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Michigan Photo Shoot Part 2 - Pine River Nature Center & Applegate

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 13:41:15 GMT

Got up at a decent hour the next morning, went through the routine, and spent a wonderful hour out on the deck just enjoying whatever came by! A pretty American Goldfinch was the highlight, along with a Robin that was whinnying and singing! At around 8:30 we headed over to the Pine River Nature Center, but it was just gonna be Laura and Ida meeting us – no Archie (their Golden Retriever)! But when we got there, there was a sign that said, “No dogs on the trail”, so I guess it was a good thing! And it was indeed a lovely place, but I’m glad I brought my stick as there were several steps and inclines, as well as loose rocks. Birds were singing all over, so added a bunch of year birds by ear (unfortunately nothing got filmed except a lovely Ebony Jewelwing): Mourning Warbler and Acadian Flycatcher were highlights, but the Redstart had me wondering until he sang his “email” song! I cottoned Dave and Laura onto Merlin, and they both downloaded the app when they saw how impressive it was in IDing the birds (but I warned them that Merlin isn’t always right)! We visited the “treehouse” which had a nice view of the canopy (Ida insisted it was haunted), and then went to the VC where Ida could look at the stuffed and live animals (that Grizzly was impressive)! The Eastern Box Turtle was beautiful with his yellow cheeks, and the director was telling us that they were confiscated by Michigan game officials because they’re a threatened species.

American Goldfinches and House Sparrow in the back yard

Girls’ Day Out (Common Grackle and Flicker)

Entertaining Robin

Next adventure: the Pine River Nature Center!

Trail near the Visitor’s Center

Bog

The trail crosses the river (we didn’t go that way…)

Fam on the trail

Tree House

Laura points out some bark that looks like an eye!

Ebony Jewelwing

We check in at the Visitor’s Center to see their displays!

The Eastern Box Turtle was striking, but the Grizzly Bear was a little intimidating!

After we wrapped that up we came home, where I spent about an hour shooting a Chipping Sparrow and chasing something Merlin claimed was a Veery (but I didn’t buy it)… Dave and I then went up to his property in Applegate.

And that was a wonderful place! He had to mow the lawn, so I just wandered his trails; stuff was singing, and picked up a Coot and Pied-billed Grebe in the bog there. I used “Seek” a lot with the different plants: he ID’d Silver Maple, Common Yarrow, Orchard Grass, Meadow Hawkweed, Oxeye Daisy, Sensitive Fern, and Tall Hairy Agrimony (I thought it was Poison Ivy). Picked up some cool moths as well (including a caterpillar): Eastern Tent Caterpillar, Grayish Fanfoot, and Eastern Grass Veneer, plus a Summer Azure. There were a couple he had no clue on; this immaculate white one could be a (wait for it) Immaculate Grass Veneer, and this other one even Beadle & Leckie (the authors of the Peterson Moth field guide) would go no further than “Scalloped Metarranthis Complex”! Heard lots of stuff, including Red-eyed Vireos, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Ovenbirds, but the only birds to show themselves were a pair of Redstarts (one was an immature male, and he seemed the most excited), and an Eastern Phoebe. At one point I got turned around and ended up on a trail that belonged to Dave’s neighbor, but I eventually made my way back to his property. On the way out a fawn crossed the road and hunkered down in the ditch!

Dave's property in Applegate

Multi-flora Rose (left) and Common Yarrow (right)

L-R: Orchard Grass, Meadow Hawkweed, and Philadelphia Fleabane

One of Dave's deer blinds hidden in the woods

L-R: Eastern Phoebe, young male American Redstart, and presumed Scalloped Mettaranthis

L-R: Eastern Grass Veneer, Eastern Tent Caterpillar, and Immaculate Grass Veneer

Grayish Fanfoot (left) and Summer Azure on Oxeye Daisy (right)

Bee Moths in Dave's shed (female left and center, male right)

White-tailed Deer fawn that ran across the road and hid

We stopped for Chinese on the way home, then relaxed until Dave was about to shoo some Canada Geese off his lawn until I intervened to get some video ☺!

Pesky (according to Dave ☺) Canada Goose family

Michigan Photo Shoot Part 1 - Around Town

mbstowe414@gmail.com (Mary Beth Stowe) — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 15:03:27 GMT

It was a long time getting to Detroit as my 7:15 flight to Dallas was delayed until 11:45, but thankfully the flight to Detroit was also delayed, so there was plenty of layover time at Dallas! Both flights were uneventful; neither of my seat mates were very talkative, so I wasn’t going to push any conversations and just took that as a green light to go ahead and relax!

Obligatory shot from the plane

The baggage came through fine, my brother Dave and I finally connected, and we had an enjoyable drive back home (Detroit traffic wasn’t nearly as bad as I anticipated); in Port Huron we got detoured by the roads being closed by what the guy said was a tornado, but nothing ever came over the weather channels (Dave drove right through the storm on his way to Detroit), so most of the locals are thinking that it was really just a downburst…

Anyway, after finally crashing, had a fitful sleep and woke up earlier than I intended, so took a shower, got dressed, and came out to fix some coffee and ran into Dave; we had a bit of conversation (can I remember any of it? Of course not!) before retreating to the bedroom for devotionals.

Had just a little bit of cereal (as I didn’t want to spoil my appetite for the big lunch at the culinary school), took my meds and supplements, and I think just chilled with Dave until the sun came out and I went for a nice walk around the neighborhood, picking up several year birds and getting video of Robins, grackles, a cowbird, and a great standoff between two flickers! In the meantime Dave showed me his tripod that I had previously asked about borrowing, and it worked perfectly – no need to even use the camera shoe! They also had a cooler I could borrow (Dave called his wife Audrey the Queen of Coolers)!

American Robin, Michigan's state bird!

Common Grackle feeding the kid

This Flicker is minding his own business when an intruder enters and they have a “dance of words”!

Soon it was time to head to the Michigan Culinary Institute where my nephew-in-law Dieter’s sister Carly works, and it was great! You had a beautiful view of the river (as promised), and the gal who served us was still a student there, but they learn to cook and prepare and present – everything was terrific! Both Audrey and I had the Walleye and Dave had the salmon, but they also brought some “sweet-n-sour” cauliflower!

The restaurant at the Culinary Institute is Port Huron’s best kept secret!

Sis-in-law Audrey and brother Dave are ready to dig in!

Anyway, they took me on a road tour after that, visiting old hangouts and the neighborhood we grew up in, which was fun. After we came back I went out on the back porch just to enjoy the beautiful surroundings on the lake, and Audrey came out as well and showed me her veggie garden and pointed out the Green Heron that likes to hang around!

Downtown Port Huron

Green Heron and Mallards in the back yard

It wasn’t long until it was time to go to The Vintage for dinner with the whole gang, and that was a lot of fun! I think we had another brief tour before heading home, where I really felt a crash coming on, so went on to bed.

Family picture at The Vintage (L-R: Dave, Hagen, Dieter, Mady, Laura, Ida, and Audrey)

Day 6 - Mustang Island 2

mbstowe414@gmail.com (Mary Beth Stowe) — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 20:37:05 GMT

Started out pre-dawn the next morning, adding a beent ing Common Nighthawk to the trip list right in the parking lot! There wasn’t a hint of any utility work, so I found The Willows fine, only it was as I suspected: a fancy residential area with a few trees that looked good as a migrant trap. No migrants around today (it was already in the 80s) so I found the hotspot designated as the area between Port Aransas and the state park, and just covered that stretch by stopping every half mile and scanning for falcons. There were still no occupants at the nesting platforms, but one stop did have a White-tailed Hawk perched on a gas well! That’s when I discovered (presumably) that I had left the foot for the cameras at the hotel, so I went blasting back (but not before stopping for a pair of Mottled Ducks and Black-necked Stilts), got back inside, and couldn’t find a trace. The nice front desk gal said she’d let me know if housekeeping found anything, but I figured it had to be buried somewhere ! And while checking the towel that I use to wrap The Monster, there it was, on the body of the camera instead of on the lens, where I usually put it! I felt so dumb – I told the gal I had found it, so we were both relieved, but I felt like I had wasted a half hour by coming back. But I had to remind myself that God’s timing is perfect, and everything is for a reason, even if it isn’t obvious at first!

Coastal prairie habitat with Aplomado Falcon nesting platform

Black-necked Stilt - you can even see the red eye!

So back up I went, and miraculously that hawk was still there! So I took some video and then continued the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) style coverage, with no falcons. So then I started exploring every west-side access point I could; what’s confusing is that there are two eBird hotspots called Mollie Beatty Coastal Habitat Community, so I have no idea which place I was really at! I believe Fish Pass had a couple of access points (one I had been to the day before); one of them had a feeding frenzy going on in the distance with spoonbills, ibis, several types of herons, and Neotropic Cormorants all flying around and going nuts! Flushed a Spotted Sandpiper when I pulled up, and heard a Black-bellied Plover somewhere across the way. Then I went over to the “official” Fish Pass spot, where a young Reddish Egret was feeding fairly close, but in terrible light; I had to sneak around the back of the dunes to get in a better position! Was able to bag a Caspian Tern here as well, and Clapper Rails were calling at most of the spots. A Willet put in a good performance by singing right outside the car, then later doing a flyby! Swung back in to the state park to use the facilities, but also asked the ranger if he knew of any Aplomado status; he said someone reported one along Beach Access #3 about a week ago, so I headed there next, but came up short (just added Sanderling and turnstone for the day, and the beach was pretty soft to boot).

Fish Pass

Multi-species feeding frenzy

"Singing" Willet

Great Blue Heron (left) and Great Egret

The “other” Fish Pass

A young Reddish Egret provided most of the entertainment at this spot!

The dunes I had to sneak around to get him in better light...

He does a half-hearted “dance” before nabbing another bait fish!

The next access was an “Old Port Isabel Road” situation (i.e., impassable), so I turned around and headed to the next spot, which may have been the “Corpus Christi Bayside” hotspot; it had a big parking area with a lot of trucks already parked there (lots of guys were out in the bay fishing). Got a nice Little Blue Heron coming in, but the highlight here was a white morph Reddish Egret! A Great-tailed Grackle also displayed on top of the truck bed next to me, so that was fun! “Seek” once again saved the day by IDing a couple of cool plants: Sea Ox-eye and Alkalai Heliotrope! A Gull-billed Tern batted by at one of these spots, but I forget where…

Impassable road to the next designated hotspot...

The next accessible spot had a Little Blue Heron (left) and a white morph Reddish Egret!

Great-tailed Grackles may be pesky, but they sure are entertaining!

Alkalai Heliotrope (left) and Sea Oxeye (right)

The next spot surprisingly was not an eBird hotspot, but should have been as it’s a designated wildlife area: Packery Flats Coastal Habitat! [Update: After doing a little research after getting home I discovered that that was the second Mollie Beatty hotspot…] This involved a hike down to the water, but it was only 15 minutes in, and what thrilled me halfway in was a pair of Wilson’s Plovers that gave great video ops! I didn’t notice until I got home and looked at the videos more closely that the female was banded! So I made some screen shots and sent them to Stephanie Bilodeau, a local biologist specializing in plovers, in case she knew anything about them, and she in turn passed them on to a bander named Dave who miraculously was able to read the bands and confirmed she was a female he had banded several years ago, and she had been coming back to those flats to breed every year since!

Packery Flats interpretive sign and trail to the nesting habitat

The highlight was this pair of Wilson’s Plovers - the female (above) was banded and had been returning to this spot for several years!

Male Wilson's Plover

At the end of the trail was the roped-off Least Tern nesting area, so I spent a few minutes there waiting to see if anything else would come by (spooked an Osprey who unfortunately didn’t come back). Another (or maybe the same) white morph Reddish Egret was fishing, but was apparently distracted by the plane flying over as he looked up and cocked his head at it as if to say, “Wow – now that’s a big bird!”

Least Tern nesting area with the JFK Causeway in the distance

Least Terns

Reddish Egret watching a plane go overhead

It was getting late, but I wanted to check the Packery Channel access just before the bridge; when I pulled up there was a little wetland with a couple of ibis, a spoonbill, and a Tricolored Heron, but they all took cover the minute I got set up! (A Willet was very cooperative, however, and eventually the ibis and Tricolored allowed some filming…) I also wanted to check out Packery Channel County Park, and was surprised by the very nice boardwalk and interpretive signs! It obviously was a migrant trap (and looked like a terrific one to boot), but the migrants were long gone (and it was getting hot as well), so the only thing I added for the day there was a singing Painted Bunting . Most of the oddball plants were identified by the signs, but Seek helped me out with a weird-looking vine entwined around the railing called Sorrelvine!

The very popular Packery Channel!

Tricolored Heron

Willet bracing against the wind

Checking out the Birding Trail at Packery County Park

Largeleaf Water Pennywort (left) and Sorrelvine (right)

That was it for me, so headed to the Valley, picking up a few day birds along the way. It was good to get back (even if it was 97 degrees), and it was fun to have a Kiskadee welcome me home pulling in to the complex! The list was short with only 93 species, but the quality couldn’t be beat!

Day 5: Mustang Island 1

mbstowe414@gmail.com (Mary Beth Stowe) — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 19:24:44 GMT

When I realized I wanted to hit The Willows first (some good migrants had been seen there the day before), I was curious to see what direction Siri would take me, as it obviously would be different than my written directions that would take me directly to the state park. But as always, she wanted to take me into the heart of Houston rush hour traffic, but an alternate route appeared to zigzag towards Galveston, so I took that, only she kept trying to get me to take a totally different route!! Needless to say I got terribly turned around and ended up going a back way back to the tollway (and actually went through pretty nice suburban area – I got to thinking that I wouldn’t mind living there so long as I didn’t have to get on the freeway), and from there she took us the same way we came up until it was time to veer off towards Corpus, where we went through some hair-raising construction but finally made it safely to Padre Island! I wanted to head straight to the Willows (she was initially gonna bring us in from the north, but I guess she abandoned that idea), but stopped first at the state park to use the potties and make a sandwich. On the way up I saw the two Aplomado nesting platforms, and thought for sure I saw some birds in there, but headed on to the Willows with the idea of checking them more closely on the way back, only ran into some “Be Prepared to Stop” traffic (and they really meant it this time, too), so rather than fight that we decided to turn around and check out the beach access we had just driven by.

Obligatory entrance sign taken during a potty stop...

The beaches were actually in much better shape than either Boca Chica or South Padre usually are! They weren’t terribly crowded with people yet (Memorial Day Weekend is coming), but the bird variety wasn’t the greatest, either, although that was to be expected this time of year. Pulled out The Monster at some key spots that had a variety, and managed footage of breeding-plumaged Sanderlings, Laughing Gulls, and Royal Terns. The wind was pretty fierce, so I abandoned that plan and just shot out the window as I had opportunity; picked up Ruddy Turnstone and Willet that way.

Gulf of Mexico

Breeding-plumaged Sanderling along the beach

Royal Tern with Laughing Gull photobomb

Ruddy Turnstone

Brown Pelicans catching the onshore winds!

This Willet looks in reasonably good shape until he spreads his wings!

Checked both the platforms on the way down, and there was nuthin’, so we headed on to Fish Pass on the west side, which was actually part of the state park! We were the only ones there, and I took a chance driving through the puddles only because I wasn’t sure if they were leftover fresh water pools or somehow some tidal water that got up there on the road! It was lovely habitat, but pretty birdless except for a couple of egrets. But a Clapper Rail did sound off, so that was grea! A singing meadowlark was new for the trip as well.

Fish Pass

Laughing Gulls

Snowy Egret

From there returned to the state park proper, where a Killdeer and some Laughing Gulls were in nice light in the VC parking lot (found out that that cool entrance sign they used to have got clobbered by Harvey, as did the Visitor Center, which they were still working on). From there went down a side road that had some nice dune habitat, but was followed by a ranger (the same one who checked me in that morning) and said the road was closed to the public! I teasingly objected that there was no sign, and he admitted they were in the process of painting it…

Killdeer preening and keeping an eye on the photographer at the same time!

Coastal dune habitat in an (unbeknownst to me) restricted area

So on to the primitive camping area we went, which was on the beach, and right away got one of those “God-directed” videos of a Laughing Gull on the “Day Use Only” sign, while another one conveniently landed next to him! The light was much better by now, so got some more nice video of ornery Sanderlings, Least Terns (both breeding and non-breeding), and the Video of the Day: a Ruddy Turnstone had found a dead fish almost as big as he was, and was poking at it and flipping it like he would anything else, then started digging into the eyeballs! How appetizing… [Update: Feedback from Facebook friends claimed it was either a Hardhead or a Gafftop, and that the latter was good eating and the former wasn’t – even the herons won’t touch them, someone said! I did a little digging on Google and discovered that they’re both species of saltwater catfish, and to my eyes they look identical…] Lines of Brown Pelicans kept sailing down the dunes, and I was finally able to get some clips of some coming right at me, and the lines ebbing and flowing – that was very cool! Even caught a Ghost Crab outside his burrow!

Back to the beach!

Laughing Gulls enforcing the rules...

Ghost Crab

Least Tern (adult above, immature below)

Male Sanderling raising his back feathers to ward off a rival!

Female

Non-breeding plumage

A Ruddy Turnstone tries to tackle a dead Hardhead...

“Too tough to penetrate! Better flip ‘im over…”

“Now to flip ‘im on his side so I can get to the eyeball!”

“Hmm - that wasn’t nearly as tasty as I thought it would be! Okay, I give up…”

A Great Blue Heron does a bit of a ballet...

...while the real ballet is performed by the Brown Pelicans sailing over the dunes!

Royal Tern

Sandwich Tern (Bad Hair Day on right)

The other road went to the jetties, so we headed down there, and got some great video of the surf pounding against the rocks, and a Snowy Egret fishing in the little eddies! This gal walked right up to me (I think she said her name was Michelle) and asked if I was getting some good pictures, so I explained what I was doing; she and her husband were collecting bait fish (along with everyone else there, bird and human alike)!

The south jetty

This Snowy Egret has learned that the waves bring in bait fish!

He got one!

Anyway, after she left more lines of pelicans wafted by, and another “God-directed” scene took place when a Laughing Gull found what looked like a doggie “fake meat” treat, and in the process of chasing someone else off, another gull swooped down behind his back and grabbed it! The first gull didn’t seem too upset; maybe (like that turnstone with the Hardhead) he had come to the conclusion that it wasn’t easily edible…

Laughing Gull #1 finds a big prize but apparently can’t figure out how to eat it...

Gull #2 seems to say, “Okay, if you don’t want it, I’ll take it!

I had to get to the hotel by then, so headed out, making note of the west-side birding spots (may even hit the county park if I have time) before wheeling in and checking in.

Day 4: Sheldon Lake State Park

mbstowe414@gmail.com (Mary Beth Stowe) — Tue, 27 May 2025 20:37:58 GMT

It was indeed raining the next morning (and really blowing the night before), so I actually got to have the "real" breakfast before settling down to work on file processing! The initial forecast was heavy rain up till 11:00, but after an hour that drastically changed, and by 8:00 it had cleared up enough (with no heavy rain thereafter) to head on up to Garrett Road! Again, the beltway was a breeze, and after getting off on Garrett I quick-like got some ice (it melts in a hurry) and then headed down to the "boat ramp". It really wasn't a "boat ramp", but rather a huge parking area abutting a cypress swamp that rivaled anything in Florida — no wonder the Limpkins like it! I parked at the far end and set up shop (already several fishermen were at the other end, close to the road), and was wondering what all these red splotches on the cypress trunks were when it dawned on me (upon closer inspection) that they were the Apple Snail eggs! Again, no wonder the Limpkins like this place! And I didn't have to wait long, either: shortly one came sailing in, yelling as he did so, and landed right on the edge of the parking area! Another one came in shortly thereafter and chased the first one, and he was practically at my feet! Kay had confirmed where the babies had been, but when I went over to check, I couldn't find any — I suspect they're fledged by now. Besides the Limpkins (which really performed well, both on top of trees and close by) I was able to film a female Red-winged Blackbirds on the nest (and later poking around the ground with a missing foot), plus a pair of Great-tailed Grackles strutting around the joint. The first Neotropic Cormorant of the trip flew overhead, and somewhere what I suspected was a Great Blue Heron nest was hidden, as I could hear babies squawking. [Update: They may have actually been Cattle Egrets, as while in the process of creating video grabs, I caught a couple sailing by in the background of one of the Limpkin videos...] A Green and calico Little Blue Heron also came wheeling in, but closer to the road, and I didn't want to get too far away from the car. A ranger made the rounds with a bucket, picking up trash, and we got to talking about the Limpkins, which were "all over the place" now, according to him, and reported that birders all the way from Austin came in to see them (and a lot further than that, I'm sure, when they were first reported)! Purple Gallinules called but wouldn't come out, of course, and after about an hour a guy pulled up and got on his phone, so I figured it was time to move on. After I packed up I jokingly said to him, "Your turn!" which got a chuckle, and it did indeed look like he was preparing to fish right where I was!

