Hello Texbirders,
It was such an awesome morning it is hard to know where to start. So many
life birds for people we couldn't keep track! Hawks had to be a highlight
with migrating Zone-tails, Swainson's, and a Broadwinged mixed in with the
Turkey Vultures. Even a Mississippi Kite! Our resident hawks put on a good
show too. Six Altamira Orioles at once, for a total of ten during the walk,
was pretty spectacular as well!
Good news ... the Refuge has extended bird walks through the end of the
month. Meet at the Visitor Center by 8:30 am any day of the week for a
volunteer guided walk.
HawkWatch starts tomorrow. Spotters and counters are needed March 15-April
15. Meet on the levee from 8am-1pm.
Happy birding,
Laura and Steve Paulson
USFWS Volunteers
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge
Alamo, Texas
Santa Ana NWR (LTC 059), Hidalgo, Texas, US
Mar 14, 2017 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
Comments: Sunny and glorious with some big puffy white clouds, 55-77
degrees.
78 species (+1 other taxa)
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 23
Gadwall 15
Mottled Duck 6
Blue-winged Teal 35
Cinnamon Teal 2
Northern Shoveler 15
Green-winged Teal 2
Plain Chachalaca 6
Least Grebe 9
Pied-billed Grebe 11
Neotropic Cormorant 8
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Anhinga 2
American White Pelican 4 really distant and high in the sky
Great Blue Heron 2
Great Egret 3
Snowy Egret 3
Tricolored Heron 3
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 3
White Ibis 13
Turkey Vulture 50
White-tailed Kite 1
Mississippi Kite 1 High in the sky, slender-winged, long tail,
light-colored. Found and identified by HawkWatch volunteer, Dave Seal as we
were watching migrating raptors. He saw two of them but the rest of us only
got eyes on one.
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Harris's Hawk 4
White-tailed Hawk 1
Gray Hawk 3 Two (presumably) adults from levee near Visitor Center
where two adults have been regularly seen. One was visible to us while the
second bird called from nearby. Also had an immature overhead at Willow
Lakes.
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Broad-winged Hawk 1
Swainson's Hawk 3
Zone-tailed Hawk 2 With migrating turkey vultures but smaller. Banded
tail clearly seen. Even got yellow feet and face on one of them. Happy,
happy!
American Coot 25
Black-necked Stilt 20
American Avocet 1
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 4
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
Inca Dove 1
White-tipped Dove 3 more hooing throughout
Mourning Dove 2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Green Kingfisher 1
Golden-fronted Woodpecker 12
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 4
American Kestrel 1
Merlin 1
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet 3 two heard only and the third seen
briefly
Eastern Phoebe 1
Great Kiskadee 15
Couch's Kingbird 4
White-eyed Vireo 2
Green Jay 5
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 20
Purple Martin 1
Tree Swallow 20
Cave Swallow 2
swallow sp. 100
Black-crested Titmouse 4 more heard throughout
Verdin 3 heard only
House Wren 1
Carolina Wren 4 heard only
Bewick's Wren 1 heard only
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 20
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2 heard only
Long-billed Thrasher 4
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 15
Cedar Waxwing 1 heard only so no idea how many
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Orange-crowned Warbler 3
Common Yellowthroat 4 heard only, low count
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Olive Sparrow 5 more heard
Northern Cardinal 4
Red-winged Blackbird 50
Eastern Meadowlark 1
Great-tailed Grackle 10
Altamira Oriole 10 Six at one time!!!
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/
checklist/S35179200
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
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