Hi, all!
Checked out of the absolutely gorgeous Best Western on Shoreline in Corpus,
met guide for the morning Judy Kestner outside, and headed over to Blucher
Park. And what a beautiful place - I expected a more open city park with
tall trees, yes, but nothing like this totally forested area with little
trails weaving in and out! Anyway, who should we run into but the young man
I encountered yesterday, whose name was Mark! He had seen all sorts of
warblers already, and almost immediately we flushed a Chuck-will's-widow! A
Long-billed Thrasher was singing right out in the open and would be
serenading us almost the whole time! So the three of us hung around, and
separated, and met up again, and during the course of the time there we
encountered many Black-and-whites, Black-throated Greens, Tennessees,
Catbirds, and buntings of both types, and singletons of Canada,
Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Chat, Northern Parula, Wilson's, Restart, and
Yellow Warblers. Early on a Bell's Vireo shot through and sang a little
song, which was pretty nice of him to do! We also had a Philadelphia Vireo
singing a little before he showed himself. But the star of the show was a
female Golden-winged Warbler behind the Nature Conservancy house!
Next stop was Rosehill Cemetery, and things were quieting down by then. But
we did manage to run into a little flock which contained more Black-throated
Greens, but also a Blue-headed Vireo had me fooled into thinking it was
another Philly (the voice, that is), then Judy found the star of that place:
a brilliant Blackburnian Warbler, which I needed for the trip! Woo hoo!
From there she offered to get me a real easy trip bird, so we went over to
the Catholic Diocese for the nesting Monk Parakeets (I thought that was
appropriate J)! We picked up an incongruous Roadrunner on the way out, then
checked out Tule Lake since it was close. We added a few nice things for
the day, including Sedge Wren, Swainson's Hawk, White Pelican, Black-bellied
Plover, Least Tern, and Whimbrel. This place was famous for its nesting
Barn Swallows, but the water was too high for many shorebirds.
It was getting close to 11:00, so I offered to call it a day, and she
dropped me off at the BW after a wonderful morning! So that left me trying
to figure out a strategy for the rest of the day, as I wasn't ready to call
it quits yet, but swinging by South Padre for a shot at that Slate-throated
Redstart was unreasonable as I'd get there just about the time I'd have to
leave to get home by five! (Found out just now the thing was seen at 3:30.)
So I decided to swing by La Sal del Rey, seeing as that was right on the way
home. I like to take US 77 and cut over on SR 186 as the drive through King
Ranch is so much more scenic than cutting over on SR 285 to Falfurrias, but
what I didn't anticipate was the rainstorm of bugs!!! They weren't
butterflies, and I was wondering if they were bees or something, but when I
stopped in Raymondville (along with everyone else who had to clean their
windshields), I discovered they were those "Love Bugs" that would swarm in
Florida in the spring - I had no idea they were here in Texas! Obviously
they must have emerged with all the rain we've had, but boy, Diggory's nose
is just covered - you can't even read the license plate! I sure hope the
Monster Car Wash will even take 'im!
Anyway, the swing through La Sal (except for all the big rigs barreling
through: Rio Beef was closed due to road work, and it looks like these
trucks were hauling debris or gravel) was very productive, despite the time
of day: lots of stuff was still singing, and while several new day species
were added, I was thrilled with a handful of new trip birds, including a
young male Bullock's Oriole, a Harris' Hawk, and a noisy Green Jay, but the
star was in with a group of circling TV: a Mississippi Kite! I felt like I
had come full circle, as old friends from the western portion of the trip
showed up, like Pyrrhuloxia, Bewick's Wren, and the White-tipped Dove!
Got home fine, ending the trip with 289 species!
Bird List:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis
Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus
Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus
American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
Great Egret Ardea alba
Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis
Harris's Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus
White-tailed Hawk Geranoaetus albicaudatus
Swainson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni
Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola
Willet Tringa semipalmata
Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla
Least Tern Sternula antillarum
Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri
Rock Pigeon Columba livia
Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto
White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica
Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
Common Ground-Dove Columbina passerina
White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi
Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus
Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus
Chuck-will's-widow Antrostomus carolinensis
Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris
Golden-fronted Woodpecker Melanerpes aurifrons
Ladder-backed Woodpecker Picoides scalaris
Crested Caracara Caracara cheriway
Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus
Eastern Wood-Pewee Contopus virens
Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus
Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus
Brown-crested Flycatcher Myiarchus tyrannulus
Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus
Couch's Kingbird Tyrannus couchii
Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus
Loggerhead Shrike
White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus
Bell's Vireo Vireo bellii
Blue-headed Vireo Vireo solitarius
Philadelphia Vireo Vireo philadelphicus
Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus
Green Jay Cyanocorax yncas
Purple Martin Progne subis
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Black-crested Titmouse Baeolophus atricristatus
Verdin Auriparus flaviceps
Sedge Wren Cistothorus platensis
Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii
Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis
Long-billed Thrasher Toxostoma longirostre
Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
European Starling Sturnus vulgaris
Golden-winged Warbler Vermivora chrysoptera
Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia
Tennessee Warbler Oreothlypis peregrina
Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla
Northern Parula Setophaga americana
Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia
Blackburnian Warbler Setophaga fusca
Yellow Warbler Setophaga petechia
Chestnut-sided Warbler Setophaga pensylvanica
Black-throated Green Warbler Setophaga virens
Canada Warbler Cardellina canadensis
Wilson's Warbler Cardellina pusilla
Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens
Olive Sparrow Arremonops rufivirgatus
Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina
Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus
Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii
Summer Tanager Piranga rubra
Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
Pyrrhuloxia Cardinalis sinuatus
Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus
Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea
Painted Bunting Passerina ciris
Dickcissel Spiza americana
Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella magna
Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus
Bronzed Cowbird Molothrus aeneus
Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius
Bullock's Oriole Icterus bullockii
Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula
Lesser Goldfinch Spinus psaltria
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
98 SPECIES
TOTAL FOR TRIP: 289 SPECIES
Mary Beth Stowe
McAllen, TX
miriameaglemon.com
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