. RBA . * Texas * Lower Rio Grande Valley * July 5, 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. . PELAGIC BIRDING OPPORTUNITY – Eric Carpenter is organizing threepelagic trips out of South Padre Island this summer. The dates are July 28 and August 25. Contact Eric for registration information at ecarpe@xxxxxxxxxx . Our rare bird alert this week includes: . Bufflehead +MASKED DUCK (gone?) Purple Gallinule +ROSE-THROATED BECARD Yellow-green Vireo Tropical Parula 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. . Purple Gallinules may continue to be present at various sites withemergent wetlands. Early migrants have included Swallow-tailed Kite at Resacade la Palma State Park, Gray Catbird at Bentsen, American Redstart at SantaAna, Black-and-white Warbler and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher at Sabal Palm, and themore expected Orchard Orioles. . The Valley from east to west. . Four Buffleheads were reported by an experienced local observer inthe Laguna Madre off South Padre Island on 6/30. . 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. . A male MASKED DUCK molting from eclipse plumage appeared 6/5 atSabal Palm Sanctuary and remained through 7/2 but it was not found on 7/3-7/4. A Yellow-green Vireo was singing near theblind on 7/4. This is the first verified(recorded) record of this species at Sabal this year. . At Estero Llano Grande State Park a female +ROSE-THROATED BECARDinitially found on the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival on 11/9 is stillfussing with her nest in the Tropical Zone! She is still not paired. The Becardis readily visible (easier in the AM) through at least 7/1. The nest is high ina palm tree, ask at the park HQ for directions. . A leucistic Black-chinned Hummingbird continues at the EdinburgScenic Wetlands. . 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. . 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. . 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. . 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. . 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 are completed for the spering. This owl is very difficult to find at anyother location at present. Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls have not been seen or heardat Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park since the summer of 2010, when the parkwas inundated by the Rio Grande. . 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 – days change in July 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@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx until March 2013. Santa Ana NWR- closed to bicycles Valley Nature Center, Weslaco, closed Sunday morning and Mondays. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mary Gustafson Mission, Texas