Here's a brief intro to the trip report to come- spent 14 days down south birding the Rio Grande valley in Texas ; saw about 215 species; temperature varied from 22-33 degs and it only rained once. We used the Sibley Bird Guide, the Lane Guide to the South Texas coast and Dave Gosney's Where to find birds in South Texas- all were indispensable.
Mexican and American food is available everywhere and excellent. We stayed in mainly Holiday Inns or La Quintas- car hire was by Dollar- we had a VW 4wd for the extra luggage space;
The area is geographically very Mexican and birds from south of the border over-shoot, winter or breed in small numbers so are much sought after; plenty of great reserves, and there are normally great feeding stations by every Reserve Centre- and plenty of birds in and over the car parks!
Flew to Houston and drove down to Harlingen-
MAIN REPORT
Day 1- Sabal Palm Grove- got into the local birds- Green Kay, Long Billed Thrasher, Black Crested Chickadee, Chacalaca, Tropical Kingbird, Great Kiskadee; Moved on to Old Port Isobel ( she of Columbus fame) for Aplomado Falcon, White tailed Hawk, Pectoral Sandpiper, Vermilion Flycatcher, Mottled Duck American Wigeon, Green winged and Blue winged Teal, White faced Ibis, Caracara, Eastern Meadowlark, White tailed kite and Forsters Tern; Day list was 83:
Day 2- Frontera Audubon Thicket - a reserve consisting of a few acres of woodland with paths off a side street next to a cemetery;
Usual Green Jays and Kiskadees, but we added Buff bellied Hummingbird, Clay coloured Thrush, Couch's Kingbird, Gold Fronted Woodpecker and the usual common spp such as Cardinal and Orange Crowned warbler and ubiquitous Myrtle Warblers;
Moved on ( after Subway lunch) to Estero Llano -Grande reserve;
Black Bellied Whistling ducks on pool with Gadwall, Blue winged teal, Mottled Duck, Least and Stilt , Spotted and Solitary sandpipers, Pied Billed Grebes, Anhingas, American Bittern, Great white , snowy egrets, Little Blue Herons, Curve billed Thrasher and roosting Pauraques and Eastern Screech Owl.
Black crowned and Yellow crowned Night herons were roosting and common spp included Pyrrhuloxia, Sora, Loggerhead Shrike, Mockingbird and Olive Sparrow; Sparrow flocks were made up of Savannah , Lincoln's, Grasshopper, Field, and Chipping; Wader pools had Stilt sand, Long Billed Dowitcher, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Wilson's Snipe and Western Meadowlark;
Mid afternoon dropped in at Bentsen State Park for Blue Headed Vireo , ( Mrs S found an American Robin ), Audubon's Warbler, and usual suspects;
Trip list now 118;
S
Ah, a Great Kiskadee. You've been to to the West Indes or somewhere similar.
Close- but no cigar- Tropical Kingbird
Day 3;
Santa Ana reserve-
Ringed Green and Belted Kingfishers ( in early morning fog) Ibis, Anhinga, Harris Hawk, Cinnamon Teal Northern Jacana, Grey Hawk, Least , Pied Billed and Eared Grebes. Lincolns and Swamp Sparrow, Caspian Tern, American Bittern, Redhead, Bufflehead, Fulvous Whistling and Ring-necked duck, Neotropical Cormorant; Small birds included Eastern Phoebe, White Eyed Vireo, Verdin, Carolina Wren, Blue Grey Gnatcatcher, and Altamira Oriole.
Dropped by a stake out for Sprague's Pipit and also added Burrowing Owl on way to..
Anzal Duas Park;
Around the picnic areas we found Black Phoebe, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Beardless Tyrannulet, Black Throated Grey Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Lark Sparrow, Yellow Bellied Sapsucker and Western Meadowlarks;
Trip List 141
Hmm, Costa Rica?
.
Cuba?
I'm thinking the second photo might be a Western Kingbird so Central America would seem likely at this time of year.
No idea on i.d. and it's a bit late at night to go through the books but if Seymour's previous trip reports are anything to go by it will be worth reading.
Wendy S said: No idea on i.d. and it's a bit late at night to go through the books but if Seymour's previous trip reports are anything to go by it will be worth reading. Actually the 2nd bird is a Tropical Kingbird - Curve Billed Thrasher above;
Wendy S said: No idea on i.d. and it's a bit late at night to go through the books but if Seymour's previous trip reports are anything to go by it will be worth reading.
