Yesterday (Wednesday, 02/10/16), for about two minutes (based on photo
times), my wife (Birgit) and I saw and I photographed a WHITE-COLLARED
SEEDEATER in a small leafless tree (near tall marsh reeds) on the USA side
of the river, perhaps 55-60 yards north of the boat launch. This situation
allowed easier photography than had it been perched amongst reeds, and it
proved further accommodating by constantly shifting somewhat its head
direction and/or body orientation. Bill shape and two white wing bars, as
well as the white âflagâ on the primaries, were evident in several photos.
Just before it flew and was not to be seen again, its bodily re-orientation
allowed one photo of the characteristic whitish marks on the sides and tips
of its tertials. The set of six photos allowed unequivocal species
identification. Based on those photos, the bird was not an adult male, but
it might well have been a first-winter (immature) male. The seedeater was
not, to all appearances, foraging in the tree, and it seemed to be looking
for something, perhaps one of its own kind. Perhaps, though, it simply was
enjoying sunbathing on this lovely, blue-sky day.
On an earlier visit yesterday to the river-side cane area to look for
seedeaters, we had been unable to find it, so we moved on to the feeder
station, a not-to-be-missed place even though we had visited it on many
other occasions. It was not disappointing, and during the 35-minutes we
were there it offered the following partial list of visiting species that
might interest birders/photographers looking forward to visiting this site.
This list is in no particular order, but all species listed here were seen
by my wife and me in the feeder area: GREEN JAY; BLACK-TUFTED TITMOUSE;
LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER; GOLDEN-FRONTED WOODPECKER; INCA DOVE;
WHITE-TIPPED DOVE; PYRRHULOXIA (nice to see alongside NORTHERN CARDINAL);
GREATER ROADRUNNER; AUDUBONâS ORIOLE; ALTAMIRA ORIOLE; LINCOLNâS SPARROW;
OLIVE SPARROW; and AMERICAN GOLDFINCH.
A very brief visit was made to Falcon State Park, largely to check out the
butterfly garden. That, alas, was in a pathetic state of dryness, and we
saw, only briefly, one unidentified lepidopteran. We did, though, find
WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW (1, possibly another seen too briefly for certain
identification).
We hastened back to Salineño as sunset approached. We had hoped to get some
late-day, low-sun-angle photos of White-collared Seedeater. A quick trip
along the previously successful stretch the river provided, though, no
additional sightings of that species. A quick river scan from the
boat-launch area found OSPREY, PIED-BILLED GREBE, and SPOTTED SANDPIPER. We
had looked earlier and again looked at late day for kingfisher species, but
we neither saw nor heard any.
Wishing everyone the best of birding,
Rex Stanford, Weslaco.
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