The following articles are submitted for the enjoyment of all. If you would like to submit an article, please e-mail the editor

Well folks it's about time we had some new "Bird Tales" to enjoy, so I have canceled all 2003 articles and here are some new ones for 2004. Remember, if you have something to share with other birders, please submit it to the webmaster and we will post it on the website.

Stuart Marcus --- January 5, 2004

Just want to thank the 14 of you that were able to participate in the Trinity River CBC and all the others that contacted me but could not attend. The weathermen were wrong again and the weather was just fine. Although the count started slow, we finished with a flurry. A total of 93 species were observed, up from the count low of 80 species seen in 2002. We still have trouble reaching the century mark as a few of the regulars were not seen. As in 2002, we were unable to locate a Henslow's Sparrow. Other fairly regular species missed included white pelican, shoveler, coot, and Bewick's wren. We picked up one new bird, the great horned owl. Below is a list and number of birds seen. Note how many "ones" were seen.

Hope to see all of you next year. Prelim date is Dec 26. We have traditionally held the count the first Sunday after Christmas. Because Christmas comes on a Saturday in 2004, this may pose a problem. Let me know your thoughts.

Pied billed grebe - 1
Neotropic cormorant -
Double ccrested cormorant - 1064
Anhinga - 5
Great blue heron - 10
Great egret - 30
Snowy egret - 3
Cattle egret - 1
White ibis - 56
Black vulture - 389
Turkey vulture - 755
Snow goose - 36
Ross's goose - 2
Canada goose - 12
Wood duck - 112
Gadwall - 34
Mallard - 10
Osprey - 1
Bald eagle - 1
Sharp shinned hawk - 4
Cooper's hawk - 2
Red shouldered hawk - 20
Red tailed hawk - 9
Kestrel - 11
Killdeer - 110
Greater yellowlegs - 1
Spotted sandpiper - 1
Snipe - 1
Woodcock - 1
Gull species - 1
Caspian tern - 1
Forster's tern - 16
Rock pigeon - 8
Mourning dove - 19
Inca dove - 4
Barred owl - 2
Great horned owl - 1
Belted kingfisher - 8
Red headed woodpecker - 15
Red bellied woodpecker - 76
Yellow bellied sapsucker - 33
Downy woodpecker - 80
Northern flicker - 34
Pileated woodpecker - 39
Eastern phoebe - 42
Loggerhead shrike - 6
White eyed vireo - 5
Blue headed vireo - 3
Blue jay - 56
American crow - 541
Carolina chickadee - 286
Tufted Titmouse - 131
Brown headed nuthatch - 2
Brown Creeper - 2
Carolina wren - 104
House wren - 22
Winter wren - 2
Sedge wren - 1
Golden crowned kinglet - 3
Ruby crowned kinglet - 176
Blue gray gnatcatcher - 7
Eastern bluebird - 152
Hermit thrush - 11
Robin - 1200
Catbird - 2
Mockingbird - 19
Brown thrasher - 6
Starling - 72
American pipit - 30
Cedar waxwing - 149
Orange crowned warbler - 31
Yellow rumped warbler - 245
Pine warbler - 124
Black & White warbler - 1
Common yellowthroat - 4
Chipping sparrow - 308
Field sparrow - 4
Vesper sparrow - 1
Savannah sparrow - 29
Song sparrow - 10
Lincoln's sparrow - 8
Swamp sparrow - 46
White throated sparrow - 200
White crowned sparrow - 13
Dark eyed junco - 1
Cardinal - 263
Red winged blackbird - 215
Eastern meadowlark - 107
Brewer's blackbird - 1
Common grackle - 900
Brown headed cowbird - 21
Purple finch - 3
American goldfinch - 341
House sparrow - 12

2004 High Island Patch is Northern Parula by Winnie Burkett HAS Sanctuaries Manager

The warbler on the 2004 High Island patch will be a Northern Parula. Northern Parulas, regularly found on High Island during spring and fall migration, are one of the two species of warblers that nest in our island sanctuaries.A common eastern, Northern Parulas breed primarily in two locations-southern weeld laden with Spanish moss and northern boreal forests with extensive Usnea lichen, which has growth habits similar to Spanish moss.
High Island Northern Parulas regularly nest in the Spanish moss in Smith Oaks.

Graphic artist Linda Feltner, who has designed seven other patches as well as T-shirts for Houston Audubon, also designed this year’s patch. Patches serve as an annual admission pass and cost $20. They are sold at High Island from March 21 through May 9 or at the Houston Audubon office. Funds generated from the fees and merchandise sales on High Island are used to support Houston Audubon’s 3,000-acre sanctuary system. For more information, call Houston Audubon at 713-932-1639 or visit our website (www.houstonaudubon.org).