[texbirds] Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley RBA - February 6, 2013

From: Mary Gustafson <live4birds@xxxxxxx>
To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 6 Feb 2014 17:21:36 -0500 (EST)
Updates are posted at rgvbirds.blogspot.com

. 
* Texas 
* Lower Rio Grande Valley
* February 6, 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 Review Committee:ecarpeATgmail.com.  
_____________________________________________________________
NOTE: McAllen Botanical Gardensâ open Saturday mornings ONLY from 8-12. This 
site had been closed to the public for some time, letâs gobirding!  Find it 
on the south side ofBusiness 83 between Ware and Bentsen Rds. 
.
NOTE: The Bayside Drive at Laguna Atascosa is closed toprivate vehicles to 
protect ocelots.  This area is covered by refuge tours.  All other portions of 
Laguna are OPEN asnormal!  Private vehicles can driveto Osprey Overlook, and 
there are 50 miles of hiking and biking trails.  
______________________________________________________________
Lingering Anis are still at several sites (most reportsare from Santa Ana 
NWRâs Pintail Lakes). Zone-tailed Hawks are at several sites including 
Edinburg, northMcAllen, east of Santa Ana, Estero, Anzalduas, and Starr County. 
  Grassland sparrows seem to be increasingafter a dismal early winter, 
Grasshopper Sparrows have been located at severalsites including Estero Llano 
Grande.  Anadult male Allenâs Hummingbird appeared in San Benito on 1/26. 
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Our rare bird alert this week includes: 
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Hook-billed Kite 
Ferruginous Hawk (no reports)
Glaucous Gull
Little Gull 
+ROSE-THROATED BECARD
Tropical Parula 
Mangrove [Yellow] Warbler 
Painted Redstart  (Brooks Co.)
.
This is a general reminder that playing recordings is notallowed in Texas State 
Parks nor in many LRGV birding sites. All State Park andNational Wildlife 
Refuge visitors must stay on trails. Thank you for not
disturbing the wildlife or damaging the vegetation. 
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The Valley from east to west.   
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An American Redstart has been present on South Padre Islandat the Convention 
Center all winter.  
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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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The immature Little Gull was relocated on an island inthe Brownsville Ship 
Channel on 1/31. Contact the Sealife Center (number above) for information on 
how to seethis bird, which is accessible only by boat. The  Little Gull was 
found on BocaChica beach near the mouth of the Rio Grande on 1/17-23.  This is 
the second for Cameron County and alsothe second record for Mexico.  
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A first-winter Glaucous Gull is also present on the beachat Boca Chica through 
1/30. A Common Tern was nicely documented from 1/17-27. 
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A ROSE-THROATED BECARD was found at Sabal Palm on Sunday1/26.  This week there 
are severalreports of the Becard at the feeding station, most recently 
yesterday.  
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Black Phoebe are at the UTB campus and Hugh Ramsey NaturePark. They are 
restricted in range in Cameron County. 
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A Black-headed Grosbeak was well documented at Resaca dela Palma State Park 
last week.  
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An immature Ferruginous Hawk was reported on 1/10 from1425 near the Sugar House 
just north of 190. The bird continued through 1/18. Please report additional 
Ferruginous Hawks, using caution with paleRed-tailed Hawks including 
Kriderâs. This location is on the Hidalgo/Cameron county line.  There are no 
recent reports. 
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Winter Wren have been reported from several locations inthe RBA area.  This is 
a rare species inthe LRGV, and notes or photos are of interest for all reports. 
 There are now a few individuals documentedbut many more reports lacking 
substance. 
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A Herring Gull was found on Delta Lake in Hidalgo County,where the species is 
exceptional.  Itcontinued to 2/5.  
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Two Tropical Parula are at the Edinburg Scenic Wetlandsthrough 2/5.  One 
individual has weak eyearcs but has an extensive yellow breast onto the belly 
and a clear breast andthroat without a dark crescent.  
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A Brown Pelican continues at Anzalduas County Park inHidalgo County, where the 
species is exceptional.  
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Five Hook-billed Kites were found foraging in the MissionHike and Bike trail 
accessed from the Mission Nature Park.  Take US 83 to Mission and go south a 
shortdistance on Conway Rd. to the Mission Nature Park on the west side of the 
road. Walk about Â½ mile down the bike trailpast the electric lines that cross 
the trail. The levee just south of the trail provides a vista to the south, but 
notmuch visibility to the north.  They areseen earlier and later on windy days, 
and more 9AM-4PM on calmer days.  They are not often reported on gray colddays. 
 
