Bird & Birding Links for the City of Lubbock, Texas, West Texas, and the South Plains

I'll update this post from time to time.   A collection of links can be very useful.

Local Bird Links:  Lubbock & West Texas
Keep in mind that "West Texas" is NOT west-most Texas on the map.   The real west Texas we call the Trans-Pecos region, west of the Pecos River, that includes the Big Bend and El Paso area, that are in the Mountain Standard Time zone while the rest of Texas is Central time.   "West Texas" as commonly used refers to an area beginning somewhere west of Dallas/Ft. Worth [Dallas/Ft. Worth are in "North Texas" despite the fact that the panhandle of Texas including Amarillo is still farther north] west to the New Mexico border.   

Lubbock is on the "South Plains" and the southerly part of the "High Plains."   We also say that Lubbock and other South Plains locations are "on the Caprock," referring to the geology that puts us at around 3500 feet altitude.   Both east and west there is an escarpment where the South Plains or Caprock falls off to lower altitudes.      

"Llano Estacado" (Spanish for "staked plains") refers to a portion of the South Plains and the term goes back to about 1550 and the explorer Coronado who passed through this area in his quest for gold and the Seven Cities of Cibola, it being supposed that the Coronado expedition found the lack of landmarks confusing and resorted to putting stakes in the ground to mark their path, like the trail of breadcrumbs in the fairy tale or the string used by Theseus in the Labyrinth.    OR, it may be that the High Plains escarpment looked from a distance like a palisade or staked wall.      Spanish artifacts from that period have been found within 100 miles of Lubbock and are thought to mark campsites for the Coronado expedition.]   

The "South Plains" includes a portion of New Mexico.   

City of Lubbock website:    https://mylubbock.us/departmental-websites/departments/parks-recreation/get-outdoors/birding


ABA Birding News:   http://birding.aba.org/mobiledigest/TX#1003716    The hotline, the latest reports on what was seen where in Texas.   Look for Lubbock area updates.   In particular, check out http://birding.aba.org/mobiledigest/TX#1053728

Area bird checklists.  http://www.bafrenz.com/birds/Region1.htm

http://lubbockcountybirds.blogspot.com/   This blog was started by expert local birders but went stagnant in 2013.   Pity.

If you want up-to-date info on what is seen where,  eBird is good (see link below) or ABA Birding News (link above)

The Llano Estacado Audubon Society Facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/LlanoEstacadoAudubonSociety    For a period of time before I started this blog the Llano Estacado Auduybon Facebook site was inactive.   That is no longer true.   They have meetings, give a monthly birding tour at Clapp Park, and respond to sightings and comments.

Permian Basin [Midland, Odessa, SE NM area] birds.   https://www.facebook.com/West-Texas-birds-1117994948306150/

Local bird photos on Flickr:   https://www.flickr.com/photos/67238923@N03/
West Texas bird photos.   http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/west_texas&page=all 
Texas birds.  http://www.pbase.com/dadas115/00texas_birds_2&page=all

Birdwatching Daily's info on Lubbock's Clapp Park:  http://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/hotspots/159-clapp-park-lubbock-texas/

National and International Bird Links:

iNaturalist is a worldwide nature observation site.   Membership is free. 

eBird is here:  http://ebird.org/content/ebird/    eBird has a lot of bird info but is primarily a clearing house for species counts.   Want to look up your city and see where birders were counting birds and what they saw?   Find the local hotspots?   This is the place.   Want to post your own observations?   Set up a free account and post away!

Once upon a time local newspapers would publish the results of annual bird counts.   Haven't seen that in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal newspaper lately.   Years ago I'd clip the count info out and put it in my Peterson guides.  Still useful because pre-internet bird counts are generally not available on the net and old bird counts show changes in bird populations.

For the hardcore birder, see     http://birdingonthe.net/ for more links.

Bird forums:    http://www.birdforum.net/forum.php    http://www.whatbird.com/forum/

Birdwatching Daily:    http://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/

Various:   http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1478    https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search/

Texas Parks & Wildlife species list: https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/wildlife_diversity/nongame/listed-species/

Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine's Checklist of Birds, available for download:   https://www.tpwmagazine.com/birding/media/bird_checklist_texas.pdf

I think I saw a bird checklist for the South Plains from Texas P&W, but haven't been able to find the link.

Texas Parks & Wildlife Birding info:  https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/parks/things-to-do/birding-in-state-parks

AND of course, printed bird guides.    Texas is in the middle between guides to the Eastern USA and Western USA.   In 1960 Roger Tory Peterson published a guide to Texas birds, recognizing this fact.   In general, a guide to Western USA birds will cover most of what you might see around Lubbock and the South Plains.   But be aware, not always!    While birders often prefer the Sibley and Kaufman guides, I love the Natl Geographic guide, and a 7th Ed came out late last year.  And I'll use the 1966 Golden Guide occasionally and love its compact size.