[texbirds] RBA: Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley
- From: Mary Gustafson <live4birds@xxxxxxx>
- To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 19:03:20 -0500 (EST)
.
* Texas
* Lower Rio Grande Valley
* February 13, 2014
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To report rare birds, e-mail rgvbirds AT hotmail.com(preferred) or call
(956)584-2731 option 3.
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Updates can be seen on the web athttp://rgvbirds.blogspot.com
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Capitalized birds marked with a + are Review Species forTexas. Please send
sightings/photographs to the Texas Bird Review Committee:ecarpeATgmail.com.
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NOTE: McAllen Botanical Gardensâ open Saturday mornings ONLY from 8-12. This
site had been closed to the public for some time, letâs gobirding! Find it
on the south side ofBusiness 83 between Ware and Bentsen Rds.
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NOTE: The Bayside Drive at Laguna Atascosa is closed toprivate vehicles to
protect ocelots. This area is covered by refuge tours. All other portions of
Laguna are OPEN asnormal! Private vehicles can driveto Osprey Overlook, and
there are 50 miles of hiking and biking trails.
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Lingering Anis are still at several sites (most reportsare from Santa Ana
NWRâs Pintail Lakes). Zone-tailed Hawks are at several sites including
Edinburg, northMcAllen, east of Santa Ana, Estero, Anzalduas, and Starr County.
Grassland sparrows seem to be increasingafter a dismal early winter,
Grasshopper Sparrows have been located at severalsites including Estero Llano
Grande.
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Our rare bird alert this week includes:
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Hook-billed Kite
+SLATY-BACKED GULL (Webb Co.)
California Gull
Glaucous Gull
Little Gull
Red-naped Sapsucker
+ROSE-THROATED BECARD
Tropical Parula
Mangrove [Yellow] Warbler
Painted Redstart (Brooks Co.)
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This is a general reminder that playing recordings is notallowed in Texas State
Parks nor in many LRGV birding sites. All State Park andNational Wildlife
Refuge visitors must stay on trails. Thank you for not
disturbing the wildlife or damaging the vegetation.
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The Valley from east to west.
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An American Redstart has been present on South Padre Islandat the Convention
Center all winter. Today a Northern Waterthrush was also reportedon the
boardwalks.
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Mangrove Warbler, a well-marked subspecies of YellowWarbler that may be
distinct enough to warrant full species status, can be seenby contacting the
Sealife Center at (956) 299-1957.
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The immature Little Gull was relocated on an island inthe Brownsville Ship
Channel on 1/31. Contact the Sealife Center (number above) for information on
how to seethis bird, which is accessible only by boat. The Little Gull was
found on BocaChica beach near the mouth of the Rio Grande on 1/17-23. This is
the second for Cameron County and alsothe second record for Mexico.
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A first-winter Glaucous Gull is also present on the beachat Boca Chica through
1/30. A Common Tern was nicely documented from 1/17-27. Another Glaucous, an
adult California Gull,and an estimated 25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were at the
Brownsville Dump lastweekend.
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A ROSE-THROATED BECARD was found at Sabal Palm on Sunday1/26. This week there
are severalreports of the Becard at the feeding station, most recently today.
It seems to evade detection on wet cold days.
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Black Phoebe are at the UTB campus and Hugh Ramsey NaturePark. They are
restricted in range in Cameron County.
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A Black-headed Grosbeak was well documented at Resaca dela Palma State Park
last week.
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Winter Wren have been reported from several locations inthe RBA area. This is
a rare species inthe LRGV, and notes or photos are of interest for all reports.
There are now a few individuals documentedbut many more reports lacking
substance. The best documented Winter Wren was wellphotographed at Estero
Llano Grande State Park this weke.
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A Herring Gull was found on Delta Lake in Hidalgo County,where the species is
exceptional. It wasseen once this week.
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Two Tropical Parula are at the Edinburg Scenic Wetlandsthrough 2/12. One
individual has weakeye arcs but has an extensive yellow breast onto the belly
and a clear breastand throat without a dark crescent.
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A Brown Pelican continues at Anzalduas County Park inHidalgo County, where the
species is exceptional.
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Five Hook-billed Kites were found foraging in the MissionHike and Bike trail
accessed from the Mission Nature Park. Take US 83 to Mission and go south a
shortdistance on Conway Rd. to the Mission Nature Park on the west side of the
road. Walk about ½ mile down the bike trailpast the electric lines that cross
the trail. The levee just south of the trail provides a vista to the south, but
notmuch visibility to the north. They areseen earlier and later on windy days,
and more 9AM-4PM on calmer days. They are not often reported on gray colddays.
