[texbirds] RGV Swainson's Hawk, storks, flycatchers and more
- From: Robert Becker <robertjbecker@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: texbirds <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 8 Jul 2013 18:40:51 -0700 (PDT)
I spent some time over the long hot holiday weekend at some less-birded spots
that usually yield some interesting species. Best for me was a light adult
Swainson's Hawk that I spotted at Anzalduas County Park soaring high with two
Turkey Vultures. At first I thought it might be the juvenile Zone-tailed Hawk
reported by Mary Beth Stowe and Mary Gustafson, but once I got the photographed
on the computer and sprinkled some fairy dust on it the Swainson's emerged. The
hawk was on the Mexico side, but I am sure it flew over U.S. soil as I lost it
from view. Elsewhere in the park, a mother Muscovy Duck paddled by with four
babies, and a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher posed on a fence wire. Two Red-crowned
Parrots squawked and put up their usual fuss. There also was a pair of
Clay-colored Thrushes, a Brown-Crested Flycatcher and an oriole which I guess
was an Altamira but sure looked awfully yellowish as it flashed by. Just
sayin.'
I spent time also on the campus of UTB, which has been quite active this
summer. Four Wood Storks in the Fort Brown Resaca were a complete surprise, and
a friendly quartet of calling Couch's Kingbirds provided some great close-up
views. A Black Phoebe hunted bugs in the Resaca, a fledgling Northern
Mockingbird tried to disappear by blending with some tree bark, and a pair of
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks swam by with their babies.
Palo Alto yesterday had skylarking Cassin's Sparrows and three or four Common
Nighthawks.
Photo highlights are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13451078@N03/
Bob Becker
Rancho Viejo
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