[texbirds] RBA: Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley - August 30, 2012
- From: Mary Gustafson <live4birds@xxxxxxx>
- To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2012 10:37:37 -0400 (EDT)
RBA
.
* Texas
* Lower Rio Grande Valley
* August 30, 2012
.
To report rare birds, e-mail rgvbirds AT hotmail.com (preferred)orcall (956)
584-2731 option 3.
.
Capitalized birds marked with a + are Review Species for Texas.Please send
sightings/photographs to the Texas Bird Review Committee,ecarpeATgmail.com.
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Our rare bird alert this week includes:
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Reddish Egret
Willet
American Woodcock
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Rose-throated Becard (present?)
Bell’s Vireo
Mangrove [Yellow] Warbler
.
This is a general reminder that playing recordings is not allowedin Texas State
Parks and many LRGV birding sites. All State Park and NationalWildlife Refuge
visitors must stay on trails. Thank you for not disturbing thewildlife or
damaging the vegetation.
.
Warbler and flycatcher migration continues. Arrivals include Baltimore Oriole,
goodnumbers of Kentucky and Cerulean Warblers for the area. A Swainson’s
Warbler in Port Isabel is ararely detected fall migrant. Lingerersinclude a
belated Worm-eating Warbler at Frontera, Louisiana Waterthrush atSouth Padre
Island, and TWO Swallow-tailed Kites at Resaca de la Palma. A Bell’s Vireo was
at South Padre lastweekend as well.
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The Valley from east to west.
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The August 25 pelagic was a success, with 3 Masked Boobies (onecolor banded on
the breeding grounds in Mexico), Cory’s and Audubon’sShearwaters, Magnificent
Frigatebird, a flock of Sooty Terns, and a distantjaeger.
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A near adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was photographed on theSouth Padre Island
jetty on 8/29.
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Mangrove Warbler, a well-marked subspecies of Yellow Warbler thatmay be
distinct enough to warrant full species status, can be seen bycontacting the
Sealife Center at (956) 299-1957.
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Shorebirds abound at Sugar House Pond north of Edcouch/Elsa on FM1425, with a
Willet and Snowy Plover continuing. Numbers of ducks continue, many
unseasonal. Thousandsof shorebirds are present. Please do notwalk away from
the road on the levees as these areas are posted closed.
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No reports on the Reddish Egret near Donna in the past week.
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At Estero Llano Grande State Park, an American Woodcock was relocatedand
photographed at the water drip along the brick walkway. The drip is closer to
the parking lot thanthe building. Ibis Pond is refilled andthe birds are back
in force. There was asecond-hand report of the Rose-throated Becard on 8/24.
Please document any summer dates to the TBRCas they are especially important to
document the entire date span. This bird may be continuing but has not
beendocumented for the past ten weeks.
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A black morph Hook-billed Kite was photographed at Santa Ana NWRon August 11.
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Red-crowned Parrots are sometimes seen in the areas of QuintaMazatlan in
McAllen, Valley Nature Center in Weslaco in the evening, and EsteroLlano Grande
State Park in the mornings. Red-crowned Parrots are also reportedfrom Calvary
Baptist Church in Harlingen (1815 N 7th Street) and atRio Hondo/ 7th Street in
Harlingen in the evenings(exit Expressway 77 on EdCarey, heading north on Ed
Carey about 3.5 miles to Rio Hondo Road just beforethe Airport, turn right onto
Rio Hondo going to 7th Street), and also atOliveira Park (Los Ebanos Road/El
Paso Road across from Pace High School) inBrownsville, mingling at dusk with
Yellow-headed and Red-lored Parrots (bothspecies are escapes). Red-crowned
Parrots and Green Parakeets are seen in urbanareas irregularly all over the
Valley.
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Green Parakeets can be seen staging in McAllen near 10th and Dovein the
evening, sometimes winging a few blocks over to Nolana/McColl – a reportlast
month had 200 at the latter site. A couple of Mitred Parakeets (escapes)were
present this winter.
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In Hidalgo at 5th and Gardenia near the HidalgoPumphouse World Birding Center,
a few Monk Parakeets have taken up residencebuilding a nest on a telephone
pole.
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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, Laredo's Las Palmas
Trail, North Central Park, or Father McNaboe Park.Seedeaters are widely
distributed this spring with birds at all locations.Access to La Laja Ranch,
also a Seedeater site, is by advance reservationsonly. E-mail the owner at
Edward.herbst@xxxxxxxxxxxx is a fee site.
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FERRUGINOUS PYGMY-OWL INFORMATION – Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls arepresent at El
Canelo, San Miguelito Ranch and King Ranch (Norias Divisiononly). San Miguelito
is closed until March 1. King Ranch Norias bird trips arecompleted for the
spering. This owl is very difficult to find at any otherlocation at present.
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls have not been seen or heard atBentsen-Rio Grande Valley
State Park since the summer of 2010, when the parkwas inundated by the Rio
Grande.
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Directions are provided only for sites not included in the ABABirders' Guide to
the Rio Grande Valley or the Birders' Guide to the TexasCoast. These guides are
indispensable for visiting birders.
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Site Closures:
Allen Williams Wildscape, Pharr, open by appointment ONLY; Call ortext
956-460-9864.
Edinburg Scenic Wetlands World Birding Center, building closedSunday (grounds
open).
Bentsen-RGV State Park, office and store closed/no trams onMonday, Tuesday and
Wednesday, grounds open (self-pay station).
Estero Llano Grande State Park, building closed Mondays, groundsopen (self-pay
station).
Frontera Audubon Thicket, Weslaco, closed Sunday mornings and allday Mondays
except by appt.
Los Ebanos Preserve, San Benito, Appointment ONLY; 956-241-2494.
Methodist Camp Thicket, Weslaco, group reservations (fee) only.Contact Estero
Llano Grande State Park – office and gift shop closed Monday andTuesday (site
open)
Quinta Mazatlan, McAllen, closed Sundays and Mondays.
Resaca de la Palma State Park, office and store closed/no tramsMonday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, grounds open (self-pay station).
San Miguelito Ranch - Lety at 956-365-3118 or Buny55@xxxxxxxx Closed until
March 2013.
Santa Ana NWR- closed to bicycles
Valley Nature Center, Weslaco, closed Sunday morning and Mondays.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mary Gustafson
Mission, Texas
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