[wisb] Texas - Long - Lower Rio Grande Valley Feb 7 thru Feb 14

  • From: john romano <cajunbirder@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:59:50 -0800 (PST)






















































I've been in Texas for a couple weeks. Out of Austin, I did a birding 
trip from Feb 7 - Feb 14 in the lower Rio Grade Valley. The following is a 
summary of some of the main spots with some of my favorite birds, emphasizing 
the south Texas specialties.  I might add that I relied a lot on the local 
knowledge of local birders who were always helpful, both in 
both providing information and in many cases actually finding some of the 
"good" birds when I was hanging out/tagging along with them.  
 
The following species cannot be missed and were basically part of the 
landscape. They are easily found and often in good numbers. I will call these 
eight species the "always present 8 specialties", and will not normally 
mention them in this trip report.
 

Golden-fronted Woodpecker 













Ladder-backed Woodpecker 



Great Kiskadee 


Tropical/Couch's Kingbird  (most never sang so went unidentified) 



Green Jay 

Black-crested Titmouse 

Long-billed Thrasher 
Great-tailed Grackle 



  





Crested Caracara, Harris Hawks, and White-eyed Vireos were fairly 
common. Carolina Wren, Mockingbirds, and Orange-crowned Warblers were 
everywhere.  
  
Monday Feb 7 - Salineño - is a small village just down river from the Falcon 
Dam. 
  
In the DeWind's Yard close  to the river were Hooded Oriole, Altamira Oriole, 
Audubon's Oriole, and Bewick's Wren.  Down on the river I found a 

Ringed Kingfisher, Osprey and Red-shoulder Hawk. Just down Hwy 83 about 1 1/3 
miles east from the turn off to Salineno, there was a pond and open area 
were I found Mottled Duck, Northern Bobwhite, Least Grebe, Say's Phoebe, 
American Pipit and Lark Buntings.  A Gray Hawk was flying overhead. 











  
Santa Ana NWR just south of Alamo Tx - Just before sunset I saw White Ibis 
and Olive Sparrow As I was leaving the parking lot I heard a Ferruginous 
Pygmy-Owl. 





  


Tuesday Feb 8 - Santa Ana NWR (LTC 059) ) 
  
In the Morning â?? weather still cold. In addition to the "always 
present eight  specialties" I found Plain Chachalaca, Least Grebe, Neotropic 
Cormorant, Anhinga, Tricolored Heron, White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Black 
Vulture, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Olive Sparrow, and  Altamira Oriole.   
  

Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley SP WBC (Mission) (LTC 069) 

In the afternoon I added Inca Dove, White-tipped Dove, Allen's Hummingbird 
(which is not to be expected), and Vermilion Flycatcher. 
  

Wednesday Feb 9 back at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley SP 

  

Only birded 2 hours due to car trouble and brutal cold weather with high winds 
but did add Clay-colored Thrush, Pyrrhuloxia, and the extremely rare 
Black-vented Oriole. Fellow Vernon Co WI birder Glen Forchione got a very good 
photograph and later I had a great time talking to him in the coffee shop at 
Bentsen. 

  

Thursday Feb 10 - Estero Llano Grande SP WBC (Weslaco)(LTC 054) 

  

After another late start - I Birded Frontera Audubon Center mid- morning and 
then Estero Llano Grande SP in Weslaco into the early afternoon.  With some 
help from some of the local birders I was able to add Common Pauraque, Anna's 
Hummingbird, and White-throated Thrush. Back on my own I found Black-bellied 
Whistling-Duck, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Mottled Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Plain 
Chachalaca, Least Grebe, White-tailed Kite, Harris's Hawk, Common Moorhen, 
Common Ground-Dove, Common Pauraque, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Buff-bellied 
Hummingbird, Cave Swallow, Curve-billed Thrasher, Pine Warbler, Black-throated 
Green Warbler and Wilsons Warbler. and Lincolnâ??s Sparrow. About 3 PM I went 
to McAllen to Allen Williams' Backyard and did find the female Crimson-collared 
Grosbeak along with both Curve-billed and Long-billed Thrashers and a rare for 
 south Texas Winter Wren. I got to 10th Street in McAllen and found at couple 
hundred Green Parkeets at Violet
 and 10th Street. 
  
