Hello Texbirders,
For a walk that started out foggy and slow, it sure did turn out great. We
searched the front area for the Tropical Parula with no luck but did get a
Yellow-throated Warbler and a Gray Hawk for our efforts. We had a good
variety of raptors ... always a happy thing ... but no doubt-about-it, the
highlight of the walk was when a Sora we had been watching walked into the
cattails and right where it disappeared, out walked a Virginia Rail.
Presto, chango! It was magic!
Bird walks leave from the front of the Visitor Center at 8:30am every day.
See you here!
Steve and Laura Paulson
USFWS Volunteers
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge
Alamo, Texas
Santa Ana NWR (LTC 059), Hidalgo, Texas, US
Feb 5, 2017 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments: Foggy start, warm, clearing quickly with a light breeze.
68 species (+1 other taxa)
Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula) 6
Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) 12
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) 20
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 8
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) 6
Plain Chachalaca (Ortalis vetula) 6 six seen, many more heard from
inside the vegetation.
Least Grebe (Tachybaptus dominicus) 2
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 6
Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) 2
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) 2
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 1
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 1
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) 1
Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor) 3
White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) 1
White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) 3
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 1
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus) 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) 1
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) 2
Sharp-shinned/Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter striatus/cooperii) 1
Harris's Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) 7
White-tailed Hawk (Geranoaetus albicaudatus) 1
Gray Hawk (Buteo plagiatus) 1
Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola) 1
Sora (Porzana carolina) 1
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) 1
American Coot (Fulica americana) 4
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) 15
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 12
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 6
Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus) 54
Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) 3
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 3
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) 10
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 2
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia (Feral Pigeon)) 4
Inca Dove (Columbina inca) 2
White-tipped Dove (Leptotila verreauxi) 3
Ringed Kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata) 1 heard only coming from the
direction of the river while standing between Pintail 1 and 2
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) 1
Green Kingfisher (Chloroceryle americana) 1
Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons) 3
Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris) 6 all heard only
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) 2
Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) 1
Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) 12
Couch's Kingbird (Tyrannus couchii) 2
White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus) 4 all heard only
Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas) 4
Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus) 3
Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps) 2 heard only
Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis) 1 Probably two. One bird chased
the other across the trail from "the sedge wren spot" at Pintail Lakes to
the other side; one giving a chit chit call as they went.
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) 1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) 4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) 3
Long-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma longirostre) 3 two heard only, the
other one perched high singing away while we watched and listened.
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 12
Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata) 4
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 1
Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica) 1 Seen along front road
and parking area moving from palm tree to palm tree.
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) 3
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 4
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 200
Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) 6
Altamira Oriole (Icterus gularis) 5
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) 6
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/
checklist/S34177678
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
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