July 28 Bentsen Spent the morning at the Hawktower with Mike and Dave of CA. Only highlight was a Swainson's Hawk although Mike had seen 3 SwallowTailed Hawks earlier! Putting stuff back together from the hurricane was dull, as was answering e-mails, but the butterfly walk was fun: 18 Giant Swallowtail, 5 Great Southern White, 1 FLORIDA WHITE, 1 Giant White, 1 WHITE ANGLED-SULPHUR, 1 Southern Dogface, 17 Cloudless Sulphur, 8 Large Orange Sulphur, 62 Lyside Sulphur, 7 Little Yellow , 1 Lantana Scrub-Hairstreak , 3 Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak, 7 Western Pygmy-Blue, 18 Ceraunus Blue, 1 Reakirt’s Blue, 1315 American Snout , 14 Gulf Fritillary, 1 Mexican Fritillary, 2 Bordered Patch , 1 CRIMSON PATCH, 12 Phaon Crescent , 1 PALE-BANDED CRESCENT, 1 MALACHITE, 4 Tawny Emperor, 1 SILVER EMPEROR (male), 27 Queen , 1 Soldier , 8 Brown Longtail, 2 Brown-Banded Skipper, 3 White Checkered-Skipper, 9 Laviana White-Skipper, 1 Turk’s Cap White-Skipper.