Cypress swamp at the "boat ramp"; that brown clump on the right was apparently where the baby Limpkins were hanging out.

All those pink masses on the cypress tree are Apple Snail eggs!

Limpkin that landed feet from me!

It's hard to maintain balance on those tree tops!

Cameo appearance by Cattle Egrets...

Footless female Red-winged Blackbird (don't know if she's the same one on the nest, but I wouldn't be surprised...)

Headed into the state park proper, where I dutifully got a pic of the entrance sign, then proceeded to crawl along the two-mile entrance road to the main part of the park. Once again you could hear the Limpkins, and a White Ibis fed in the grassy wetland. It was lovely prairie habitat with some woodland, and at one creek crossing a Great Egret fished, and a female-type Painted Bunting popped up!

Self-explanatory...

Prairie wetland

Culvert

Roadside pond with Great Egret (also below)

Female-type Painted Bunting

Pine savannah

White Ibis

Pulled into headquarters where I apparently didn't need to check in, as the gal said it was a free park! So she gave me a map and I figured out a strategy; all the trails basically started from there, but they all looked relatively short and easy, so we went back to the big parking lot and tackled the Prairie/Wetland Loop. Cliff Swallows were all over and once again Seek came to the rescue by IDing some of these wetland plants (although the interpretive signs hit most of them anyway): most prominent was the purple-flowered Pickerel Weed, but some things it would only narrow down to genus (Arrowweed and either a Chive or a Sage —it couldn't figure out which). I found a "lookup" option in Seek for the "sage", and it came back with Tall Flatsedge, but I think that was a different plant in the same picture!

Start of the Prairie/Wetlands Loop Trail

Heading to the wildlife viewing platform overlooking the Wetlands Loops

Pickerel Weed

Arrowhead

Spikesedge

Plains Coreopsis

A Swainson's Hawk circled several times, three Caracaras in a distant tree were good for an artsy video, a couple of Dickcissels sang from the field, and I couldn't believe my ears - a Kiskadee was calling from the woods (and didn't get flagged, so I guess they're somewhat regular here now)! I guess the place is a restored prairie/wetland project, with the purpose of showing what the Houston area looked like before urban sprawl! A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher flew across the trail, and where the trail looped back past some picnic areas, a Tawny Emperor landed on a plugged-up birdhouse...

View from the observation deck

Scene with the Observation Tower

Affectionate Caracaras in a pine

Swainson's Hawk

Female Tawny Emperor

Back at the car I was ready for a PBJ Bagel, so we swung back to the little lot near headquarters, had that, then tackled the Pond Loop Trail. A big guy with a big cross around his neck had his little boy with him, and they went to fish at one of the docks while I checked the other wetlands, which looked like high potential for Purple Gallinules with all the water lilies, but they were actually quite birdless. But lots of other critters showed up: what was probably a nymph slant-faced grasshopper of some kind tried to blend in with a big blade of grass, and a young Great Blue Skimmer finally cooperated for at least an ID photo, but the highlight along this stretch was a beautiful rusty-colored snake that actually stayed still long enough for me to get video (had probably just eaten)! Best match seems to be the Broad-banded Water Snake (and Seek agreed, although it was at a loss regarding the grasshopper; it thinks it's a katydid…) [Update: Once again the BugGuide guys came through and ID'd it as a Glassy-winged Toothpick!]. The dominant butter along the trails was the ubiquitous Carolina Satyr.

All loop trails start from here

Pond Loop Trail

Yellow-crowned Night Heron on the trail

The first pond - this place used to be a fishery before TPWD transformed it into an environmental learning center!

American White Waterlily

Glassy-winged Toothpick Grasshopper

Broad-banded Water Snake

Carolina Satyr

Immature Great Blue Skimmer

After resting at the end of the trail I was debating about doing the whole loop via the Swamp Rabbit Trail or just heading back and doing that tomorrow, as I was really starting to get winded. But the rest helped, and I continued on as planned, as I really wanted to cover the place and head on to Mustang Island the next morning. No way was I going to tackle that 60-foot observation tower, but I did go up the ramp to where the not-working elevators were and rested again, getting a Yellow-crowned Night Heron and a singing Cardinal out of it (to say nothing of a nice view of the prairie). Back in the woods a Carolina Wren hopped around a trunk, and I got a kick out of these "story signs" they had posted here and there about a turtle (and I did get some video of a Red-eared Slider with his big foot hanging out)! On the last covered fishing deck several Bullfrogs were croaking, and by a miracle I actually spotted one in the act and was able to get video! (I think I scared the dad and kid getting ready to come on deck when I exclaimed to no one in particular, "I got 'im!") There were also several of these little water beetles swimming and mating on a stick (Kaufman's insect guide came through and ID 'd them as Whirligig Beetles), while an Eastern Amberwing claimed a nearby perch.

Swamp Rabbit Trail

View of the prairie from the lower deck of the 60-foot tower

Cardinal challenging an unseen rival

Back on the Swamp Rabbit Trail

Red-eared Slider

Kinglet Trail (check out the placard - lower right)

Carolina Wren

Eastern Amberwing

American Bullfrog in mid-croak

Whirligig Beetles

I was really getting heated by then, but a nasal “ca” got me down the road, and was able to at least glimpse the Fish Crow! A Blue Jay was also calling but wouldn't come out, so I finally decided to wrap it up and head back to the hotel, and conferring with The Boss (Keith), he agreed that it would be good to head on to Mustang Island. Filmed another White Ibis and Little Blue on the way out (this time the Narrowmouth Toads were providing background music), and on the way back to the hotel (and Siri sends you along the frontage road going back) had a Red-tailed Hawk fly up on a post! Since we wrapped up early, we celebrated the Limpkins with a wonderful early dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse! As an aside, what's surprised me to no end is the lack of mosquitoes; I would think with all the rain and the hot, humid conditions (especially around a swampy wetland area like these parks have been), there would have been tons of 'em! Not complaining, mind you...

Picnic area where the Fish Crow was

White Ibis downs a juicy morsel (looks like it might be a giant tadpole...)

Little Blue Heron

Woodland savannah on the way out

Day 3: More Brazos Bend

mbstowe414@gmail.com (Mary Beth Stowe) — Tue, 20 May 2025 19:38:33 GMT

The Lord was merciful the next morning and it wasn’t raining! Got packed up, swiped a couple of sausages from the breakfast, and headed out to the park. Got in earlier than yesterday, and right away a Painted Bunting was singing right next to the car! Unfortunately it was still too dark to take video, but you could just barely make out his colors!

The first missed trail I wanted to cover was the Pilant Slough Trail (kept wanting to call it Pliant Slough), but wanted to crawl along that cypress swamp just in case another Limpkin showed up! Well, if someone didn’t mind counting a heard-only bird, there were plenty of them wailing away, only way back there! In fact, I could even see a private home back there, and five’ll get you ten that that was the place the owner was letting people in to see the birds when they first started showing up! While I was making audio recordings a couple of feral pigs snorted and ran away on the other side of the road, so that got me back to the car in a hurry! Shortly came across a “murder of crows” that was giving something fits, so I pulled over to see if I could spot what they were mobbing, and it was a Bobcat up in a tree! He stayed put for video, too! I thought that was pretty neat!

Entrance road

Bobcat that was being mobbed by crows

Arrived at the Nature Center (had the whole place to myself), and after using the facilities I headed out. This was definitely not the trail I had taken last time, as it was a nice walk through the woods (and eventually dumps out at Elm Lake), but the only “slough” according to the map was a little reed-filled draw. The regulars were singing but nothing showed for video, although I had some more fun with Seek as he identified some Black-eyed Susans for me! The trail itself was beautiful, and I just couldn’t get over all the big, beautiful trees (I was getting ready to call this my New Favorite State Park)! Also found a little nest on the trail that fell down and went boom – I have no idea what it was, but it was covered in lichen, reminding me of those gnatcatcher nests at Kerr WMA. Maybe it was a vireo…

Pilant Slough Trailhead

Scene along the trail

Another scene...

The slough itself

Black-eyed Susans and mystery nest

Next on the list was the portion of the 40 Acre Lake Loop that joined with the Live Oak Trail. Had to use the facilities again (and filmed the Barn Swallow nest while I was at it), then hit the trail, hoping I wouldn’t get rained on! It was another lovely, wooded trail (again with lots of singing but nothing to video except a Cardinal), but just made the connector when my “turnaround beeper” went off. A view of the lake was right there, so I looped around to see it, but I was watching my time as the Weather app kept saying it was gonna rain around 9:00, and it was after eight when I started! But the peek into 40-Acre Lake was productive: got another Purple Gallinule (not close, but filmable), along with a Yellow-crowned Night Heron and some lovely scenes. I had forgotten to charge the second battery, so I was madly changing the thing before heading back, and boy, did it get dark in the woods! Thankfully made it back to the car, and managed to make a PBJ Bagel to have ready for lunch in case the deluge prevented me from doing that later (which it would have) before it started dripping! I waited around a bit to see if it would let up enough for me to do the Prairie Trail, but according to the radar it wasn’t going to, so I figured my time was probably better spent by letting Heppy do the walking and seeing what we could film out of the car window.

Mom Barn Swallow on the nest

Woodland part of the 40-Acre Lake Loop

View of the lake

Birds in the wetland. ..

I was actually surprised at how productive it was: the first treat was a Prothonotary Warbler that came right out to pishing and even sang for a video! Crawling around the Hale Lake road added another Seek-identified flowering tree (Wingleaf Soapberry), but I was checking those big oak limbs for Barred Owls! “Walked” the campground loop where a couple of soaked crows gave video ops (the tailless one was still there), and chatted with a couple who were “camping” in one of those shelters; I asked them how they liked it (because they didn’t look very private), and they said it was okay as they had a lot of old military-style gear to use, but the park didn’t allow dogs inside, so their Beagle had to stay out overnight, which meant they didn’t get much sleep! In the meantime, in the distance you could see that “severe thunderstorm” the Weather app was warning us about (we experienced a couple of good dumps, but they didn’t last long; it looked like the Red Blob was up where we were planning to go that afternoon)!

Swamp along the entrance road (that house in the back was probably where the first Limpkins were being seen).

The three-mile Live Oak Trail went way back by the wetland, and was usually the only place to see the Limpkins here (unless you have one that listened to God when He said, “Go up by the road!”)

Incoming storm at the shelter area

That first dump came on the way to Elm Lake, where I planned on just waiting it out, but it actually quit by the time I got there, and in fact spotted a Mississippi Kite sitting on top of a dead tree! It hadn’t quit enough to take The Monster down to the pier, so I poked back towards 40-Acre Lake, shooting a cooperative Eastern Gray Squirrel out the window, plus some feisty deer in velvet and a subadult White Ibis in The Swamp. It did quit dripping by the time I got to 40-Acre, so I pulled out The Monster (I was getting antsy, anyway) and headed down to the pier, shooting a Black-bellied Whistling Duck very much at home on a big oak branch! Down at the lake there wasn’t nearly the action as yesterday, but the presumed Glossy Ibis was still there (the eBird reviewer was non-committal on my bird and suggested entering it as “White-faced/Glossy”). A pair of Purple Gallinules came out of the reeds long enough for a cute video of their white shields bouncing along, and managed to bag an Anhinga doing the “toss the fish” bit, so that was fun! Ran into an older couple on the way back; they were from Idaho so almost everything was new (except for what they had already seen in Florida, including the Limpkins)!

Mississippi Kite

Picnic area that had an Eastern Gray Squirrel (right)

Here comes the storm!

Feisty young bucks

Black-bellied Whistling Duck and young White Ibis

Great Egret and Common Gallinule back at 40-Acre Lake

Purple Gallinules creeping along the edge

Since it had quit raining altogether (but still clobbering east Houston) I headed back to Elm Lake to get Monster footage, and the boys I had seen earlier were still there playing Cricket of all things (!), so I figured they must have been part of a youth group or something. My questions were answered a bit later when a couple of teenage girls came down to the pier: turns out it was their high school graduation trip! (Must have been a charter school…) One of them asked if I had seen any Alligators, which I hadn’t there , but after a little scanning I actually found one up on the bank of a spit, so I let them look at it through the camera (they were duly impressed)! While they took their own pictures I continued filming more whistling ducks, White Ibis in the trees, and another Anhinga across the way (a Raccoon went scampering up a dead tree, but I wasn’t fast enough to get him). After the girls left I had visions of the whole kit-n-kaboodle descending on the place wanting to see the Alligator, but they apparently did find a turtle up there, so that kept them occupied! But after a while another gal came down (she seemed older, so she may have been a chaperone) and I explained a little about what I was doing (and also showed her the alligator). About that time a Least Bittern came shooting in and miraculously stayed put for a little video before flying off (I got kind of excited and shared that that was our smallest heron, at which point I think her eyes glazed)!

Birds at Elm Lake...

Yawning Anhinga

Great Egret

I was getting texts from my friend Kay at that point, as she assumed I was at Sheldon Lake by then, but decided to check the radar and saw that Houston was now clear! So I went ahead and made plans to head up (was too late to stop at the lake, so the target was the hotel).

I needed to get gas and was gonna stop at a “proper” gas station, but at the last minute decided to go ahead and fill up at the “creepy” station, and am glad I did: Cliff Swallows were nesting under the pump structure! That made for a great video! Siri was gonna send me through Houston but I insisted on taking the Sam Houston Parkway as per usual, and it was a breeze! Finding the hotel was another matter, however: I followed her directions, and ended up at the Whataburger! When I reloaded the directions, she took me through a back alley and back parking lots to a suburban street, and ended up really coming in the back way! I was sorely tempted to raid the Longhorn Steakhouse next door after that ordeal, but I was good! After I checked in I asked the front desk gal if the storm was as bad as the radar showed, and she said it was, so I definitely made the right decision by waiting (how did we manage without iPhones??)!

Cliff Swallows building their nests at a gas station

We’ll never know who’s who, but the guy on the left was driven off by the guy who flew in, while the missus kept working on the nest!

Day 2: Brazos Bend State Park

mbstowe414@gmail.com (Mary Beth Stowe) — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 18:29:04 GMT

Got ready to go the next morning a little earlier than planned, so went ahead and headed over to the park, thankful that the gate was open just like the guy said! I went straight to 40 Acre Lake and took the Powershot down to the pier, but didn’t stay long as I realized I really needed to be using The Monster (i.e. Sony with the Big Lens) in this situation (it was still kinda dusky, even after sunrise, and it handles low-light situations much better than the Powershot). I ended up spending over an hour there as it was quite active: tons of Little Blue Herons (including many transitioning birds, called “calicos”), Common Gallinules, a young Great Blue, and even a pair of Purple Gallinules taking a bath (but on the other side of the lake)! Some Anhingas were swimming with just their head and necks above the surface (hence the name “snake-bird”), so that was fun to shoot! A Pied-billed Grebe was new for the trip (as was a Tricolored Heron that kept hiding). Got some artsy shots of Great Egrets and spoonbills across the lake, and another Anhinga had landed on the railing to dry his wings, and he was pretty dilapidated! I didn’t wanna bother him (it was obvious he was agitated when I started getting closer), but a Plegadis ibis wheeled in that had a gray face and dark eye, and I would think that this time of year any Whiteface would have a red eye! Unfortunately so long as I didn’t have Internet access I couldn’t upload a picture to eBird, so documentation would have to wait until I got to the Holiday Inn (if I could get on their Wi-Fi…). [Update: I could, so I submitted the photos – more on that story later…] White Ibis were out the yin yang, and what I thought were a mom and kid Boat-tailed Grackle came by (as the male was singing somewhere), but they turned out to be Great-tails after I reviewed the video. A Mississippi Kite circled over the trees, but the best video op was a roaring Alligator! That was great! The Four-spotted Pennants (a type of dragonfly) on the way out were anti-climactic! Totally forgot to film the Barn Swallow nest on the way out, though… ☹ I did hear some chickadees on the way out, so I wheeled back in and tried to get some video out the car window!

The fishing/wildlife-viewing pier and fuzzy-headed Anhinga

Purple Gallinules (with Common Gallinule above right)

Little Blue Herons (adults left and center, subadult right)

White Ibis (left) and presumed Glossy Ibis (right)

Anhinga demonstrating the “snakebird” bit

Four-spotted Pennant

It’s great when you catch the Alligators in display mode (and they apparently don’t care that they’re covered in algae)!

Carolina Chickadees on the way out

Headed down the main drag and took clandestine pictures out the window of the various very lovely scenes (as you really weren’t supposed to stop; had oak savannah going in, then that great cypress swamp where the Limpkins hang out – got Eastern Kingbird for the trip in here). The next trail I wanted to try was the Creekfield Lake Nature Trail, and that was a terrific little trail with a couple of overlooks with lots more action (although the water was evaporating): a close Spoonbill was nice, and a Red-bellied Woodpecker worked a dead tree. Both Pileated and Downy Woodpeckers called across the lake (never saw either during the course of the day, but they sure sounded close), and got fun video of a Common Gallinule getting his feet all muddy. A Snowy Egret wheeling in was new for the trip, and at the other overlook a pair of Alligators started duetting! �� You could also see where they made a huge track from one puddle to the puddle they were currently in! A Yellow-crowned Night Heron was also utilizing the puddle, and on the way back to the car caught a female Cardinal on the trail and several Carolina Satyrs (a type of butterfly) in the woods. I think the last time I came here I took the other trail that went by the observatory, because this trail wasn’t nearly as bad (but it wasn’t nearly as hot, either…)

Swamp where the Limpkins hung out

One side of Creekfield Lake was totally dry, while the other side had just enough water to attract birds!

Subadult Roseate Spoonbill

Common Gallinule that would never be allowed in the house...

Snowy Egret

Alligators engaging in a love song

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Return leg of the Creekfield Lake Nature Trail

The Hale Lake accesses were next, so checked out the fishing pier first; the scene was lovely with Hale Lake looping around like a resaca, but not much birdlife except for a Great Blue Heron and Anhinga (although I was happy to see my beloved Blue Jay fly over ��). A Question Mark (another butter) flexed its wings at the intersection with the loop trail, so after shooting him I took a little ten minute jaunt down the trail and was able to coax a Northern Parula to come in right over my head, but that was about it (a White-eyed Vireo was definitely interested, but wouldn’t come out in the open). What I thought was a male Summer Tanager bouncing around in the trees turned out to be a Carolina Wren (! – my eyes are really getting bad…)! Spent considerable time trying to figure out a confusing spreadwing butterfly that turned out to be a Horace’s Duskywing, but probably the best butter sighting was something I normally associate with the Valley: a couple of fighting White-striped Longtails!

