[texbirds] shorebirds: Estero Llano Grande SP Hidalgo Co. (Wednesday 05/21/14)

From: "Rex Stanford" <calidris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "TEXBIRDS" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 22 May 2014 08:53:02 -0500
Yesterday from near noon to about 4:00 PM (Wednesday 05/21/14), thanks to
John Yochum's timely posting to TEXBIRDS yesterday morning ("Hudsonian
Godwit @ Estero"), I visited Estero Llano Grande State Park (ELGSP) with the
hope of seeing the shorebird bonanza he had reported. I was not
disappointed. John had mentioned one HUDSONIAN GODWIT (HUGO), but by the 
time
I arrived, two were there, a female directly opposite the deck at Ibis Pond,
sometimes close to that deck, and a male far toward the southwest region of
the pool(i.e., off to the right from the deck). Each of these godwits
showed considerable breeding plumage typical of their sex. I did not attempt
to count the WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER contingent, but at one time I saw
at least 5 or 6 foraging together on the south shore of Ibis Pond, and a few
others seemed spread about the pond. WILSON'S PHALAROPES tended, as is their
custom, to forage very actively and close together as a group, and those
present yesterday were attractively and neatly plumaged (i.e., little, if
any residual nonbreeding plumage, except for a few individuals, one of which
had nonbreeding plumage), looking to me--although I did not study them at
any length (but focused on photographing the godwits)--like they might have
been mostly breeding plumaged males, for the color on their necks was not
very bright. At one point I walked entirely around Ibis Pond hoping to get
close photos of the male HUGO, but that was not possible due to the very
tall mash grass and other vegetation at the west end of the pond. I was,
though, happy to find PECTORAL SANDPIPER near that end, a substantial number
feeding together that looked to me like females (based on the texture and
color of the pectoral "bib"); a few of that species later appeared elsewhere
on the pond, including along the shore opposite the deck. A single small
calidris sandpiper moved rather rapidly amongst the shorebirds and ducks,
walking in the water along the south shore of the pond, not easy to study,
especially given the high, face-on light, but it looked to me most like a
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER.

Several WHITE IBIS decorated, especially, the fallen remnants of trees on
the east end of the pond.

It is always hard to predict whether the exciting long-distance migrants
seen at Ibis Pond yesterday still will be there today. If they still need
food and rest, they will be there, but if they have met both needs, they
might take advantage of the strong southern winds to hasten them on their
continuing incredible journey that started in southern South America and
will end on their breeding grounds in the far-northern reaches of this
continent.

Wishing everyone the best of birding,

Rex Stanford
McAllen, TX

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[texbirds] shorebirds: Estero Llano Grande SP Hidalgo Co. (Wednesday 05/21/14)

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