Central Texas' October bird forecast

Here’s the Central Texas bird forecast for the month, courtesy of Travis Audubon. Learn more about Central Texas birds and bird-related events for all ages at travisaudubon.org or by calling 512-300-BIRD. Follow us at www.facebook.com/travisaudubon

October, especially the first two weeks, is arguably the best month of the fall to see large numbers of Broad-winged and Swainson’s Hawks from all across the nation move south through Texas. They are on a long migratory journey to Central and South America. Witnessing a big flight of silent raptors is a thrilling experience. The Broad-winged Hawks, birds of eastern North America forests, are en route to Mexico, Central America and further south to Venezuela and Colombia. The Swainson’s Hawks are on their way to the pampas of Argentina. To save energy the birds generally wait for an advancing cold front so they can ride the north winds south. Watch the weather and get outdoors when one is forecast. One of the best places to watch and wait is Roy Guerrero Park at the Cliff Overlook off of 400 Grove Blvd. It has an expansive view of the sky. Take a chair and stay a while. In addition to hawks, you might see big groups of migrating Turkey Vultures, American White Pelicans or Double-crested Cormorants sharing the same airspace.

Mixed in with the large number of hawks, there will be a sprinkling of other raptors like the American Kestrel, our smallest falcon. It’s about the size of an American Robin, at 9-10 inches, but heavier.  A falcon is a raptor like the hawks, but has a more streamlined body with angular wings as opposed to the hawks’ more rounded wings. Some American Kestrels are migrating here for the winter, while others will continue down into Mexico and Central America. This small falcon has a huge range as a permanent resident, a summering bird during the breeding season, or a wintering bird. It can be found from interior Alaska across southern Canada, across the U.S. and down into Mexico and Central America. In South America, it also occupies a huge range and the birds there stay put as permanent residents.

In Austin, kestrels used to be solely a wintering bird, with fewer than 5 sightings in the season from May-August. However, in the past nine years, there has been at least one pair making nest attempts, with a successful brood in 2019. They were taking advantage of abundant prey and an unusual cavity space in a tall metal power pole at 45th Street and Guadalupe. Others have been observed mating near the UT Tower and close to a big power pole at Hornsby Bend.

The American Kestrel is our most colorful falcon and well worth searching out. The male has a barred rufous back, blue-gray wings, a speckled breast, and a rufous tail with a broad black stripe at the tail tip. The female is similar to the male, but does not have blue-gray wings, and its chest markings are more distinct. Its tail is barred with no black stripe. Both have two vertical stripes on their faces. They weigh about 4 ounces, with the female averaging 10% heavier.

Kestrels prefer open areas with short vegetation like fields, meadows, pastures, and, as seen above, can even cope in developed urban areas. They need perches, whether wires, fence posts, or tree branches. Competition for cavity nests is serious business; the UT Tower area kestrels were seen defending their territory from a third kestrel this past April. In their breeding range, kestrels use old woodpecker holes and rock crevices and have accepted human-built nestboxes.

Kestrels are diurnal hunters. They typically are “sit and wait” predators, sighting and flying down to catch their prey. Some morsels are eaten immediately while others are taken back to a perch to consume. Their menu is broad and includes grasshoppers, cicadas, beetles, dragonflies, butterflies and moths, mice, bats, small snakes, lizards and small birds, probably dictated by the seasonal abundance of various prey.

The American Kestrel has several distinctive behaviors that are fun to look at and listen to. They are vocal, calling “klee klee klee” in aggressive encounters, but also when males are trying to attract a mate. In addition to the more common “sit and wait” behavior, sometimes kestrels use a “hover hunting” technique. When there is not a suitable perch nearby, or the wind has updrafts, they face into the wind and flap their wings to stay in place over a prey item and then stoop to catch it. Like other falcons (and unlike hawks), they have a sharp tomial tooth to bite the prey’s neck or head to immobilize it, before consuming. Generally, “hover hunting” is a less successful foraging strategy than “sit and wait.” Other behaviors that may help in identification at a distance are tail wagging, which usually precedes flight, and head bobbing, when a bird is trying to estimate the distance from its perch to its prey.

American Kestrels can be found in many area parks in winter. Commons Ford Ranch usually has one perched out in the prairie or on top of a cell tower. Roy Guerrero by the Cliff Overlook is a good spot to check (although in some winters, a Merlin, a different, more assertive, slightly larger falcon, may drive it off.) Hornsby Bend often has one on the entrance roads to the ponds, and Bob Wentz Windy Point and Emma Long Park often have one around the parking lot, where they may have to deal with a more aggressive Merlin. The windier it gets, the lower they perch. Factor that in when searching for one. Enjoy the fall weather while you look for this charismatic bird!

Upcoming Travis Audubon Events – Cooler weather is on the horizon. Check the events calendar for field trips and classes. Want to learn more about the private lives of our ubiquitous vultures? Attend the Zoom monthly membership meeting on October 16. New to birding? Try a beginner’s bird walk, such as the ones frequently offered at Commons Ford Ranch Metro Park. Events fill quickly, and registration is required for most.

Compiled by Jane Tillman, Travis Audubon Volunteer

Resources: All About Birds, Birds of the World, the Travis Audubon Seasonal Distribution Checklist, The Sibley Guide to Birds by David Sibley and Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds of Eastern North America by Nathan Pieplow.

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