[texbirds] RBA - Texas, Lower Rio Grande Valley - January 4, 2013

From: Mary Gustafson <live4birds@xxxxxxx>
To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2013 10:31:36 -0500 (EST)
RBA
. 
* Texas 
* Lower Rio GrandeValley 
* January 4, 2012
. 
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. 
.
________________________________________________
NOTE: 
Salineno â The ValleyLand Fund feeding station is closed and there is no 
access.  Volunteers are feeding on the USFWS traildownhill from the VLF 
entrance.   
.
Valley area CBCs aregearing up! Find a list of the CBCs and the compilers at 
http://rgvbirds.blogspot.com/p/lower-rio-grande-valley-christmas-bird.html
________________________________________________
Our rare bird alert thisweek includes: 
.
Long-tailed Duck 
Surf Scoter  
Reddish Egret
Glossy Ibis 
American Woodcock
Black-legged Kittiwake (gone?)
+ROSE-THROATED BECARD 
Mangrove [Yellow]Warbler 
. 
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. 
.
Burrowing Owls werereported from a few locations this week, keep your eyes 
open!  Couchâs Kingbirds are in very short supplyagain this winter, they seem 
to be more plentiful in Cameron County and absentfrom Hidalgo. Mallards of the 
northern subspecies are present this winter, anunusual event - Bufflehead, Wood 
Duck and Hooded Mergansers are in above normalnumbers across the valley as 
well.  
.
American Woodcock are atrecord levels in the LRGV!  Most birdsare only found 
for a couple of days, but observers should be aware and reportsightings.  
Irrigated and urban areas,parks, and adjacent to wetlands are typical habitats 
for the species this winter.  
.
Highlights from the grayand rainy Bentsen CBC include Audubonâs Oriole on 
private land, plentifulwaterfowl, and the continuing Red-naped Sapsucker near 
the Green Jay blind atBentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park. A near-albino 
American Coot was a shock to some birders on a private ranch! 
.
The Valley from east towest. 
.
An immature Black-leggedKittiwake continues through 12/24 at the South Padre 
Island jetty. 
.
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.  
.
At Estero Llano GrandeState Park, the +ROSE-THROATED BECARD continued through 
12/30 in the TropicalZone.  
.
Rare for the county, aLong-tailed Duck and Surf Scoter continue on Donna 
Reservoir through 1/1.  Donna Reservoir is on FM 1423 south of US 83.
.
A Reddish Egret continuesat Delta Lake on the La Sal Vieja CBC on 12/21. On 
1/2, Sanderling, Franklinâs Gull, and Black-bellied Plover continued.Six 
white-cheeked (Cackling/Canada) Geese were a surprise near the salt lakes 
on12/21!  They can appear foraging withWhite-fronts and Snows anywhere in the 
Hidalgo/Cameron county line area (oftenin harvested corn fields).  
EitherCackling or Canada Goose are very rare in the LRGV!  Please report these 
birds if you seethem!  
.     
Hooded Merganserscontinue at Santa Ana NWR. A late Wood Stork was photographed 
on 12/21, forSanta Ana Count Week, and a Glossy Ibis was photographed on 12/30. 
.
A Red-naped Sapsuckercontinues at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park in the 
area of theresaca.  The bird shows some hybridcharacters and may be a backcross 
or third generation hybrid between Red-napedand the even rarer in Texas 
Red-breasted Sapsucker.  A Red-naped Sapsucker would have more blackfeathering 
separating the red throat and the pale line above it, with the blackpinched in 
the middle.  This bird hasvirtually no black line.  Last report12/15. 
.
Also at Bentsen, aNorthern Flicker was reported near the Hawk Tower on 12/26.  
A Green-tailed Towhee was reported on the RioGrande trail on 1/1. Please report 
sightings of both birds to the park if they arerelocated.  
.
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. WesternGrebes 
continue on Lake Casa Blanca in Laredo, and a Brown Pelican was reportedat the 
lake last week.  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, sometimeswinging a few blocks over to Nolana/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 other locationat 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. 
Edinburg Scenic WetlandsWorld Birding Center, building and grounds both
closed on Sundays. 
Bentsen-RGV State Park,building/store closed/no trams on Monday, but the 
grounds are open (self-paystation). 
**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

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[texbirds] RBA - Texas, Lower Rio Grande Valley - January 4, 2013

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