[texbirds] RBA - Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley, October 18, 2012
- From: Mary Gustafson <live4birds@xxxxxxx>
- To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:54:01 -0400 (EDT)
RBA
.
* Texas
* Lower Rio GrandeValley
* October 18, 2012
.
To report rare birds,e-mail rgvbirds AT hotmail.com (preferred)or call
(956)584-2731 option 3.
.
Capitalized birds markedwith a + are Review Species for Texas. Please
sendsightings/photographs to the Texas Bird Review Committee:
ecarpeATgmail.com.
.
Our rare bird alert thisweek includes:
.
Reddish Egret
Hook-billed Kite
Zone-tailed Hawk
+ ROSE-THROATED BECARD
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Black-throated BlueWarbler
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.
.
Congratulations to allthe LRGV sites and birders that participated in the Big
Sit this year! The Big Sit is sponsored by Bird WatcherâsDigest. Quinta
Mazatlan set a new parkrecord with 46 species including a Zone-tailed Hawk!
Bentsen had 71 species,another Zone-tailed Hawk was at the Hawk Watch while the
count was at theKingfisher overlook. Estero Llano Grandebroke the park record
with 115 species! These counts are for one day (up to 24 hours) and include all
birds seenfrom a 17 foot circle. See
http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bigsitlive/ for international results!
.
At Bentsen, the park store and buildings are open Tuesday - Sundayand trams are
running 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The park store and buildingsremain closed with no
trams on Monday.
.
The Valley from east towest.
.
On South Padre Island, aBlack-throated Blue Warbler was found on 10/13. A
Red-breasted Nuthatch wasbriefly present on 10/16.
.
Mangrove Warbler, awell-marked subspecies of Yellow Warbler that may be
distinct enough towarrant full species status, can be seen by
contacting the SealifeCenter at (956) 299-1957.
.
The +ROSE-THROATEDBECARD was heard in the Tropical Zone at Estero Llano Grande
on September 25.Please document any fall dates to the Texas Bird Review
Committee. It isespecially important to document the entire date span of this
bird.
.
Both King and VirginiaRail were reported from Estero Llano Grandeâs marshes
during the week. Bothspecies are much easier to find in Cameron or Willacy
Counties. Two AmericanBittern are present, and can be confiding as they stalk
fish on the edge of themarsh. A Cinnamon Teal is nearlycompleted its molt, and
the Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal are getting morecolorful every day.
.
A Reddish Egret was presentat Delta Lake 10/11 and may be the same individual
present earlier thissummer.
.
A black morphHook-billed Kite was at Santa Ana on 10/15.
.
A Yellow-headed Parrot(origin uncertain or exotic) was at Anzalduas County Park
on 10/15. This species has been present at Anzalduasfor two years.
.
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.
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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
atBentsen-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,
Tuesday and Wednesday,but the grounds are open (self-pay station).
Estero Llano GrandeState Park, building/store closed Mondays and
Tuesdays, but thegrounds are open (self-pay station).
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).
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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