[texbirds] McAllen to Freer (almost)
- From: MiriamEagl@xxxxxxx
- To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2014 21:14:18 -0400 (EDT)
Hi, all!
The first day of this proposed "Big Week" started off reasonably well
(picking up Hooded Oriole at the Falfurrias checkpoint ain't half bad); besides
the normal roadside birds a "rest stop" along a hidden county road just out
of Ramirez added a slough of Valley-type birds, including White-tipped
Dove, Olive Sparrow, Long-billed Thrasher, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Couch's
Kingbird, and best of all, a singing Audubon's Oriole! several Swainson's
Hawks were resting on poles along SR 339, and Caracaras were of course out
the yin yang. Continuing north picked up a Turkey along the road!
Didn't get very far out of Benavidas, however, when a Deer with a Death
Wish bolted RIGHT out in front of Bippy with no time to react whatsoever!
(I'm pleased to report that the air bag worked famously...:-P) Thankfully
there were no injuries (except for the deer), and a nice couple out of Carrizo
and a couple of Duval sheriff's deputies hung around as long as they could
to make sure I was okay (they had lots of horror stories to tell about
deer collisions that turned out a lot worse than mine). This happened between
eight and nine, and the tow truck didn't get there until about two, but in
the interval had a TREMENDOUS liftoff of Swainson's Hawks, plus lots of
other thornscrub birds to keep me company such as Painted Bunting, Cassin's
Sparrows, flyover Dickcissels, my FOS Western Kingbird and Bank Swallows, a
singing Roadrunner, and even a bizarre-looking White-lined Sphinx larva!
(At least that's the closest match I could find...) So now I'm back in
McAllen until Monday when I can get Bippy into the shop and get a rental, and
hopefully salvage SOME of this Big Week! :-P
Pictures are posted here (warning: I included the deer...):
http://miriameaglemon.com/Trip%20Reports/Big%20Week%202014/Day%201%20McAllen
%20to%20Freer.html
Bird List:
Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus
Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo
Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
Harris's Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus
Swainson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni
Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
American Coot Fulica americana
Rock Pigeon Columba livia
Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto
White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica
Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
Common Ground-Dove Columbina passerina
White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi
Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus
Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica
Golden-fronted Woodpecker Melanerpes aurifrons
Crested Caracara Caracara cheriway
Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens
Brown-crested Flycatcher Myiarchus tyrannulus
Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus
Couch's Kingbird Tyrannus couchii
Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus
Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus
White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus
Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
Cave Swallow Petrochelidon fulva
Black-crested Titmouse Baeolophus atricristatus
Verdin Auriparus flaviceps
Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii
Cactus Wren Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus
Long-billed Thrasher Toxostoma longirostre
Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
Olive Sparrow Arremonops rufivirgatus
Cassin's Sparrow Peucaea cassinii
Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus
Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
Pyrrhuloxia Cardinalis sinuatus
Painted Bunting Passerina ciris
Dickcissel Spiza americana
Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus
Bronzed Cowbird Molothrus aeneus
Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
Hooded Oriole Icterus cucullatus
Audubon's Oriole Icterus graduacauda
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
48 SPECIES
Mary Beth Stowe
McAllen, TX
_www.miriameaglemon.com_ (http://www.miriameaglemon.com/)
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