[texbirds] RBA - February 28, 2013 - Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley

From: Mary Gustafson <live4birds@xxxxxxx>
To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2013 19:11:51 -0500 (EST)
RBA
. 
* Texas 
* Lower Rio GrandeValley 
* February 28, 2013
. 
To report rare birds,e-mail rgvbirds AT hotmail.com (preferred) or call
(956)584-2731 option 3.
.
Updates can be seen onthe web at http://rgvbirds.blogspot.com
. 
Capitalized birds markedwith a + are Review Species for Texas. Please
send sightings/photographsto the Texas Bird Review Committee:
ecarpeATgmail.com. 
.
Our rare bird alert thisweek includes: 
.
Glossy Ibis (no Glossy xWhite-faced Ibis hybrid)
Black-legged Kittiwake
Flammulated Owl  
Mangrove [Yellow]Warbler 
Western Tanager 
+CRIMSON-COLLAREDGROSBEAK
. 
This is a generalreminder that playing recordings is not allowed in
Texas State Parks nor inmany LRGV birding sites. All State Park and
National Wildlife Refugevisitors must stay on trails. Thank you for not
disturbing the wildlifeor damaging the vegetation. 
.
Mallards of the northernsubspecies are present this winter, an unusual event 
â Greater Scaup, Bufflehead,Wood Duck and Hooded Mergansers are in above 
normal numbers across the valleyas well.  Zone-tailed Hawks are inWeslaco as 
well as the more traditional sites of Anzalduas/Hidalgo/Bentsen 
andSalineno/Falcon.  
.
USFWSvolunteers are feeding birds daily at the Lower Rio Grande Valley 
NationalWildlife Refuge Kepler Tract (adjacent to Salineno) through the end of 
March.Volunteers will be on site to greet visitors on Mondays and Thursdays 
from 8amto noon. **Donations are greatly appreciated** and can be dropped off 
at theRoma Bluffs World Birding Center or at the feeding station on Mondays 
andThursdays. Any questions please feel free to call Santa Ana National 
WildlifeRefuge at 956-784-7500 
.
The Valley from east towest. 
.
A stunning FlammulatedOwl was found and photographed at South Padre Island near 
the Convention Centeron 1/8!  The bird has recently beenrefound on a daily 
basis in the thickets at the Convention Center through 2/28.  It can be very 
difficult to locate in thedense brush.  This is only the secondwinter record 
for Texas of this highly migratory owl.    
.
This would seem self-evident, but please be careful not to tramplethe plants at 
the Convention Center gardens. Every bit of habitat at the convention center 
has been planted byvolunteers for the benefit of wildlife including migratory 
birds.  
.
An immature Black-legged Kittiwake continues near the south jettyat SPI with 
intermittent reports. 
.
Mangrove Warbler, awell-marked subspecies of Yellow Warbler that may be
distinct enough towarrant full species status, can be seen by contacting the 
Sealife Center at(956) 299-1957.  
.
A female-plumagedCRIMSON-COLLARED GROSBEAK was photographed at Sabal Palm 
Sanctuary on 2/12 andreturned daily through 2/28.  It is beingseen in the area 
of the water feature and feeding station at the Headquarters,feeding on potato 
trees. Reports from today include song, which would indicatea young male. 
.
A Prairie Falcon wasseen again on 2/18 at Estero Llano Grande State Park. 
.
A Western Tanager(s)continues at Quinta Mazatlan through 2/22. 
.
Hooded Merganserscontinue at Santa Ana NWR. A Glossy Ibis was photographed in 
early January andcontinues to be reported; some reports show one or two birds 
that appear to be Glossyx White-faced Ibis hybrids (no reports this week).  One 
potential hybrid looks like a Glossy Ibiswith a red eye, and the other looks 
more like a White-faced Ibis with a redface but pale lines on the facial skin.  
.
A Red-naped Sapsucker maycontinue at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park in 
the Acacia Loop orHackberry Trail near the Kiskadee Trail with several reports 
from this week.  Please continue to report this continuingrarity.  The bird 
shows some hybridcharacters and may be a backcross or third generation hybrid 
between Red-napedand the even rarer in Texas Red-breasted Sapsucker.  A 
Red-naped Sapsucker would have more blackfeathering separating the red throat 
and the pale line above it, with the blackpinched in the middle.  This bird 
