Hello all, My apologies for the eBird checklist e-mail stuff. We are exploring(fiddling) with eBird and their awesome tools and occasionally we do something weird... For the half dozen of you Texas birders not on eBird, you should really visit the site and look around! (www.ebird.org) Melissa Chadwick, one of our intrepid naturalists, took several folks out on Christmas Day for the weekly bird walk. Highlight was a Mallard in the resaca by the boat ramp. This has been a good year for ducks in the valley! Bentsen-Rio Grande Val. SP WBC (Mission) (LTC 069), Hidalgo, US-TX Dec 25, 2012 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM Protocol: Traveling 2.5 mile(s) Comments: Includes other sightings from throughout the day. 43 species (+3 other taxa) Mallard 1 Adult Male located in the Resaca Parida Banco Plain Chachalaca 30 Pied-billed Grebe 1 Double-crested Cormorant 15 Anhinga 3 American White Pelican 25 Great Blue Heron 1 Great Egret 4 Snowy Egret 6 Turkey Vulture 1 Osprey 1 Cooper's Hawk 1 Accipiter sp. 1 Gray Hawk 1 American Coot 3 Spotted Sandpiper 1 Least Sandpiper 7 Forster's Tern 1 White-winged Dove 2 Mourning Dove 3 Inca Dove 20 White-tipped Dove 3 Ruby-throated/Black-chinned Hummingbird 1 Ringed Kingfisher 1 Belted Kingfisher 2 Golden-fronted Woodpecker 6 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2 Ladder-backed Woodpecker 4 Black Phoebe 1 Eastern Phoebe 2 Vermilion Flycatcher 1 Great Kiskadee 9 Green Jay 15 Black-crested Titmouse 6 House Wren 1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1 Northern Mockingbird 3 Long-billed Thrasher 1 Orange-crowned Warbler 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler 12 Olive Sparrow 1 Northern Cardinal 4 Red-winged Blackbird 10 Great-tailed Grackle 2 Altamira Oriole 4 House Sparrow 6 View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12370401 <http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12370401> Javier de León Assistant Park Superintendent Bentsen - Rio Grande Valley State Park World Birding Center 2800 South Bentsen Palm Drive Mission, TX 78572 956-584-9156 Learn how you can help Texas State Parks: <http://bit.ly/sVdilb <http://bit.ly/sVdilb> > Bentsen Birding Programs: Bird Walk - Tuesdays and Sundays 8:30am - 10:3am Bentsen Nature Tour (for beginners) - Wednesdays 2:00pm - 4:00pm Edit your Freelists account settings for TEXBIRDS at //www.freelists.org/list/texbirds Reposting of traffic from TEXBIRDS is prohibited without seeking permission from the List Owner