- Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis
- Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor)
- Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)
- Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens)
- Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
- Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)
- Gadwall (Anas strepera)
- American Wigeon (Anas americana)
- Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
- Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula)
- Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors)
- Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera)
- Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
- Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
- Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)
- Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)
- Redhead (Aythya americana)
- Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)
- Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)
- Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)
- Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)
- Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)
- Plain Chachalaca (Ortalis vetula)
- Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus)
- Least Grebe (Tachybaptus dominicus)
- Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
- Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)
- Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus)
- Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
- Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga)
- American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
- American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)
- Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
- Great Egret (Ardea alba)
- Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
- Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)
- Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)
- Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens)
- Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
- Green Heron (Butorides virescens)
- Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
- Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)
- White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)
- White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi)
- Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)
- Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)
- Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
- Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
- White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus)
- Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
- Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)
- Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)
- Harris's Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus)
- White-tailed Hawk (Geranoaetus albicaudatus)
- Gray Hawk (Buteo plagiatus)
- Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
- Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus)
- Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni)
- Zone-tailed Hawk (Buteo albonotatus)
- Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
- Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola)
- Sora (Porzana carolina)
- Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)
- American Coot (Fulica americana)
- Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis)
- Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)
- American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana)
- Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
- Northern Jacana (Jacana spinosa)
- Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)
- Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria)
- Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
- Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)
- Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus)
- Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)
- Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)
- Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)
- Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus)
- Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata)
- Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)
- Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)
- Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)
- Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)
- Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)
- Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
- Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
- Inca Dove (Columbina inca)
- Common Ground-Dove (Columbina passerina)
- White-tipped Dove (Leptotila verreauxi)
- White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)
- Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
- Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)
- Barn Owl (Tyto alba)
- Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio)
- Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
- Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)
- Common Pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis)
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)
- Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri)
- Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus)
- Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia yucatanensis)
- Ringed Kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata)
- Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)
- Green Kingfisher (Chloroceryle americana)
- Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons)
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
- Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris)
- Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway)
- American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
- Merlin (Falco columbarius)
- Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
- Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus)
- Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus)
- Red-crowned Parrot (Amazona viridigenalis)
- Green Parakeet (Psittacara holochlorus)
- Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet (Camptostoma imberbe)
- Greater Pewee (Contopus pertinax)
- Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus)
- Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)
- Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)
- Say's Phoebe (Sayornis saya)
- Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus)
- Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)
- Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus)
- Couch's Kingbird (Tyrannus couchii)
- Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
- White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus)
- Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius)
- Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas)
- Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
- Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)
- Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)
- Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)
- Cave Swallow (Petrochelidon fulva)
- Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus)
- Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps)
- Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)
- House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)
- Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis)
- Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)
- Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
- Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)
- Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus)
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)
- Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)
- Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)
- Clay-colored Thrush (Turdus grayi)
- Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)
- Curve-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre)
- Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)
- Long-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma longirostre)
- Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
- European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
- American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)
- Sprague's Pipit (Anthus spragueii)
- Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
- Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla)
- Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)
- Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata)
- Nashville Warbler (Oreothlypis ruficapilla)
- Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)
- Tropical Parula (Setophaga pitiayumi)
- Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)
- Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus)
- Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)
- Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica)
- Black-throated Gray Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens)
- Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens)
- Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)
- Cassin's Sparrow (Peucaea cassinii)
- Olive Sparrow (Arremonops rufivirgatus)
- Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)
- Black-throated Sparrow (Amphispiza bilineata)
- Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)
- Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys)
- White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)
- Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus)
- Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)
- Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii)
- Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)
- Green-tailed Towhee (Pipilo chlorurus)
- Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)
- Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra)
- Crimson-collared Grosbeak (Rhodothraupis celaeno)
- Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
- Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus)
- Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus)
- Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)
- Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
- Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)
- Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)
- Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)
- Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)
- Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)
- Bronzed Cowbird (Molothrus aeneus)
- Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
- Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus)
- Bullock's Oriole (Icterus bullockii)
- Altamira Oriole (Icterus gularis)
- House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)
- Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
- American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)
- House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Monday, February 1, 2016
Big Hidalgo County January 2016
So what do you do when you find yourself out of work in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in January? The answer is obvious at least to me, you go birding! I got about half way through January doing my usual checking off all the local rarities for our annual Hidalgo County year list friendly competition and realized I had seen a lot of birds. So I started getting serious about a big January. I'm not ready to commit to a big year, as the year may see me spending time somewhere other than the LRGV, but I did start admitting to people that I was doing a big January about mid-month. I ended up with 204 species for January in Hidalgo County, only spending about 2.5 days in other counties. More birds were certainly possible in the county but I ran out of time to look for them. Why do a big January? I still haven't decided that, but I have to say February is shaping up as an interesting month with a lot of rare birds in the LRGV!
