[texbirds] Rio Grande Valley Rare Bird Alert 20Sept2012
- From: "John Yochum" <John.Yochum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2012 17:15:39 -0500
RBA
.
* Texas
* Lower Rio Grande Valley
* September 20, 2012
.
To report rare birds, e-mail rgvbirds AT hotmail.com (preferred)or call
(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.
.
Our rare bird alert this week includes:
.
Masked Booby
+ SHORT-TAILED HAWK
+ ROSE-THROATED BECARD
Mangrove [Yellow] Warbler
.
This is a general reminder that playing recordings is not allowed in
Texas State Parks nor in many LRGV birding sites. All State Park and
National Wildlife Refuge visitors must stay on trails. Thank you for not
disturbing the wildlife or damaging the vegetation.
.
Migration is generally on schedule with shorebirds, now the warblers and
flycatchers (a highlight is a Blackburnian at Brownsville's Resaca de la
Palma!), and a few raptors and ducks (early Northern Pintails and
Cinnamon Teal at Estero Llano Grande State Park), so be sure to check
out your favorite migrant traps (Bentsen Hawk Tower, Sugarhouse Pond,
South Padre Island Convention Center and Valley Fund Lots come to mind)
to catch them while you can!
.
The Valley from east to west.
.
On South Padre Island September 16, a Masked Booby was found on the
beach behind the Sheraton. The banded bird was taken to the Gladys
Porter Zoo in Brownsville for rehabilitation.
.
Mangrove Warbler, a well-marked subspecies of Yellow Warbler that may be
distinct enough to warrant full species status, can be seen by
contacting the Sealife Center at (956) 299-1957.
.
The +ROSE-THROATED BECARD was again photographed quite well on Saturday
September 15, near her nesting site. She was first found in November
of last year during the Harlingen Birding Festival-will she stay the
whole year? Please document any summer dates to the Texas Bird Review
Committee. It is especially important to document the entire date span
of this bird.
.
At Santa Ana NWR, a light morph adult +SHORT-TAILED KITE was discovered,
seen and photographed September 3, 5, and again September 9.
.
Rufous/Allen's Hummingbirds have been seen at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley
State Park in Mission, South Padre Island, Estero Llano Grande State
Park in Weslaco, and Resaca de la Palma State Park near Olmito.
.
Red-crowned Parrots are sometimes seen in the areas of Quinta Mazatlan
in McAllen, Valley Nature Center in Weslaco in the evening, Calvary
Baptist Church in Harlingen (1815 N 7th Street), and also at Oliveira
Park (Los Ebanos Road/El Paso Road across from Pace High School) in
Brownsville, mingling at dusk with escaped Yellow-headed and Red-lored
Parrots. Red-crowned Parrots and Green Parakeets are seen in urban areas
irregularly all over the Valley.
.
Green Parakeets can be seen staging in McAllen near 10th and Dove in the
evening, sometimes winging a few blocks over to Nolana/McColl. Watch for
a couple of Mitred Parakeets that sometimes mingle with them.
.
In Hidalgo at 5th and Gardenia near the Hidalgo Pumphouse World Birding
Center, a few Monk Parakeets have taken up residence building a nest on
a telephone pole.
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WHITE-COLLARED SEEDEATER INFORMATION - Most sites for White-collared
Seedeaters are in Zapata and Webb counties. Information is provided as a
service to visiting birders. Sites to check include the San Ygnacio
County Park/Seedeater Sanctuary at the foot of Washington Street in San
Ygnacio, the Raptor Trail at the west end of San Ygnacio, the libray
pond in Zapata, and Laredo's Las Palmas Trail, North Central and Father
McNaboe Park. Access to La Laja Ranch, also a Seedeater site, is by
advance reservations only. E-mail the owner at Edward.herbst AT att.net.
This is a fee site.
.
FERRUGINOUS PYGMY-OWL INFORMATION - Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls are present
at El Canelo, San Miguelito Ranch and King Ranch (Norias Division only).
San Miguelito is closed until March 1. This owl is very difficult to
find at any other location at present and have not been seen or heard
atBentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park since the summer of 2010, when
the park was inundated by the Rio Grande.
.
Directions are provided only for sites not included in the ABA Birders'
Guide to the Rio Grande Valley or the Birders' Guide to the Texas Coast.
These guides are indispensable for visiting birders.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Site Closures:
Allen Williams Wildscape, Pharr, open by appointment ONLY; Call or text
956-460-9864.
Edinburg Scenic Wetlands World 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 Grande State Park, building/store closed Mondays and
Tuesdays, but the grounds are open (self-pay station).
Frontera Audubon Thicket, Weslaco, closed Sunday mornings and all day
Mondays except by appointment.
Los Ebanos Preserve, San Benito, Appointment ONLY; 956-241-2494.
Methodist Camp Thicket, Weslaco, group reservations (fee) only. Contact
Estero Llano Grande State Park.
Quinta Mazatlan, McAllen, closed Sundays and Mondays.
Resaca de la Palma State Park, 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 to bicycles
Valley Nature Center, Weslaco, closed Sunday mornings and Mondays.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
John Yochum
Park Ranger IV
Estero Llano Grande State Park
Weslaco TX
956-565-3919
Bird Walks Saturdays and Sundays at 8:30am
Butterfly/Dragonfly Walks, Fridays 1:30pm
Alligator Walks 11am to Noon
Tram Tours, Sundays 2pm-4pm, or call to arrange your own time
Full Moon Night Hike, September 30 (every full moon), 8-10pm
Geocaching Workshop, September 29 7-9pm
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