I decided to head out this morning and work on my Cameron County year list with a visit to Sabal Palm Sanctuary and Boca Chica beach. At Sabal Palm I found two Gray Catbirds and a Clay-colored Thrush at the feeding station. I found a Northern Parula and a Nashville Warbler on the entrance road. I found another Northern Parula and a Black-and-white Warbler on the west side of the resaca. I missed the reported Black-throated Gray Warbler. Seth showed me the nest of a Great Horned Owl. On FM 4 to Boca Chica, two Groove-billed Anis crossed the road about 100 yards past the Smiley Face (famous to butterfly watchers for Pale-rayed Skipper) a bit before the Monica subdivision. http://s1142.photobucket.com/user/antshrike/media/Groove-billedAniSmileyFaceFM41-17-14IMG_6889_zps145ff4f4.jpg.html Upon reaching Boca Chica Beach I turned to the right and drove the three miles to the mouth of the Rio Grande. A flock of about 50 Bonaparte's Gulls was feeding in the surf at the river mouth. A large flock of gulls and terns were roosting on the sand spit across the river in Mexico about 100 yards away. As I scoped them I was pleased to find a 1st year Glaucous Gull. This may be the one reported several weeks ago. Not sure how many records there are for Tamaulipas. http://s1142.photobucket.com/user/antshrike/media/GlaucousGullBocaChica1-17-14IMG_6918_zps4f5826ed.jpg.html http://s1142.photobucket.com/user/antshrike/media/GlaucousGullBocaChica1-17-14IMG_6924_zps64ed712e.jpg.html From the river mouth I drove up to the jetty across form South Padre Island. There were few birds and nothing of note. When I got home, I was going through the photos of the Glaucous Gull and found three photos of a 1st year Bonaparte's Gull I had taken while observing the Glaucous Gull. Well this Boney was brightly marked with a wide dark carpal bar and a dark crown. Holy Moly! It was a Little Gull! I had shot the gull because it was closer than the others and I immediately forgot about it as the big gull flock across the river spooked and I was looking for the Glaucous Gull. Oh well, I'd rather be lucky than good. http://s1142.photobucket.com/user/antshrike/media/GullBocaChica1-17-14IMG_6907_zps23e510bb.jpg.html http://s1142.photobucket.com/user/antshrike/media/GullBocaChica1-17-14IMG_6908_zpsfe8f3a55.jpg.html http://s1142.photobucket.com/user/antshrike/media/GullBocaChica1-17-14IMG_6909_zpse4c1a43c.jpg.html And the moral of the story is: It doesn't matter how crappy a stumble-bum birder you are, just get in the field and take photos and eventually you'll get something good. Dan Jones, Weslaco Edit your Freelists account settings for TEXBIRDS at //www.freelists.org/list/texbirds Reposting of traffic from TEXBIRDS is prohibited without seeking permission from the List Owner
