[texbirds] VNC Field Trip to La Feria and Rangerville Road
- From: MiriamEagl@xxxxxxx
- To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 24 Aug 2013 18:46:21 -0400 (EDT)
Hi, all!
This trip was originally billed as the "Sod Farm Hop", but the most
productive spots weren't anywhere near the sod farms (and the only grasspiper
of
note we picked up at any of them was an Upland Sandpiper along Weaver Road),
so hence the subject line! After meeting at the Whataburger in La Feria,
three car-loads of us headed down to La Feria Nature Park! This was
probably the most productive spot of the day; a Loggerhead Shrike made obscene
noises at us in the parking lot, and as we approached the viewing platform
several Red-eared Sliders made a bee-line for us (obviously used to getting
handouts)! Dozens of Neotropic Cormorants wheeled about, some with whitish
head plumes, and right away we were treated to out-in-the-open (relatively
speaking) Least Bitterns! (They were being so vocal that I even managed to
get one recorded, which is next to impossible unless you just happen to
have the thing running when they sound off!) Pat spotted a Green Kingfisher
sitting on a cement culvert across the way, and in the far pond several
Roseate Spoonbills fed and then flew overhead! The girls spotted a Common
Gallinule that I missed...
The La Feria Sod Farms were devoid of water (and therefore birds), so we
headed over to Rangerville Road where the resaca there was also jumping with
stuff: more Spoonbills showed off, but we also had several Black-necked
Stilts, a couple of Tricolored and Green Herons, a young night heron of
unknown species doing its "yoga pose" across the way, and a nice Semipalmated
Sandpiper in with the Leasts for good comparisons! At the south end we had
good looks at a couple of Stilt Sandpipers feeding with a couple of
Long-billed Dowitchers, along with a Lesser Yellowlegs. The full-grown but
still
young Black-bellied Whistling Ducks caused some confusion at first, as with
their blue-gray bills and pale brown coloration, they can superficially
look like Fulvous Whistling Ducks! A quick look at the resaca in the Las
Palomas WMA added several Wilson's Phalaropes to the list.
Norma's car died about then, so Cheryle and Sue opted to join my car and
Pat's car respectively while Norma and Linda B waited for hubby to show up
with a working vehicle, and we made a quick trip over to the sod farms on
Weaver Road. The road (which can be slick as snot when wet) was thankfully
dry, but alas produced no grasspipers except for the aforementioned Upland
Sandpiper (although we did have a young Harris' Hawk being chased by Tropical
Kingbirds along Jimenez Road, and a nice Swainson's Hawk at the sod
farms). So by the time we got back to Rangerville Road the backup vehicle had
arrived, Norma's hubby got the other one to start, and took that ailing baby
home while we continued on to Sugarhouse Pond. Unfortunately it started to
rain when we got up there--the other two cars decided to brave it out, but
I needed to get back; hopefully Norma (or someone) will chime in with any
additional sightings!
There's a problem with the server, so pictures and recordings will be
posted later. Bird List:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis
Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus
Least Bittern Ixobrychus exilis
Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
Great Egret Ardea alba
Snowy Egret Egretta thula
Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Green Heron Butorides virescens
Night-Heron sp. Nycticorax sp.
White Ibis Eudocimus albus
Roseate Spoonbill Platalea ajaja
Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
Harris's Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus
Swainson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni
Killdeer Charadrius vociferus
Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius
Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda
Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus
Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla
Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus
Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus
Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla
Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia
Rock Pigeon Columba livia
Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto
White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica
Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
Inca Dove Columbina inca
Common Ground-Dove Columbina passerina
Lesser Nighthawk Chordeiles acutipennis
Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor
Buff-bellied Hummingbird Amazilia yucatanensis
Green Kingfisher Chloroceryle americana
Golden-fronted Woodpecker Melanerpes aurifrons
Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus
Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus
Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus
Purple Martin Progne subis
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Cave Swallow Petrochelidon fulva
Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
Curve-billed Thrasher Toxostoma curvirostre
European Starling Sturnus vulgaris
Olive Sparrow Arremonops rufivirgatus
Dickcissel Spiza americana
Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus
Bronzed Cowbird Molothrus aeneus
Lesser Goldfinch Spinus psaltria
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
55 SPECIES
Mary Beth Stowe
McAllen, TX
_www.miriameaglemon.com_ (http://www.miriameaglemon.com/)
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