Please Note: In July we will start the survey at 6:30 AM.
June 21 Survey Report
Many thanks to Peggy Boston, Judy Boyce, Flo Hannah, and Barbara and Dick Massey for showing up on a very hot Saturday morning to do our June bird survey at Willow Waterhole Park. Between 7:00am and 9:00 AM we saw 32 species (see e-bird report) and added a couple of new species to the park list.
The many new trees and shrubs that have been planted by HCFCD around completed Basin 2 is growing well, but there were far fewer birds there than usual. Basin 4, between Willow and Gasmer, has been completed, but no vegetation other than what I assume is bermudagrass has been planted there yet. Basin 5 is still being dug. We confined our survey, as we have in recent months, to Basin 2 and the area along Willow Waterhole Bayou on the northern boundary of the park.
IT WAS SO HOT THAT WE DECIDED WE SHOULD START AT 6:30 NEXT TIME SO THAT WE CAN FINISH BY 9:00 AND GO TO ANNIE'S FOR BREAKFAST AFTERWARD. HOPE TO SEE ALL OF YOU FOR THE JULY COUNT.
For a list of the species seen to date, see the eBird hotspot.
- Joy Hester
Background Information:
An exciting new "park" is being developed in near southwest Houston. It's similar to Art Storey Park, in that it's a flood control project that's being built around large detention ponds created by Harris County Flood Control (HCFCD). And, like Art Storey Park, it's attracting water-loving birds even while construction is in progress. This new park is called Willow Waterhole Greenspace Reserve, and it will be an approximately 280-acre park when it's finished. Joy Hester has been leading birdwalks and doing bird surveys at the park for the last few months and entering the data into an eBird hotspot set up by John Berner. She's now organizing a monthly survey on the 3rd Saturday of each month. Please email her if you'd like to participate. (Joy Hester) Park on Ricecrest and meet at 8 AM (7 AM summer hours) at the gazebo on Willow Street.
The park is located just outside the southwest corner of Loop 610. Go south on Chimney Rock past Bellfort; turn left at Westbury High School onto Gasmer. The park begins where Gasmer splits and becomes Willow to the left, Gasmer to the right. It extends all the way to Post Oak and even across Post Oak, although work hasn't begun yet on the other side of Post Oak. There's a paved path almost around one of the large basins, and one of the best places to see birds is off of Gasmer on Clematis where there's a turnaround overlooking one of the basins.
Joy's hope is to establish a good database so that we can track changes in the bird populations as the park develops and changes over time. For a list of the species seen to date, see the eBird hotspot.