Trail to Hale Lake

Hale Lake overlook

Anhinga (left) and Great Blue Heron (right)

Question Mark (dorsal left, ventral right)

Area where the Northern Parula and White-eyed Vireo hung out

Horace's Duskywing

In the same area was the Whiteoak Trail near the big picnic area, where an Eastern Gray Squirrel was spread-eagled at the base of a tree; I couldn’t figure out if he was trying to blend in, or just cooling himself, so I looked it up and discovered it was the latter – it’s called “splooting”! On the trail itself, the best encounter was a lovely Halloween Pennant (a type of dragonfly), and a big yellow swallowtail batted around that struck me as Two-tailed, but I didn’t think they occurred in this area. According to the Glassberg field guide, there’s a “green dot” (meaning an isolated population) right in the Houston area, so apparently they do (but it still could have been an Eastern Tiger; just couldn’t get a good look or pictures)! On the way back had a scruffy family of titmice, and a big nest in one of the trees; couldn’t help but wonder if it belonged to the screaming Red-shouldered Hawks! An Acadian Flycatcher was along the Bluestem Trail, and he almost let me video him, but he just wouldn’t stay put… It may have been on this trail that I thought I had one of those cicadas come in and grab onto a branch, but it was actually a robber fly who had caught a bee for lunch! I happened to see a picture on Sheldon Lake SP’s page of the same bug and asked for an ID (usually they just say “robber fly”), and someone responded “Promachus hinei”, which has no English name but, according to BugGuide, is in the Giant Robber Fly group, so that’s what I’m calling it!

Picnic area near Whiteoak Trail

Eastern Gray Squirrel (“sploofing” at left)

Whiteoak Trail

Giant Robber Fly (left) and Halloween Pennant (right)

Stopped on the Big Creek Bridge just long enough to hop out and get a picture of that gorgeous scene (way too far for me to walk to), then headed over to the Elm Lake area. Since I had “done” the pier already, I hiked a little of the Elm Take Loop Trail and was treated to some lovely wetland scenes! Got a Red-eared Slider turtle on film here, but things were quieting down. Got a Cattle Egret wheeling out, and at the other end of the parking lot hiked a little of the same trail going the other direction, and again had some lovely wetland scenery, but not much to photograph except some Eastern Pondhawks (dragonfly) and a Red-winged Blackbird hopping on the lily pads. On the way out a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks were yelling up a storm!

Big Creek

Elm Creek Loop Trail

Pallid-winged Grasshopper (left) and Red-eared Slider (right)

The other side of the loop trail

Female Eastern Pondhawk

Red-winged Blackbird hopping around on the lilypads

Cattle Egret

I really wanted to try the Pilant Slough Trail (I still haven’t found that great little trail I discovered on my first visit years ago, but then got to thinking that maybe Hurricane Harvey wiped it out), but three busses-full of field trips were already there, so decided to hold off on that one till tomorrow (if it’s not pouring rain)! Instead went to the other end and decided to check out the overlook along the other part of the Creekfield Lake Trail, and I think that did me in; there was nothing to see at that spot, and it was starting to get hot, but had a few fun “Seek” moments where the app actually identified a plant beyond “dicot” �� – American Beautyberry! Scared a couple of White-tailed Deer off the trail, which are much more rusty-looking than ours!

Creekfield Lake Woodland Trail

American Beautyberry

Called it a wrap after that, got ice, and settled in at the hotel.

Day 1: The Drive Up & Brazos Bend Scouting

mbstowe414@gmail.com (Mary Beth Stowe) — Sat, 21 Sep 2024 15:56:24 GMT

As usual, woke up early so got going early after the morning routine; added Golden-fronted Woodpecker to the list while packing the car (among other things we’ll probably pick up later). Another “write-in” bird heading north on US 77 was a Harris’ Hawk!

We stopped at the Sarita rest stop, picking up a Hooded Oriole for the trip, but boy, did it look nasty up ahead!! I wish I had been able to take a picture on the fly, because you talk about storm-chasing: once under it, it was black as night, with some terrific lightning displays! But then the rain started, and by Riviera it was zero visibility, so I just pulled into a Pizza Hut (or some such joint) parking lot to wait it out for a while. A Flood Warning came over the phone, and looking at the radar, we were right in the middle of a big red blob (I kept trying to capture a picture of the thing and was turning the phone off by mistake, so by the time I did get a picture the Red Blob had moved north a bit so the effect wasn’t the same)!

Continued on after a few minutes, and while it let up, it didn’t really stop until the next stop at Refugio. We got a breakfast croissant at Burger King, then continued north. Filled up at El Campo (ended up going around the Very Long Block for that one), where a homeless guy opened the door for me!

Headed on to Brazos Bend, where there was no hint of the threatened rain! Jumped out at the entrance to shoot the requisite sign, and had a Carolina Wren actually in view for a second while waiting to check in! I had some questions, so the ranger had me park and walk in where he gave me a map and showed me where the Limpkins usually show up; unfortunately it was as someone else had mentioned, and it was an almost three mile one-way hike along the Live Oak Trail to get to the habitat! He also suggested a couple of spots for Purple Gallinules, and said that the gate opens around 6:15, so that was perfect! Back at the car I remembered the other question I wanted to ask and went running back: do they have feeders? Nope – all natural here, she said!

Requisite entrance sign (although this is one of the more artistic ones)!

So the MO was just to crawl along and scout the place for now, checking out the trailheads and the parking spots for said trailheads. Caught a Caracara on film on the way in (good thing there was no one behind me), and the woods were beautiful; besides the usual songsters we have in the Valley, was thrilled to pick up (by ear) Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Northern Parula, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Acadian Flycatcher! I drove slowly down the main road past that slough, and you could see the more open slough through the cypress trees in the distance, with a few egrets and ibis feeding here and there; no wonder the Limpkins love that place!

Caracara on the way in

Making the turn towards Hale Lake, we could pick out a couple of Roseate Spoonbills in Creekfield Lake (the exercise walk several years ago that nearly killed me), and singing Prothonotary Warblers. Crawling through the campground, several crows were strutting about (one didn’t have a tail), so I was able to get a couple of videos! Both Red-eyed and Yellow-throated Vireos sang, and on the way out a Cardinal posed for video while a Downy Woodpecker called out the other side of the car!

Part of the Creekfield Lake Nature Trail

American Crow that had a narrow escape...

Cardinals giving us the “mean” look...

Elm Lake was the last road to scout, so we decided to mount the Powershot on the tripod and head down to the lake to see what we could shoot. A Green Heron looked as though he was using the “bait” trick (Green Herons have been documented to place a piece of bread on the water, wait for a fish to “take the bait”, and then nab the fish), and lots of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks were utilizing the dead trees! Several Common Gallinules were around, and I did hear the deeper pumping sound of the Purple, so there was hope! (Also heard a King Rail giving its double note as well…) Several Anhingas called (and finally found a couple across the way), and got a nice “atmospheric” shot of a Great Egret stalking on the other side. Drove over to the overlook, where a couple of couples had their kidlets; almost immediately a Purple Gallinule popped up (only because he was being harassed by a redwing), but didn’t stay out long enough for video… He had a buddy talking in the reeds closer to me, so when this one lady with a camera and a “beginner’s” long lens (like my old Canon EOS Rebel) showed up, I alerted her to the fact that there were a pair of Purples in there, and she was thrilled! As we chatted, I heard some rustling over the railing, and looked over – there was the Purple Gallinule! I raced to unhook the Powershot from the tripod, and I think I got its butt end (don’t blame him for wanting to get in the shade)!

Elm Lake

Green Heron using bait to lure in a fish

Great Egret across the lake

Anhinga, also across the lake

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Common Gallinule (left) and Purple Gallinule trying to escape under the platform (right)

It was time to head to Angleton after that, so took off, psyching myself up to tackle that long hike the next morning! But still went kinda slow along that swamp road, and I couldn’t believe it – a Limpkin was right next to the road (almost), but right out in the open, and allowed for wonderful video (after I found the stupid camera that I had buried ��)! We swung around so I could try another angle as he had hopped up into another tree (good thing no one was coming or going), and got another cracking video! WOW!! Talk about a “God thing” – guess that was my “jewel” for being trusting and courageous through that storm! I texted Keith (my boss) and Kay (my friend who talked me into this trip in the first place) right away with the news, and teased Keith about maybe him wanting me to come home already, and he teased me back about going for the Prairie Chickens, since I was on a roll… ��

Miracle Limpkin on the way out!

Got some ice on the way to the hotel and got settled for the night.

Day 6 - Kickapoo Cavern State Park

mbstowe414@gmail.com (Mary Beth Stowe) — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 15:04:23 GMT

And what a final day! It was another cold but (thankfully) windless morning, and the drive to Brackettville in the dark was (again thankfully) uneventful. We made a potty stop there, picking up a singing Western Kingbird for the trip, and by that time it was getting light enough so that the last leg to Kickapoo Cavern on FM 674 was delightful – I’d love to be able to survey that road, as there was lots of good Edwards Plateau habitat and plenty of places to pull over. Did see a couple of ravens, but according to eBird both could occur, so I let them go.

And am I thankful I downloaded the eBird checklist the night before, because there was no signal once I got to the park! (Although I had an initial shock when I ran the day list and only got four species – needed to change the date… ��) After taking the obligatory entrance sign picture, we just crawled along, and were rewarded with a friendly Golden-cheeked Warbler, and later a Rufous-crowned Sparrow (he wasn’t friendly – just happened to be on my side of the road and was nice enough to stay put)! A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on a wire sallied out and caught a big bug, and although the singing Canyon Wren wasn’t new for the trip, the singing Scott’s Oriole was! The normal songsters seemed to be just Cardinals, Bell’s Vireos, and Bewick’s Wrens.

Scene along the entrance road

Golden-cheeked Warbler (left) and Rufous-crowned Sparrow (right)

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher with prize

Stopped at the headquarters to check in and ask about this blind Barbara had told me about, and the nice ranger showed me where it was; a park volunteer (named Mary I found out later) was in the back room and mentioned that she briefly saw a Black-capped Vireo come in to the water feature one evening, but that was the only time! But I knew God was in charge, so we’d do what we could! Flushed some Bobwhite as we drove out (assumed, as that’s the only quail their checklist listed as expected), and a thrasher on top of a tree turned out to be a Long-billed, considered “rare” according to their checklist, but eBird definitely liked it (not even an “infrequent” designation)!

Long-billed Thrasher and habitat near the blind

Barbara was right about the trail being a rocky one, so I mounted the Powershot on the tripod and headed up to the blind, which was indeed new since I had been here last. (Ended up taking the camera off the tripod as the setup was more conducive to hand-holding, like the blinds at South Llano…) I was a little dubious about the water feature at first, but before long the action started with Cardinals (of course), two Hermit Thrushes chasing each other, an Olive Sparrow (in addition to both Field and Rufous-crowned), and the Yellow-throated Warbler that had been singing (eBird liked it fine, but according to their checklist it’s accidental)! But right after that came the Golden-cheeked Warbler in for a bath! (Discovered after reviewing the video that it was “only” a female, but I’m not complaining… ��) The White-eyed Vireo gave a brief video op, and I think this was the session the Ruby-crowned Kinglet also came in. A Chat landed, but I spooked him ☹; the Summer Tanager was pretty skittish as well, but he finally settled down (along with the female).

New bird-viewing blind

The water feature was amazingly productive!

The female Cardinal was the first one in!

Olive Sparrow (left) and Field Sparrows (right - look hard for the second bird)

Hermit Thrush

Yellow-throated Warbler

White-eyed Vireo

Female Golden-cheeked Warbler; note the streaking on the green back.

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

I was almost reticent to leave after the hour was up, but my time was limited and I really needed to cover the rest of the park for documentation purposes, so we continued to crawl, until right at the head of the Barbado Ridge Trail, what should be singing but a Gray Vireo! Had I been on the ball I should have gotten a recording (and I’m wondering if Merlin somehow has a more sensitive recording ability, because the recordings made with that app have been stellar), but I wanted to try for video, and ended up spooking the thing up the hill ☹ where he continued to sing, so I tried getting a recording from there (Merlin still recognized it, though, even at that distance).

Barbado Ridge Trail (the Gray Vireo was singing in that tree on the left)

Interestingly I couldn’t find the name of that little road that goes up the hill on their trail map, but I headed up there next, then hiked ten minutes’ worth of what I thought was the Vireo Vista Trail. The landscape up there was definitely more reminiscent of West Texas, and while another Black-capped Vireo was singing (had heard a couple early on up the hill), only had an Ash-throated Flycatcher, more Cardinals, a Roadrunner doing that “tuk tuk” alarm call, a Canyon Towhee, and a distant White-crowned Sparrow weakly singing. Before I pulled out of there, some Black-throated Sparrows were having words…

Scene along what turned out to be the Upper Indigo Creek Connector Trail

Ash-throated Flycatcher

After that I did a little of the Indigo Creek Connector (where I had all those Gray Vireos last time), and again it was rather quiet, with a female Vermilion Flycatcher at the turnaround point and lots of Turkey Vultures overhead. Bell’s Vireos were all over the place, and got a very brief video (maybe) of one by the side of the road!

Scene along the Lower Indigo Creek Connector Trail

Turkey Vulture (left) and female Vermilion Flycatcher (right)

By that time the “go back to the blind” alarm went off, so off we went, and after we parked and started up the hill, what should be singing but another Blackcap! It wasn’t audible, but I could almost hear the Lord saying, “Get to that blind NOW!” and “He’s right in the water feature area!” Sure enough, I barely had time to sit down before in came Mr. Blackcap, and while he never really sat still (unless he was behind a bunch of branches), he did allow several snippets of close video! His wife also came in, and while that video wasn’t salvageable, a couple of nice screen shots were!

Black-capped Vireos (male left, female right)

More players also came in this time around: the chat returned and stuck around, a Black-and-white Warbler came in, the Scrub Jays that has been yakking the first time finally came in, and a Spotted Towhee sat still (with his head behind a branch)! A reddish thing I thought was a House Finch at first turned out to be a Varied Bunting at “in your face” range – I sure wasn’t expecting that! Another birder and the aforementioned volunteer wandered up in the meantime, and I encouraged them to come on in and enjoy the show! I was glad to see the volunteer as I got to share that the vireo had come in, as well as the Varied Bunting; she seemed dubious about the latter, but she believed me after seeing the picture! �� I guess a Lazuli Bunting had been coming to her feeders (she had a great “mad bunting” picture of it), but she also had a picture of what she thought was a Gray Vireo coming to her feeder, but truth be told, while it definitely wasn’t a vireo, I wasn’t sure what it was – it looked like a funky whitish American Goldfinch with a black bill and pink legs! (“Seek” thought it was a waxbill…) The Olive Sparrow made a return appearance after they came, but the only new bird was a wheeping Hooded Oriole.

Female Black-and-white Warbler

Varied Bunting (left) and Yellow-breasted Chat (right)

Woodhouse's Scrub Jay (left) and Olive Sparrow (right)

I had to head to Del Rio, so I made a shameless plug for the Alamo Inn to the gal (Mary had left), then headed to the car and headed out! Once I got a signal I texted both Keith and Barbara with the good news, then headed on in to Del Rio, adding Golden-fronted Woodpecker and all the Cliff Swallows nesting under an overpass to the day list (glad their nest looks different than the Cave, as that’s how I had to ID them)!

Day 5 - South Llano River SP - The Trails

mbstowe414@gmail.com (Mary Beth Stowe) — Sat, 07 Sep 2024 19:17:09 GMT

Headed out in the black, deciding to park at the walk-in camping lot to see in the dawn. And what a morning! It was freezing cold (around 37 degrees; Heppy – my Subaru – even warned me that the roads could be icy), but not a speck of wind, and the night sky was glorious! (There was a sign in the campground saying this was a Dark Sky Park or something like that…) Got to see a couple of meteors, and even a satellite (or the Space Station)! �� Once again, the Cardinals had to voice their dominance as the first birds up (even before it was lightening in the east), but nothing in the way of night birds vocalized. I did hear this weird barking that I suspected was one of the Axis Deer, so I thought I’d have some fun and see what Merlin said! Interestingly, he thought it was an Inca Dove (no way), but he also said he picked up a Poorwill! I did briefly hear something that sounded like one poor-will phrase, but since it didn’t keep going (as they usually do), I didn’t count it. Walked around the lot trying to keep warm, and in the twilight a Great Horned Owl glided low over my head (and it was light enough to see the details of his face without the bins ��)! Also heard Turkeys gobbling in the distance, and as it got lighter a singing Yellow-breasted Chat (that Merlin didn’t recognize, interestingly) was new for the trip, and that weird whistling that I heard yesterday that sounded like a funky Black-capped Chickadee and wrote it off as an oddball Field Sparrow or something suddenly clicked: it was the reported White-throated Sparrow! He gave great recording ops but never came out for a view, either there or in the blind.

I went to the Juniper Blind with the Powershot and decided to hang out there until 8:00; can’t recall anything new that came in, so after heading to headquarters and checking in (and filming their Purple Martins ��) I swung over to the parking lot for the Agarita Blind and hiked the whole of the Agarita Trail (found out I had been mis-labeling it all this time: I thought it was the Fawn Trail, but the Fawn Trail is on the other side of the park). [Update: Upon looking at old photo albums, they did call that the Fawn Trail at some point!] As per usual I hiked to the paved road, and the big miracle during that stretch was a White-eyed Vireo that sat up for a wonderful video! Blackcaps were singing at trail’s end, but uncooperative, although hearing the bright, bouncing ball of the Olive Sparrow was a surprise! On the way back, however, some territorial Bell’s Vireos also gave great video ops! An elderly couple had the blind occupied, but thankfully you can stand outside and still shoot, so I did so for 15 minutes, logging a Ruby-crowned Kinglet coming in to the water along with the regulars.

Trail to the Juniper Blind (too dark for any decent bird pictures)

Purple Martin shenanigans...

“How about a kiss??” “I don’t think so!!” “Aw, shucks…”

Birds along the Agarita Trail...

White-crowned Sparrow

White-eyed Vireo

Bell's Vireo

Where the trail dumps off at the service road

“You got a problem with that??” (Black-crested Titmouse drinking from the ant trap...)

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Next try was the Overlook Trail, as people had said they’d seen the Blackcap there, so I set my beeper for ten and headed out. While most of the trail was paved, it was very steep (the “No Bicycles” sign should have been the first clue), but I made it to a semi-level spot at the ten-minute mark, and the view looking behind me was stupendous (almost made me dizzy)! A pair of Ash-throated Flycatchers called here but only allowed brief views.

View at the 10-minute mark

Since my friend Barbara had recommended the Easter Pageant Hill as a good Blackcap spot, I got the skinny from her (right in front of the stage) and headed over. Only I was shocked when I saw it: I was expecting a multi-use park with restrooms (as I desperately needed one), but it was a bare open area across the street from a rural golf course, with three crosses, a shelter, and “the stage” up on the hillside! There was a trail up to the “stage”, and I did indeed hear Blackcaps up there, but the trail was too dicey and the birds too far away (and facing the sun to boot), plus a couple of trucks crawled by a couple of times as though checking me out, so I gave up on that place and headed back to the state park (got a Canyon Wren, anyway).

Back at the park, even though my main focus was that silly vireo, I did want to hike some of the other trails as I had time, so I parked in the lot by the river crossing and took the woodland connector trail to the day use area. Scared a cute little Ladder-backed Woodpecker at the start while two Goldenfronts called unseen, and a bona fide Carolina Chickadee sang but wasn’t very friendly... Once at the day use area (my ten minutes weren’t up yet) I just worked the fenceline to see what I could kick up; unfortunately I couldn’t get on the “butterflying” Vermilion Flycatcher (got distracted by both a Bank and Rough-winged Swallow), and a Yellow-rumped Warbler (aka Butterbutt) called down by the river. Taking the River Trail back I heard the reported Belted Kingfisher, but also the ticking of a Green! Couldn’t spot the latter, but did spot the former, and tried to get a video of her with her fish! The Butterbutt also came in close (turned out to be a Myrtle) but I just couldn’t get on him, nor could I get on the Orange-crowned that also came in to pishing.

South Llano River (usually filled with revelers at this spot) looking back towards the entrance road

View from Day Use Area

Even though I really wanted to try those other trails, I needed to at least try to pin down that Blackcap, so back to the Agarita Trail I went, which was deadly quiet this time. I tried using Seek to identify some of the plants, and the namesake Agarita was one of them! (It would only go as far as “oak” on the trees that hadn’t budded yet, however…) Ran into a gal I had run into previously (I thought she was a ranger as it looked like she was wearing a uniform, but it sounded like she was camping) who reported that she had the “Golden-cheeked Vireo” down the road! �� She meant the warbler (said she had both, actually), and cottoned me onto the fact that the paved road looped back to the headquarters building!