Friday Feb 11 spent morning hiking around Santa Ana NWR 
  
I  had a nice list of birds but no new Lower Rio Grande specialties so I 
decided to shake things up a bit and go to Brownsville. I decided to try Old 
Port Isabel Rd northeast of Brownsville which runs between Hwy 511 and Hwy 100 
to look for Aplomado Falcon.  I missed the falcon but saw some good birds 
including Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, White-faced Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, 
Harris's Hawks, White-tailed Hawks, Crested Caracara, Merlin and Northern 
Harrier, Black-necked Stilt, Vermilion Flycatcher, Loggerhead Shrike and Purple 
Martins. 
  
Saturday Feb 12 - Sabal Palm Sanctuary (LTC 042),  Brownsville 
  

Just before arriving at Sabal Palm Sanctuary, I saw a large flight of Snow 
Geese along with some Greater White-fronted Geese and Sandhill Cranes. Sabel 
Palm was sort of quiet, nothing new but Blue-headed Vireo and Oven bird, 2 new 
trip birds. I went back to Old Port Isabel Rd and this time I found the 
Aplomado Falcon, White-tailed Kite, Harris's Hawk, White-tailed Hawk, Crested 
Caracara,  Vermilion Flycatcher, Tropical/Couch's Kingbird, and got a real 
close and long look at a Cassin's Sparrow.   

  

When I got to Hwy 100, I followed it into Port Isabel and went out onto South 
Padre Island. I went to the WBC/Conv. Center/Laguna Madre Trail (LTC 035).  
There were Brown Pelican, and I heard both a Sora Rail and a Clapper Rail in 
the marsh. Out on the beach at lower tide there was an excellent variety of 
shorebirds including Semipalmated Plover, Piping Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, 
Sanderling, plus Royal Tern, Black Skimmer, and tons of Laughing Gulls. 

  
On the way back to Brownsville on Hwy 48 at the bottom of Laguna Atascosa 
NWR--Bahia Grande Unit,  an incredible numbers of gulls, herons,  and shore 
birds were congregated and I was able to view them from the shoulder of Hwy 
48.  Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Reddish Egret, 
Black-bellied Plover, Black-necked Stilt, Marbled Godwit and Royal Tern were 
observed. 
  

I arrived at the grounds of St Joseph Academy in  Brownsville about 5:45 PM 
and it was very birdy. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Muscovy Duck, Anhinga, 
Say's Phoebe, Tropical Kingbird (it sang), Couch's Kingbird (it sang), and Cave 
Swallow were seen. 

  
Sunday Feb 13 in Brownsville 
  
I found both Green Parakeet and Red-crowned Parrot at Boca Chica St/ Honeydale 
Rd in Brownsville at 7 AM. I added Black-crowned Night-Heron, Yellow-throated 
Warbler, and Hooded Oriole at Dean Porter Park across from Gladys Porter 
Zoo.      
  

At Southmost Nature Preserve which is east of Sabel Palms Audubon area, I saw 
40 White-faced Ibis, had another singing Couch's Kingbird, and Lark Sparrow. I 
traced a dirt road along the Rio Grande to its southern most point in Los 
Estados Unidos, but was unable to find a Green Kingfisher. 

  
Monday morning Feb 14 - Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley SP 
  
Arrived at 6:45 AM in time to see a Common Pauraque on the road. With the help 
of a local birder, I was able to get good looks at both Northern 
Beardless-Tyrannulet and the Gray Flycatcher. On the way out of the park at we 
staked out the place where a Blue Bunting had been seen a few hours earlier and 
at 9:55 AM we got good looks at the male Blue Bunting, a perfect way to end 
this trip to the lower Rio Grande Valley. 
  
In all I found 168 Species of which 30 were new ABA birds and 64 new Texas 
Birds. If you take a trip to McAllen Tx, I would recommend a stay at the Alamo 
B & B which is run by experienced birder Keith Hackland. He has a large 
common area full of birding books, maps and other birding resources and I was 
able to purchase the 2008 ABA/Lane guide to the Rio Grande Valley, which proved 
invaluable with its up to date information and very good maps. 
  
John Romano 
Madison Wis    
  
 
  
  
 
  




      
####################
You received this email because you are subscribed to the Wisconsin Birding 
Network (Wisbirdn).
To UNSUBSCRIBE or SUBSCRIBE, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: 
//www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn.
To set DIGEST or VACATION modes, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: 
//www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn.
Visit Wisbirdn ARCHIVES at: //www.freelists.org/archives/wisbirdn.

Other related posts:

  • » [wisb] Texas - Long - Lower Rio Grande Valley Feb 7 thru Feb 14 - john romano
  1. Home
  2. wisbirdn
  3. Archive
  4. 02-2011