[texbirds] RBA: Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley - October 30, 2014

  • From: "Mary Gustafson" <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> (Redacted sender "live4birds@xxxxxxx" for DMARC)
  • To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 16:21:12 -0400

Here comes the RGVBF!  Wishing them a successful event starting next Wednesday! 
 
. 
* Texas 
* Lower Rio Grande Valley
* October 30, 2014
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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 Records Committee:ecarpeATgmail.com.  
_____________________________________________________________
NOTE: The Salineno feedingstation reopens to birders this Saturday November 1.  
Be sure to thank Lois and Merle (and Jake)when you see them for their hard work 
in preparing the site and settingup!  Audubon’s and Altamira Orioles 
arealready coming in to the feeding station. 
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NOTE: A local researcher islooking for territorial Harris’s Hawks. If you 
regularly see Harris’s Hawks on territory or you locate a nest,please contact 
Bill Clark at raptours AT earthlink.net. 
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NOTE: Feeding has re-started forthe winter at Bentsen and Estero.  Thebirds are 
starting to come in for the food, but natural food sources are stillgenerally 
plentiful.  
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NOTE: State Park are changingover to winter hours in October (Bentsen, Resaca) 
and November 1 (Estero).   In summer hours, offices and shops closedearly in 
the week, though the parks are OPEN – please use the ‘iron ranger’ toself 
register each day (even if you have a state park pass).   See specific listings 
below underBentsen-Rio Grande Valley, Estero Llano Grande, and Resaca de la 
Palma.  
______________________________________________________________
Fall migration continues withhigh numbers of Turkey Vultures and winter 
arrivals.  
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Our rare bird alert this week includes: 
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+BROWN BOOBY 
+RED-BILLED TROPICBIRD 
Hook-billed Kite
Sabine’s Gull  
Selasphorous hummingbird 
Tropical Parula 
Mangrove [Yellow] Warbler  
Painted Redstart
.                                          
This is a general reminder that playing recordings is notallowed in Texas State 
Parks, federal properties, nor in many LRGV birdingsites. All State Park and 
National Wildlife Refuge visitors must stay ontrails. Thank you for not 
disturbing the wildlife or damaging the vegetation. 
.
The Valley from east to west.   
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The October 25 pelagic had calm seas and excellentbirding including a 
+RED-BILLED TROPICBIRD and a +BROWN BOOBY welloffshore.  An Audubon’s 
Shearwater wasdistant, but excellent views were had of Magnificent Frigatebird, 
Bridled Ternand Masked Booby.  As the trip returnedto South Padre Island, an 
immature Sabine’s Gull (second county record) wasseen by a few leaders.  
Intrepidobservers were able to go out the jetty before dusk and relocate this 
stunninggull.   On October 26 the Sabine’s Gulland a different +BROWN BOOBY 
from the one on the pelagic were seen from the BocaChica jetty (the south side 
of the inlet) but not relocated on October 27.  
. 
A Swainson’s Warbler was photographed at the SPIConvention Center on 10/26 
for the latest documented fall record.  
.
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.  
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A Tropical Parula continues at Quinta Mazatlan through10/28.  The bird is 
singing heartily andhas been found mostly in the eastern portion of the 
property.   
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At Anzalduas County Park, both Hook-billed Kite (10/29)and Zone-tailed Hawk 
(10/27) were reported this week.  Gray Hawk is a regularspecies at this 
location.  
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Nearby at Bentsen, perhaps the same Zone-tailed Hawk asat Anzalduas was 
photographed over the park on Sunday 10/26.  
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EXTRALIMITAL REPORTS 
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The Painted Redstart returned to the Brooks County RestArea on US 281 south of 
Falfurrias on Saturday 9/20 and continues to 10/30.  A Painted Redstart 
wintered at this site lastyear.   
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PARROT REPORT
Red-crowned Parrots are sometimes seen in the areas ofQuinta Mazatlan in 
McAllen, Valley Nature Center in Weslaco in the evening,Calvary Baptist Church 
in Harlingen (1815 N 7th Street). Brownsville’s OliveiraPark (Los Ebanos 
Road/El Paso Road across from Pace High School) hasRed-crowned Parrots as well, 
mingling at dusk with escaped Yellow-headed,White-fronted, Lilac-crowned and 
Red-lored Parrots. Red-crowned Parrots andGreen Parakeets are seen in urban 
areas irregularly all over the Valley.
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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.  
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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.  
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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 
Seedeatersite, is by advance reservations only. E-mail the owner at 
Edward.herbst ATatt.net. This is a fee site. White-collared Seedeaters are 
singing in mid-April to May, which makesthem muck easier to locate!  
. 
Updated FERRUGINOUS PYGMY-OWL INFORMATION - FerruginousPygmy-Owls are present 
on the King Ranch, along with reliable Tropical Parulas(Norias Division only).  
This is the onlybreeding site for Tropical Parula in the LRGV most years.  
Contact 361-592-8055 or visit@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx for moreinformation.  Tours are 
over (with theexception of the RGVBF) until spring 2015. The only tours that 
have a chance to find the owl are birding tours tothe Norias Division.  
Historic tours andbirding tours to Santa Gertrudis Division will not be able to 
find the owl asit does not occur near Kingsville.   
.
This spring and summer a pair of Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl withchicks entertained 
birders at San Miguelito Ranch (fee site), contact Letty at956-369-3118 or 
Buny55@xxxxxxx.  Otherprivate ranches are no longer open to birders or do not 
have accessiblepygmy-owls.  This owl is very difficultto find at any other 
location at present and has not been seen or heard atBentsen-Rio Grande Valley 
State Park since the summer of 2010, when the parkwas inundated by the Rio 
Grande. 
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Seehttp://rgvbirds.blogspot.com/p/ferruginous-pygmy-owl-sites.html for 
moreinformation. 
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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. 
 
UPDATE!
Bentsen-RGV State Park, open daily, first tram at 8:30AM. 
 
Camp Thicket (formerly Methodist Camp Thicket), Weslaco,group reservations 
(fee) only. ContactEstero Llano Grande State Park. 
 
Edinburg Scenic Wetlands World Birding Center, buildingand grounds closed on 
Sundays. 
 
UPDATE! 
Estero Llano Grande State Park, open daily; building/storeopen daily.  
 
Frontera Audubon Thicket, Weslaco, closed Sunday morningsand all day Mondays 
except by appointment; open Tues-Sat.  
 
Laguna Atascosa NWR – Bayside Drive closed to privatevehicles to protect 
ocelots. 
 
Los Ebanos Preserve, San Benito, Appointment ONLY;956-241-2494. 
 
McAllen Nature Center – OPEN Saturdays from 8-12 noon (andSunday?)  Call 
956-681-3333 forinformation. 
 
Camp Thicket, Weslaco, group reservations (fee) only. Contact Estero Llano 
Grande StatePark. 
 
Quinta Mazatlan, McAllen, closed Sundays and Mondays.  Open on Thursdays to 
dark.  
 
Resaca de la Palma State Park, open daily; building/storeclosed/no trams 
Monday-Tuesday, grounds open (self-pay station).  
 
Salineno –feeding station is CLOSED until November.   
 
Santa Ana NWR- closed to bicycles 
 
Valley Nature Center, Weslaco, closed Sunday mornings andMondays 

 
Mary Gustafson
Mission, Texas

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  • » [texbirds] RBA: Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley - October 30, 2014 - Mary Gustafson