That would make a nice loop, but I wanted to hit the blind again, which I did, and this time it had three birder friends (all from Canada, but one was a US citizen so she got to drive down while her hubby had to fly). I stood outside until the heat (!) was too much to bear and begged for a seat inside the blind! They gladly obliged (the lady even had me sit on the stool next to her so I could shoot out the window – after I assured her I was vaccinated ��) and immediately were treated to two Armadillos scrounging around! They (the friends, not the armadillos) apparently spent time in the Valley before heading back up (said it was slow, but I said they were too early ��), and when I explained that my main reason for wanting to sit in this blind for a while was because the other lady I had just run into said she had the vireo here the day before, that prompted a story from one of them about how she spent all day in this blind one year waiting for the vireo to come in (which it never did), after which a friend told her (with much glee, probably), “Oh, he was just at the other blind!” �� But while I was with them they pointed out a Ruby-throated Hummingbird coming in to the feeder (everything until then had been Black-chinned), and I pointed out a Clay-colored Sparrow that was coming in!

Clay-colored Sparrow

The red of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird changes shade depending on the position of the bird!

A rare daytime visit from a couple of Armadillos! (And yes, it is possible to contract leprosy from handling them, but the risk is very low…)

After that decided to try the walk-in camping area one last time, and was surprised to discover the real Overlook Trail, which was a nice flat trail right through the middle of vireo habitat (no wonder they got them there)! And what was probably the same Blackcap I had been chasing around the corner area was song-battling a rival; I got a glimpse of movement, but no good looks. I hiked the trail as far as the creek crossing (which was dry, but still looked dicey); I must have been getting tired as two non-birding hiker guys passed me and asked if I had seen anything new, and I just blanked out and couldn’t play along! ☹

The real overlook trail!

I was really shot after that, so decided just to sit in the Juniper Blind until it was time to go, enjoying sunning towhees and fighting Cardinals, a Hermit Thrush coming in for a drink, and a Bell’s Vireo that acted like he wanted to come in to the water feature but never made it… On the way back to the car, what should be singing right next to the pavement but that beastie of a Blackcap! He was still arguing with his rival, so I positioned myself on a foot path and waited, and bingo – he gave me a very brief head shot (I told my boss Keith that I might be able to stretch that into 15 seconds ��)!

Wild-eyed female Spotted Towhee (left) and what she was actually doing (right)...

Hermit Thrush

Black-capped Vireo

Headed “home” after that, stopping at the Conoco where they had plenty of ice this time �� and some Cocoa Krispies to try for breakfast tomorrow (since I have to use up the milk). The Common Grackles were still rusty-hinging next door as well!

Day 4 - South Llano River SP Blinds

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 18:15:01 GMT

Packed up after the morning routine (funny how I’ve consistently woken up before the alarm goes off) and made it to Junction without clobbering any deer! �� (The wind was horrendous, though; I was concerned about all those big rigs zipping along at 70 MPH!) Siri sent me the back way, which I think was new, and was shocked to discover major road work going on in the park – I couldn’t even pull over on my favorite perch at the top of the hill! ☹ (Come to find out they were building a new Visitor’s Center…) So I pulled over as soon as I felt it was safe, and like the first morning at Kerr, I think the wind kept me from hearing much of anything (although, as normal, the Cardinals were the first ones to wake up). I did pick up a Black-capped Vireo at the first hard left, and heard a Golden-cheeked Warbler near Lora’s Blind (but I think that might have been after sunrise – it all blends together…). Crawled around the campground picking up several Bell’s Vireos and spooked three Axis Deer, and by the time I arrived at the big parking lot outside the campground my Sunrise Alarm went off, so decided to head back to Lora’s Blind first before the construction crew got going!

That was a good plan, and my concerns about the blinds being packed with people were unfounded, as, out of all four blinds, only two other couples showed up the whole time (and I spent an hour in each one)! One couple remembered me from San Diego (and that’s always embarrassing when you don’t remember them ☹) and were now RVing all over the country, and the other couple were new birders from San Benito (another Lower Rio Grande Valley town)! (I put in a plug for Arroyo Colorado Audubon… ��)

Anyway, even before the food was put out, Lora’s Blind was hopping with activity: the main players were White-crowned Sparrows of all ages and in various degrees of molt (it was funny to see beat up birds next to immaculately fresh ones), and both species of towhees came in as well (although the Spotted was consistently shy). Titmice were very cooperative, and I was thrilled to see a Hermit Thrush come in to the water feature! Cardinals were all over the place, Lincoln’s Sparrows were plentiful, and one Lark Sparrow came in.

For the most part, the adult White-crowned Sparrows were in need of a good molt!

On the other hand, many of the immatures were immaculate!

Lark (left) and Lincoln's Sparrows

Field (left) and Chipping Sparrows

Canyon Towhee

Spotted Towhee

Hermit Thrush

A volunteer had put seeds on the inside of this stump, and this titmouse kept going in and out to retrieve them!

Next was the Agarita Blind (after checking in), where more of the same players came in, and in addition Field Sparrows, a single Black-throated that was in the wrong spot for filming, and a quick Bewick’s Wren. A Black-chinned Hummingbird performed his display flight in front of a female (with the glass between me and him, sadly), and every once in a while one would actually come in the blind! A Yellow-throated Vireo was singing enticingly in the tree right over the feeder area, but he never came out for a look…

Black-throated Sparrow (left) and Mockingbird with stunted bill (seemed to be getting along fine, though…)

Black-chinned Hummingbirds (leucistic female on right)

At the Acorn Blind there was more variety: a Ladder-backed Woodpecker kept coming in to the peanut butter (PB) feeder “the back way”, and a brilliant Summer Tanager performed famously, with drinking, bathing, and indulging in the PB all filmed! White-winged Doves were all over as well, along with House Finches and a single Clay-colored Sparrow sitting on the other side of the glass. A Chipping Sparrow sang outside the door and then came in to the feeding area, and a female Vermilion Flycatcher also paid a visit! But what I thought was another Bewick’s Wren at first turned out to be a Carolina! A pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds came in, which I really did want to film as they play the part of the “villain” in the vireo saga. On the way out saw a bird fly up into a tree that I thought was the Chippie at first, but it turned out to be a Bell’s Vireo on (or at least making) a nest! I set up and gave her five minutes to come back, but she never did (I meant to try and re-find it the next day, but never got over there).

Summer Tanager

Brown-headed Cowbirds (female left)

Carolina Wren

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Female Vermilion Flycatcher

Last was the Juniper Blind, where I ran into a couple of guys from Canada in the parking lot who were looking for Black-capped Vireos; I recommended Kerr, and that’s where they headed! Bird-wise at the blind, new visitors included a pair of Woodhouse’s Scrub Jays, a Mockingbird, a female Ladderback, and the biggest surprise – a Long-billed Thrasher! And eBird liked it! (It also likes Brown Thrasher, so I can see where the local birders really have to be on their toes…) I even dragged out the Texas Ornithological Society’s Handbook when I got “home”, and sure enough, they’re not supposed to reach Kimble County, but apparently they’re frequent enough that it’s accepted by the local eBird reviewers as an “expected” species!

Woodhouse's Scrub Jay

A Field Sparrow is minding his own business when a Scrub Jay literally yanks him off the feeder!

Long-billed Thrasher, a rare visitor from the Valley!

Cutzie head-on Black-crested Titmice

Intimidating head-on Northern Cardinals!

Left when my beeper went off, just in time for another lady loaded down with gear to take my place! �� I was just getting ready to put The Monster away when guess who started singing right next to the pavement! But unlike his great-great-great etc. grandfather from several years ago that I encountered here, this Black-capped Vireo did not want to sit on top of the tree for all to see! Maybe tomorrow…

My back was really starting to bother me, so I packed The Monster away and crawled along the roads with the Powershot by my side. Once in the Day Use area, I set up the Powershot on the tripod and headed down to Buck Lake. That’s a beautiful little trail, but I can see how negatively the drought has affected everything: so many of the big oaks actually look dead, not just dormant, and I was actually concerned that one of those big branches might come tumbling down in the wind!

Buck Lake Trail

Buck Lake was pretty, but empty bird-wise; I thought I heard a Black-and-white Warbler singing, but then remembered that the Yellow-throated Warblers here have that funky song, and sure enough, that’s what it was! I was pondering the fact that on previous trips I’d encounter Acadian Flycatchers and Red-eyed Vireos in here; that’s what happens when you come in early April instead of mid-to-late April! (And that’s also probably why the blinds were devoid of people: the buntings hadn’t arrived yet! ��)

Buck Lake

Yellow-throated Warbler

Had to head to the hotel after that, so used the compost toilet and wheeled out, slamming on the brakes along the entrance road when I spotted an Armadillo kicking up dirt all over (good thing no one was behind me)! Got a Cinnabon for breakfast at the Pilot shop (and could barely get a bag of ice because what was left was frozen to the bottom of the thing), and added Common Grackle for the trip outside my room!

Armadillo, the unofficial state mammal!

Day 3 - Kerr WMA, Bobcat Trail

mbstowe414@gmail.com (Mary Beth Stowe) — Sat, 24 Aug 2024 19:32:55 GMT

Didn’t wake up quite as early as the day before, but still got to Bobcat Meadows well before dawn. This time it was a lovely morning, with no wind, and at the second or third stop, sure enough, a Poorwill was singing in the distance! (Turkeys were gobbling as well…) Barbara texted me in the middle of all this with a question about the Harris’ Hawk (turns out I had forgotten to add the Swainson’s Hawk to the eBird list, and forgot to add that and the Harris’ to the trip list), so I got to tell her that I had just gotten the Poorwill! J The normal dawn chorus characters started tuning up as it got lighter, but nothing new for the trip.

At sunrise I swung over to the main road just to make sure they really were having a turkey hunt, and therefore the place was closed (they were), so I headed back to Bobcat Meadows and carried out the following strategy: stop every tenth of a mile, drag The Monster out, and wait five minutes to see what shows! Worked fine until the second or third stop when two Black-capped Vireos were really going at it in this bush in front of me; you’d think they’d be visible, but no way! But I hung in there with them, and they eventually shot down to a leafless bush down the incline where they were clearly visible chasing each other around the bush, and it became apparent that there was a third bird (which turned out to be the female, which was the main bird I was able to shoot; her hubby was too busy chasing his rival J)! It wasn’t the greatest, mainly because of the distance and trying to keep the silly things in focus as they dashed in and out between the branches, but at least we got something!

One of the spots where the Black-capped Vireos would sing (but not show…)

The female finally allows for some video! (The males were too busy chasing each other…)

That really did turn out to be a good strategy, because as the sun eventually came out, was able to get some nice video of a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and Lark Sparrow, in addition to some nice scenic shots. A male Black-and-white Warbler posed on a distant tree (I think he was singing, but you couldn’t hear him), only I really didn’t think to move so that out-of-focus branch wouldn’t be in the way (maybe I was too afraid the bird would move if I moved)! Found a distant Cardinal, and was getting ready to film him when a local rolled by in his silver pickup and had a bird question! (His Purple Martins weren’t hanging around as in previous years…) There were several more singing Black-capped Vireos, but none that wanted to be in the movies; most of the stuff I saw (like the gnatcatchers and a couple of Orange-crowned Warblers) I just couldn’t get on. Added a few trip birds by ear along the way (Scrub Jay and the two expected finches), and inwardly cursed out a rattling cowbird near yet another Black-capped Vireo territory. A Caracara circled overhead along with the vultures, and at the end of the road, a brilliant male Summer Tanager was upset and allowed me to get some cracking video (looked like he was mooning me half the time)!

Scenic shot taken with The Monster

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Lark Sparrow

Summer Tanager

Cardinal singing from an oak

Line of Ashe Junipers near the end of the road

Headed straight over to the Spring Trap Trail, which started off in a beautiful little oak grove, but quickly climbed a slight, rocky incline into Ashe Juniper habitat. Goldencheeks were certainly in there (in fact, just past the right fork I noticed some guys who looked like they were banding – had I been on the ball I probably should have asked them if I could interview them), but none wanted to cooperate. I really didn’t see anything in there; got some nice scenic shots, but I had to watch my footing the whole time, so that’s definitely a trail I won’t be taking again! ☹ At least got a heard-only Yellow-throated Vireo across the highway when I got back to the car!

Spring Trap Trail

Close-up of the Ashe Juniper, the preferred nesting tree of the Golden-cheeked Warbler

It looked like I had time to check out that Flat Rock Lake, but about halfway there Heppy’s thermometer said it was 92 (and I had already doused myself with water after getting back from that hike), so I made a command decision to head to the hotel after getting ice and other essentials (I had actually felt a little nauseous that morning, so decided to get some “real” cereal for breakfast the next morning; too bad all they had was Cap’n Crunch Berries ��).

Day 2: Kerr WMA with Barbara Pankratz

mbstowe414@gmail.com (Mary Beth Stowe) — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 21:28:23 GMT

I felt like a kid on Christmas morning the next day, so I did the morning routine unhurriedly because I got up uber early, and got over to Bobcat Meadows well before dawn; the wind concerned me, but there were no night birds at all, and as the sky lightened we had the usual suspects, including the song-battling Black-capped Vireos. I rushed out of there in time to meet Barbara at the main gate, which was closed when I first checked, but open now! We had a great reunion, and she had quite the list while she was waiting for me (she, too, felt like a kid on Christmas morning and got there around seven, when the gate was open)! I had heard a chickadee coming in, and Inca Doves at the station, but for some reason she didn’t hear the Canyon Wren I heard (but she got it later).

We piled into Heppy and started crawling, and it was good to catch up during the course of the day! It all blended together since we covered both roads; Barbara spotted Lark Sparrows right away on the main road, a Vermilion Flycatcher “butterflied” overhead, and a Swainson’s Hawk circled in the distance. We heard both the Goldencheeks and the Blackcaps right away, but the former was the only one to cooperate by sitting on the tippy top of a tree! (Barbara circled around a tree a Blackcap was singing in to try and “herd” him my way…) We found another Goldencheek pair chasing each other, and Barbara got terrific shots with her new Sony, but I really had a hard time getting mine on the bird and then in focus, so that made me decide to get a Powershot video first, and then drag out The Monster if the bird was still being cooperative! At that same spot we had a thooking Hermit Thrush, and we actually did have a lot of Blackcaps, but they would only allow fleeting glimpses as they shot from tree to tree.

The main drag

Golden-cheeked Warblers (male left, female center & right)

Barbara takes a picture of the interpretive signs

But one of the best shots of the day was a tom Turkey in full breeding display! He actually stayed put for video taken with both The Monster and the Powershot on the tripod, because the wind was really shaking The Monster, and it was worth getting a seamless video of that show! One of the residences had a drip or something that was attracting birds, but most were too far away for me to tell what they were, much less get video! But here we added Summer Tanager, and White-crowned, Chipping, and Lincoln’s Sparrows to the list (I was especially happy with the Whiteys ��), plus a pair of Golden-fronted Woodpeckers that looked so huge to Barbara that she thought they were Flickers at first (I woulda taken that ��)! Barbara thought she had a Clay-colored, and a random video I took and reviewed later showed that indeed she did have one!

Tom Turkey in full display mode

At another spot, a White-eyed Vireo miraculously came into view for a brief video, and we actually did hit the Vireo Bonanza with at least heard-only Yellow-throated, Hutton’s, and Bell’s (barely heard the latter)! Somewhere in here a Goldencheek popped up right next to the car, and when I finally got on him he let me take wonderful video of him singing! On the way out I heard a Rufous-crowned Sparrow, so I stopped so Barbara could add that to her list. At another stop a couple of Great Blue Herons flew by in the distance! Ash-throated Flycatchers were calling all over, but never came out, while Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and Black-crested Titmice were out the yin yang, along with Field Sparrows (by ear, anyway)! Ravens provided background music here and there, while Purple Martins glided past periodically. At another stop Barbara spotted a Nashville Warbler, and an Orange-crowned Warbler sang somewhere (I think she actually saw it). Once again Barbara’s plant knowledge was indispensable, as she pointed out the Redbud Tree to me, and explained that the Live Oaks do shed their leaves, but not all at once, which is why you see a combination of green and golden leaves on them.

End of the road

White-eyed Vireo (left) & Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (right)

Yet another Golden-cheeked Warbler

Redbud Tree

Barbara had never been to the Bobcat Meadows area before, so we swung over there after finishing up the main road. We had pretty much the same players as yesterday, including the song-battling Blackcaps (Barbara thought she could have had a pair). The towhees actually showed themselves here, but I don’t recall anything that actually let me shoot them.

Barbara had to get back to Comfort for a get-together with some former teacher friends, so I dropped her off at her car and hugged goodbye, after which I gave the main drag one last crawl (seeing as it would be closed tomorrow for a Turkey hunt). It was really quieting down, and Barbara thought that was due to the drought; she had pointed out how some of the oak trees were stressed because of it. A pair of Black Vultures stayed put for Monster video, and a Hutton’s Vireo actually sat out in the open, singing away! He even stayed put long enough for me to get Monster video of him! �� Spotted a small kettle that included a buteo-type thing in with the vultures, and at first glance I thought it was a Harris’ Hawk due to the white tail base (and I knew they didn’t occur up here so I jumped out and took a bunch of pictures), but after analyzing said pictures, I couldn’t figure out what it was! The color and pattern actually matched Golden Eagle, but it was way too small for that, so pondered sending Bill Clark a photo, only when I got to the hotel and looked at the pictures on the computer, by golly it was a Harris’, and a pretty beat-up one to boot (you could just make out his white tail tip)! So I processed those and got them up on eBird, as it was a flagged sighting (and I mused that the strong south winds probably blew the poor thing up – when you think about it, they really don’t occur that far south of there)!

Harris’ Hawk, a vagrant in the Hill Country!

It was time for me to head back by the time I hit the end of the road, so we headed back, stopping to film a pair of cooperative Barn Swallows by the headquarters building. Got gassed and iced up, and headed to the Church’s to get lunch for the rest of the week, only ran into this place called Chicken Express on the way, so I thought I’d try that! Got home in plenty of time to shower and catch up on e-mail!

Barn Swallows

Edwards Plateau, 3-9 April 2022 - the Drive Up

mbstowe414@gmail.com (Mary Beth Stowe) — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 19:29:27 GMT

Headed out on time, but was greeted by fog heading up the 281 corridor! Once it cleared we added a few expected things: Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Caracara, and Red-tailed Hawk were the nice ones (grackles and pigeons not so nice ��).

Stopped at the Subway in Jourdanton to get lunch for today and tomorrow, where the gals were pulling their hair out because someone suddenly wanted 32 sandwiches for which they had no bread, then caused Siri to pull out her “hair” because I insisted on going the back way to Kerrville instead of taking the freeway! (She finally got on board…) It’s a lovely drive, and ended up getting to the WMA about 1:30, but was surprised to see the main gate closed! (Maybe I shouldn’t have been if they were having a turkey hunt…) So I headed on over to Bobcat Road and just started crawling, and almost immediately I heard a Black-capped Vireo singing! I pulled out The Monster, and what else should start singing but a Golden-cheeked Warbler! I went back and forth between the two trying to nail them down, but neither wanted to come out. ☹ The whole road was like that, really: at one point I had two song-battling, and one of them sounded like he was right there in great light, but of course I either couldn’t spot him or he was singing from within the bush (which is probably more likely). Cardinals also sounded visible but weren’t, and a little pishing got Bewick’s Wrens, titmice, and a Spotted Towhee all excited, but none would come out (it was getting warm and breezy, so I don’t blame them).

A little further down was a little feeding flock that I just couldn’t get on with the camera: a Black-and-white Warbler did come in briefly, but the Blackcaps and Goldencheeks were being stubborn. At other points I added Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, and Carolina Wren to the heard-only list, while Field Sparrows were singing all over (mostly distant). The only other “seen” birds along that road were a Raven and some Turkey Vultures, but miracle of miracles, at another stop I actually spotted the vireo up in an oak, and was able to get “proof video”!

