Great Kiskadee at Berry Springs

Yet another rare bird alert from eBird has sent us to Berry Springs Park three times looking for this Great Kiskadee.  This bird is rare in Williamson County, but not nearly as out of place as the Brown Booby or Dusky-capped Flycather. Its normal range is South Texas and the lower Rio Grande Valley.

Today, we got up at the crack of dawn and got to the park at 7:00 in time to see a very picturesque layer of fog over the ponds. For two hours, we scouted along the boardwalk and around the dam where others had seen the bird. We neither saw nor heard any sign of it.

Finally, at about 9:30, Danielle wandered back to towards the dam and heard the Kiskadee's raucous single-note alert call. She quickly found it in the marshy thicket just to the east of the dam and I joined her a few minutes later. The bird repeated this call several times but we never heard the three-note Kis-ka-dee song which gives the bird its name.

Canon 7DII, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS - 400mm, f/6.3, 1/2500, ISO-800

Canon 7DII, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS - 400mm, f/8, 1/1250, ISO-800

Though grouped with flycatchers, this bird is larger and more stocky than most flycatchers. It's diet includes insects, berries, lizards, and fish. We saw it fly down into the flooded grass and back up to its perch a half dozen times. In the image below, it has found some sort of caterpillar.

Canon 7DII, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS - 400mm, f/10, 1/500, ISO-400

The coloration of the Kiskadee is very bold, combining russet and lemon colors on the body and a boldly striped black and white head.  There is also a hidden crown of bright yellow feathers which can be seen when flared.

Canon 7DII, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS - 400mm, f/10, 1/500 (f/9, 1/640), ISO-800

Canon 60Da, EF 400mm f/5.6L - 400mm, f/5.6, 1/500, ISO-125 (Danielle)

We spent the rest of the morning finding other birds in the park

Our final tally included:

• Pied-billed Grebe
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Great Egret
• Turkey Vulture
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• White-winged Dove
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Downy Woodpecker
• Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker
• Great Kiskadee
• American Crow
• Carolina Chickadee
• Black-crested Titmouse
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• Eastern Bluebird
• Northern Mockingbird
• Orange-crowned Warbler
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Northern Cardinal
• Great-tailed Grackle
• House Finch
• House Sparrow

Danielle also posted a gallery on Facebook.

Northern Mockingbird - Canon 7DII, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS - 400mm, f/6.3, 1/6400, ISO-800

Carolina Chickadee - Canon 60Da, EF 400mm f/5.6L - 400mm, f/5.6, 1/2000, ISO-250 (Danielle)

Downy Woodpecker - Canon 7DII, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS - 400mm, f/6.3, 1/800, ISO-800, Flash

Pied-billed Grebe - Canon 7DII, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS - 400mm, f/7.1, 1/800, ISO-800

Orange-crowned Warbler - Canon 7DII, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS - 400mm, f/6.3, 1/1600, ISO-800, Flash

Yellow-rumped Warbler - Canon 7DII, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS - 400mm, f/6.3, 1/3200, ISO-800, Flash

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Canon 7DII, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS - 400mm, f/6.3, 1/400, ISO-800