Guide available for Panhandle birders

COLLEGE STATION – The Texas Panhandle is deceiving.  Although its vast open plains appear void of animal life, regional variations provide habitats suitable for more than four hundred species of birds.  Their occurrence and habits are described in detail in Birds of the Texas Panhandle: Their Status, Distribution, and History by Kenneth D. Seyffert, past vice president of the Texas Ornithological Society and past president of the Texas Panhandle Audubon Society.

“The purpose of this book is to make known this increase in knowledge and to provide an enlarged as well as a more detailed view of the richness of bird life that exists in the 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle, an area larger than West Virginia,” Seyffert writes.  “Barren…as the High Plains may appear, of the 606 species of birds confirmed in Texas (1998), 67 percent have been confirmed in the Texas Panhandle.”

The Panhandle is composed of two ecological areas: the Rolling Plains and the High Plains.  The Rolling Plains is composed primarily of mesquite shrub and mixed grassland and attracts species such as the red-headed woodpecker and Carolina chickadee.  The High Plains, which consists of gently rolling terrain and scattered rainwater lakes, provides a winter habitat for a variety of migrating waterfowl.  Many of these, such as the stately great blue heron, are common, while others, such as the red-throated loon, have been sighted only once.

For each of the species found in this region, Seyffert provides information on the bird’s status, occurrence, and nesting habits, which allow amateur and professional birders alike to scope out even the rarest species.  Additionally, Seyffert describes his own birding experiences in the Panhandle.  Ten elegant line drawings accompany the text.

Birds of the Panhandle is a must for those already familiar with the avifauna of the Panhandle and an eye-opener for those skeptical of the abundance of bird life in the region.  Residents of the Panhandle will find this a hand reference to places they can view their winged neighbors.

The book is available at stores or direct from Texas A&M University Press (800-826-8911 or www.tamu.edu/press).