Fuzzy screen shot of the Black-capped Vireo “proof” video!

Male Blue-gray Gnatcatcher has a “Groucho Marx” eyebrow and is just as diligent as the female when it comes to nest-building!

The female comes in and adds more lichen, then hunkers down to shape the nest!

It was time to head to Kerrville after that, so I did so, and called my friend Barbara after getting there as I had trouble getting a signal. She was getting together with some former teachers for dinner the next day and didn’t think she could make it, but after thinking about it, decided she could just meet me there at 7:30 and she’d leave when she had to, so that sounded great!

Big Bend Part 7: Chisos Basin & the Drive Home

mbstowe414@gmail.com (Mary Beth Stowe) — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 20:42:51 GMT

Got all packed up in plenty of time the next morning, so dropped off the key and headed down to the amphitheater parking area to see in the dawn, planning on walking up the paved road and then coming back down that connector trail I did last time. I hemmed and hawed about that after coasting down the incline, however, and remembered that I was looking into the sun going up that trail last time, so decided to start at the top and come down after all. The predawn watch was glorious, with more stupendous stars (and I think I saw a satellite – one was moving pretty fast!), plus another Poorwill and a couple more Elf Owls! (That was my last chance at picking up Western Screech Owl, hence the vigil, but no banana…) Some songsters later came close enough for recordings, including a Canyon Towhee and Scott’s Oriole!

I headed up a bit before actual sunrise to use the restroom, then got distracted by a pair of Canyon Towhees bouncing around near the picnic tables, only to be photobombed by a White-winged Dove! Then headed down what I thought was the trail I had taken up ten years ago, but discovered later that the trail I really wanted was the one that went to the group campground! But my mistake turned out to be a blessing (even though it was another dicey, rocky trail – I’ve definitely made up my mind to avoid those from now on!) as while I was filming an Acorn Woodpecker, I heard a Mexican Jay behind me, and turned to see him hopping on the trail coming my way!! Thankfully he stayed put (or I should say, didn’t flee) for video, calling the whole time! And on top of that, a Gray Fox zipped across the trail behind me! A Rufous-crowned Sparrow came in close to pishing, but he stayed inside the bush enough so that a video just wasn’t possible. From on high I spotted the singing tanager that sounded more like a Summer to me, and it indeed was, which surprised me up this high (although BirdsEye showed it as expected)! A Pine Siskin “cheered” overhead, and I was surprised to see it flagged later when the trio a few days ago were fine – must be on the cusp!

White-winged Dove (left) and Canyon Towhee (right)

Connector trail from the upper parking lot to the amphitheater area

Friendly Mexican Jay

That trail dumped out on the paved (more my speed) trail to the amphitheater, which then led to the campground. The tanager had flown over to a pine (or juniper – some kind of evergreen) and was in beautiful light, just singing away! The plan was to walk for five and stand (or sit, if it was convenient) for five, and that worked well: not only did it force me to drink enough water, but good things inevitably came by, and it was nice just to enjoy the scenery (and even the campers; this one young couple had two young kids, and while the kids were having a ball, the parents admitted they were exhausted ��)! A Cactus Wren sang from one of the “Site” signs, and at that couple’s site a nice male Ladder-backed Woodpecker came in to a dead tree, soon to be usurped by another dove! I think I came near a Mockingbird’s nest, as the pair was quite agitated (but made for good video in good light)! On one clip some country music started wafting in the background, and it turned out that the camper next door was actually playing and singing live music – he was pretty good!

Where the trail dumps out by the amphitheater

Summer Tanager (left) and Cactus Wren (right)

Scruffy Ladder-backed Woodpecker (showing pretty wing pattern on right)

Mockingbird pair: One mate relieves the other and then sounds the alarm over the intruder!

Continuing around the loop, another rest hit pay dirt – although there was no way I could see the thing much less film it: the Gray Vireo! Both he and the Black-chinned Sparrows were waaay up on the mountainside, as was a Varied Bunting later. At another rest the Say’s Phoebe got away, as did a pair of titmice, one doing his “Morse Code” song! When I finished with the campground I was resting when this carload of birders from California pulled up and asked me what I had seen; I went through the eBird list which got them all excited, so I hope they found most of their targets! [Update: Which they did – incredibly once back home we ran into them again at Sabal Palm Sanctuary!]

Mountain from whence Gray Vireos and Black-chinned Sparrows were singing!

As feared, it was slow going back up that hill, but not as bad as a rugged trail would have been (I’ll take a paved road any day, even if it’s uphill)! Had another Cactus Wren, but that was the extent of the photo ops (for birds, anyway; I took a lot of scenic shots on the way up). Made it up actually faster than anticipated (and it wasn’t as bad as anticipated, either), so got some ice at the store, used the restroom, and headed for Panther Junction, where we filled up and headed north to Marathon (and I just had to pull over, take a picture, and send it to the gang: I happened to look over at my car’s screen that said he was getting 56 MPG!!).

Chisos Campground (and The Window) from the road

God was merciful and got us to Del Rio without overheating (I meant to check the radiator level but forgot ☹) and kept me from getting clobbered by a truck I was trying to pass on a narrow bridge (why do they always speed up when you’re trying to pass???)! Made a brief stop at Seminole Canyon SP to use the restroom, where a Hooded Oriole was calling right outside the car, with a Raven making a funny noise while I was filming! Outside the restroom was a poor grasshopper that had lost a leg, and when I showed the ranger the picture, she said it was a katydid, but didn’t know the species (I did some digging later and the best match seems to be Stevenson’s Shieldback). She also pointed me to their Barn Swallow nest, and while I was filming, Momma happened to come in to feed them! What a great video!

Seminole Canyon

Barn Swallow family

Made it in to Del Rio fine, and remembered to check the fluid levels the next morning – everything was fine! �� It was a lovely, uneventful drive back to Alamo (although I almost got clobbered by a white pickup passing a truck who was turning; figured God still had a plan for me) with a new trip bird: a White-tailed Hawk over Falfurrias!

Big Bend Part 6: Santa Elena Canyon & Cottonwood Campground

mbstowe414@gmail.com (Mary Beth Stowe) — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 20:08:34 GMT

The next day was much more relaxing: headed out to Santa Elena Canyon in the pitch (stopped at the bottom of the grade to listen for owls – nada, but the stars were stupendous!), and again found myself playing “Dodge the Bunny” (actually spooked a Jackrabbit into the brush)! I have to say the early-morning desert smelled so good! It had been decades since I was last there, and they built a handicap-access trail since then, but you still had to hike the sand to the river. As per usual, Bell’s Vireos were out the yin yang, and a Lesser Goldfinch was at the top of a willow, but I had a hard time getting at an angle where I could film him. Both Blue Grosbeaks and Painted Buntings were at the river, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to make that climb up the canyon wall as in previous years (and probably wouldn’t have crossed anyway, as the trail across the creek was very muddy). But the scenery was just fabulous, and it was fun getting video with the early morning bird ambience! The only new bird was a Rock Wren singing waaay up there; no way could I spot ‘im! On the way out, a very cooperative Bell’s Vireo actually sat still for a video, only I noticed that his beak wasn’t moving to the song – I apparently was filming the guy’s mate!

Painted Bunting

Turns out I was filming the singing male Bell's Vireo (right) but when I followed him with the camera he stealthfully traded places with his mate (left and center)!

The tourists started showing up about then ��, so decided to head on to Cottonwood, but not without a stop at the river access. The same two young women at the canyon arrived just after I did, so I let them take their pictures before I headed down the boat ramp (didn’t think they wanted me in it ��). I was hoping for odes at both places, but nada, and not even a Black Phoebe to show for it, so headed on to the campground. I couldn’t believe it was starting to warm up already, but I got The Monster ready and hiked down to the end of the loop, planning on sitting at each shaded picnic table for five on the way back (so the sun would be favorable), and that was a good plan, even if the birds (especially the stinky little vireos) weren’t all that cooperative! A Verdin wanted to be cooperative, but I couldn’t find him in the camera before he decided he had posed long enough and took off… ☹ The Vermilion Flycatcher pair actually was cooperative, and the Brown-crested Flycatcher finally perched in the open, but not in the best light [Ed. Note: That picture got scrapped]… A little family of House Finches played on a dead tree, and a White-winged Dove sat in nice light (although distant) from a prominent perch [Ed. Note: Same story…]. One of the few cooperative subjects was a silly Turkey Vulture that came wheeling in low (I think I startled him) and then landed! The Western Kingbird pair stayed hidden in their dead tree, but I wasn’t fast enough with the camera to catch a female Brown-headed Cowbird coming out of someone’s nest hole! ☹

Rio Grande access

Female Vermilion Flycatcher back at Cottonwood Campground

Turkey Vulture

Another birder arrived in the meantime, and as we chatted he mentioned he had had Lucy’s Warblers in the corner, so I thanked him while he went to check the river for dragonflies. In the meantime I discovered a Golden-fronted Woodpecker nest and filmed him sticking his head out, when the Lucy’s Warbler started singing close! He never did come out, although there were several times when he sounded like he should have been visible, but just wasn’t… But while I was filming the woodpecker one of the maintenance guys wheeled in and asked me if I had seen “his” owls! Of course I hadn’t, but the one he had been checking on happened to be right across from us – a beautiful Great Horned! That was a wonderful video op, even if it was a widespread bird!

A male Golden-fronted Woodpecker sticks his head out of his nest, then gives us the evil eye!

A Great Horned Owl does the same before drifting back off to sleep!

Put The Monster away and headed down that other trail with the Powershot, but didn’t get very far as the only thing you could see was the irrigation pump (and getting down to the river itself looked treacherous), so I decided to call it quits for that area and road bird Green Gulch again, this time doing the BBS Protocol. Nothing new for the trip (and no butters, either), but I managed to shoot some interpretive signs, and while the Black-capped Vireo wasn’t at “his” spot, I heard him a little further up on the fly! Headed on to the store to get ice (a Say’s Phoebe flew in) and get rid of the garbage piling up in the car!

Trail into the boonies at Green Gulch

After dropping The Monster off I did a round on the Window View Trail et al for butters, but got distracted by a Canyon Towhee up in a tree by the rooms! Didn’t use the tripod as I assumed I’d be using the macro most of the time, but I could have used it for the Scott’s Oriole that flew in! Took a picture for a couple that was at The View, messed with a Roadrunner that was rattling his bill at me, then made my way to the thistle patch; had a definitive look at the Checkered Skipper, and this one was definitely a White…

Vernon Bailey Mountain and The Window

Canyon Towhee (left) and Scott's Oriole (right)

White Checkered Skipper

The Lord saved me from getting another steak dinner �� and we finished up yesterday’s – just as good! Decided to change plans for tomorrow and do the little “Basin Loop” trail (as opposed to the strenuous one that incorporates the Pinnacles and Laguna Meadows Trails) instead of Dugout Wells, mainly because there were several potential specialty birds I could film as I had yet to work it first thing in the morning! So I was looking forward to that!

Big Bend Part 5: Laguna Meadow Trail

mbstowe414@gmail.com (Mary Beth Stowe) — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 19:27:30 GMT

Was ready to go well before dawn the next morning, as I planned to sit at the trailhead and see if any night birds would call. The Poorwill came through, but even better, the Elf Owl called from the cabin area, just like last time! I kept a “nocturnal” eBird list, and it was fun listening to everyone bringing in the dawn; Say’s Phoebe and Black-chinned Sparrow were new, but I think everything else was an old friend (like Canyon Towhee and Hepatic Tanager).

At 6:25 we started up (and started a new eBird list), and following the routine of hiking for 20 and resting for five worked well, although I was somewhat discouraged at my speed (not sure why – I’ve always gone that slow uphill), wondering if we were ever gonna get there! A young gal who kinda looked like fellow guide Tiffany Kersten came trucking up behind me carrying a pack (and no walking stick) and breezed by – ah, youth! At one spot I had a lovely Blue Grosbeak against the sunlit mountain, and at the same spot was a close Ash-throated Flycatcher! Not everyone was that cooperative, however; at one point a Spotted Towhee did stay put for a video, but everyone else (like the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Acorn Woodpecker, and Mexican Jay) just didn’t stick around (although, had the stupid camera focused, I might have gotten a nice one of the jay).

Blue Grosbeak (left) and Ash-throated Flycatcher (right)

Took some nice scenic shots with birdcall ambience just to say I got something (the best was the two hikers coming down the trail – perfect timing!), and the new year birds were definitely worth it (I think ☹), adding heard-only White-throated Swift, Hutton’s Vireo (that one did allow a brief glimpse), and Canyon Wren. At one resting spot another couple passed me by and made a joke about the scraping noises up the trail being made by a Mountain Lion��, but it turned out to be the Tiffany Look-alike who was working on improving the trail (man, more power to her working in that heat!) A bona fide Crissal Thrasher was singing away at one point (I had been hoping for them the whole trip down in the desert, but I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised to get it up in the higher elevation after my experience with them in Arizona), but while he wouldn’t come out then, he (or another bird) did dart across the trail as I turned a corner, giving enough of a look for a positive ID but never to be seen again! ☹ I was a little concerned as I ascended because some ominous clouds were starting to roll in, and that was the last place I wanted to be if another one of those “thunder monsoons” started to form!

Meeting hikers coming down

But thankfully the clouds departed (I guess, as less clouds equals more heat), and the “Top of the World” spot was nice to see again! Got some cool video of the lodge area from way up there (and I thought I was next to Emory Peak, but I wasn’t…), and while not new for the trip, I was jazzed to hear another Black-capped Vireo up near Laguna Meadow! But the little grove where I had the Colima ten years ago just did not look the same, so I kept going up the stairs and recognized Laguna Meadow, so I knew that had to be it! But the place was dead (except for cicadas) and it was getting hot to boot! I pished a little just to see if anything would respond, and nothing did, so since it took me longer to get up there than I had planned, I turned around and started back.

Chisos Basin from the “Top of the World” spot (oh, to be able to sprout wings and just glide back down)!

Spotted Towhee

The actual “Laguna Meadow”

That’s when it got scary, much to my surprise! I figured going downhill would be a breeze like it was last time, but I started feeling numbness in my hands (and even some semi-paralysis) to the extent that I thought it would be wise to call 911 (even though I hated to be the hiker that needed rescuing because they didn’t heed the warnings to be off the trails by 11:00)! Thankfully there was a signal up there, and they told me to find a shady spot to chill until they could get someone up there (they also asked me if I had any history of heart problems, which I don’t – except for the occasional palpitation that my doctor told me was normal. I also texted Keith and the crew asking for prayer (I was hoping that wasn’t a sign of heatstroke), but after resting for a good while, the symptoms calmed down. Thankfully “Tiffany” came bouncing down about that time, and I asked her to let the rescue guy know where I was, because I really couldn’t give them an exact location except that I was sure I was at least halfway down (had I been on the ball I could have told them that I was past the volcanic soil; that was pretty obvious). She actually offered to walk with me (and even carried my tripod), and that really helped (especially going through a shady spot). Lauren was her name, and was a volunteer from Connecticut, working part-time on trail work specifically.

Interestingly we passed a lot of people going up the trail in that heat; she would always ask them if they had enough water (I thought I did, too, but apparently not), and I think secretly we both thought they were nuts! We were about to impose the same condemnation upon another hiker coming up when she realized it was her coworker Tyler, who was the one coming up to rescue me! �� He took my vitals, and apparently everything was okay, but we all had a great visit heading back to Chisos Basin (Lauren tried to talk me into taking that killer trail up to the cabins because it was shorter – uh, uh!)! Tyler was actually born in Tyler, Texas, and had escaped to California when that big winter storm hit here (Lauren was living at Panther Junction and said they got 18 inches of snow!!)! Close to the bottom I heard a Hepatic Tanager and Tyler spotted him, but I couldn’t before he took off – “The eyes of youth!” said I… �� Tyler said he was a birder (Lauren wasn’t, but mentioned that a hummingbird came to say hi while she was working on the trail ��), so I shared a little about the Colima Hunt from ten years ago, and all the great butters I had then, and how different it was this time, and Lauren was convinced that the long-term drought they’ve been having probably has something to do with that. I also mentioned how I loved their titmice here as they sounded so different than ours, and Lauren was so excited to find out what was making that morse code song! We also got to talking about Mountain Lions, and they told me how Cheryl (the volunteer ranger I had met before) was coming down this very trail by herself when she encountered two of them!! As she put it, thankfully they were more interested in each other than in her… ☹

View of the trail we came up from on high

Up at the room Tyler took my vitals again and filled out some paperwork, including a legal form that said I refused an ambulance ride to Alpine (I gave him a look and said, “Did you see anything that maybe indicated that I need to do that??” Not really, but if there had been an issue, he said he would have pushed the ambulance more..)! Thanked them both profusely, recovered enough to get more water and ice for tomorrow, and the folks at registration were nice enough to fill out a dinner form for me when I called in! J Went ahead and got the steak, and while it wasn’t “walking to the table,” it was edible (and quite good, actually), so I saved half for the next day!

Big Bend Part 4: Sam Nail Ranch & More Scouting

mbstowe414@gmail.com (Mary Beth Stowe) — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 18:57:58 GMT

The next strategy for bagging the night birds was to stop at Lost Pine Trail again, as it’s the highest point on the road. On the way out I mistakenly started going the wrong way in the parking lot, but by doing that I got a Striped Skunk in the headlights! So we turned around and headed up to the trailhead parking area, and that plan hit pay dirt the minute I stepped out of the car – two Mexican Whippoorwills were going at it up on the hillside! I couldn’t help but jump up and down! I really don’t recall anything else that opened the dawn (although I know stuff did), but my “get going alarm” went off just about when a family pulled up and got ready to hike the trail (and it was still pretty much pitch)!

The sunrise was absolutely gorgeous, and stopped a couple of times to try and get pictures and video! Made it to Sam Nail Ranch in plenty of time, and there was still some beautiful sunrise patterns to photograph! Once sunrise officially happened, I again mounted the Powershot on the tripod and headed in, with lots of distant chats (those yellow breasts really stand out) and Turkey Vultures on the dilapidated windmill! I actually took several loops around the trail as the temperature was tolerable and the sunlight stupendous, so what I filmed when kind of all blended together, but highlights included a Cardinal and a Pyrrhuloxia who both wanted the windmill as a singing perch, a distant Varied Bunting for the trip, and an absolutely knock-out dead gorgeous Blue Grosbeak who posed close! Down in the oasis itself I sat for 15 with nothing to show for it (except our rival Bell’s Vireos from yesterday and the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher buzzing away). On the way out noticed another trail into the vegetation, so I took that, and gloriously both a chat and a Bell’s sat up on a dead tree for video (not for long, but useable)! On one of the later rounds what I thought was another Cardinal turned out to be a brilliant Summer Tanager, and a real Black-tailed Gnatcatcher hissed on the main trail, but he was right in the sun and didn’t want to come out once I had gotten into position. A Black-throated Sparrow was a little more cooperative, however, and on the last round a Scaled Quail called in the distance! Several tourists came by while I was there, including a guy from Tucson who was collecting insects (he said he had a permit).

Pair of Turkey Vultures against the hillside

A Cardinal (left) and Pyrrhuloxia (center and right)

Ladder-backed Woodpecker (left) and Blue Grosbeak (right)

Bell's Vireo (left and center) and Yellow-breasted Chat (right)

I had planned on leaving around 11:00, but it was already starting to get warm, so we called it a wrap and headed to Cottonwood Campground. The scenery on the way there was spectacular, and at one stop Ranger Cheryl happened to be in the car in front of me! Someone mentioned that the trees at Cottonwood were dying and that the park was removing them, but I wasn’t prepared for how devastated the place looked – it was heartbreaking! There were several nice cottonwoods still around, but even though it said the campground was “full”, there was no one there – it was a ghost town! (Later I would find out that it was simply closed for the summer…) So I took a quick walk around the camping loop, picking up more Bell’s Vireos (of course), a Western Kingbird chasing a Turkey Vulture, and a Vermilion Flycatcher pair (at least they’re still around; I remember thinking that if anyone had to see one or they were gonna die, I’d send them here! Not any more…). A warbler trill had me thinking, “No way is a Colima down here!” when I remembered that it would probably be a Lucy’s, and sure enough, that’s what it was! A real Phainopepla perched on top of a dead tree, and before long the pair flew overhead, showing their white wing patches very nicely, so if there was any doubt about that group that flew across the road early on, there was no doubt now! There was one little patch on the ground that was very attractive to House Finches, a Lark Sparrow, a Painted Bunting, and even another Blue Grosbeak, and on the way out a bird that looked suspiciously like a Varied Bunting darted across the road. If there was any access to the Rio Grande, I sure couldn’t find it (unless it was that side road I passed on the way in)! I almost scouted Santa Elena Canyon since it was only eight miles away, but it was getting warm and I wanted to try road-birding Green Gulch (and see if any of these specialty butters the book talked about showed up).

