Bird count along the Bosque River trail June 10, 2026

Weather: Clear, a few bands of clouds, light wind increasing to moderate, temp = 75 at 7:00am.

Event 1: Heard an owl, but didn’t see it. I have only seen owls four times in the three years I have been observing birds along the BRT.

Event 2: I watched a Great Blue Heron walk, fly a short distance, and hunt with its mouth open, and its tongue stuck out. I read this is a cooling method for the birds. I don’t know, it looked kind-of like it had something stuck in its throat.

Nonevent 3: No Black Belly Whistling Ducks. First day in a long time.

Species of birds 24-26 Number of birds - 126

Number of birds‍ ‍Type of birds

~25 Barn Swallows

24 Cardinals

7 Robins

6 Scissortail Flycatchers

6 House Sparrows

6 Black Vultures

5 Mississippi Kites - I saw four sitting in a tree, at the same time.

4 Eastern Bluebirds

4 Sparrows - type unknown - probably mostly house sparrows

4 Starlings

4 Eastern bluebirds

4 White-winged Doves

3 Mourning Doves

3 Red Bellied Woodpeckers

3 Bluejays

3 Great Blue Herons

3 Doves - type unknown

3 Mockingbirds

2 Turkey Vultures

2 Eastern Phoebes

1 Downy Woodpecker

1 Summer Tanager - male

1 Wood Duck - sitting on a log - flew down the river gully.

1 Hummingbird - type unknown

1 Chickadee

1 Grackle

1 Unknown - looked like a Phoebe with a yellow belly

1 Yellow Billed Cuckoo - only possible - saw just a brief glimpse of it - did hear its call.

1 Owl - head but not seen - not a dove