TEXBirders, John Haynes and I went to Sabine Woods on Saturday morning to check out the birds and donate a few pints of blood to the local mosquitos. Located the Tropical Mockingbird in the usual area immediately east of the entrance. The nest that the bird had been sitting on is still present but seems to be abandoned. No sign of disturbance but there does not appear to be anything happening there -- don't know if this was a predation event or if the Tropical/Northern Mockingbird pairing was just unable to produce viable eggs. Either way, the bird was still easy to find. Not a whole lot else happening there, the Golden-fronted Woodpecker(s) were a no show, though we did hear a Melanerpes woodpecker at one point so I expect that they are still around. There was a Starling occupying one of the holes in the snag behind the drip pond so that's not a good sign. As you might expect at this point, we had no migrants but the summering (presumably nesting) Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Brown Thrashers and Great Crested Flycatchers were cooperative. Also in the area, a lingering American Avocet at Sea Rim and a lone Common Ground-Dove on the roadside just west of Sabine Pass were nice to see. I'll continue the updates on this bird for those who still hope to see it but haven't gotten down here yet. Steve MayesPort Arthur, TX