[texbirds] Groove-billed Ani 3 sites (08/23/14): nice serendipity + shorebirds elsewhere
- From: "Rex Stanford" <calidris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "TEXBIRDS" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 14:03:37 -0500
We seldom have sought Groove-billed Ani as a target bird for a birding trip,
although we always greatly enjoy this extraordinary species. Of course, an
active search for this species is apt to be frustrating because after
landing in trees, they have a way of quickly disappearing into the interior,
into lower regions, or even onto grassy substrate. Yesterday (Saturday,
10/23/14) while actively seeking and, too often, not finding migratory
shorebirds we had the pleasure of visits from these anis at three sites
where our shorebirding had itself been frustrated or grossly disappointing.
Those three sites were the first three discussed below.
PROGRESO SOD FIELDS (Hidalgo County): Anis were seen in a retama tree on the
lip of the large irrigation ditch immediately to the west of the north/south
traversal road; there were four individuals, including 1 adult and 1 young
(others not seen well enough to judge age). As for our target birds,
shorebirds, the sole shorebird species found yesterday at this site was
KILLDEER (1). We also enjoyed a Black-tailed Jackrabbit, which is for us
always a fun-to-see creature, one that we had not seen at this site for over
a year. Time of visit: ca.11:00 AM.
EBONY UNIT (Cameron Co.) of LAS PALOMAS WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA: Four anis
were seen flying across entry area between mesquite trees on opposite sides,
in their usual style of one-by-one flying across opening between trees,
rather than a group flight. The entry to this site is located on the south
side of Jimenez Road, ca. 0.5 mi east of FM-1479 (Rangerville Road). We had
pulled into this entry area (which has informational signs and entry to a
deck on the pond), and were turning about to leave when the birds were
found. Birds were few on the pond. Our sole shorebird species was
BLACK-NECKED STILT (1), but we found, also, COMMON GALLINULE (1),
PIED-BILLED GREBE (1) and LEAST GREBE (1), RUDDY DUCK (3), and MOTTLED DUCK
(2). Time of visit: ca.12:20-12:40 PM.
LAGUNA ATASCOSA NWR (Cameron Co.): Four Grove-billed Anis were seen crossing
Buena Vista road, west to east, one-by-one, all eventually moving into a
mesquite immediately opposite the entrance drive for the Visitor Center.
Our visit here had been primarily to check the Laguna Atascosa itself (at
the west end of Lakeside Drive, viewed from Osprey Overlook). There our
shorebird finds were slim: GREATER YELLOWLEGS (4), LESSER YELLOWLEGS (1),
WILLET (1, western subspecies, inornatus), and WESTERN SANDPIPER (several).
The water level now is very low and many of the shorebirds and waders were
distant. Time of visit: ca.3:10 - 3:40 PM (Osprey Overlook) and ca. 4:00 PM
(Ani sighting on Buena Vista Road).
PORT ISABEL RESERVOIR (Cameron Co.): Only one of us (Rex) birded this site
due to the heat, and many birds were far out, past the fence line in
mid-reservoir. No effort was made to identify species beyond that fence
line, both due to distance and heat convection. It is quite possible that
one or more species were present that were missed on account of this and
because, even east of the fence line, some birds were hunkered down behind a
rise in the substrate, largely with head and, sometimes, upper breast
showing, making identification relatively difficult. I avoided working very
difficult cases due to the oppressive heat. I worked the site once, retired
to the vehicle a few minutes for a cool down, and returned once again,
especially to double-check identification of what I had thought to be a
Piping Plover. (It was that.) Time of visits: ca. 4:50-5:30. Here are the
species (but I am not providing precise counts for the species, except those
in very low numbers, because I did not wish to suffer heat prostration
thanks to widespread presence and frequent movement of members of a given
species, making counting difficult and time consuming in high heat and
bright sunlight). Here are the shorebird species found at this site:
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (possibly the most common species and present in a wide
range of plumages, which would have been a fun age-assessment assignment had
the weather cooperated); SNOWY PLOVER (several); WILSON'S PLOVER (all over
the place, it seemed!); SEMIPALMATED PLOVER (several); PIPING PLOVER (1);
BLACK-NECKED STILT (several); GREATER YELLOWLEGS (several); LESSER
YELLOWLEGS (several); LONG-BILLED CURLEW (est. 60-65, widespread); RUDDY
TURNSTONE (1); SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER (1, but probably more; I did not want
to spend time in the heat trying to ID difficult individuals, often at large
distances); WESTERN SANDPIPER (poss. a few dozen); and LEAST SANDPIPER (est.
15-20). Total shorebird species found at this site = 13.
Yesterday we also visited the La Feria (one small sod field remaining) and
Weaver Road sod fields (Cameron Co.) but found no shorebirds at either site.
Lack of any standing water visible at those sites might have been a factor.
We had been greatly hoping, as we have for some time, for some Baird's,
Buff-breasted, and/or Upland Sandpipers, but our hopes were not fulfilled
yesterday. We were disheartened but take heart in Bob Friedrichs' report
yesterday of 64 buffies and 1 uppie up his way! Thanks, Bob, for that
report! Perhaps we still will be able to find at least some of these
handsome, long-distance-migrant grasspipers this season!
Wishing every the best of fall-migration birding,
Rex and Birgit Stanford
McAllen, TX
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