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Several American Robin and a single Golden-crownedKinglet are at the NBC site
in Mission.
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At Bentsen, a Black-headed Grosbeak continues in the areaof the Acacia Loop.
The Red-napedSapsucker continues near the Green Jay blind.
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A white morph Reddish Egret was found on the Rio Grandenear Salineno on the Rio
Grande Valley Birding Festival in November andcontinues on the river near
Salineno through last weekend. An immature Bald Eagle, rare in the
area,continues on the river as well.
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Out of our area to the north, a Painted Redstart wasfound at the Falfurrias
Rest Area on US 281 on 10/19 and continues to at least 2/1. This site is in
Brooks County.
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Out of our area to the west, a +SLATY-BACKED GULL adultwas found at Lake Casa
Blanca State Park near Laredo and continued throughtoday. The gull leaves the
lake early inthe morning and returns in the afternoon. This site is in Webb
County. Other birds in the area include a Western Grebe and
twoChestnut-collared Longspurs.
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PARROT REPORT
Red-crowned Parrots are sometimes seen in the areas ofQuinta Mazatlan in
McAllen, Valley Nature Center in Weslaco in the evening,Calvary Baptist Church
in Harlingen (1815 N 7th Street). Brownsvilleâs OliveiraPark (Los Ebanos
Road/El Paso Road across from Pace High School) hasRed-crowned Parrots as well,
mingling at dusk with escaped Yellow-headed,White-fronted, Lilac-crowned and
Red-lored Parrots. Red-crowned Parrots andGreen Parakeets are seen in urban
areas irregularly all over the Valley.
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Green Parakeets can be seen staging in McAllen near 10thand Dove in the
evening, sometimes winging a few blocks over to Nolana xMcColl. Watch for a
couple of Mitred Parakeets that sometimes mingle with them. There is another
staging area in Mission onthe north expressway.
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In Hidalgo, at 5th and Gardenia near the HidalgoPumphouse World Birding Center,
a few Monk Parakeets have taken up residencebuilding nests on telephone poles,
keeping company with an escaped Rose-ringedParakeet. These birds have been
present since winter 2010.
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WHITE-COLLARED SEEDEATER INFORMATION - Most sites forWhite-collared Seedeaters
are in Zapata and Webb counties. Information isprovided as a service to
visiting birders. Sites to check include the SanYgnacio County Park/Seedeater
Sanctuary at the foot of Washington Street in SanYgnacio, the Raptor Trail at
the west end of San Ygnacio, the library pond inZapata, and Laredo's Las Palmas
Trail, North Central and Father McNaboe Park.Access to La 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.
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Updated FERRUGINOUS PYGMY-OWL INFORMATION - FerruginousPygmy-Owls are present
on the King Ranch (Norias Division only). Other private ranches are no longer
availableor do not have accessible pygmy-owls. Thisowl is very difficult to
find at any other location at present and has not beenseen or heard at
Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park since the summer of 2010,when the park was
inundated by the Rio Grande.
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Seehttp://rgvbirds.blogspot.com/p/ferruginous-pygmy-owl-sites.html for
moreinformation.
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Directions are provided only for sites not included inthe ABA Birders' Guide to
the Rio Grande Valley or the Birders' Guide to theTexas Coast. These guides are
indispensable for visiting birders.
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Site Closures:
Allen Williams Wildscape, Pharr, open by appointmentONLY; Call or text
956-460-9864.
Bentsen-RGV State Park, open 7 days until spring; firsttram at 8:30 AM.
Edinburg Scenic Wetlands World Birding Center, buildingand grounds both closed
on Sundays.
Estero Llano Grande State Park, building/store open 7days.
Frontera Audubon Thicket, Weslaco, closed Sunday morningsand all day Mondays
except by appointment.
Laguna Atascosa NWR â Bayside Drive closed to privatevehicles to protect
ocelots.
Los Ebanos Preserve, San Benito, Appointment ONLY;956-241-2494.
McAllen Botanical Garden â OPEN Saturdays from 8-12 noon.
Methodist Camp Thicket, Weslaco, group reservations (fee)only. Contact Estero
LlanoGrande State Park.
Quinta Mazatlan, McAllen, closed Sundays and Mondays.
Resaca de la Palma State Park, building/store closed/notrams Monday-Wednesday
starting June 1, grounds open (self-pay station).
Salineno âfeeding station is open, porta-potty inplace! The feeders will be
closing inMarch.
Santa Ana NWR- closed to bicycles
Valley Nature Center, Weslaco, closed Sunday mornings andMondays.
Mary Gustafson
Mission, Texas
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