[texbirds] VNC Trip to Santa Rosa et al
- From: MiriamEagl@xxxxxxx
- To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 16:54:54 -0400 (EDT)
Hi, all!
Our VNC trip was kind of a free-for all, starting at the garden retreat of
Norma's friend Florence Huff in Santa Rosa, who enjoys setting up habitat
for the birds and butterflies! This month the Birder Patrol consisted of
Pat, Joyce, and Marie (from the Alamo Contingent); Norma, Cheryle, and Sue
(from the Harlingen Contingent), and MJ and myself (from the Edinburg
Contingent)! A Curve-billed Thrasher whistled across the street, but the
birdlife
consisted mainly of Inca Doves, Kiskadees, and a sneezing Couch's Kingbird.
After enjoying Florence's garden we decided to hit Sugarhouse Pond, as
Norma reported it was just "stuffed" with birds the day before, and it didn't
disappoint: Shorebirds and ducks were packed together in several clumps
around the pond, consisting mainly of dowitchers/Stilt Sandpipers, stilts and
avocets, Least Sandpipers, Wilson's Phalaropes, Blue-winged Teal, and
Mottled Ducks. We worked hard to pick out single Green-winged Teal, Pintail,
American Wigeon, Western Sandpiper, and a couple of Eared Grebes, but the
highlight was a couple of young Franklin's Gulls out in the middle! A
White-tailed Kite circled with a TV, and a Harrier made several passes and
stirred up the mob. We also had a very odd-looking female teal-type that was
probably just a Blue-winged, but it sure looked different (and wouldn't show
us an open wing, naturally)...
From there we split up: the Alamo group wanted to try for the Red-necked
Phalaropes out by Laguna Vista, and the rest of us wanted to go for the
Golden-crowned Warbler at Frontera. While there a couple of Nashville
Warblers got us going, and a lady Black-and-white bounced around on a tree, but
the most exciting bird was a fluffy little "wheek"ing Beardless Tyrannulet
that popped up right in front of us, which was a lifer for MJ! The resident
Gray Hawk yelled in the background of all this...
We had run into the Fullers, so the Harlingen Contingent decided to hang
around while MJ and I headed back to Edinburg to try for the Painted
Redstart. We scoured the whole area with the most exciting thing being a
Cassius
Blue, but a Mockingbird sat within inches on a bush giving us a dirty look!
Headed home with 54 species for the morning. Pictures are here:
http://miriameaglemon.com/photo_gallery/2013%20Field%20Trips/October/Sugarho
use%20Pond.html
Bird List:
American Wigeon Anas americana
Mottled Duck Anas fulvigula
Blue-winged Teal Anas discors
Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata
Northern Pintail Anas acuta
Green-winged Teal Anas crecca
Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis
Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis
Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
Great Egret Ardea alba
Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
White-tailed Kite Elanus leucurus
Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus
Gray Hawk Buteo plagiatus
American Coot Fulica americana
Killdeer Charadrius vociferus
Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
American Avocet Recurvirostra americana
Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri
Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus
Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus
Wilson's Phalarope
Franklin's Gull Leucophaeus pipixcan
Rock Pigeon Columba livia
Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto
White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica
Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
Inca Dove Columbina inca
Buff-bellied Hummingbird Amazilia yucatanensis
Golden-fronted Woodpecker Melanerpes aurifrons
Crested Caracara Caracara cheriway
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet Camptostoma imberbe
Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus
Couch's Kingbird Tyrannus couchii
White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus
Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris
Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Black-crested Titmouse Baeolophus atricristatus
House Wren Troglodytes aedon
Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea
Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
Curve-billed Thrasher Toxostoma curvirostre
Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia
Orange-crowned Warbler Oreothlypis celata
Nashville Warbler Oreothlypis ruficapilla
Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus
Lesser Goldfinch Spinus psaltria
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
54 SPECIES
Mary Beth Stowe
McAllen, TX
_www.miriameaglemon.com_ (http://www.miriameaglemon.com/)
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