Day4- 17th Feb;
Salineno- Riverside habitat with magnificent feeding station;
By the river we saw White Collared Seed Eaters, Osprey, Grey Hawk, and the usual common birds;
AT THE FEEDERS - Altamira, Hooded and Audubon's Orioles, Inca Dove, House Wren, Olive Sparrow, Bewicks Wren, Ladder Back Woodpecker, Black Headed Grosbeak, Green jays, Kiskadee, Roadrunner,
Moved across country to Starr Country park and Falcon State park ( more feeders- 'winter Texans' invited us to sit outside their Winnebago's and watch ) we added Says Phoebe, Black Throated Sparrow, Cactus Wren alongside the usual Myrtle Warblers, Green Jays and Kiskadees;
Trip list 163
:)
Days 5-7;
Moved from Zapata ( Lark Bunting, Cassin's and Clay coloured Sparrow, House Finch ) back to Bentsen State park ( Green Jays, Hermit Thrush, Long Billed Thrasher, White Tipped Dove, Clay Coloured Thrush, etc) Dropped by Frontera again ( Blue Bunting, Nashville Warbler, ) and watched various feral Parrots go to roost in downtown McAllen;
Birded South Padre Island ( various 'world Birding Centers'- some better than others- we tried several throughout the trip - some unbelievably good, some worse than Staines Reservoir in July-
Aplomado Falcon, Piping Plover, Gull Billed Tern, Royal Tern, Black Skimmer, White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Crimson Collared Grosbeak, Catbird, Turnstone, Sanderling, Yellow Throated Warbler, Virginia Rail, Clapper Rail, Reddish Egret, Tri-colored Heron.
Red winged and Yellow Headed Blackbird, Bronzed Cowbird at a roadside grain store, Monk Parakeet, Anhinga,
Horned Lark while driving cross country, raptors included Caracara, White Tailed Kite, White Tailed Hawk, Coopers, Harris, Red Tailed, Broad Winged and American Kestrel;
Trip List 204
Arrived at Fulton on the Gulf coast for a 4 hour Boat Trip with Captain Tommy ( $55 and well worth it- he now has Mrs Seymour's NWT baseball cap !) to watch Whooping Cranes , Seaside Sparrows, Hooded Mergansers, Goldeneye, Great Northern Divers, American Oystercatcher .
Days 9-13 were mostly spent around McAllen-
Leonabelle Turnbull reserve- Green Heron, Tri-colored, Night Heron ( 12) Yellow crowned Night Heron, Marsh Wren Coopers Hawk, Wilson's Warbler,
Estero Llano Grande-Least Sand LB Dowitcher , Anhinga, Green Kingfisher, Solitary Sandpiper, Curve Billed Thrasher , Long Billed Thrasher, B&W Warbler, White Eyed Vireo, Sora, Black Chinned Hummer, Eastern Screech Owl, Pauraque, Tropical Kingbird, American Avocet, Stilt Sandpiper, Field Sparrow,
Edinburg wetlands ( disappointing) White Pelican, Budd Bellied Hummer
Day 11- Santa Ana- Northern Beardless Tyrannulet, Northern Jacana, American Bittern, Grey Hawk, Vermillion Flyca, Ring Necked Duck, 3 spp of Kingfisher, Cave Swallow,
Quinta Mazatlán- disappointing;
In McAllen we stayed at the Alamo Guest House run by a Birder ( called Keith) for Birders- Great apartments on a quiet side road ( huge bed- kitchen facilities-sofa-) loads of easy parking and great places to eat next door; The Guest House has a make your own brekky/ lunch facility and a good book store / T shirt emporium / huge local bird news board ;
POSSIBLY could do the trip staying only at McAllen, Zapata, back to McAllen and then Fulton;
Birds chased down included Tropical Parula and Black Throated Green Warbler ( at Frontera ) , Northern Waterthrush .
Leonabelle Turnbull reserve ( Rockport) Sora, Caracara, Am Bittern , Green Heron, Northern Harrier,
Driving back to Houston we found Snow Goose , Bald Eagle and Golden Crowned Kinglet , White Eyed Vireo , Sora, at Aransas Reserve;
Total List 212