When leaving Harlingen yesterday, I saw swallows on the edge of a small bridge outside of town. Theresa Bayoud Austin, Texas ________________________________ From: Mary Gustafson <live4birds@xxxxxxx> To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 11:28 AM Subject: [texbirds] RBA: Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley, February 14, 2013 RBA . * Texas * Lower Rio GrandeValley * February 14, 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 and Glossy xWhite-faced Ibis hybrid Black-legged Kittiwake Flammulated Owl Common Nighthawk Mangrove [Yellow]Warbler +GOLDEN-CROWNED WARBLER (noadditional reports) 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. . We have widespreadreports of birds beginning courtship or nesting activities this past week. A surprise was the return of Cliff Swallowsto colonies in Webb County. . Couchâs Kingbirds are finallyreturning in small numbers to Hidalgo Co.. Mallards of the northern subspeciesare present this winter, an unusual event â Greater Scaup, Bufflehead, WoodDuck and Hooded Mergansers are in above normal numbers across the valley aswell. Zone-tailed Hawks are in Weslacoas 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). Volunteers will be on siteto greet visitors on Mondays and Thursdays from 8am to noon. **Donations aregreatly appreciated** and can be dropped off at the Roma Bluffs World BirdingCenter or at the feeding station on Mondays and Thursdays. Any questions pleasefeel free to call Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge 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 been refoundon a daily basis in the thickets at the Convention Center through 2/12. 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 for another photo op on 2/13. It has been seen in the area of the water feature and feeding station inthe late morning, but has not appeared more than once per day. . A Prairie Falconresurfaced at Estero Llano Grande State Park on 2/9 after a lengthy absence. . A Western Tanager was atValley Nature Center on 2/5. . Hooded Merganserscontinue at Santa Ana NWR. A Glossy Ibis was photographed in early January;several recent reports show one or two birds that appear to be Glossy xWhite-faced Ibis hybrids. One bird lookslike a Glossy Ibis with a red eye, and the other looks more like a White-facedIbis with a red face but pale lines on the facial skin. . A Red-naped Sapsucker maycontinue at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park in the area of the resaca,there is again only one report this week. Please continue to report this continuing rarity. The bird shows some hybrid characters and maybe a backcross or third generation hybrid between Red-naped and the even rarerin Texas Red-breasted Sapsucker. ARed-naped Sapsucker would have more black feathering separating the red throatand the pale line above it, with the black pinched in the middle. This bird has virtually no black line. . A GOLDEN-CROWNED WARBLERwas reported from Zapata on 1/31. Documentationand photographs are highly desired for this review species! Take US 83 to 9thAvenue and go southwest two blocks to the park. Walk the trail around the pond,the bird was on the back (southwest) side of the pond within 50 yards of thenorthern end of the trail. . Upriver and out of ourarea, the Laredo Acorn Woodpecker was photographed in Laredo at a privateresidence on 11/27 and is now 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! The birdcontinues in the area this week ago, but is often missed. . Congratulations toLaredo on a successful Laredo Birding Festival! Highlights included a Red-billed Pigeon on private land about 25 milesnorth of the city, an early Broad-winged Hawk at the Las Palmas Nature Trail, WesternGrebes continue on Lake Casa Blanca in Laredo, and two immature Reddish Egretsat Indian Sunset Park/Muller Pond Park. White-collaredSeedeaters are regular in parks and near the river in Laredo. . 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 November 2011. 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 is closeduntil March 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. 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 Edit your Freelists account settings for TEXBIRDS at //www.freelists.org/list/texbirds Reposting of traffic from TEXBIRDS is prohibited without seeking permission from the List Owner Edit your Freelists account settings for TEXBIRDS at //www.freelists.org/list/texbirds Reposting of traffic from TEXBIRDS is prohibited without seeking permission from the List Owner