RBA . * Texas * Lower Rio GrandeValley * January 31, 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 American Woodcock (norecent reports) Black-legged Kittiwake Flammulated Owl Common Nighthawk +ROSE-THROATED BECARD (threeweeks since a report) Mangrove [Yellow]Warbler +GOLDEN-CROWNED WARBLER Western Tanager . 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. . Couchâs Kingbirds are invery short supply again this winter, they seem to be more plentiful in CameronCounty and absent from Hidalgo. Mallards of the northern subspecies are presentthis winter, an unusual event â Greater Scaup, Bufflehead, Wood Duck and HoodedMergansers are in above normal numbers across the valley as well. Zone-tailed Hawks are in Weslaco as well asthe more traditional sites of Anzalduas/Hidalgo/Bentsen andSalineno/Falcon. . American Woodcock are atrecord levels in the LRGV! Most birdsare only found for a couple of days, but observers should be aware and report allsightings. Irrigated and urban areas,parks, and adjacent to wetlands are typical habitats for the species thiswinter. . USFWSvolunteers are feeding birds daily at the Lower Rio Grande Valley National WildlifeRefuge Kepler Tract (adjacent to Salineno). Volunteers will be on site to greetvisitors on Mondays and Thursdays from 8am to noon. Donations are greatlyappreciated and can be dropped off at the Roma Bluffs World Birding Center orat the feeding station on Mondays and Thursdays. Any questions please feel freeto 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 beenrefound on a daily basis in the thickets at the Convention Center through 1/31. 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. . A Western Tanager was at the Convention Center on SPI through theweek, another was on private property at the north side of Brownsville. . An immature Black-legged Kittiwake continues near the south jettyat SPI on 1/30. . 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 Groove-billed Ani wasfound at the Laguna Atascosa HQ through at least 1/19. This is a poor winter for this cuckoo! . A Lesser Nighthawk wasphotographed at Resaca de la Palma State Park today. . At Estero Llano GrandeState Park, the +ROSE-THROATED BECARD continued through 1/10 in the TropicalZone, no recent reports. . Delta Lake continues tohave excellent shorebird habitat. . 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 Western Tanager was agreat find on the Tuesday birdwalk at Quinta Mazatlan on 1/22 and refound on1/24. . A Red-naped Sapsucker maycontinue at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park in the area of the resaca,there is 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 flock of up to fivenighthawks, all thought to be Commons, was near the Resaca at Bentsen last week. The birds have been present for a couple ofweeks. Another Common Nighthawk wasreportedly peenting elsewhere in the county. All nighthawk reports are most welcome, and photos are highly desired asthese birds are out of season! . Green-tailed Towheeswere found at Yturria Brush Tract off US 83 west of Mission in HidalgoCounty. . Two Red-billed Pigeonswere an unusual sight this winter at Salineno on 1/30. . A GOLDEN-CROWNED WARBLER was reported fromthe Zapata city park next to the library on 1/31. Documentation and photographs arehighly desired for this review species! Take US 83 to 9th Avenue 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 the northern 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 last week, but is often missed. . Western Grebes continueon Lake Casa Blanca in Laredo. 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