Cerro Castellan

Cottonwood Campground

Vermilion Flycatcher

A Blue Grosbeak munches down on grass when something spooks him at right!

On the way back stopped at all those scenic stops that I passed on the way in (good thing, too, as I got an e-mail from Keith asking me to do that ��), then started stopping at all the pullouts along Green Gulch when I got there (didn’t realize the road was only six miles long!!). That was a great move, at least so far as the trip list went (not much was cooperative for video, except the scenery ��): as we climbed in elevation added Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Acorn Woodpecker, Black-headed Grosbeak, “Big Bend” Titmouse (they sound so unique!) and Mexican Jay to the day list, but the best bird was just before hitting the Basin: a Black-capped Vireo singing right next to the road (that didn’t wanna come out of course ��)! Earlier I had heard a distant vireo that I really couldn’t pin down to Black-capped or Gray, so I’m very glad this guy came through!

Volcanic landscape along Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive

Scene along Green Gulch

After getting ice, water, and a trail map for the next day, I dropped off the dead Powershot battery to refuel and decided to take The Monster out around the Window Trail. Ran into a lot of families on that one, so didn’t get much video (I did take some distant scenic shots), but on the way back had a distant Hepatic Tanager, and the flowers along the dirt trails were still abuzz with bugs! That thistle patch was the best (heard the siskins again from that general direction), with gobs of Variegated Frits, a handful of Sleepy Oranges and Lyside Sulphurs, and at least singletons of Large Orange Sulphur, Pipevine Swallowtail, Southern Dogface, and Mournful Duskywing. A Checkered Skipper had been bouncing around that I thought might have been a Desert, but the pics confirmed it was just a White… A Black Swallowtail finally made it to a flower (he was being bullied by everyone, great and small)!

Telescopic peek through The Window

Checkered White being bullied by a Reakirt’s Blue

Variegated Fritillary (left) and Black Swallowtail (right)

Called it quits after that to do post-field work!

Big Bend Part 3: Rio Grande Village & More Scouting

mbstowe414@gmail.com (Mary Beth Stowe) — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 17:57:31 GMT

Got through with the morning routine a little early, so headed down to the campground parking area to see if any night birds were calling. The stars were just incredible (I stepped outside to listen, and you could actually see the Milky Way), but the first bird to call was actually a Scott’s Oriole! Eventually I did hear a distant Poorwill (one down, three to go) before it was time to head to Rio Grande Village, but on the way down I couldn’t believe it: a visible Poorwill was by the side of the road! At least I’m assuming that’s what it was at this point: both that and the Mexican Whippoorwill have white tail corners, but since I heard a Poorwill coming from that general direction, that would be more likely…

Rolled into Rio Grande Village right on time and missed the parking area for the Nature Trail, but that was okay as a Roadrunner was right outside the car (and yes, even though he was right there I couldn’t help messin’ with – i.e. cooing at - ‘im)! Once in the lot I got the camera set up on the tripod and headed for the trail!

Curious Roadrunner

The Yellow-breasted Chats were all over, and even though he was silhouetted, the first one I filmed I think will make a great “early morning” ambience clip! What I think was a Desert Cottontail was on the road, and the trail itself was lovely, with a metal boardwalk through the marsh, where I scared up a Green Heron. I got very excited about a large aquatic mammal on the other side of the pond but couldn’t get definitive video (or so I thought – sometimes getting the tripod to work properly was frustrating)! According to the range maps, Beaver would be the default, but as I later studied what video I was able to get, he did indeed have a skinny tail – the Nutria have arrived in Big Bend!

Yellow-breasted Chat - notice how puffy his throat gets when singing!

Nature Trail

The trail went through some reeds and then headed up some stairs after that; using the tripod as a walking stick was helpful, and once at the top, the view was spectacular! A Blue Grosbeak was singing across the way in lovely light, and a couple of Black-throated Sparrows showed up. What amused me were all the trinkets alongside the trail for sale, apparently by Mexican women (who weren’t there); it reminded me for all the world of the Tarahumara women we encountered on a Victor Emanuel Nature Tours trip selling their wares in Copper Canyon!

Trail at the top

No way was I gonna take that loop over the top of the hill, so I headed back down (shooting a Millipede on the way), where by that time the dragonflies were stealing the show! Definitely had Swift Setwing and Blue Dasher, and what was confirmed as Neon Skimmers by odonate expert Dennis Paulson! A Painted Bunting sang in the shadows, and near the trailhead one of the chats was right overhead! On the way back to the car one of the “wild” horses was feeding by the side of the road, then smoothly trotted off when I tried to get a second video! Cicadas had been calling all over and was actually able to film one (a little help from BugGuide narrowed it down to Cinctifera Scrub Cicada)! The only Empress Leilia of the trip posed on the road as well, and while reviewing the video I caught a Red Admiral making a cameo appearance in the Painted Bunting clip! Somewhere in there was a river access that had some Blue-fronted Dancers hanging out in the mud…

Male Swift Setwing

A true Muybridge Moment (his Horse in Motion film was made to prove that at some point in a horse’s gait, all four feet are off the ground)!

Cinctifera Scrub Cicada

From there just cruised down towards the Black Hawk area; I had been hearing Gray Hawks all morning (no worry about Green Jays mimicking their calls here), and finally bagged one in a tree! Summer Tanagers and more Painted Buntings were singing all over, but couldn’t spot the Black Hawk (and no self-respecting black anything would be out in that heat – except vultures and ravens)! So at the end of the road I hiked ten minutes of the Hot Springs Canyon Trail; actually ended up going straight on the flat path, as the “real” trail went up the hill, and they had all sorts of warning signs out about heat danger! Even so I got pretty wiped, but the trail looped around three ponds! Nothing much was in them, but got a cool banded grasshopper out of it (BugGuide confirmed it as a Pallid-winged, despite the video grab showing a yellow wing)! I was really surprised that the irrigated areas didn’t have more odes, but a Powdered Dancer at least posed for pics! But the best was yet to come: on the way out I noticed another hawk silhouetted against the sky, and it was the Common Black! Bingo!

Daniel's Ranch

Common Black Hawk (left) and Gray Hawk (right)

Headed over to Sam Nail Ranch after that, gassing up and getting ice and water (the lady behind the counter was on the phone and warning the people that it was supposed to get up to 115 in the Village!). It was a beautiful drive, and arrived at the place at the same time a couple of young families did! I beat them to the oasis (always takes families a bit of time), but got distracted by a Pyrrhuloxia singing in the shade halfway up the windmill (took me awhile to find him)! The oasis had a little bench as promised, but also a bunch of pesky flies and Pepsid Wasps, especially around the damp water hole! The families just passed through (a couple of young gals stayed for a few minutes and then went back the way they came), so I sat for about 15 minutes to see what would come in; a couple of Bell’s Vireos were song battling, and I finally got a brief video of one! Got video of what I assumed was a Black-tailed Gnatcatcher catching a gnat at the time, but reneged the next day when a Blue-gray was singing up a storm in there, and the video did indeed show it to be Blue-gray. Back at the car was a snazzy-looking Two-striped Mermiria grasshopper!

Sam Nail Ranch

Pyrrhuloxia singing in the shade of a dilapidated windmill!

Two-striped Mermiria on the car door

Headed back to Chisos Lodge with a stop at Lost Pine Trail – nothing there but a workout! Once back at the Basin I parked in the amphitheater lot and checked the butter action; an Orange Sulphur was new, as was a Gray Hairstreak, but I think the rest were old friends. Mama Cactus Wren was feeding her grown babies under the parked cars; I think she was getting bugs off the grills! Filmed a lady Ladder-backed Woodpecker that was so beat up she barely had a tail left, and a deer that I think was the local race of White-tailed (as the ears looked pretty small), but I didn’t get a good enough look at the tail to rule out Mule.

Lost Pine Trail (didn’t get far…)

Male Checkered White

Baby Cactus Wren (note the gape marks)

I was done after that, so decided to splurge and get room service; after getting extra washcloths and coffee, I ordered the salmon, and when it came, I ate outside as a monsoon started to form over the mountain! That was pretty neat!

Hidalgo County Big Day (18 April 2024)

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 11:44:47 GMT

Today was slated as just a “relaxed and easy” birding day, but at the last minute decided to do a Big Day, with the itinerary based on places where potential year birds were reported on eBird. Said itinerary included Estero Llano Grande State Park an hour before dawn (which I always do in order to bag the night birds), the Progresso Silos for a crack at the Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Frontera Audubon Thicket for migrants, Delta Lake for Hudsonian Godwits and other shorebirds, Fireman’s Park in McAllen for the lingering Greater White-fronted Goose, Quinta Mazatlan for migrants (the reported Flame-colored Tanager was probably long gone), Old Hidalgo Pumphouse for a reported Groove-billed Ani (and I always get the Monk Parakeets there, whether they’re reported or not), and Santa Ana NWR. It would turn out to be mostly overcast all day, which made for a pleasant day out even though it got up to 91 later in the afternoon.

Started the morning with the neighborhood Purple Martins (1) gurgling as I packed the car before heading to Estero. Once at Estero the Pauraques (2) were pretty easy to pick up, and a Chuck-will’s-widow (3) sang from the park host area. Checked the restroom lights in the Tropical Zone for moths, then settled in at the “Picnic Table Feeders” near Pauraque Hall to wait in the dawn. Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (4) flew overhead in the dark, and Black-necked Stilts (5) called from somewhere where there was water! Early-morning songsters included White-winged (6), White-tipped (7), and Mourning Doves (8), a Mockingbird (9), and Cardinals (10), and as it got lighter Chachalacas (11), Golden-fronted Woodpeckers (12), a Clay-colored Thrush (13), Brown-crested Flycatcher (14), Couch’s Kingbirds (15), Kiskadees (16), Green Jays (17), Black-crested Titmice (18), a Long-billed Thrasher (19), Carolina Wrens (20), and Olive Sparrows (21) joined the chorus. A couple of Hooded Orioles (22) “wheeped” on the way out, and a five-minute vigil at the Green Jay Drip didn’t yield the Crimson-collared Grosbeak, but a Yellow-billed Cuckoo (23) sang, which was good for the year!

L-R: Omnivorous Platynota, Straight-lined Wave, Orange-banded Prominent

The brick walkway had a cute little Black-and-white Warbler (24) working the trees, and didn’t need the Hidalgo Pumphouse ani (25) as one was calling right before the little ramp to the deck! Because of the drought and water rationing, the only wetland that had any water in it was Alligator Lake, so I headed back there after another five-minute vigil at the hummer feeders, which added Buff-bellied (26) and Ruby-throated Hummer (27) to the list, along with Red-winged Blackbird (28), Brown-headed Cowbird (29), and Great-tailed Grackles (30) flying overhead. A Caracara (31) pumped by and a pair of Mottled Ducks (32) flew overhead on the way back there, along with a pair of fly-by Red-crowned Parrots (33). A Ladder-backed Woodpecker (34) was hidden in the scrub, and some Common Ground Doves (35) fed on the path just before the little bridge. A pair of Chachalacas were chorusing out in the open, allowing for some video, and a Common Yellowthroat (36) announced his presence as I approached Alligator Lake. A couple of Yellow-crowned Night Herons (37) were still there, while a small flock of Long-billed Dowitchers (38) went tearing by, peeping as they went! Green Herons (39) were calling and flying around with nesting material, and both Bewick’s Wren (40) and Eastern Meadowlark (41) sang beyond the vegetation. Nothing was at the overlook except a bunch of Great-tailed Grackles trying to outdo each other with their “toilet-flush” songs! On the way back a House Wren (42) sang from the other side of the canal, and a Verdin (43) called from the scrub. Back in the parking lot a Lesser Goldfinch (44) made his tinkling calls.

Low-light Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (male left, female right)

Common Ground Dove

Chachalaca pair chorusing

Contorting Great-tailed Grackles

Headed down to the silos next, where I was shocked to see that there were no huge blackbird flocks! What was there instead was hundreds of Rock Pigeons (45), and what icterids were there were made up mostly of Brown-headed Cowbirds (couldn’t even find a Bronzed)! House Sparrows (46) of course got added here as well, and I was sweating the Yellow-headed Blackbirds until I found a couple (47) in with a small group of cowbirds along Gonzales Road! One was even singing up a storm, but he was hidden in one of the small trees and wouldn’t allow a video… (What did allow a video before I got run over by a semi was a couple of gurgling Brown-headed Cowbirds!) Added Eurasian Collared Dove (48) on the way up to US 281.

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Singing Brown-headed Cowbirds

From there headed up FM 88 to Frontera Audubon Thicket, where a Chestnut-sided Warbler had been reported. Didn’t necessarily expect to find it, but it is a good migrant trap and figured I’d add some good stuff to the list. Added Chimney Swift (49) and Tropical Kingbird (50) right in the parking lot, and at their running water feature a couple of Black-and-white Warblers came in to bathe while more Chachalacas chorused in the background! Like Estero, their little wetlands were dry (except for the ponds on the Payne property next door, but they were birdless), but had probably the Bird of the Day singing at the overlook to the Big (dry) Pond: a Bell’s Vireo (51)! He wouldn’t come out, either, nor sing for the recorder, but a nice male Black-throated Green Warbler (52) did come down for a peek! A more expected White-eyed Vireo (53) sang nearby, and a migrant Great Crested Flycatcher (54) showed himself, along with a similar Brown-crested. A Laughing Gull (55) called overhead, along with a Barn Swallow (56). Taking the back loop along the fence line proved to be a challenge as it was pretty overgrown (in fact, if you were to come from the other direction, it looked as though they actually closed it off with palm fronds from that end), but I’m glad I took it, as a beautiful male Indigo Bunting (57) popped up, along with a Clay-colored Sparrow (58)! Once I made it through the mess a Blue-headed Vireo (59) sang near the cemetery. Spent about five minutes near the feeding area to see if their continuing Crimson-collared Grosbeak would at least call, but no banana. I wish I had sprayed my clothes, however: the mosquitoes were vicious!!

Black-and-white Warblers (dry one at right)

Black-throated Green Warbler

Added Starling (60) driving out of Weslaco, then it was up FM 88 to Delta Lake where my most-wanted target, the Hudsonian Godwit (hereafter “Hudwit”), was reported. You have to park in the little lot on the west side of 88, then walk down the shoulder to get close enough to see most of the birds, but it was a profitable stop: the most numerous shorebird there was the Long-billed Dowitcher, many in breeding colors as to fool you into thinking you were seeing the Hudwits! At the parking area swarms of Cliff Swallows (61) were flying around, and a Marsh Wren (62) gurgled from the reeds. What I could ID from that distance included Blue-winged Teal (63) and Great Egret (64), but I had to walk the shoulder to get close enough to add Stilt (65) and Least Sandpipers (66), Semipalmated Plover (67), and the coveted Hudwit (68), in addition to a couple of Marbled Godwits (69), which are rare in Hidalgo County! [Ed. Note: Hold that thought…] Off in the distance was a big glob of birds, and with the help of the camera’s zoom (sometimes better than a scope) was able to pick out Fulvous Whistling Ducks (70), Coots (71), one Double-crested Cormorant (72) in with the mob of Neotropic Cormorants (73), one Cattle Egret (74) in with the Snowies (75), a Tricolored Heron (76), a couple of Franklin’s Gulls (77), and Gull-billed Terns (78) which were acting like they wanted to start families! (A huge flock of gulls sailed by way overhead that sounded like Franklin’s, but Laughing can sometimes squeal the same way and I couldn’t see any field marks…) Least Terns (79) called unseen, along with a Killdeer (80). A Green Kingfisher (81) blasted by while I was filming the godwits, and on the way back to the car a Black Vulture (82) sailed by (was shocked that I hadn’t seen any TVs yet). Went into the park proper to use the restroom and added a chirping Yellow Warbler (83) to the list.

Female Hudsonian Godwit, showing tell-tale white markings on tail and wings.

Male Hudsonian Godwit

Fulvous Whistling Ducks, with Snowy and Cattle Egrets, Black-necked Stilt, and Gull-billed Terns

Neotropic Cormorants with token Double-crested in the middle...

Least Sandpipers

Since the next stops were in McAllen and I wanted to avoid that I-69/I-2 interchange, I planned on cutting over by way of Monte Cristo Road, but stopped in Edinburg for lunch on the way. While I was wolfing down some chicken my friend Baceliza called and said there were thousands of shorebirds (including Hudwits, plus some others that would be good for the list) at Sugarhouse Pond! I was surprised only in that I had heard reports that the powers that be were literally shooing birders off the berm now that the sugar plant was closed (one report even said they had caution tape up there to keep people out), but apparently all that was taken down and birders were allowed back up! I debated about going all the way back there as it would be a half-hour drive back the way I came, but I finally relented and headed out. It ended up being a good choice, as I added several things right away: several Shovelers (84) were close enough to ID without walking any distance, as well as Roseate Spoonbills (85) and White-faced Ibis (86) that were easy to tell even at that distance. I had to walk down the berm a bit to ID some of the other things; there were indeed hundreds of dowitchers and Stilt Sandpipers, but I couldn’t pick out any godwits, which were probably too far away for me to see. What I could get close enough to in order to ID included Wilson’s Phalaropes (87), an American Golden Plover (88), some Pectoral Sandpipers (89) and a few Western Sandpipers (90 - there could have been some other peeps in there besides Leasts, but again, too far to tell), both Greater (91) and Lesser Yellowlegs (92), and Avocets (93 - along with Black-necked Stilts and more ducks of all flavors).

Part of the shorebird mob at Sugarhouse Pond: mostly Stilt Sandpipers, but including a Long-billed Dowitcher, Pectoral Sandpiper, and a Wilson's Phalarope in front.

Pectoral Sandpiper (left) and American Golden Plover

Lesser Yellowlegs having "words" with their wings...

From that point, it made more sense logistically to head down to the freeway and hit Santa Ana next. A Scarlet Tanager had been reported (which I didn’t have high hopes of refinding), but it can also be a good migrant trap. The drive down Alamo Road was productive, adding Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (94), and right at the intersection with US 281 a pair of Swainson’s Hawks (95) was harassing a pair of Turkey Vultures (96 - about time I got them)! At the refuge, the Inca Doves (97) came through at the feeders, and Willow Lake actually did have some water in it, where I picked up three Common Gallinules (98) and a Belted Kingfisher (99)! A Nashville Warbler in the trees along the trail on the way back got the honor of being bird #100, beating out the Gray Hawk (101) I heard in the distance. One of the best video ops of the day was at a bundle of Texas Thistle, where a couple of Zebra Heliconians were cavorting! Although not needed for the day, had a much better look at a Green Kingfisher at the foot bridge crossing the canal near the VC! And even though it was late in the day, I had to check the breezeway wall for moths; none there, but one of the benches had a Golden-bordered Looper, which is a Valley specialty!

Zebra Heliconian

Green Kingfisher (with photo-bombing Gulf Fritillary)

Golden-bordered Looper

Old Hidalgo Pumphouse was a straight shot along US 281 from there, and I actually picked up quite a few things there: Western Kingbirds (102) chattered from the parking lot, and at the resaca a Lincoln’s Sparrow (103) popped up! The Monk Parakeets (104) came through, rasping overhead and carrying long strands of nesting material, and a short hike to the bench along the levee hit pay dirt with a flock of Painted Buntings (105)! On the way back a big flock of Larks Sparrows (106) had a Chipping Sparrow (107) in with them, and just for the record, I did see an ani there! Walking back to the parking lot along the sidewalk next to the pumphouse, an Altamira Oriole (108) called and worked in one of the small trees.

