Birding the Rio Grande in Laredo - CBC 2012

Here I am on the Rio Grande in Laredo - on the USA side.  Photo (c) Raul Delgado.

 I've wanted to help out with the Laredo Christmas Bird Count for the last few years, and I finally made the trip the winter of 2012. I was lucky enough to be assigned to join Raul Delgado and his party in downtown Laredo. We birded downtown Laredo at dawn, and watched the Green Parakeets leaving the eaves of historic buildings at about 7:30 AM. We made a quick stop at an overlook on the east side of Zacate Creek known as the Slaughter Property, where we had typical south Texas birds including Plain Chachalaca and Green Jay. Then we started on a five mile hike from the mouth of Zacate Creek upstream to the Laredo Community College, where we'd left a car. Zacate Creek is famous among birders for hosting the first confirmed Amazon Kingfisher for the USA, and while we saw Ringed, Belted, and Green Kingfisher we didn't see an Amazon - this year. 

 

I was impressed with the pockets of forest with native trees and shrubs, and the minimal amount of invasive species (salt cedar, Arundo, and other plants).  Warblers abounded in the forested pockets, and we searched for White-collared Seedeaters, the poster child for the Laredo Birding Festival. (More on the Laredo Birding Festival here.)

 

We walked up past the two international bridges and stopped to rest at a little-used park on the river for a break to watch birds flying along the river. A gorgeous male Vermilion Flycatcher watched us as we watched him. Raptors were about the only bird on this stretch of the river, as the river was running high and fast. 

Vermilion Flycatcher supervising our break.  Photo (c) Raul Delgado.

 

The floods of 2010 had innundated the area, and it was easy to see damage from the flood waters, which nearly reached the bottom of the bridges.

Once we crossed under the international railroad bridge we started seeing White-collared Seedeater. The White-collared Seedeater is a widespread species with many subspecies, and the subspecies in south Texas is rarely depicted correctly in field guides. This subspecies is nearly lacking the black collar, and is typically very buffy in color. Sibley seems to have some better illustrations of what the bird really looks like. We had at least ten birds from the railroad bridge to the community college.

White-collared Seedeaters on the CBC - Photo (c) Raul Delgado.

We ended our walk at the system of trails maintained by the Laredo Community College and the second vehicle, hungry for lunch and anxious to check out the ducks on the quarry ponds.

 

Salineno Update - 12/8/2012

The Valley Land Fund has closed their half-acre tract at Salineno, formerly the feeding station run by Pat and Gail DeWind.  Volunteers Cheryl, Lois, and Merle were ready to move in and open the site.

I ran into Lois and Merle today at the boat ramp at Salineno, and found they were provisioning feeders on the FWS tract next to the VLF site.  From the river, walk south down the trail parallel to the river and you will quickly see the feeders.   They said it took the Green Jays 30 minutes to find the food when they were putting it out the first day!  I saw a wide variety of birds at the feeders including Audubon's Oriole, many Altamira Orioles and Northern Cardinals, nearly 20 species in the area in less than half an hour. 

Here's the message at the VLF site, which leads me to believe that the site is closed to birding. The boat ramp and FWS site remain open.  

Lesser Black-backed Gull, Falcon Lake (Zapata Co. Texas/Tamaulipas)

Crappy digi-pic of the near-adult Lesser Black-backed Gull on the left with a Laughing Gull.  This bird was in Mexico across from Zapata County, Texas south of Zapata on a private ranch.  Thanks to my Laredo friends, Raul Delgado and Glenda Barrera for inviting me on this scouting trip!  The bird spent most of its time in Mexico. 

Masked Booby with Color Band off SPI!

Troy Zurovec took these excellent photos of the Masked Booby with a coded color band - one of three individuals seen off South Padre Island on the August 25, 2012 pelagic trip. I'm working on finding information on where this bird was marked, right now we're looking into potential sources in Mexico. Stay tuned!Note that the bird has the stainless steel band on the right leg and a coded color band on the left leg . The color band here is a blue band with white codes, and the code is 216.  I'm hoping to hear back from the researchers on where and when it was banded, and I'll update this with that information when I get it.  Many thanks to Robin and Troy Zurovec for permission to circulate these very interesting photos!

Vaux's and Chimney Swifts - NMNH

Vaux's Swifts from above

Chimney Swifts from above

Chimney, note the longer tail and less contrasting rump. The wings are longer and the bird larger as well .

Vaux's, note the short tail and more contrasting rump.  This bird was mounted in an unnatural position with the wrists pulled back. 

Here's the two together.  Note the larger Chimney with the longer tail, and the smaller Vaux's with the shorter tail.  And the rump coloration, again more contrasty in the Vaux's.

Chimney Swifts from below

Larger Chimney, smaller Vaux's.  Not sure what subspecies these are, that may account for the browner coloration of the Vaux's. 

Christmas Mountains Oasis - Lucifer Hummingbird Haven!

Here's a link to Carolyn Ohl-Johnson's Christmas Mountains Oasis Blog. This private ranch and bird habitat is a magnet for desert birds and migrants moving through the area. Be sure to make arrangements in advance, as with so many private properties spontaneity will leave you on the wrong side of a locked gate. This site hosts many Lucifer Hummingbirds all summer.  These little gems are aggressive, and the chasing is non-stop.  An American Kestrel flew over and was chased by a mob. 

Varied Bunting is the other bird I associate with the site. The adult males are stunning purple, pink, and blue. You'd think they would be unmistakable, but I thought one was an adult male Brown-headed Cowbird. It was a quick naked-eye glimpse, but still... it's funny what the mind can do.

I was surprised to see this juvenal plumaged Varied Bunting, more because the drab plumage is a contrast to the adult male. Varied Buntings wag their long, rounded tails much like a Painted Bunting or a cuckoo clock. One of the best field marks for this drab plumage is the lack of field marks. I wish these transient plumages were better illustrated in modern field guides.  

Rose-throated Becard at Estero Llano Grande - June 13, 2012

Here are some snaps of the last time I saw the Rose-throated Becard at Estero Llano Grande State Park, on June 13. Here she is checking out her nest, a compact construction hanging high in a palm tree.

She spent a lot of time gleaning bugs off the tree trunk or from the old woodpecker holes.  It was hard to see what she was doing, but she ended up with a grub in her bill.  Note: she has only one tail feather, perhaps because of European Starlings pounding on her. 

I got a couple of snaps of her in flight, showing off that single ratty tail feather but more importantly the beautiful cinnamon wings.  You can see how rounded the wing shape is, and some interesting emarginations on the outer primaries. 

I've looked for her at high noon a couple of days since and haven't found her - and now she's been missing since July 1.  She's vanished before, who knows - she may turn up again in short order!