Golden-Cheeked Warbler and Black-Capped Vireo

THE BLACK-CAPPED vireo and golden-cheeked warbler may be the easiest to find of our songbirds. The two species share a common breeding range in the Texas Hill Country. They typically arrive in March and stay through the summer. 

The golden-cheeked warbler sports bright yellow cheeks, a black head, black back and white breast. Its habitat consists of juniper and oak woodlands. The species feeds mainly on insects, foraging through the upper portions of the forest. Consequently, when looking for golden-cheeked warblers, expect to find them singing and looking for food in treetops and high limbs.

Black-capped vireos, however, prefer more open habitats of oak scrub and hillside brushy patches. The vireos eat insects (primarily) and seeds (occasionally) much lower to the ground, so expect to find them on bushes, small saplings and lower limbs of stunted trees. The black-capped vireo has a black or charcoal head, an olive-green back and a very prominent white eye ring surrounding a distinct red eye.

Both passerines can be found in two preserves not far from San Antonio and Austin: Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge northwest of Austin and Lost Maples State Natural Area in the Hill Country.

If you visit Balcones Canyonlands, head to Warbler Vista and Sunset Deck, located in prime golden-cheeked warbler habitat. You’ll find more than two miles of trails to explore while searching for the warbler in juniper/oak woodlands.

Next, make your way to Shin Oak Observation Deck, where you’ll find great black-capped vireo habitat. Try the Creek Trail and Pond and Prairie Trail, both well under a mile in length; they will take you through open grassland with scattered shrubs and small saplings.

At Lost Maples State Natural Area, hike the East Trail for a potential glimpse of both songbirds. The East Trail follows the Sabinal River and climbs up and along a big hill before connecting with the East-West Trail, making a 4.5-mile loop. The trail is known for its Uvalde bigtooth maple trees sprinkled among the forest woodlands and its wide riverbed and brushy edges dotted with saplings — great habitat for both songbirds.

If covering an uphill four-mile loop seems daunting, take heart. My first sightings of both birds happened within the first mile and a half of the trail. A pair of vireos appeared 45 minutes after my start, quickly and methodically flitting among tall grasses and bushes along the sandy riverbank. As I went farther down the trail, a golden-cheeked warbler sang overhead, flew upstream and perched in full view.   

COLIMA WARBLER

The Colima warbler, another Texas songbird treasured by birders, can be found in a small corner of Big Bend National Park. The species breeds high in the Chisos Mountains — this is the only area in the U.S. where it lives, although its range extends well into Mexico. The warblers start arriving in mid-March and are gone by September.

This small warbler has gray-brown plumage, a rufous patch on the head and a splash of yellow on its rump. It sings a distinctive song when foraging. You’ll most likely hear the warblers before you spot them in the oak and pine forest of the Chisos Mountains, so it’s best to familiarize yourself with its song beforehand.

Starting in the Chisos Basin, you’ll have two options: A shorter route on the Chisos Basin Loop Trail, roughly two miles, or a longer loop on connecting trails (Laguna Meadows, Colima, Boot Canyon and Pinnacles), nearly 10 miles. Either option is simply grand, with breathtaking scenery and active bird life.

As you slowly climb in elevation, you’ll notice a change in the landscape and habitat. Dry creek beds soon give way to oaks and pines, then juniper meadows and hillsides of Arizona cypress and Texas madrones. On my initial trek up the Chisos, I encountered several Colima warblers as the trail wound into the juniper stands.

Keep an eye out for other mountain specialties such as the blue-throated mountain-gem, a striking bird that is the largest hummer in North America, or a Lucifer hummingbird, the only hummer with a downward curved bill.    

MORELET’S SEEDEATER

THE MORELET'S seedeater is a small, sparrow-sized, finch-type species most often found along the Rio Grande between Laredo and Falcon Dam, south of Zapata. Unlike other Texas songbird specialties that enter the state only during breeding season, the seedeater is a year-round resident, although it will be found more easily during early spring months.

The seedeaters prefer reedy, grassy habitat near the river and adjacent weedy, overgrown fields where they can find seeds and small insects or spiders.

Finding the Morelet’s seedeater, a pint-sized member of the tanager family, may take visits to several spots before getting your desired view. My first try was spoiled by thick morning fog; a second try later in the day downstream was also futile. The next morning, the weather cooperated and I easily spotted several seedeaters.

You’ll find great habitats over the 50-mile stretch between Laredo and Zapata. Numerous sightings have been made at two in particular: the public library in midtown Zapata on U.S. Highway 83 (check the weedy field next to the library) and an unofficial “seedeater sanctuary” in the town of San Ygnacio, roughly 14 miles north of Zapata (drive to Washington Avenue and follow the street past the Catholic Mission to the end, where you’ll find reedy overgrowth).

In Laredo, you’ll find seedeaters at several stops on the Laredo Loop of the Great Texas Wildlife Trails, including La Casa Blanca International State Park, La Laja Ranch and Laredo Community College campus.

As you drive along Highway 83, watch for canebrakes and dense clusters of reeds, especially when you spot openings to the Rio Grande. These will give you additional opportunities to find the Morelet’s seedeater.    

TROPICAL PARULA

TROPICAL PARULAS are colorful birds. A male in breeding plumage sports a bright yellow throat and chest and a slate-blue back. A little larger than a kinglet, parulas are treetop dwellers found in extreme South Texas in semi-arid habitat with thick riparian woods. Migrants begin arriving in mid-March and leave by September. Parulas forage for insects and spiders, and their preferred habitat contains Spanish or beard moss, used mainly for nests. 

Because of its propensity for a canopy lifestyle, spying a tropical parula can be a daunting task. Parulas often travel in feeding flocks of other small birds such as black-crested titmice, blue-headed vireos and orange-crowned warblers, so you can search these flocks for likely candidates.

Both northern and tropical parulas occupy the lower Rio Grande Valley. The tropical can be distinguished from the northern by a cheek mask and lack of white eye crescents, but determining one parula species from the other can be difficult when peering upwards into a canopy.

Finding the tropical parula may challenge your persistence. Several preserves have had reliable sighting of the songbird according to eBird reports: Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park in Mission, Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco, Frontera Audubon Center in Hidalgo, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in Alamo and Sabal Palm Sanctuary in Brownsville.

My first sighting was purely accidental and unexpected. Shortly after entering Sabal Palm Sanctuary on an early April morning some years ago, I encountered a fellow birder who had spied one and pointed it out to me. Since the tropical parula was a new species for me, I asked about markings, and he ticked off the characteristics as we watched it dance among the leaves midway along an upper tree limb.

If you find yourself stymied in your search, you may have a better chance roughly 90 miles north of Harlingen, where you’ll find the renowned King Ranch. Here, visiting birders have reported numerous sightings of tropical parulas over the past several years.