[texbirds] Eastern Hidalgo County, 7-19-12
- From: antshrike1@xxxxxxx
- To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2012 14:27:34 -0400 (EDT)
Despite the recent violence, I decided to bird the local wet spots of eastern
Hidalgo County. Criminal activity of the past few weeks include a cock fight
massacre (three dead, 8 injured) near Elsa, an Immigration and Customs
Inforcement officer being shot during a surveillance in Hargill, a pickup load
of illegal immigrants crashing near Hargill and some nut shooting at a crop
dusting plane near Monte Alto. The birding was good as always.
Sugar House Pond on FM 1425 north of FM 107 - Eight species of ducks included
four Redhead, a Lesser Scaup, 84 Ruddy Ducks and plenty of both whistling
ducks. There were also 270 black-necked Stilts, 8 American Avocets, 35 Lesser
Yellowlegs and 20 Black Terns. Water is still high with a sliver of shoreline.
Delta Lake on FM 88 - Water is high on the west side but there is some exposed
mudflats on the north east shore. A distant large flock of about 500
shorebirds included Long-billed Dowitchers, Stilt Sandpipers and peeps. The
glare from the sun was bad in the morning so I probably missed some stuff. I
missed the Purple Gallinule.
Hargill Playas - The Cattle Pens Playa on FM 490 has a little water but I only
saw a few peeps. The playa on First and Lincoln had a nice alternate plumaged
Willet (hard to find in Hidalgo County) along with two Long-billed Dowitchers,
8 Laughing Gulls 25 Gull-billed Terns, 2 Black Terns and 65 Snowy Egrets. No
sign of the Wilson's or Snowy Plovers.
Bucy Road Pond north of FM 490 - There was some nice open mudflats but few
birds. There were two Long-billed Curlews, 8 Stilt Sandpipers and plenty of
Horned Larks.
Dan Jones, Weslaco
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