[texbirds] LRGV old news

From: "Sanchez, Isaac C" <sanchez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2013 21:09:59 +0000
I made the post below over 36 hours ago, but it must have vaporized and was 
never delivered.  So here we go again:

On Friday afternoon (Aug. 2nd)  I headed down to Brownsville to try to pick up 
some LRGV specialties that I missed earlier this year.  I arrived just before 
sundown at Oliveira Park in time to see at least one hundred Red-crowned 
Parrots arrive. There were also a few Red-lored Parrots mixed in with the 
Red-crowns.

Early Saturday morning I went to Resaca del la Palma SP hoping to get 3 birds: 
Yellow-green Vireo, Grooved-billed Ani, and Green Kingfisher.  When I arrived 
at the Park, Mary Gustafson was already there, so after getting reacquainted, 
we joined forces to look for the YGVI.  We took the tram out to where the vireo 
had been reported (at the fork of the Yellowthroat trail) and within 15 minutes 
Mary heard it singing.  Although it vocalized a couple of more times, it stayed 
back in the woods out of sight.  Mary then left me to chase the Tamaulipas Crow 
reported the day before at the Brownsville Landfill.  I hung around for another 
half-hour trying to see the vireo, but never did.  I also dipped on the Green 
Kingfisher, but did see plenty of Anis.

Although it wasnt in the plans, I also went over to the Brownsville Landfill 
to look for the TACR.  I spent a couple of hours there and never saw a crow, 
but did see plenty of nice birds that included 5 Wood Storks and several 
Chihuahuan Ravens with exposed gray-white neck feathers (it was windy).  The 
latter was a target photo bird, which I was happy to get.  My next target was 
Cassins Sparrow.  It had been reported recently on the Old Port Isabel Road so 
I headed there.  I spent about an hour and half on the 7 mile dirt road and got 
a nice shot of a Cassins Sparrow as well as an Aplomado Falcon.

I then continued on to SPI in hope of getting a Least Bittern, but alas, this 
bird continues to elude me.  However, SPI was alive with many birds and I 
really enjoyed my visit.

To complete the day I drove to McAllen in search of Green Parakeets.  I was on 
10th Street headed towards Dove and Violet, but it was still an hour before 
sunset, so I decided to get something to eat at McDonalds.  As I get out of the 
car I hear Green Parakeets, and there they were, about 10 of them on telephone 
lines in the McDonalds' parking lot.

I decided on my trip back to Austin the next day, that I would go the long way 
and visit Salineno for Red-billed Pigeon and Muscovy Duck and then on to Laredo 
for White-collared Seedeater.   Dipped on the pigeon and duck at Salineno, but 
did hear and see at  3 WCSEs in Laredo at Las Palmas Trail/Zacata Creek.  
Unfortunately, I wasnt quick enough to get any photos.

One surprise bird at Salineno was a juvenile Least Tern hunting over the river. 
 There was also a raptor, which I am not sure of the ID.  When I saw the banded 
tail in the field I thought I knew what it was, but after looking at this photo 
I am not so sure:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/isaaccsanchez/9441990441/

I hope some raptor aficionados will chime in with some opinions.

All and all, it was very successful target outing and I ended up picking up 5 
new photo birds that now brings my photo Big Year tally up to 517.

The 5 new birds plus the Aplomado Falcon can be found at the beginning of my 
photo stream:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/isaaccsanchez/

This falcon is a female, which can be contrasted with the 2 males I 
photographed earlier this year also on the Old Port Isabel Rd. 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/isaaccsanchez/sets/72157632579894910/

Isaac Sanchez
Austin



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[texbirds] LRGV old news

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