[texbirds] RBA - Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley - February 27, 2014

  • From: Mary Gustafson <live4birds@xxxxxxx>
  • To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2014 17:18:47 -0500 (EST)

 
* Texas 
* Lower Rio Grande Valley
* February 27, 2014
.
To report rare birds, e-mail rgvbirds AT hotmail.com(preferred) or call 
(956)584-2731 option 3.
.
Updates can be seen on the web athttp://rgvbirds.blogspot.com
. 
Capitalized birds marked with a + are Review Species forTexas. Please send 
sightings/photographs to the Texas Bird Review Committee:ecarpeATgmail.com.  
_____________________________________________________________
NOTE: McAllen Botanical Gardens– open Saturday mornings ONLY from 8-12. This 
site had been closed to the public for some time, let’s gobirding!  Find it 
on the south side ofBusiness 83 between Ware and Bentsen Rds. 
.
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.  
______________________________________________________________
.
Our rare bird alert this week includes: 
.
Hook-billed Kite
+SLATY-BACKED GULL (Webb Co.)
Thayer’s Gull
Red-naped Sapsucker 
+ROSE-THROATED BECARD
Tropical Parula 
Mangrove [Yellow] Warbler 
Painted Redstart  (Brooks Co.)
.
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. 
.
The Valley from east to west.   
.
A first winter Thayer’s Gull was photographed near Pier19 on South Padre 
Island.  From the Rte100 bridge onto SPI go south to the first paved access 
road towards thebay.    
.
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.  
.
A ROSE-THROATED BECARD was found at Sabal Palm on Sunday1/26.  This week there 
are severalreports of the Becard at the feeding station and water feature, most 
recently today. It seems to evade detection on wet colddays. Seen through at 
least 2/25. 
.
Black Phoebe are at the UTB campus and Hugh Ramsey NaturePark. They are 
restricted in range in Cameron County. 
.
A male Broad-tailed Hummingbird is at a private residencein Harlingen through 
today. 
.
The Black-headed Grosbeak continues at Resaca de la PalmaState Park.  
.
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 last week.   
.
A Herring Gull was found on Delta Lake in Hidalgo County,where the species is 
exceptional.  It wasseen last week but no additional reports. 
.
A Tropical Parula is at the Edinburg Scenic Wetlandsthrough 2/21.  
.
A Brown Pelican continues at Anzalduas County Park inHidalgo County through 
2/22, the species is exceptional in Hidalgo Co.  
.
Reports have been few and far between of the Hook-billedKites were found 
foraging in the Mission Hike and Bike trail accessed from theMission Nature 
Park.  Take US 83 toMission and go south a short distance on Conway Rd. to the 
Mission Nature Parkon the west side of the road.  Walk about½ mile down the 
bike trail past the electric lines that cross the trail.  The levee just south 
of the trail provides avista to the south, but not much visibility to the 
north.  They are seen earlier and later on windydays, and more 9AM-4PM on 
calmer days. They are not often reported on gray cold days.  The most recent 
report was 2/23.  
.
Several American Robin and a single Golden-crownedKinglet are at the NBC site 
in Mission; no recent reports on the kinglet. 
.
At Bentsen, a Black-headed Grosbeak continues in the areaof the Acacia Loop 
through at least Sunday.  The Red-naped Sapsucker may continue near theGreen 
Jay blind.  No reports thisweek.  
.
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 this week.  A single Red-billed Pigeon was found lastweekend.  
An immature Bald Eagle, rare inthe area, continues on the river through last 
week.  
.
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 2/26.  This site is in 
Brooks County. 
.
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 some immature 
LesserBlack-backed Gulls, usually reported as first winter. Photos of the 
LesserBlack-backeds would be appreciated!   
.
PARROT REPORT
Red-crowned Parrots are sometimes seen in the areas ofQuinta Mazatlan in 
McAllen, Valley Nature Center in Weslaco in the evening, CalvaryBaptist Church 
in Harlingen (1815 N 7th Street). Brownsville’s Oliveira Park(Los Ebanos 
Road/El Paso Road across from Pace High School) has Red-crownedParrots as well, 
mingling at dusk with escaped Yellow-headed, White-fronted,Lilac-crowned and 
Red-lored Parrots. Red-crowned Parrots and Green Parakeetsare seen in urban 
areas irregularly all over the Valley.
.
Green Parakeets can be seen staging in McAllen near 10thand Dove in the evening 
(at the Loew’s fountain on warm evenings), sometimeswinging a few blocks over 
to Nolana x McColl. Watch for a couple of MitredParakeets that sometimes mingle 
with them. There is another staging area in Mission on the north expressway.  
.
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.  
.
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.
. 
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. 
.
Seehttp://rgvbirds.blogspot.com/p/ferruginous-pygmy-owl-sites.html for 
moreinformation. 
.
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 – Bayside Drive closed to privatevehicles to protect 
ocelots. 
 
Los Ebanos Preserve, San Benito, Appointment ONLY;956-241-2494. 
 
McAllen Botanical Garden – 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 –feeding 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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