Bird count along the Bosque River Trail August 24, 2026. Puddle 1

Weather - clear, some high thin clouds, no wind, temp ~80 degrees at 7:00am. Today’s high temperature is supposedly 106 degrees.

Bird count - moderate-low

Belted Kingfisher - Yesterday I saw one Kingfisher and heard another. Today, almost as soon as I got out of my car I heard a Belted Kingfisher flying along the river. I hurried over to the river, but the Kingfisher was gone before I got there. I crossed over the footbridge and headed up the BRT through the park. I moved over to the riverbank, which in the park is five to ten feet above the river. Just as I got there two blue-gray Belted Kingfishers flew side-by-side up the river below me. In a few seconds they disappeared together around a bend in the river. This part of the river is still full of water because of the dam.

Brown headed Cowbirds - Two Brown Headed cowbirds were pointed out to me as I sat in the park on a bench drinking coffee. I don’t see these birds that often. The Cowbirds were on the top branches of the large tree near the footbridge.

Ladderback Woodpecker - I don’t see these woodpeckers that often along the BRT. This one was sitting in a tall tree by the drying river puddle near the bridge.

Hummingbirds - I briefly saw two Hummingbirds in the wildflower garden.

Puddle 1 - I’m watching three drying river puddles. All are about the same size. The one near the bridge just before the largest hill on the BRT I’m going to call Puddle 1. This is the puddle with all the small black catfish in it. It’s very different from the other two puddles. Puddle 1 is the only puddle that I have seen the small black catfish. There are hundreds of these catfish in Puddle 1 even though the puddle is now only about twenty feet long and four to five feet wide at its widest. These fish seem to stay at the top of the water. Puddle one also contains lots of Perch and the large catfish. However, the Perch population is quickly decreasing.

The Perch population decline is caused by predators. Today a Great Blue Heron was standing in the middle of the puddle. The two brown snakes were also busy chasing fish. The snakes ignored the small catfish and the heron. The heron ignored the small catfish and the snakes. At times the snakes swam just inches from the heron. I’m not sure why the small black catfish are being ignored. There are hundreds of them and they hardly move at all. Maybe they are too small, maybe they taste bad, or maybe both things are true. In addition to snakes and herons, I’m sure other predators are taking advantage of the trapped fish. The puddle is surrounded by animal tracks. I’ve seen racoons, and small birds around the puddle.

I think Puddle 1 may have a small amount of new water trickling into it. There may be a small spring or some seepage from the small amount of water running under the bridge.

Puddle 2 and Puddle 3 - These puddles are roughly the same sizes as Puddle 1, but they appear to be very different. Puddle 2 is in the area where I saw the Barred Owls. I’ve never seen a fish in this puddle. There are no small black catfish that I can see. However, I’ve seen a small Red Shouldered Hawk sitting on a low branch over this puddle for two days in a row. Puddle 3 is where the BRT curves onto the new trail bypass. The old trail fell into the river a while ago. I have seen a few Perch in this puddle. I saw one Perch today. A few days ago I think I also saw a Carp. Puddle 2 and 3 clearly have fish, but no where near the fish population of Puddle 1, and no small black catfish that I have ever seen.

Snakes - The two brown snakes were in Puddle 1 again today.

Types of birds - 18 Number of birds - 92

Number‍ ‍Type

14 Robins

12 House Sparrows

11 Grackles

10 House Finches

8 Sparrows - unknown type

7 Mockingbirds

5 Cardinals

3 Doves type unknown - flying

2 Belted Kingfishers

2 Brown headed Cowbirds

2 Mississippi Kites

2 Hummingbirds - type unknown

2 Vultures - type unknown - too far away

1 White Winged Dove

1 Great Blue Heron - in the middle of Puddle 1

1 Chickadee

1 Ladderback Woodpecker

1 Turkey Vulture

1 Red Shouldered Hawk

1 Killdeer - flying