[texbirds] Re: RBA: Texas LRGV - January 9, 2014
- From: "Rex Stanford" <calidris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <live4birds@xxxxxxx>, "TEXBIRDS" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2014 15:55:00 -0600
I thought it might be useful to provide some information related to my
recent experiences (January 4, 2014) at the area in south Willacy County,
referred to in Mary Gustafson's RBA: Texas LRGV - January 9, 2014 report
(see subject header), where a number of birders, my wife and I included,
have this season found, on some of our visits, a Prairie Falcon and where
some birders have found a few Mountain Plovers on nearby CR-1600. Details on
reaching these sites are provided in Mary's posting of earlier today. Here I
provide some birding-related reports and some strong words of caution about
trying to drive roads in that area after heavy rain.
On January 4, 2014 my wife and I visited this area and failed to find the
Prairie Falcon in its usual haunts along CR-375 (Primrose CR) a short
distance north from FM-1018, where it often has been found sitting on a
wooden cross-bar of a utility pole. While in that general area we
encountered two vehicles bearing other birders, and none of them had been
able to find this falcon, although some of them, at least, had seen the
Peregrine Falcon that often hangs out on or near the white water tower at
the turn onto CR-375 from FM-1018. We did not find any Mountain plover on
that visit, but we were unable to access the most probable areas for them
along CR-1600 (Mesquite CR) thanks to recent very heavy rains and one area
with an extremely dangerous depression filled with water atop the sticky
black substrate. We suggest that until CR-1600 dries out very greatly,
trying to traverse it in this area could have some very adverse
consequences! As concerns CR-360, which was mentioned in Mary's report, this
is a strictly dirt road resembling something of a mere tractor track. It
runs northward from FM-1018 and crosses CR-1600 (but no signage there), and
we had a very scary set of experiences on it on 01/04/14. Without getting
into all the unsavory details, we somehow managed to traverse that stretch
of CR-360 between CR-1600 and FM-1018 on 01/04/08 in a 4-wheel-drive vehicle
in which at one point we became very scarily stuck in sticky black substrate
for far too many long minutes before I was finally able to coax our vehicle
out of the horrendous mire. For the entire distance on CR-360 between
CR-1600, our starting point, and FM-1018, where we finally accessed good old
paved FM-1018, CR-360 was horrendously wet, slick, and sticky. The only
reasons we were able to navigate the road without getting stuck several
additional times were having a 4-wheel-drive vehicle, having had extensive
prior experience controlling a vehicle on slick (icy/snowy) roads while
living 30+ years in the USA northeast, keeping our vehicle's momentum up to
push through when stopping would have meant getting stuck in the "middle of
nowhere," and quite possibly some help from on high! A warning here: A dirt
surface after rain, especially if it has clay in it, such as black clay or
caliche, can look dry and have no water standing atop it but still be
extremely treacherous for driving. One does not want to get stuck out "in
the middle of nowhere." Getting out of such a situation could involve a long
ordeal, considerable cost, and potentially other unsavory experiences. So,
please be forewarned.
The fact that several sets of birders did not find the Prairie Falcon along
CR-375 on 01/04/14 does not mean that the bird must have left the area. It
seems to have been wintering there for many weeks, and it quite possibly is
the same Prairie Falcon that wintered there in 2012. CR-375, when we were
there on 01/04/14, was not treacherous, and it usually has a well-maintained
surface. The only problems were some potholes containing water, but none, at
that time, were so large as to be hard to avoid. Nor do I think they were,
anyhow, terribly deep, though I did not use my vehicle to test the
veridicality of that impression. Along CR-375, on its east side at one
point, were two farm ponds, one of which contained five attractive
Redheads--no, guys, not gals, but ducks but they were our favorite find on
this visit to that area. Earlier in the afternoon we toured Bucy Road, a
caliche road that runs north from Hargill. Just south of Bucy's north
intersection with TX-186, at a point where it crosses a concrete bridge over
a marshy canal, we found a very handsome Cooper's Hawk right beside the
bridge on a pole. It took flight, circled above our vehicle, and headed
westward into the mesquites. The close looks it gave us were exciting, and
it because our Bird of the Day.
Wishing everyone the very best of winter birding (which sometimes you get),
Rex Stanford
McAllen, TX
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