hasvirtually no black line.
. 
A few lucky birders sawRed-billed Pigeon at Salineno on 2/23.
.
Upriver and out of ourarea, the Laredo Acorn Woodpecker was photographed in 
Laredo at a privateresidence on 11/27 and has been utilizing telephone poles 
across the street atthe Mall del Norte.  Park betweenDillardâs and the 
Cinemark and watch the small triangle of woods to the north. Continuingreports 
are highly desired!  No recentreports. 
.
PARROT REPORT
Red-crowned Parrots aresometimes seen in the areas of Quinta Mazatlan
in McAllen, ValleyNature Center in Weslaco in the evening, Calvary
Baptist Church inHarlingen (1815 N 7th Street), and also at Oliveira
Park (Los Ebanos Road/ElPaso Road across from Pace High School) in
Brownsville, mingling atdusk with escaped Yellow-headed and Red-lored
Parrots. Red-crownedParrots and Green Parakeets are seen in urban areas
irregularly all over theValley.
.
Green Parakeets can beseen staging in McAllen near 10th and Dove in the
evening, sometimes winginga few blocks over to Nolana x McColl. Watch for
a couple of MitredParakeets that sometimes mingle with them.
.
In Hidalgo, at 5th andGardenia near the Hidalgo Pumphouse World Birding
Center, a few MonkParakeets have taken up residence building a nest on a 
telephone pole. Thesebirds are present since winter 2010. In Harlingen, Monk 
Parakeets haveconstructed a roost nest on the cell tower northwest of 106 and 
Ed Carey. Thesebirds were discovered in December 2012.   
.
WHITE-COLLARED SEEDEATERINFORMATION - Most sites for White-collared
Seedeaters are in Zapataand Webb counties. Information is provided as a
service to visitingbirders. Sites to check include the San Ygnacio
County Park/SeedeaterSanctuary at the foot of Washington Street in San
Ygnacio, the RaptorTrail at the west end of San Ygnacio, the libray
pond in Zapata, andLaredo's Las Palmas Trail, North Central and Father
McNaboe Park. Access toLa Laja Ranch, also a Seedeater site, is by
advance reservationsonly. E-mail the owner at Edward.herbst AT att.net.
This is a fee site.
. 
FERRUGINOUS PYGMY-OWLINFORMATION - Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls are present
at El Canelo, SanMiguelito Ranch and King Ranch (Norias Division only).
San Miguelito reopenedMarch 1. This owl is very difficult to
find at any otherlocation at present and have not been seen or heard
at Bentsen-Rio GrandeValley State Park since the summer of 2010, when
the park was inundatedby the Rio Grande. 
.
Directions are providedonly for sites not included in the ABA Birders'
Guide to the Rio GrandeValley or the Birders' Guide to the Texas Coast.
These guides areindispensable for visiting birders.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Site Closures: 
Allen WilliamsWildscape, Pharr, open by appointment ONLY; Call or text
956-460-9864. 
Bentsen-RGV State Park,building/store closed/no trams on Monday, but the 
grounds are open (self-paystation). 
Edinburg Scenic WetlandsWorld Birding Center, building and grounds both
closed on Sundays. 
**Estero Llano GrandeState Park, building/store open 7 days a week! **
Frontera AudubonThicket, Weslaco, closed Sunday mornings and all day
Mondays except byappointment. 
Los Ebanos Preserve, SanBenito, Appointment ONLY; 956-241-2494. 
Methodist Camp Thicket,Weslaco, group reservations (fee) only. Contact
Estero Llano GrandeState Park. 
Quinta Mazatlan,McAllen, closed Sundays and Mondays. 
Resaca de la Palma StatePark, building/store closed/no trams Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday,grounds open (self-pay station). 
SALINENO â FEEDINGSTATION CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, see temporary feeding 
station on the FWSKepler tract (information above). 
San Miguelito Ranch -Closed until March 2013. Lety at 956-365-3118 or
Buny55ATaol.com 
Santa Ana NWR- closed tobicycles 
Valley Nature Center,Weslaco, closed Sunday mornings and Mondays.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Mary Gustafson
Mission, Texas

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[texbirds] RBA - February 28, 2013 - Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley

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