Yesterday, after a drive up from Weslaco, Erik Breden and I spent several
hours (ca. 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, a lunch break excepted) at Shelley Park in
Refugio in a fruitless search for the Flame-colored Tanager. We encountered
perhaps 12-15 other birders, all of whom reported no sighting of that
species. One birder early in the day had reported seeing this target
species, according to what some birders we encountered there had heard from
that individual considerably prior to our arrival. Disappointedly, our
search for it, as noted earlier, was fruitless, and from the first of our
visit to its end shortly before 4:00PM we spoke with no birders who
reported having seen the Flame-colored tanager.
During the afternoon, more than once, Northern Cardinals appeared in
substantial numbers, raising our hopes and those of others that the
Flame-colored Tanager would be amongst them, for it often had been seen in
the company of a large group of cardinals. Alas, we never spotted the
sought-for species, even briefly, and the many other birders with whom we
spoke throughout our stay provided no positive reports of that species.
I regret having to be a bearer of bad news, but negative outcomes, despite
serious efforts (along with the same outcome from other birders), would
seem to merit reporting. Whether the desired species remains in the area
can only be ascertained on the basis of subsequent reports. It may be hoped
that both negative and positive findings will be reported.
Wishing everyone good birding,
Rex Stanford (Weslaco).
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