Hi, all!
Despite the blustery conditions and cold temps (cold only because I didn't
wear my extra jacket - it was in the high 50s low 60s with a wind chill),
had a marvelous morning birding the Cannon Road Loop, which basically goes
north along Cannon Road from US 281 east of Santa Maria through some
wonderful woodland (part of the LRGV NWR complex) and skirts Adams Garden
Reservoir (you can get up on the dike for a bit) up to FM 3067, then east to
Weaver Road and following that back down to 281, then heading east to catch
Rangerville Road north to the resacas around the Longoria WMA, then heading
west on Jimenez to the T with Cannon. The woodland areas had both Couch's
and Tropical Kingbirds together, which was kinda fun, and in one spot had a
Wilson's Warbler calling amongst the regular Lincoln's Sparrows and
Yellowthroats. Swallows were moving through in good numbers and had almost
all the expected species along the reservoir dike, and at the northwest
corner a flock of 20 Long-billed Dowitchers kept wheeling in and out
deciding if they wanted to land or not (they finally did)! Also had a
handful of Blue-winged Teal in here. At the "exit" a young Cooper's Hawk
posed on a metal post.
Coming down Weaver Road a local rancher stopped to check me out and got a
kick out of the fact that I was actually seeing birds in these barren fields
(a Golden Plover flew in just after he left)! Upland Sandpipers had been
flying over all morning, but at the south end of the sod farms I hit the
jackpot with lots more Golden Plovers, Baird's and Least Sandpipers, and
with the help of the scope was able to pick out two Buff-breasted
Sandpipers, still considered a bit early by EBird, I guess! At one point
all the hidden grasspipers up and flew, wheeling back and forth, and was
able to add previously-hidden Pectoral Sandpipers to the list. Even better,
whatever spooked them forced them to land almost next to the road where I
was! Continued down Weaver where I discovered a little wetland I had never
seen before (perhaps it was a cleared area)! Had several egrets and a
Tricolored Heron in here, along with coots, gallinules, and a trumpeting
Least Grebe along with a Solitary Sandpiper. Almost to 281 I had a
Swainson's Hawk soaring overhead.
Headed up Rangerville Road where the same guy saw me stopped and pulled over
to ask me what the little black birds were that were poking holes in his
cabbage! I really hadn't a clue without seeing them, but he still thought
it was pretty funny that I was stopping every half mile counting birds. J
Was able to point out a Cooper's Hawk that had just spooked the blackbirds,
so I guess that proved to him that I was really birding.
Rangerville Resaca was hopping, with a Green Heron, BB Whistling Ducks, and
both stilts and avocets on the east side, and a Least Bittern singing on the
west side! The Ebony Resaca had a bunch of Least Grebes and Ruddy Ducks as
the highlights, and on the way out a couple of Broad-winged Hawks flew over.
Continuing down Jimenez towards Cannon added a singing Long-billed Thrasher
as the last species for the day, bringing the total up to 83! A couple of
pictures are on my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/marybeth.stowe
Bird List:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis
Muscovy Duck (feral) Cairina moschata
Mottled Duck Anas fulvigula
Blue-winged Teal Anas discors
Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata
Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis
Least Grebe Tachybaptus dominicus
Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps
Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus
Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus
Least Bittern Ixobrychus exilis
Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
Great Egret Ardea alba
Snowy Egret Egretta thula
Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Green Heron Butorides virescens
White-faced Ibis Plegadis chihi
Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus
Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii
Harris's Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus
Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus
Swainson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni
Sora Porzana carolina
Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata
American Coot Fulica americana
Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
American Avocet Recurvirostra americana
American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica
Killdeer Charadrius vociferus
Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria
Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda
Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii
Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
Buff-breasted Sandpiper Calidris subruficollis
Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos
Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus
Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia
Rock Pigeon Columba livia
Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto
White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica
Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
Golden-fronted Woodpecker Melanerpes aurifrons
Ladder-backed Woodpecker Picoides scalaris
Crested Caracara Caracara cheriway
American Kestrel Falco sparverius
Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus
Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus
Couch's Kingbird Tyrannus couchii
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus
Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus
White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus
Green Jay Cyanocorax yncas
Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris
Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor
Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Black-crested Titmouse Baeolophus atricristatus
Verdin Auriparus flaviceps
House Wren Troglodytes aedon
Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus
Long-billed Thrasher Toxostoma longirostre
Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
European Starling Sturnus vulgaris
Orange-crowned Warbler Oreothlypis celata
Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata
Wilson's Warbler Cardellina pusilla
Olive Sparrow Arremonops rufivirgatus
Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus
Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii
Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella magna
Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus
Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
Altamira Oriole Icterus gularis
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
83 SPECIES
Mary Beth Stowe
Alamo, TX
www.miriameaglemon.com
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