[texbirds-freelists] [texbirds] Eastern Hidalgo County, 4/7/12

From: Dan Jones <antshrike1@xxxxxxx>
To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2012 13:44:16 -0500
With nothing going on locally migration wise, I decided to do my summer loop
north of Weslaco.

Delta Lake (Hidalgo) - Water is high with only a few Laughing Gulls.  Much
of the vegetation along the north side, west of the highway has been
cleared, including my favorite Yellow Warbler site for CBC.

CR 2500 Pond on FM 88 (Willacy) - Despite the recent heavy rains it was
completely dry.

No visible water along TX 186 from FM88 to Brushline Road.

Sal del Ray (Hidalgo) - I was expecting the salt lake to be full, but
instead it was very low with a broad border of saline slush.  The water has
receded to east of the concrete culverts.  Only two Snowy Plovers and a
Gull-billed Tern.  The freshwater pond was mostly dry with only a Marsh Wren
and a Swamp Sparrow.  Very few birds along the 3/4 mile walk in from
Brushline Rd.  I did see my first Bobwhites of the year.

Brushline Road (Hidalgo) Looking for water, I drove north on Brushline to
Mary Beth's pond.  It was low and stinking of sewage or barnyard runoff.  It
held a few Blue-winged Teal, one American Avocet, 3 Black-necked Stilts and
one Pectoral Sandpiper and 30 Least Sand Pipers.  Driving south of TX 186
there no water till I reached an irrigated field with its runoff pond.  It
held Norther Shovelers, American Wigeon, Mottled Ducks, Blue-winged Teal and
a Solitary Sandpiper.

Bucy Road Pond north of FM 490 (Hidalgo).  I was happy to see the pond still
exists after some ag drainage work.  It was low but had a nice flock of
shorebirds:  18 Baird's Sandpipers, one Semipalmated Sandpiper, one Western
Sandpiper, 20 Least Sandpipers, a Lesser Yellowlegs and a Pectoral
Sandpiper.

Hargill Playas (Hidalgo) - The Cattle Pen playa was dry but the one on First
and Lincoln had plenty of water and four Wilson's Plovers.  This is the only
place I've seen them in the county.  Hope they raise some kids before it
gets too hot and dry.  Also present were ten Gull-billed Terns, about 20
distant peeps with a Baird's Sandpiper, 50 Northern Shovellers and four
Blue-winged Teal.  Least Terns should be back soon.

Hwy 490 west of FM 88 (Willacy) - One Upland Sandpiper.

Dan Jones, Weslaco

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[texbirds-freelists] [texbirds] Eastern Hidalgo County, 4/7/12

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