Bentsen State Park Sightings for the month of July 2008  **area specialties

Black-Bellied Whistling Duck—John 7/1

Mexican Duck—John 7/1

Mottled Duck—John 7/1

**Plain Chachalaca—John 7/1

Northern Bobwhite—Jose 7/10

Least Grebe—John 7/1

Pied-Billed Grebe—John 7/1

Neotropic Cormorant—Jose/John 7/3

Anhinga—Jose/John 7/8

10 Great Blue Heron—Carol/Jose/John/Mario 7/3

Great Egret—Carol/Jose/John/Mario 7/3

Snowy Egret—John 7/1

Little Blue Heron—Carol/Jose/John/Mario 7/3

Cattle Egret—Jose/John 7/3

Green Heron—John 7/1

Black-Crowned Night Heron—John 7/1

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron—John 7/1

White Ibis—John 7/1

White-Faced Ibis—John/Jose 7/3

20 Wood Stork—John/Jose 7/3

Black Vulture—Josh 7/15

Turkey Vulture—John 7/1

Swallow-Tailed Kite—Anon 7/28

White-Tailed Kite—John/Jose 7/8

Gray Hawk—Indiana girls 7/8

Harris’s Hawk—Josh 7/15

Swainson’s Hawk—Josh 7/15

Crested Caracara—Jose 7/11

Peregrine Falcon—Dragonfly Walk 7/17

Common Moorhen—John 7/1

30 American Coot—John 7/1

Killdeer—John 7/1

Black-Necked Stilt—John 7/1

Lesser Yellowlegs—John 7/1

Eurasian Collared-Dove—Mary Beth Stowe 7/15

White-Winged Dove—John 7/1

Mourning Dove—John 7/1

Inca Dove—John 7/1

Common Ground-Dove—John 7/1

**White-Tipped Dove—John 7/1

40 Yellow-Billed Cuckoo—John 7/1

Greater Roadrunner---Annual NABA Butterfly Count 7/12

**Groove-Billed Ani—John 7/1

Eastern Screech-Owl—Night Hike 7/4

Great Horned Owl—Night Hike 7/18

Elf Owl—Night Hike 7/4

Lesser Nighthawk—John 7/1

Common Nighthawk—Night Hike 7/11

**Common Pauraque—Night Hike 7/4

**Buff-Bellied Hummingbird—John 7/1

50 Black-Chinned Hummingbird—John 7/1

**Ringed Kingfisher—Dragonfly Walk 7/17

Green Kingfisher—Josh 7/15

**Golden-Fronted Woodpecker—John 7/1

Ladder-Backed Woodpecker—John 7/1

**Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet—John 7/1

Brown-Crested Flycatcher—John 7/1

**Great Kiskadee—John 7/1

**Couch’s Kingbird—John 7/1

Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher—Dragonfly Walk 7/17

60 Loggerhead Shrike—John 7/14

White-Eyed Vireo—Annual NABA Butterfly Count 7/12

**Green Jay—John 7/1

Purple Martin—Dragonfly Walk 7/17/08

Bank Swallow—Dragonfly Walk 7/17/08

Cave Swallow—John 7/1

Barn Swallow—Josh 7/25

Black-Crested Titmouse—John 7/1

Verdin—Mary Beth Stowe July 15

Bewick’s Wren—Mary Beth Stowe July 15

**Clay-Colored Robin—John 7/1

70 Northern Mockingbird—John 7/1

Long-Billed Thrasher—Annual NABA Butterfly Count 7/12

Olive Sparrow—John 7/1

Lark Sparrow-Josh 7/17

Northern Cardinal—John 7/1

Painted Bunting—John 7/3

Dickcissel—John 7/1

Red-Winged Blackbird—John 7/1

Eastern Meadowlark—John 7/14

Great-Tailed Grackle—John 7/1

80 Bronzed Cowbird—John 7/1

Brown-Headed Cowbird—Mary Beth Stowe 7/15

Orchard Oriole—Jose 7/8

Hooded Oriole—John 7/1

**Altamira Oriole—John 7/1

Lesser Goldfinch—Jose/John 7/2

House Sparrow—John 7/1

Reptiles/Amphibians

Blanchard’s Cricket Frog—Bird Walk 7/27

Blue Spiny Lizard—Carol/Jose/John 7/1

Cane Toad-- Creature Feature 7/10

Couch’s Spadefoot Toad—7/18

Great Plains Ratsnake—Creature Feature 7/10

Gulf Coast Toad-- Creature Feature 7/10

Indigo Snake—NABA Count 7/12

Red-eared Slider—Night Hike 7/8

Ribbon Snake—Jennifer 7/16

Texas Spiny Lizard—Creature Feature 7/10

Texas Spotted Whiptail—John 7/1

Texas Tortoise—Butterfly Count 7/12

Western Diamondback Ratttlesnake—HQ Gardens Artemio 7/11

Butterflies  

DARK KITE-SWALLOWTAIL—JOSH 7/15 (boatramp)

POLYDAMAS SWALLOWTAIL—TOM 7/15 (boatramp)

Giant Swallowtail—John/Jose 7/2

ORNYTHION—Butterfly Walk 7/16

FLORIDA WHITE—Josh 7/15

Great Southern White—John/Jose 7/2

Giant White—Mike Rickard 7/26

STATIRA SULPHUR—Mike/Ginny Rickard 7/29 (gatehouse)

