White-throated Thrush at Bentsen today

I was birding with a couple from Michigan today and we spent some time at the Kiskadee Blind at Bentsen.  As a friend says, I'd rather be lucky than good... anyway, the White-throated Thrush originally eBirded on 2/6 came into the water allowing some photos!  We saw the White-throated Thrush before we saw our first Clay-colored Thrush, making for an interesting day.  Yowza!  A parade of birds came to the water including a Nashville Warbler and a Hermit Thrush. 

The immature Gray Hawks were in evidence near the Resaca, and the adult was screaming while we were at the Kiskadee Blind. 

Anhingas were at the Resaca perched in trees, and two small migrating flocks went by as we walked in the park.  We had a flock of Lincoln's Sparrows on the entrance road with about 6 birds, a larger flock of all Lincoln's than I've seen in the park in recent years. 

Red-lored Parrot, Slaughter Park Laredo 2-7-2016

As an eBird reviewer, I flag exotic species that aren't widely established so they aren't visible on eBird outputs.  As a birder, I sometime regret this.  Here's an example, a lovely Red-lored Parrot that we first identified in flight as a Red-crowned Parrot, but a closer look revealed the yellow cheek and the blue crown.  This bird was in Laredo at Slaughter Park, and others had more Red-lored and even some Yellow-headed Parrots at this very birdy site.  Thanks to Teresa K for the photo!

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! 

1. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis
2. Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor)
3. Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)
4. Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens)
5. Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
6. Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)
7. Gadwall (Anas strepera)
8. American Wigeon (Anas americana)
9. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
10. Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula)
11. Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors)
12. Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera)
13. Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
14. Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
15. Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)
16. Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)
17. Redhead (Aythya americana)
18. Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)
19. Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)
20. Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)
21. Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)
22. Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)
23. Plain Chachalaca (Ortalis vetula)
24. Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus)
25. Least Grebe (Tachybaptus dominicus)
26. Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
27. Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)
28. Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus)
29. Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
30. Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga)
31. American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
32. American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)
33. Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
34. Great Egret (Ardea alba)
35. Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
36. Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)
37. Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)
38. Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens)
39. Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
40. Green Heron (Butorides virescens)
41. Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
42. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)
43. White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)
44. White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi)
45. Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)
46. Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)
47. Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
48. Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
49. White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus)
50. Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
51. Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)
52. Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)
53. Harris's Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus)
54. White-tailed Hawk (Geranoaetus albicaudatus)
55. Gray Hawk (Buteo plagiatus)
56. Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
57. Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus)
58. Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni)
59. Zone-tailed Hawk (Buteo albonotatus)
60. Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
61. Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola)
62. Sora (Porzana carolina)
63. Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)
64. American Coot (Fulica americana)
65. Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis)
66. Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)
67. American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana)
68. Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
69. Northern Jacana (Jacana spinosa)
70. Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)
71. Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria)
72. Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
73. Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)
74. Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus)
75. Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)
76. Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)
77. Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)
78. Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus)
79. Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata)
80. Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)
81. Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)
82. Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)
83. Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)
84. Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)
85. Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
86. Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
87. Inca Dove (Columbina inca)
88. Common Ground-Dove (Columbina passerina)
89. White-tipped Dove (Leptotila verreauxi)
90. White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)
91. Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
92. Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)
93. Barn Owl (Tyto alba)
94. Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio)
95. Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
96. Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)
97. Common Pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis)
98. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)
99. Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri)
100. Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus)
101. Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia yucatanensis)
102. Ringed Kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata)
103. Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)
104. Green Kingfisher (Chloroceryle americana)
105. Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons)
106. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
107. Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris)
108. Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway)
109. American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
110. Merlin (Falco columbarius)
111. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
112. Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus)
113. Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus)
114. Red-crowned Parrot (Amazona viridigenalis)
115. Green Parakeet (Psittacara holochlorus)
116. Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet (Camptostoma imberbe)
117. Greater Pewee (Contopus pertinax)
118. Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus)
119. Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)
120. Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)
121. Say's Phoebe (Sayornis saya)
122. Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus)
123. Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)
124. Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus)
125. Couch's Kingbird (Tyrannus couchii)
126. Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
127. White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus)
128. Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius)
129. Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas)
130. Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
131. Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)
132. Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)
133. Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)
134. Cave Swallow (Petrochelidon fulva)
135. Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus)
136. Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps)
137. Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)
138. House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)
139. Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis)
140. Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)
141. Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
142. Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)
143. Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus)
144. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)
145. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)
146. Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)
147. Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)
148. Clay-colored Thrush (Turdus grayi)
149. Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)
150. Curve-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre)
151. Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)
152. Long-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma longirostre)
153. Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
154. European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
155. American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)
156. Sprague's Pipit (Anthus spragueii)
157. Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
158. Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla)
159. Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)
160. Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata)
161. Nashville Warbler (Oreothlypis ruficapilla)
162. Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)
163. Tropical Parula (Setophaga pitiayumi)
164. Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)
165. Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus)
166. Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)
167. Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica)
168. Black-throated Gray Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens)
169. Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens)
170. Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)
171. Cassin's Sparrow (Peucaea cassinii)
172. Olive Sparrow (Arremonops rufivirgatus)
173. Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)
174. Black-throated Sparrow (Amphispiza bilineata)
175. Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)
176. Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys)
177. White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)
178. Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus)
179. Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)
180. Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii)
181. Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)
182. Green-tailed Towhee (Pipilo chlorurus)
183. Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)
184. Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra)
185. Crimson-collared Grosbeak (Rhodothraupis celaeno)
186. Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
187. Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus)
188. Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus)
189. Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)
190. Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
191. Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)
192. Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)
193. Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)
194. Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)
195. Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)
196. Bronzed Cowbird (Molothrus aeneus)
197. Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
198. Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus)
199. Bullock's Oriole (Icterus bullockii)
200. Altamira Oriole (Icterus gularis)
201. House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)
202. Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
203. American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)
204. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Greater Pewee, Anzalduas County Park - October 31, 2015