Groove-billed Ani

Chipping Sparrow

Lark Sparrows

Painted Bunting

Quinta Mazatlán was next (and they’re open until 7:30 on Thursdays, so I had plenty of time), and while I was reaching the law of diminishing returns, still managed to add a few things in this delightful little migrant trap! I meant to make the loop but ended up at the amphitheater where a couple of other ladies were watching what was coming in to what was left at the feeders – mostly grackles, but we also had more Inca Doves, a Kiskadee, and a very nice Clay-colored Thrush gathering a huge amount of nesting material! Continuing towards Ruby Pond (where the tanager had been reported), a sharp pink had me wondering if I had a Blue Grosbeak, until the perp showed himself to be a Northern Waterthrush (109 - which I should have realized, as there’s almost always one there)! A Bullock’s Oriole (110) did his slow chatter in the same area, and a sit at the feeders in Ebony Grove didn’t add anything to the list, but enjoyed Cardinals, House Sparrows, a Long-billed Thrasher, another Painted Bunting, and an Olive Sparrow coming in! With all the statuary around, I was started by a real pair of Chachalacas standing still that eventually also came in to the feeder area! Spooked a Cooper’s Hawk (111) while making the loop, and circling back was finally able to add Curve-billed Thrasher (112 - was sweating that one, as this is almost a slam-dunk place for them)! A suspicious warbler came in to one of the water features, but wasn’t able to get on him before he took off…

Clay-colored Thrush with nesting material

Great Kiskadee

I was too beat to go to Fireman’s Park for one goose, so I headed back to Alamo and got some dinner while waiting for the Lesser Nighthawks to appear at the Alamo Inn! They never did before I got impatient, so headed home, adding House Finch (113) in the complex.

Post-script: In reviewing the pictures and videos, I discovered a couple of Forster’s Terns (114) at Delta Lake, but at the same time a careful study of the “Marbled Godwit” footage revealed that they were actually very dull female Hudwits, as they were the same size as the nice pretty male, and when they preened, they revealed some white on the tail (there may have been a Marbled somewhere in there as one was reported – unless the previous reporter made the same mistake I did), so that brought us back down to 113 for the day!

Big Bend Part 2: Scouting Dugout Wells & Rio Grande Village

Tue, 26 Dec 2023 19:21:26 GMT

Headed on to Big Bend the next morning, stopping at Persimmon Gap to use the restroom (I think Black-throated Sparrow and Verdin were the only birds there), and on the way to Panther Junction a family of Phainopeplas flew across the road! (At least that’s what I thought they were at the time; later I realized they could have been Pyrrhuloxias…) Stopped at Panther Junction to get my pass, and found out that, because I’m a senior, I could get an annual National Parks Pass for less than a single Big Bend Pass for the week! Got Cactus Wren and House Finch in the parking lot before heading to Dugout Wells.

Cactus Wren at the Visitor’s Center

You think you’re the only one there when you stop to take a picture, then suddenly someone’s right on your tail! ☹ I waved an apology and swung around to the parking area, almost running down a Horned Lizard, but he left before I could get a picture (there are two species that can show up here, but I decided to assume Texas)… The sheltered oasis was just that – maybe a good place to sit to wait for migrants, but no water, and pretty dark, so I figured the photography would best be done by walking around the loop, which I did: Scaled Quail called from the parking lot, and a Scott’s Oriole sang and came in to a tree! A Roadrunner ran the oriole off, and had lots of Bell’s Vireos and tons of butters (mostly Lyside Sulphurs)!

Dugout Well

Scott's Oriole

From there headed to Rio Grande Village where it was too hot to really walk around (everyone I talked to warned me that it was over 100 down there, and they were right); first I crawled down Daniel’s Ranch Road and saw the Black Hawk nesting area (which was really beautiful). Actually heard one calling, which was kind of exciting as I had never heard one before! Also had their Gray Hawks along with a distant Redtail, tons of chats, and a singing Summer Tanager. They had half the campground closed, so you had to park in the Amphitheater lot to access the Nature Trail; it looked like a long haul, so I decided to take the lighter camera the next day.

Common Black Hawk nesting area

Headed on up to Chisos Basin where I went ahead and checked in (although the room wasn’t gonna be ready till four), and he upgraded me to a nicer room on the first floor (and I also got a military discount on the room)! Because the restaurant was closed they were actually offering room service, which was very tempting (maybe splurge on the steak after the Death March), but also very expensive, as is everything here! Checked out the immediate area after that and had a nice talk with one of the volunteer rangers (whose name was Cheryl I found out later); she was saying that they actually patrol the remote campsites and trails just to make sure there’s no one in trouble! There were tons more butters there, including an Acmon Blue (which I haven’t seen since San Diego) and the “Olive” Juniper Hairstreak!

Scene along the Window View Trail

Acmon Blue (left) and “Olive” Juniper Hairstreak

Big Bend 12 - 19 JUNE 2021 - A Stop at Chaparral WMA

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 16:57:30 GMT

Decided to get going around sunrise, and that was a good plan; it was quite birdy around the apartments in Alamo, adding Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Purple Martins, White-winged Doves, and a Tropical Kingbird to the list (as well as other things I probably wasn’t paying attention to). It was a beautiful, sunny day, but really didn’t start seeing many interesting birds until after Alice, where we turned west through Freer and towards the Chaparral WMA. Once on that corridor the Caracaras, Harris’ Hawks, and Chihuahuan Ravens started showing up, and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo flew across the road! But the best stop was at an overpass somewhere out in the boonies where both Cliff and Cave Swallows were nesting! People were so nice: both a state trooper and a local lady stopped to make sure I was okay, and seemed happy that I was filming the swallows!

Cliff Swallows (left and center) and Cave Swallow

And speaking of state troopers, I think the numbers along this stretch outnumbered the cops along US 83 in Starr County!! I could see where people might be tempted to speed, as you are out in the middle of nowhere and the speed limit is 75 as it is! But eventually made it to the WMA, and at first I was afraid it was closed (as the gate was), but they just had it chained shut; you could unchain it, open the gate, and drive through. I filmed a couple of Lark Sparrows going in, and once in I thought I heard an Audubon’s Oriole (a major target here), but both times a Mockingbird was in full song as well, so I didn’t trust it…

Lark Sparrow

But despite the heat it was quite active: Bewick’s Wrens and Painted Buntings were out the yin yang, Bobwhites called here and there, and a Roadrunner darted across the auto tour! Heard a couple of Cassin’s Sparrows, and a Black-throated tinkled while I was trying to pish something else out. Two of the most productive spots were the Rosinda Pond and the Tower Overlook Pond; the first had a singing Long-billed Thrasher and a Bullock’s Oriole, but most of the wildlife was non-avian: scared up a couple of Leopard Frogs, and Snouts were mudding all over, joined by a Sleepy Orange. There were tons of damsels out there that I couldn’t ID for certain until I looked at the pictures on the computer, where they turned out to be Familiar Bluets; also had a Thornbush Dasher and Roseate Skimmer in the ode department. The overlook was very scenic and added a couple of Green Jays to the list here, as well as a Hooded Oriole family!

Rosalinda Pond

Thornbush Dasher

Ramp to the overlook

View from the top

Continuing on, the butterflies were really the active ones: tons of Lyside Sulphurs were flying, and in this one pasture with purple flowers several Pipevine Swallowtails were batting around. At various stops added Giant Swallowtail, American Lady, Variegated Fritillary, Bordered Patch, Elada and Tiny Checkerspots, and Vesta Crescent. But as we circled around the best bird was a singing Bell’s Vireo, who finally came out to pishing! (Little did I know…��) A distant Scissor-tailed Flycatcher perched, and there were lots of calling Ash-throated and Brown-crested Flycatchers.

Giant Swallowtail (left) and Sleepy Orange

Bell's Vireo

When I circled around to what I thought was the entrance I came in, I actually found myself at the check station, which was the entrance I came in years and years ago, where that great paved nature trail that I remembered was! By that time I was starving, so I sat at a picnic table where I devoured my lunch, and listened to a Brown-headed Cowbird trying to parasitize a Bullock’s Oriole nest. Also heard a Couch’s Kingbird, Cactus Wren, Lesser Goldfinch, and Pyrrhuloxia for sure, and a Brown-crested Flycatcher sat up on the cell tower and called.

Paved Nature Trail

After that decided to do the nature trail despite the heat, so doused water all over myself and tackled the thing. Again, the butters were the highlight, with Tiny Checkerspots, and a miracle shot of a Dainty Sulphur just as it took off! An Olive Sparrow came right up in response to pishing, but no rattlesnakes this time! Discovered to my chagrin that this gate was locked, so I headed back to the other gate, used the restroom (where a Vermilion Flycatcher was singing), then headed out.

Rare in-flight shot of a Dainty Sulphur

Made it to Del Rio fine, where I couldn’t feel much safer: I think every state trooper in the county is staying at this Best Western judging by the vehicles in the parking lot! �� Wrapped the day with 53 species, which isn’t bad for a travel day!

Southeast Arizona Adventure Part 12 - Apache Pass & Twin Lakes

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 17:50:08 GMT

I actually woke up a lot earlier than planned: it was at least a two hour drive to Bowie, but I didn’t want to be getting up at one-something to get there by sunrise, so I just set the alarm for eight hours after I actually got to bed. Still woke up at five till two, so took off, and got to the dirt portion of Apache Pass Road in good time (started the checklist at 6:20, about a half hour after sunrise). Saw some tiny Chihuahuan Ravens on the way, so I added them to the list (and heard one later to make it legit). The Gambel’s Quail I almost nailed in Bowie got put on as well, as I didn’t see or hear any more on the route, but heard plenty of Scaled Quail. Blue Grosbeaks won the numbers game, followed closely by Eastern Meadowlark and both Rufous-crowned and Black-throated Sparrows. The video prize went to a flycatching male Phainopepla right next to the road! A female Western Tanager showed up close to the trailhead.

Phainopepla (left) & Black-throated Sparrow

The clouds were ominous, though, and going down into the grasslands we got dripped or rained on pretty good! Horned Lark was new for the trip, and barely heard a Cassin’s Sparrow in the distance. A couple of Lark Sparrows enjoyed their showers, and both Barn and Cliff Swallows grabbed bugs during the breaks. You could see the “zero visibility” rain coming our direction, but we never really did get hid hard with it; the Chiricahuas on the other hand were getting clobbered (was glad I wasn’t doing Pinery Canyon that day ☹)! I was hoping it would let up by the time we got to Chiricahua National Monument; at least that road is paved! At the end of the road a Common Raven put on an interesting concert but quit the minute I got the video going… ☹

Lower Apache Pass Road

Rain clobbering the Chiricahuas (and coming our way)

Lark Sparrow (left) and Common Raven

Headed towards the national monument, only to find that one of those “Do Not Enter When Flooded” dips really was flooded, and running at a good pace, too! Another car on the opposite side had to stop as well, only one of the gals actually got out and waded into it to see if they could make it; I strongly urged them not to even consider it (especially with a low-slung vehicle) while I took several videos of the experience! I hung around to ensure they did turn around, and then after filming a tree full of vultures (waiting to see if anyone would attempt crossing the thing??), I, too, turned around and headed for Twin Lakes.

Flash flood and two gals debating whether to try and cross anyway!

Didn’t find any mega-rarities at Twin Lakes, but I did run into a guy from Oregon who pointed me towards the little trail next to the marsh, where I picked up three presumed Lazuli Buntings (something flew into the tree and sang like one, then I heard several bunting noises, and one did give a brief but non-definitive view)! A Swainson’s Hawk was on a distant tree, and the day’s only Black-necked Stilt was in a nearby pond. A Pied-billed Grebe was singing when I first got there, and heard both Coot and Common Gallinule. Kicked up a couple of little frogs (still waiting to hear from the experts as to what it is) and another grasshopper, and when I opened the car door, a big katydid was perched on the side panel! It had a long “tail” so I thought it might be one of those lance-tailed katydids, but it actually struck me as a shieldback, and that’s indeed what the BugGuide guys said! But according to my little makeshift book they weren’t supposed to be there! A little digging in the actual Field Guide to Grasshoppers, Katydids, and Crickets by Capinera, Scott, and Walker revealed an unillustrated, unmapped species that did occur in southeast Arizona…

Wetland at Twin Lakes

Mystery frog (left) & Shield-backed Katydid

Headed over to the main pond, which I realized as I drove around was way low from previous years! I heard a Solitary Sandpiper from the south side, and the White-faced Ibis (except for one) had been replaced by Long-billed Curlews. I couldn’t pick out anything but Cinnamon Teal this time, although those rare over-summering ducks had been reported. The Avocets and Wilson’s Phalaropes were still hanging out together, and on the east side I finally was able to pick out the Red-necked for sure, so I feel better about that one! Most of the peeps were on the north side; mostly Westerns so far as I could tell, but I had been hearing both Baird’s and Least, and finally spotted a couple. A Spotted Sandpiper was on the shore near the phalaropes, and the reported Semipalmated Plover stood out pretty well! Ran into another group of birders looking for dowitchers and the other rarities, but no sign of those; he was happy to hear about the Red-necked Phalarope, though! �� Couldn’t find the Bendire’s Thrasher, but a Curve-billed posed instead.

Twin Lakes

Long-billed Curlews

Avocets and Wilson’s Phalarope

A rare Red-necked Phalarope (with the black ear patch) joins a larger Wilson’s

Incoming Western Sandpipers

It was only 11:30 and I was basically done birding, so thinking the Best Western probably wouldn’t let me check in that early, just for kicks and grins I decided to check out other eBird locations nearby! The reports implied that Keiller Park had wetlands, but there were none to be found, but since I had the day’s only Lesser Goldfinch there I went ahead and submitted a checklist. The ephemeral pond on SR 186 next to Twin Lakes only had Barn Swallows, so the next closest place was called the Polly Drive Migrant Trap, which was off dirt Collins Farm Road. The only thing that even resembled a possible migrant trap were the residents’ trees (and I did get a Vermilion Flycatcher there, so went ahead and started a list), but Collins Farm went through some nice desert scrub, so we poked down that awhile until it started looking like my time would be better spent at the hotel, so I called and asked if they’d let me check in (I explained that my visit to Chiricahua NM was cancelled by a flash flood – he understood! J), and they did! So I got gassed and iced up in town, got some band-aids so I wouldn’t keep opening this slice on my index finger L, and got settled in to try and catch up before heading back to the Valley the next day!

Southeast Arizona Adventure Part 11 - Mt Hopkins & Buenos Aires NWR

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 17:15:24 GMT

Got to the base of Mt. Hopkins road a little before sunrise, so enjoyed the desert dawn chorus: lots of Rufous-winged and Black-throated Sparrows, and a very cooperative Cactus Wren took a peek for video (if it even came out in that low light condition)! Interestingly, I had to do two separate eBird checklists for the lower portion, because part of it is in Pima County and the other is in Santa Cruz, but they don’t tell you on the road when you change counties! So I just kept watching the BirdsEye tracker and started the second one when I was halfway between the two points…

Elephant Head on the left and Mt. Hopkins on the right

Beat-up Black-throated Sparrow (note the notch in his head!) & juvenile Cactus Wren

The bird life changed dramatically at Montosa Canyon, with Bell’s Vireos joining the list, but I sure didn’t have to worry if I would find the “Five-striped Sparrow Spot”, as I heard him out the window right where he was supposed to be! �� The bad news was that my right eye was acting up again, and no amount of Refresh drops seemed to alleviate the pain, and I was in pain to the point of whining like a hurt puppy! ☹ Nevertheless, between begging God to take it away and Him reminding me of Paul’s own (presumed) eye trouble for which His grace was sufficient, we got the thing on video, even though he was way up there! Shortly after that a group showed up, so it was great fun (despite my stinging eye) to be able to show them right where the bird was! Turned out to be a Naturalist Journey group led by a gal named Pat, so that was neat!

Hillside that the Five-striped Sparrow liked (especially the ocotillos)

Bell's Vireo (left) & Five-striped Sparrow

I left them with the sparrow and headed on up the road to try for the Black-capped Gnatcatcher – nothing, so headed on. I kept using that checklist until about the nine-mile point (the next “hotspot” was Upper Mt. Hopkins from 9KM to the gate, but I was getting into higher elevation habitat long before that), the main highlight along that stretch being a presumed Crissal Thrasher, as he was doing his “chewy chewy” but wouldn’t come out for a look. The upper portion (I was calling it the “cloud forest” as it was pretty socked in) definitely was the highlight: one wooded area had a Wilson’s Warbler plus several Forester Moths (closest match seems to be Two-spotted)! Another highlight was hearing a Golden Eagle doing his chirping call! But aside from the normal Mexican Jays, pewees, and titmice, the big shocker was hearing a trogon singing up on the hill!

Heading up the mountain…

Mexican Jay

Side trail in the higher elevation stuff

Two-spotted Forester (left & center) & Wilson's Warbler (right)

Had lunch up at the observatory gate, then headed back down, thinking I was done with the list, when a Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay called – I didn’t think anything of it until it got flagged! So I jumped out and at least got a recording of the thing! (Later I noticed several eBird entries for the spot, so evidently they’ve been there fairly regularly…) Continuing on I ran into a feeding flock with a couple of Yellow-eyed Juncos, White-breasted Nuthatches, a Plumbeous Vireo, and a Chipping Sparrow, but the trogon was singing even closer, and this time I spotted him in a dead tree and was able to get video (with a nuthatch photo-bombing the scene at one point)! Kept listening for Montezuma Quail on the way down at the spots where I had had them before – not even a peep! I was really shocked that I hadn’t even heard any this trip (maybe I would have along Ruby Road, but that’s speculation at this point…)!

It’s socked in at the end of the road!

Elegant Trogon with friend (left) & Chipping Sparrow

Ran into a couple of reptile enthusiasts on the way down, and we got to chatting about Gila Monsters; they said they could be seen by the restrooms at a certain time, but also told an interesting story about how some folks were working a “sting” operation by placing one of their captive Gila Monsters in the road, and fining people if they stopped to “shoo” it off the road! Apparently you’re not allowed to touch them in any manner because they’re endangered (not that I’d want to touch one anyway, as they’re venomous…)!

Stopped at the gnatcatcher spot again (actually, a different spot as I suspected I was at the wrong one to begin with) and decided to hike down the wash a little; this was a wonderful little spot that had a great feeding flock with Nashville Warblers, another Wilson’s, and a tyrannulet (that one took me a minute as he wasn’t showing off his typical bushy crest and didn’t vocalize till later, but that pink at the base of the tiny bill made me suspicious)! Went back down to the Sparrow Spot, and he was actually closer in a bush, but I couldn’t get on him before he went back up to his ocotillo… Walked up the road a bit and actually heard a second Fivestripe singing! (Shouldn’t have been surprised, as people were reporting more than one…)

We stop at Montosa Canyon again for another shot at the Black-capped Gnatcatcher and a (hopefully) closer shot at the sparrow...

Northern Beardless Tyrannulet (left) & Nashville Warbler

Stopped at the restrooms and had a Verdin while I was there, but no Gila Monster… Since it was only 12:14 I decided to run over to Buenos Aires (in retrospect I probably shoulda explored nearby hotspots, as it was an hour and a half drive…). On the way we stopped at the Amado Sewer Ponds since it was right there and picked up the over-summering Ring-necked Duck and some Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. Once at Buenos Aires we crawled along the entrance road, adding some Western Kingbirds (and the Red-tailed Hawk they were harassing), and at a little wetland had coots and grackles, plus Rough-winged Swallow for the trip. But what stole the show were tons of butters – mostly Cloudless Sulphurs, but at my feet were several Common Sootywings and Ceraunus Blues, plus a lone Snout! While I was shooting all this a ground dove flushed and landed on the other side of the water, but got away before I could get a good look – couldn’t help but wonder if that was the reported Ruddy??