WHITE ANGLED-SULPHUR—Annual NABA Count 7/12

10 Southern Dogface—John 7/28

Cloudless Sulphur—John/Jose 7/2

Large Orange Sulphur—Butterfly Walk 7/9

Orange-Barreed Sulphur—Butterfly Walk 7/30

Lyside Sulphur—John/Jose 7/2

Dainty Sulphur—John/Jose 7/2

Little Yellow—John/Jose 7/2

GOODSON’S GREENSTREAK—Butterfly Walk 7/16

Gray Hairstreak—John/Jose 7/2

Lantana Scrub-Hairstreak—Dauphins/Tom/Josh/John 7/14

20 Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak—John/Jose 7/2

Clytie Ministreak—Butterfly Count 7/12

Western Pygmy-Blue—Butterfly Walk 7/9

Ceraunus Blue—John/Jose 7/2

Reakirt’s Blue—John/Jose 7/2

American Snout—John/Jose 7/2

Fatal Metalmark—Butterfly Count 7/12

Red-Bordered Metalmark—Butterfly Walk 7/30

Gulf Fritillary—John/Jose 7/2

Mexican Fritillary—John 7/28

30 Bordered Patch—John/Jose 7/2

Crimson Patch—John 7/28

Phaon Crescent—John/Jose 7/2

Pale-Banded Crescent—John 7/28

White Peacock—Butterfly Walk 7/9

MALACHITE—Josh/Mary 7/28

Common Mestra—Mike & Ginny Rickard 7/29

Gray Cracker—Mike/Ginny Rickard 7/26

Tropical Leafwing—Butterfly Walk 7/16

Hackberry Emperor—Butterfly Walk 7/30

Empress Leilia—Josh 7/25

40 Tawny Emperor—John/Jose 7/2

Silver Emperor—John 7/28

Queen—John/Jose 7/2

Soldier—Butterfly Walk 7/16

WHITE-STRIPED LONGTAIL—Butterfly Walk 7/16

Brown Longtail—John/Jose 7/2

Fritzgaertner’s  Flat—Josh 7/14

Funereal Duskywing—Annual NABA Count 7/12

Brown-Banded Skipper—Butterfly Walk 7/16

White Checkered-Skipper—John/Jose 7/2

50 Desert Checkred-Skipper—Mary Beth Stowe 7/15

Laviana White-Skipper—John/Jose 7/2

Turk’s Cap White-Skipper—Butterfly Walk 7/9

Clouded Skipper—John/Jose 7/2

Southern Skipperling—Butterfly Walk 7/9

Fiery SKipper—Butterfly Walk 7/16

Whirlabout—Butterfly Walk 7/9

Sachem—Butterfly Walk 7/16

Common Mellana—Butterfly Walk 7/16

Celia’s Roadside-Skipper—John 7/6

60 Eufala Skipper—John/Jose 7/2

Mammals

AMERICAN BADGER—Hawktower 7/1

Bobcat—Night Hike 7/10

Collared Peccary—John 7/1

Coyote—Annual NABA Butterfly Count 7/12

Eastern Cottontail—John 7/1

Mexican Ground Squirrel—John 7/1

Dragonflies

Smoky Rubyspot—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

AMELIA’S THREADTAIL—Dragonfly Walk 7/17

Blue-Fronted Dancer—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

Powdered Dancer—Dragonfly Walk 7/17

Blue-Ringed Dancer—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

Double-Striped Bluet—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

Neotropical BLuet—Dragonfly Walk 7/17

Familiar Bluet—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

Rambur’s Forktail—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

10 Caribbean Yellowface—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

Common Green Darner—Dauphins 7/19

Narrow-Striped Forceptail—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

Five-Striped Leaftail—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

RedTailed Pennant—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

Four-Spotted Pennant—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

Tawny Pennant—Dragonfly Walk 7/17

Halloween Pennant—Dragonfly Walk 7/17

Black Setwing—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

Pin-Tailed Pondhawks—Tom Pendleton 7/3

20 Eastern Pondhawk—Dragonfly Walk 7/17

Band-Winged Dragonlet—Dragonfly Walk 7/17

Great Pondhawk—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

METALLIC PENNANT—Dauphins 7/19

Needham’s Skimmer—Dragonfly Walk 7/17

Spot-Tailed Dasher—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

Thornbush Dasher—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

Carmine Skimmer—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

Roseate Skimmer—Dragonfly Walk 7/17

Blue Dasher—Dauphins 7/19

30 Spot-Winged Glider—Dauphins 7/19

Wandering Glider—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

Slough Amberwing—Dragonfly Walk 7/17

Eastern Amberwing—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

BOW-TIED GLIDER—Dauphins 7/19

Striped Saddlebags—Dauphins 7/19

Black Saddlebags—Dragonfly Walk 7/17

Red Saddlebags—Dragonfly Walk 7/3

Other Insects/Invertebrates

Ant Lion—John 7/1

Black Widow—Night Hike 7/4

Black Witch—Jose/John/2 Indiana ladies 7/8

Bulia similaris (moth)— —John/Jose 7/2

Cicada Gigas—John 7/1

Cicada Killer—Jose 7/1

Cuckoo Wasp—Jennifer 7/16

Desert Termites—John 7/1

Harlequin Beetle—Annual NABA Butterfly Count 7/12

Harvester Ants—John 6/2

Shore Flies—Dragonfly Walk 7/17

Slug—Jennifer 7/8

Snail—Anon 7/21

Southern Crevice Spider—Jennifer 7/7

Tarantula—John 7/2

Tarantula Hawk—Butterfly Count 7/12

Tortoise Beetles & Larvae 7/30

 Fish

Robert & Deb Edwards caught at Bentsen State Park resaca July 22, 2008:

Dorosoma petenense – threadfin shad

Gambusia affinis – western mosquitofish

Lucania parva – rainwater killifish

Menidia beryllina – inland silverside

Micropterus salmoides – largemouth bass

Lepomis macrochirus – bluegill

Lepomis microlophus – redear sunfish

Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum – Rio Grande cichlid

Oreochromis aureus – blue tilapia