeons and Doves   Red-winged Blackbird
 All
Inca Dove
VC 
  Bronze-headed Cowbird
 
White-winged Dove
VC
     
Common Ground-Dove
VC
     
Mourning Dove
VC
  Eastern Meadowlark
Cuckoos, Roadrunners and Anis   Great-tailed Grackle
RT
Yellow-billed Cuckoo     Common Grackle 
Greater Roadrunner     Old World Sparrows
Grooved-bill Ani     House Sparrow
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