I was headed home from the ranch country (NO Collared Plover in Hargill) when I got a call about a second hand report of a Greater Pewee at Anzalduas County Park.   I was nearly home, so it was easy to go to the park.  After a fruitless search near the maintenance yard, I heard the Greater Pewee calling near an orange picnic table next to the diagonal road that runs from the restroom to the dock.  I found it on a broken branch under the canopy of some taller trees.  Here's a photo.  I hope it sticks around for the winter!

 

Odd mix of migrants at NBC

Today at the National Butterfly Center (DON'T call  me NABA) I had a fun mix of migrants in the forest trail.  First up was a female plumaged Varied Bunting, with a nicely curved culmen and unstreaked breast.  The rounded blue tail was vigorously shaken in my direction before she headed back to the sorghum field that was being harvested next door.   Next was a female or immature MacGillivray's  Warbler with a nice split eyering.  Interestingly I didn't see a Mourning until the second pass through, and then I saw at least four along with a repeat appearance by the Mac's.  Last goodie of the day was a dull plumaged Tropical Parula, with no white crescents on the face, dark lores, and an extensive yellow breast lacking the dark crescent and apparently lacking the orange wash.

The most common migrants and others were Willow and Least Flycatcher, Canada Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Clay-colored Thrush (many juvs), Blue Grosbeak, Dickcissel, and more.  It was a fun couple hours since I couldn't get farther from home today.

Hermit Warbler at SPI Convention Center August 30, 2015

Thanks to those that found this lovely (if drab) female Hermit Warbler at the South Padre Island Convention Center.  This was a pop quiz I wasn't ready for right after the pelagic!  The intensity of the darker cheek was variable, but the birds overall plain plumage eliminated other similar species.  

Birding "THE MAX" Max A. Mandel Golf Course, Laredo - August 23, 2015

Today I had the pleasure of birding at "The Max" or Max A, Mandel Golf Course in Laredo, Texas with Laredo birder Raul D.  Access could change, so call ahead or check for updates. At this time, birders are welcome, provided they are customers.  The Golf Course rents golf carts, which is a great way to see the natural ravines and Rio Grande overlooks.  For less than $20 you can rent a cart (room for two, niche in the back for a scope, pack, and water) and bird the golf course.  If you are hungry and don't have as much time to spend, you can eat lunch or dinner in the restaurant and bird out the back doors, overlooking the river.  There's no option to just park and walk around the course at this time.

Note that Red-billed Pigeons are secretive in the summer.  I'm more used to seeing them flying up and down the river at Salineno and similar areas.  The pigeons today were perching low in mesquite and other trees to feed.  They did perch in dead trees, but relatively small ones, not choosing exposed high perches like they do in winter.  I was also surprised to see one on a gravel bar in the river drinking.  Numbers of Red-billed Pigeons usually decrease markedly in the LRGV about Labor Day, so we don't know how long these birds will stay into fall.

Birders are expected to follow GOLFER's rules of etiquette, after all, this is a GOLF course.  This means that golfers have priority, so you need to park your golf cart and wait while golfers are playing, whether driving or putting.  Park, sit, wait quietly.  When the golfers are done, then it's OK to move on by them.

It's best to arrive early in the summer (check the website for the time the gates open http://themaxlaredo.com/).  Park and you will be met by staff with a golf cart.  Take the cart and drive up to the store to pay for the cart before venturing out on the course.  Be sure to tell them you're birding and not golfing.  We headed out to the second half of the course first, working our way from hole 18 to the ravine between hole 18 and 14.  This is a good area in summer for Red-billed Pigeons feeding on Snailseed vine fruits.  We also had Clay-colored Thrush in this area.  Another good area for Red-billed Pigeons is near the tee at hole 9, at least summer 2015.

The areas looking over the Rio Grande provide great vistas.  After you have finished running around in your golf cart, be sure to stop back at the store and view the Rio Grande and the small ranch cemetery out the doors by the river and to the left behind the fence.

Other birds today included Upland Sandpiper, Groove-billed Ani, Audubon's Oriole, Hooded Oriole, Clay-colored Thrush, Gray Hawk, and many more.