[texbirds] Harlingen Area
- From: "" <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> (Redacted sender "MiriamEagl@xxxxxxx" for DMARC)
- To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2014 18:04:56 -0400 (EDT)
Hi, all!
Pat Heirs and I headed over to Harlingen this morning and were met at Hugh
Ramsey Park by Norma Friedrich and Cheryle Beck. It's literally been years
since I was here, so it was good to wander the place again; besides the
usual thornscrub stuff, highlights included a Green Kingfisher along the
Arroyo Colorado overlook, a Green Parakeet that came screaming in along the
river, and dozens of Smoky Rubyspots all along the trails! A Buff-bellied
Hummingbird came in close at the feeder area before we left, and a Crimson
Patch fluttered in the trees overhead.
Cheryle took off afterwards, so Norma led the way to Harlingen Lake.
Before making the turn on to Harrison, however, she stopped dead in the middle
of the left turn lane and I was wondering what the deal was, when suddenly
Pat spotted a little brood of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks crossing the
road! They were SOOOO cute! Thankfully all the other drivers gave them the
right-of-way as well!
Harlingen Lake had several more whistlers and a bunch of Chimney Swifts
flying low over the water, but nothing out of the ordinary. From there Norma
led us to Pendleton Park, where we picked up a Loggerhead Shrike and a
Common Gallinule bossing a Coot around. We also had a couple of twittering
Tropical Kingbirds there.
Pat had never been to the Harlingen Thicket, so we went there next and just
hiked the short little loop trail. An oriole that was probably a Hooded
went tearing over, but I didn't get a good enough look to tell for sure. A
Verdin called pretty loudly next to the trail, but naturally didn't wanna
come out...
Norma called it a day after that, so Pat and I wound our way to Dixieland
Park. She first showed me a dirt road that John Yochum had told her about,
where we got an incongruous pair of Black-necked Stilts (there didn't
appear to be any water around for miles) before circling back to the park. An
Osprey was across the lake, and a cute little Mexican Ground Squirrel came
over to say hello as well. The highlight, however, was definitely this
Yellow-crowned Night Heron who had caught a crawdad and gagged it down in
front
of us!
It wasn't quite 11:00 yet, so we decided to swing by Tiocano Lake to see if
anything was about. Pat had seen Avocets there earlier in the week, and
they were still there, along with tons of stilts and a Little Blue Heron.
Headed home with 54 species for the morning. Pictures are posted here:
http://miriameaglemon.com/photo_gallery/2014%20Field%20Trips/June/Harlingen.
html
Bird list:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis
Plain Chachalaca Ortalis vetula
Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus
Great Egret Ardea alba
Snowy Egret Egretta thula
Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea
Green Heron Butorides virescens
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Nyctanassa violacea
Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
Osprey Pandion haliaetus
Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata
American Coot Fulica americana
Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
American Avocet Recurvirostra americana
Killdeer Charadrius vociferus
Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla
Rock Pigeon Columba livia
White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica
Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
Common Ground-Dove Columbina passerina
White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi
Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus
Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica
Buff-bellied Hummingbird Amazilia yucatanensis
Green Kingfisher Chloroceryle americana
Golden-fronted Woodpecker Melanerpes aurifrons
Ladder-backed Woodpecker Picoides scalaris
Green Parakeet Aratinga holochlora
Brown-crested Flycatcher Myiarchus tyrannulus
Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus
Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus
Couch's Kingbird Tyrannus couchii
Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus
Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus
White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus
Green Jay Cyanocorax yncas
Purple Martin Progne subis
Cave Swallow Petrochelidon fulva
Black-crested Titmouse Baeolophus atricristatus
Verdin Auriparus flaviceps
Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus
Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii
Curve-billed Thrasher Toxostoma curvirostre
Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
European Starling Sturnus vulgaris
Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
Olive Sparrow Arremonops rufivirgatus
Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus
Bronzed Cowbird Molothrus aeneus
Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
54 SPECIES
Mary Beth Stowe
McAllen, TX
_www.miriameaglemon.com_ (http://www.miriameaglemon.com/)
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