.
Several American Robin and a single Golden-crownedKinglet are at the NBC site 
in Mission. 
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At Bentsen, a Black-headed Grosbeak continues through1/26 in the area of the 
Acacia Loop.  TheRed-naped Sapsucker continues near the Green Jay blind. 
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A white morph Reddish Egret was found on the Rio Grandenear Salineno on the Rio 
Grande Valley Birding Festival in November.  Two were tallied by kayakers on 
the FalconCBC on 1/1, and one was reported at Salineno on 1/22 and 1/26.   An 
immature Bald Eagle was photographed onthe Rio Grande on 1/21.  
.
Out of our area to the north, a Painted Redstart wasfound at the Falfurrias 
Rest Area on US 281 on 10/19 and continues to at least 2/1.  This site is in 
Brooks County. 
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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). Brownsvilleâs 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.
.
Green Parakeets can be seen staging in McAllen near 10thand Dove in the 
evening, sometimes winging a few blocks over to Nolana xMcColl. Watch for a 
couple of Mitred Parakeets that sometimes mingle with them.  There is another 
staging area in Mission onthe north expressway.  
.
In Hidalgo, at 5th and Gardenia near the Hidalgo PumphouseWorld Birding Center, 
a few Monk Parakeets have taken up residence buildingnests on telephone poles, 
keeping company with an escaped Rose-ringed Parakeet.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 
Seedeater site, is by advance reservationsonly. E-mail the owner at 
Edward.herbst AT att.net. This is a fee site.
. 
Updated FERRUGINOUS PYGMY-OWL INFORMATION - FerruginousPygmy-Owls are present 
on the King Ranch (Norias Division only).  Other private ranches are no longer 
availableor do not have accessible pygmy-owls.  Thisowl is very difficult to 
find at any other location at present and has not beenseen or heard at 
Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park since the summer of 2010,when the park was 
inundated by the Rio Grande. 
.
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. 
 
Bentsen-RGV State Park, open 7 days until spring; firsttram at 8:30 AM. 
 
Edinburg Scenic Wetlands World Birding Center, buildingand grounds both closed 
on Sundays. 
 
Estero Llano Grande State Park, building/store open 7days. 
 
Frontera Audubon Thicket, Weslaco, closed Sunday morningsand all day Mondays 
except by appointment. 
 
Laguna Atascosa NWR â Bayside Drive closed to privatevehicles to protect 
ocelots. 
 
Los Ebanos Preserve, San Benito, Appointment ONLY;956-241-2494. 
 
McAllen Botanical Garden â OPEN Saturdays from 8-12 noon.
 
Methodist Camp Thicket, Weslaco, group reservations (fee)only. Contact Estero 
LlanoGrande State Park. 
 
Quinta Mazatlan, McAllen, closed Sundays and Mondays. 
 
Resaca de la Palma State Park, building/store closed/notrams Monday-Wednesday 
starting June 1, grounds open (self-pay station).  
 
Salineno âfeeding station is open, porta-potty in place!  The feeders will be 
closing in March. 
 
Santa Ana NWR- closed to bicycles 
 
Valley Nature Center, Weslaco, closed Sunday mornings andMondays.

Mary Gustafson
Mission, Texas

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[texbirds] Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley RBA - February 6, 2013

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