The festival this past week had a focused Zapata County day of birding
which yielded three beautiful wild Muscovy Ducks on private land - the trip
highlight for me. Getting on private ranches with water is reason enough
to pencil the festival in for next February. It was well-run and the
enthusiasm of local birders was contagious.
My husband and I also enjoyed the other festival trip we took to Starr and
Zapata counties. Highlights were the bird-feeding station at Salineno, of
course (with White-collared Seedeater down in the canes), a Zone-tailed
Hawk on Salineno-dump road, and an impromptu feeding station set up at an
RV campsite in Falcon State Park (I think it was site 125) where
Orange-crowned Warblers were coming into marshmallows of all things (not
sure this is too good for them, but it was novel). The man had a watering
station of an upside down trash can lid anchored in the grill and a drip
elsewhere. All the specialties were showing up including Cactus Wrens,
thrashers, and Pyrrhuloxias.
On Saturday, we made a stop at the library in Zapata where someone had
photoed a White-collared Seedeater on Friday -no luck with that, but did
hear a Sora.
Then we checked out Starr County Park, (we learned you can camp for free-
and there is a flush toilet and a shower). We saw a small gray flycatcher
with two white wing bars and a white eye ring. It had a pale yellowish cast
to its belly. The lighting was good, and the bird did not have an olive
cast. Just as I got the camera up, it flew. I did not notice if it wagged
its tail, but then I only saw it briefly since our car had disturbed it. I
tried to make it into a Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet but it was too big,
did not scream "crested" and the wingbars were too pronounced. I don't have
much experience with the tyrranulet or the Gray Flycatcher, but it was
larger than a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. I considered Gray Vireo, but the
wingbars are problematic. So, if anyone is out that way, look for the tiny
American flag flying from a tall makeshift pole and walk into the thicket
there. Maybe a Gray Flycatcher is overwintering. eBird does not show any
records for this bird in Starr County and I suppose it could be a different
empid.
Jane Tillman
Austin
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