Birding abroad - 2016

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