Red-tailed Hawk and the Western Kingbird who was harassing him...

Wetland along the entrance road…

…that had a big mudding party going on!

Common Sootywings scuffle for prime mud…

Elada Checkerspot (left) & American Snout

Followed the signs to Aguirre Lake, but only found the trail out into a lot of overgrown nothing, so headed to the office where we ran into a rather bouncy volunteer who basically told me I hadn’t gone far enough! So back we went, and sure enough, there it was, visible right from the road! Got a Sora out of it, but that was it. Heading back out, tons of Cliff Swallows were swirling around this barn-like structure.

Aguirre Lake

Got out of there on time and found the cute little inn in the cute little village of Tubac! I never did meet the proprietors as they left the key in the door (trusting little town), and I left so early that I couldn’t leave it in the office as requested! So I left it in the door…

Southeast Arizona Adventure Part 10 - Patagonia

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 15:34:07 GMT

Next day I made a last minute decision to go to the Patagonia Rest Stop first because I figured the Rose-throated Becard would be vocalizing first thing, and therefore easier to bag. Didn’t take long to get there, so I parked by the cliff until sunrise (in case the Five-striped Sparrow decided to show again), and had the usual suspects, along with a beeping Canyon Wren. Then I parked at the north end and just gave it some time; as I wandered across the street I noticed that the trail down into the woodland was overgrown, so maybe people just aren’t using that any more (fine by me, as I always felt creepy down there). Abert’s Towhees were singing away as were chats and Yellow Warblers, but after a while I heard the characteristic wheezy song of the becard, and there they were, right across the street! They kept flying over my head, and one finally perched right overhead; tried to get video, but I think it’ll be good only for the audio (which thankfully came out great).

Patagonia State Park was next; the guy at the entrance booth wasn’t there when I wheeled in, so made plans to pay on my way out. The place is always good for odes, but this time almost everything I could zoom in on was a Blue Dasher, except for a couple of Blue-eyed/Arroyo Darners that wouldn’t land (naturally). A quick stop at this big parking area added a very confiding Swainson’s Hawk on a pole, and a Bewick’s Wren that had me fooled into thinking it was a Western Tanager! The cabins were new since I was there last, and that loop landed right at the trailhead. They also had a new feeding area that was set up like a grandstand, but nothing was filled. It gave you a great view of the lake, though!

Requisite entrance sign to the park

Swainson's Hawk (left), and Trail from the parking lot down to the Birding Area

I was a little concerned about the Birding Trail, because I remember it being quite the climb down and back, but it was fine as it was all made up of good stairs. Halfway down is a bench I don’t remember (it said “RAIL” and I was wondering if it had been taken from an old railing or something, but the next bench was labeled “YELLOWTHROAT” with a picture of said bird, so I realized they were referring to the Sora picture…), which was a great place to sit and watch the lake; flushed a Black-crowned Night Heron when I arrived, and across the way was a Great Blue and a couple of Coots. Down at the bottom were all the dashers, and bird highlights included a performing Yellow-breasted Chat in the sun, hiding Phainopeplas and Bell’s Vireos, another tyrannulet, and a Song Sparrow I managed to get backlit video of. At another rest a Yellow-billed Cuckoo called and then flew over, and at one little opening a mob of Coots went by, along with several Mexican Ducks (actually, some could have been bona fide Mallards, as the males would be in eclipse plumage by now, and one looked like it had the typical Mallard rear end). On the way up took another look at the lake from the overview, and added the requisite Neotropic Cormorant (although it was a very washed-out bird).

Patagonia Lake from the bottom of the Birding Trail

Trail within the woods

Blue Dasher (female left, male right)

Yellow-breasted Chat

I wish I could have filmed one of the grackles vocalizing, as they make that same funny duit-duit-duit sound the California birds make! As it was, I got a juvie still begging, a male dismantling a beetle, and a pretty male House Sparrow (I told Keith not to laugh at me ��). There really wasn’t much else around except a Curve-billed Thrasher making like a Robin on the ground, and I was tired already from all the climbing, so decided to head out, only the exit dumped me way up from the entrance booth! So rather than trying to find the thing, I just headed out and bagged a Rufous-winged Sparrow singing out in the open! ��

Lake Patagonia from the day use area

Mrs. Grackle’s baby is bigger than she is, and still begging!

While the kid says, “Aw, c’mon, Mom!”, she checks her escape route...

This male House Sparrow has a big bib; according to some authorities, that means he’s the top dog!

Headed back to Patagonia to do Harshaw Creek Road, and that was a lovely drive; early on a male Vermilion Flycatcher flew up to a wire. No Montezuma Quail (I don’t even think I heard any last year, but my friend Norma and crew, who were there at the same time I was, had one out the window!) but was able to film a Rufous-crowned Sparrow that came in to pishing, and spooked a little grasshopper when I got out at one stop that was quite distinctive; I made it fly so I could see the color of its wings (red), and when I pulled my make-shift book out at the hotel there was a perfect match: Arroyo Grasshopper! Couldn’t get a singing thrasher to come out, but when a Curve-billed called across the way, I’m assuming that’s what it was until proven otherwise… A Western Wood Pewee sat up on a snag and called, as well as a Cassin’s Kingbird, but the star of the show was a calling Thick-billed Kingbird up on the hill – had he not done his pow-WEET!, I never would have noticed him! Near the end of the road a female/young Blue Grosbeak posed on a fence.

Harshaw Creek Road

L-R: Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Cassin's Kingbird, Thick-billed Kingbird

L: Arroyo Grasshopper; R: Female Blue Grosbeak

After I got done with that, the plan was to road-bird Harshaw Road, but I was a little nervous about the building monsoons. Turns out Harshaw Road is paved most of the way, so we headed on up, but it shortly started spitting, so that was our cue to turn back (rain in and of itself isn’t a big deal, but around here that can turn into a flash flood and block your passage real quick). So since it wasn’t even noon yet we decided to check out Pena Blanca Lake and get that out of the way (seeing as that road is paved, too). When we passed the state park, my conscience was bothering me ��, so we swung in to suck up and pay the rather steep day use fee. I was kinda hoping the guy would give me a pass seeing as I was in and out (probably) before the booth was open, but he didn’t; in fact, I think it was the same guy who was making the rounds on his motorized cart earlier! I was kinda laughing about that on the way out, but right there by the side was a lovely Gray Hawk that was just primping away! Guess that was my “jewel” for doing the right thing!

Gathering storm

Primping Gray Hawk back at the state park

Anyway, Siri took us the back way to Ruby Road, which was a very scenic drive down South River Road. Construction at the freeway was horrible, but we got through, and once at the area I noticed that dirt road that goes to a wonderful overlook that I took last time, so down we went, but we didn’t get very far as there was a big chasm in the road! Thankfully we had enough room to turn around (very carefully) and head towards the paved part. Had another Gray Hawk come tearing in for video, and what I thought was a Bell’s Vireo actually turned out to be a Varied Bunting (hard to tell when it’s backlit sometimes)! The flowering bushes were loaded not with butterflies, but day-flying moths (the only ones I could ID were tons of Indomitable Graphics and, according to the book, Deduced Graphic! Went up to Upper Thumb to use the restroom, but a big monsoon (thunder and all) was bearing down (with one to the south as well), so we figured it was time to get out of there.

Pena Blanca Lake SRA

Deduced (left) & Indomitable Graphics

And boy, what a mess coming into Nogales! (In retrospect I shoulda gone straight to the hotel after Harshaw – I bet they would have let me check in early considering the weather…) That’s when the deluge started, and again at the construction, there was a backup to beat all! I thought I was getting on southbound I-19, but I had actually gotten on the frontage road, and that’s where the traffic was coming from (not sure why as it wasn’t anywhere near rush hour)! Siri was going nuts until she finally directed me to several back roads (and I truly was concerned about flooding along some of those) and put me on a surface street that really did have some flooding issues! Talk about the parting of the Red Sea when we went through! But she ended up taking us the back way to the little complex where all the hotels are, so we checked in fine (a little early, but that was okay), then gassed and iced up. But it was raining pretty hard and I got pretty soaked arranging the cooler, so donned that poncho I had taken to Costa Rica that worked like a charm, and it did its job this time, too, only I had to make several trips to the room (and wade through a small lake as well), and with the lightning firing off all around you, that was a trip! Then I cut myself on the Cup-o-Noodles box ☹, so it definitely was “one of those days”, but I was very glad to get to the room (which is lovely – second floor with a great view of the construction across the street ��)! Did some calculating, as I was truly concerned about the condition of Ruby Road, plus I wasn’t sure I’d pick up anything new along there (general targets are Golden Eagle and the Monty), so we decided to do Montosa Canyon tomorrow and get that sparrow filmed (hopefully)!

Southeast Arizona Adventure Part 9 - Box Canyon & Sonoita Creek

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 17:10:16 GMT

Decided to stick with the plan and start pre-dawn at the top rather than try for screech owls again at Proctor, and I’m glad I did: the lightning show in the distance was spectacular (and you had a great view from the upper parking lot), and after a while a Mexican Whippoorwill started “whipping” and then launched into his song, followed by another distant one! No owls, but eventually other diurnal birdies woke up, like Black-headed Grosbeak, Mexican Jays, and even the trogon! (A gal pulled in wondering if I was Bill (??) and said she was meeting some hikers, and wanted to see the trogon as she’d heard them a gazillion times…)

Monsoon in the early morning light

Headed down at sunrise, stopping every half mile this time (including at the feeders for a couple of minutes to pad the list) and didn’t pick up anything different; at Proctor decided to walk to that little overlook the “Mimosa Guy” pointed out, and it was a lovely view of Elephant Head! Richard had mentioned seeing Black-capped Gnatcatchers at Florida Wash, so I was sure to stop there; had a nice Varied Bunting that posed for video (and a Bell’s Vireo, Rufous-winged Sparrow, and Nashville Warbler that didn’t), but no gnatcatchers, so after a while I headed on to the main target, Box Canyon.

Rainbow over Elephant Head

Which is a lovely road in and of itself: started out with lots of Black-throated and Botteri’s Sparrows, and climbing up the scenery was gorgeous as always (but I could see that Madera Canyon was getting clobbered already; I felt sorry for those hikers)! It actually started raining on me before reaching the Five-striped Sparrow Spot, so I had to bird from the car, and even then I wasn’t sure if I had the right spot (although the habitat looked perfect; it was the same area I had Black-chinned Sparrows the first time I did it). I stopped at the 6.5 mile spot (as that’s what I had calculated), and stood around for 15 minutes only logging a pewee and two orioles (Scott’s and Hooded – the pewee got flagged as I was once again without a signal and had to use the West Box Canyon list). But as I continued on I saw several cars parked ahead (it had quit raining by then), so I joined the line and then joined the crowd, several who had passed me earlier, including the Susan look-alike, who introduced herself as Cheryl! She also knew exactly where the reported Lucifer Hummingbird nest was, so she took me right to it! That was great! So then we went back to the Sparrow Spot, and finally I heard the Five-striped Sparrow singing from waaay over there, impossible to see, of course! No one else really knew what to listen for, so when I told them it sounded kinda like a Dickcissel, they picked it up right away!

Black-throated Sparrow along Lower Box Canyon Road

Incoming!

The rain quits by the time we get to the Five-striped Sparrow spot!

Female Lucifer Hummingbird on the nest (no one said anything about with whom she mated…)

I took off shortly after that as I didn’t like the threatening sky, and shortly came to that lovely riparian area with all the big trees. At one stop here actually got a Pacific-slope Flycatcher as he was thankfully saying pee-YEET! and not pee-DEET! like his mountain cousin! A local came rolling by about that time and said he’d had that sparrow several times (rub it in L), but also that the riparian area I had just passed was called “The Dam” and was great for migrants! I was actually planning on coming back the next day, so I said I’d look for that gate he told me about, but with all the flash flood warnings coming over the Weather App I wanted to move on. His response: ignore them! If you say so…

“The Dam” area (apparently)

Pacific-slope Flycatcher

Anyway, continued on, picking up a shrike, two squealing Zone-tailed Hawks that eBird didn’t like, and up in the grasslands finally a distant Cassin’s Sparrow! What I’m wondering is what happened to the Montezuma Quail – I hadn’t even heard one yet in all the normal places! At the time I had yet to do Ruby Road and Mt. Hopkins, but I never made it to Ruby Road, so I’ll never know if I would have finally bagged them there or not… What shocked me was that the Collared Dove got flagged, and the thing was posing nicely until I saw that it was flagged, so the minute I turned on the camera he took off! L Near the end of the paved road was a female Vermilion Flycatcher, which was a nice addition.

Upper Box Canyon/Greaterville Road

Female Vermilion Flycatcher

Headed on in to Patagonia and decided to check the butterfly garden first; had a few nice things, but one yellow struck me as being plainer and larger than the Little Yellow, and I was wondering if it possibly could have been a Dina! (Glassberg calls them a rare immigrant here in mid-August, which would fit the time frame…) I put it on the Arizona Butter Facebook page, and no one refuted it, so that may actually be a life butter, as I don’t think we had that one during our trip to El Cielo in Mexico! A lady from New York (at least she sounded like it J) came over to chat and said what everyone else was saying: it’s been so dry that the butter variety just isn’t there. She thought Paton’s might have more, and I told her I was on my way there. She also knew where the guy who was feeding the Ruddy Ground Dove lived, so I headed over there to try for it, only when I found it on BirdsEye, I realized it was too far to walk so I tootled over there with Heppy.

Gulf Fritillary (left); Dina Yellow (right)

There was already a couple of guys in a pickup parked on the opposite street, so I also found a shady place to park and just walked around; a guy named Kevin showed up who had stayed with us at the Alamo Inn! We spotted a couple of Inca Doves, and even the owner came out to take a look for it, but she didn’t show in the 15 minutes I was there (and if she was wont to hide in those trees, I certainly never would have found her!), so I headed on to Paton’s.

Not sure if it was the guy weed-whacking or what, but something started bothering my right eye something horrible, and I was in misery the whole time I was there! (One of the workers asked the standard, “How are you?” but I don’t think she was expecting an honest answer… J) Chatted with Louie, the caretaker from Bay City, Michigan, for a bit; they had taken down the “hard food” due to bear issues, but the hummer feeders were still up, with the standard Broad-billed, a couple of Blackchins, an Anna’s, and the requisite Violet-crowned. Chats were all over the place, and Louie confirmed that I was hearing Phainopeplas! Even the Song Sparrow was exciting (as we don’t get those in the Valley)! I took a stroll through their meadow (that’s what the guy was doing – trimming the trail) and sat by the pond where the Flame Skimmers were chasing each other; another volunteer wandered by and in the middle of chatting I thought I heard a tyrannulet do his dear dear dear! (Or else it was a goldfinch…) She said they had them there, and indeed, after she left, I heard a WheeK! later on… I warned her that after birds, you get hooked on butters, then odes, and then if you still want more you turn to grasshoppers! That’s where she drew the line, as even though they’re “part of the system” as she called it, they were very destructive to their crops! She said she also had to explain “the system” to her little granddaughter when a Roadrunner nabbed a House Finch… Beep Beep he ain’t!

Meadow trail at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds

Flame Skimmer

A Violet-crowned and female Broad-billed Hummer face off...

Despite using half the bottle of Refresh (probably), my eye was still killing me, but decided to road bird Blue Heaven Road, and the eye actually cleared up a little! We decided to go as far as we could (that really bad crossing past the Patagonia-Sonoita Preserve was clear except for a little stream; last time I was there it was a raging river) then bird our way back. Didn’t make it as far as Salero Road (which is closed anyway, I understand), but apparently part of Sonoita Creek bled over onto the road, because I didn’t dare tackle that (a truck behind me did, though)! So we turned around and stopped every .3 mile, and that worked great (at least until the thunder started); chats were out the yin yang, but picked up some special riparian species for the trip such as Abert’s Towhee, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Yellow Warbler (actually got the latter two at Paton’s), Yellowthroat, and Lucy’s Warbler (that one threw me as they were youngsters, but comparing them with Virginia, they couldn’t have been anything else…) and some flycatcher that came in that I couldn’t get a fix on, but was too distracted by the warblers as they were coming out in the open for video.

Where Sonoita Creek takes over Blue Heaven Road!

Young Lucy’s Warbler

Building monsoon

Did not want to get stuck on that road in case a flood came, so hightailed it outta there, dropped off the donation at Paton’s that I forgot to leave because I was too distracted by my hurting eye, then headed down Sonoita Road to see if I could find those other feeders Louie told me about (and that’s an eBird hotspot), but couldn’t. Ended up going all the way back to Sonoita the town to get gas etc., picking up a Swainson’s Hawk on the way. Finally checked in to the very nice Stage Stop Inn and was able to get everything done (but was too beat to film the Barn Swallows drinking out of the pool…)!

Southeast Arizona Adventure Part 8 - Madera Canyon

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 18:11:50 GMT

[Ed. Note: the “days” in the titles refer to actual birding days; the literal “Day 8 and 9” were spent at Canelo Ranch resting up and doing errands…]

The plan was to get to Proctor pre-dawn to try for Western Screech Owl; got Poorwill instead, but the stars were incredible! Once sunrise happened we went back down to Florida Wash to start the BBS Protocol (and since the road is so short we shot for .3 mile stops); Botteri’s and Rufous-winged Sparrows were dominant, and picked up both Gambel’s and Scaled Quail along the route (the former tended to be at the bottom). Bell’s Vireos were all over, of course…

Florida Wash at dawn and Botteri’s Sparrow with a nose full of food.

Back at Proctor we took the paved nature trail, and had a very cooperative Varied Bunting sitting right up on an ocotillo! I pointed it out to this gal (who looked like one of my birding buddies back in the Valley named Susan), and she was thrilled! In general, though, it was very quiet; had a pair of Hooded Orioles at the creek overlook, but not much along the trail. “Susan” bounced by while I was resting and said she had just seen a Zone-tailed Hawk, so I jumped up and got to a spot where I could see the ridge, and sure enough, there he was, flying right over! Comedy relief was provided by an ant trying to drag off a caterpillar over twice his size, and what I thought might be a cool local snail turned out to be an invasive Decollate Snail. Ran into a guy who I think was guiding the gal he was with, and I asked him if he knew what these pretty purple and white flowers were; he didn’t, but used iNaturalist to find out - Velvet Pod Mimosa! Later they (the guide and his client, not the Mimosas) almost spooked a Marine Blue I was shooting while they made their way to another overlook.

Proctor Trail

Velvet Pod Mimosa (left) and Varied Bunting

Marine Blue (left) and ant dragging away a deceased caterpillar

Zone-tailed Hawks mimic Turkey Vultures by circling and swaying just like they do, fooling their prey until it’s time to pounce!

Stopped at the various picnic areas on the way up with not much to show for it except Mexican Jays, but spent a goodly amount of time at the feeders when we got there; there was a lot of activity (Broadbills, an Anna’s, Acorn Woodpeckers making like hummers ��, and tons of goldfinches and House Finches), but the Beryline hadn’t been seen in several days, and we didn’t see it either…☹. At another picnic area a lady pointed out a cooperative Hepatic Tanager which I was able to film, and up at the tippy top, I couldn’t believe it: I stepped out of the car and a pair of trogons were song-battling! Spent a lot of time just sitting at benches and strolling around the circle; a Two-tailed Swallowtail had fallen in love with the Do Not Enter sign, but after making some video grabs I think maybe he actually saw his reflection and was challenging this intruder! This British guy and his wife were sitting on the “curb” waiting for stuff to come by; after a while we got to chatting, and he was wondering what happened to all the Cassin’s Sparrows! That was a good question, as I usually get them down below, but not this time! He also reported that he had Black-capped Gnatcatchers down there at the wash, so I made a mental note to check that out the next morning!

Hepatic Tanager (left) and Rivoli's Hummingbird

Young male Broad-billed Hummingbirds

A Mexican Jay (left) performs acrobatics at a feeder while a female Acorn Woodpecker gives the Evil Eye!

White-breasted Nuthatch (left) and Lesser Goldfinches with a House Finch (right)

Mt. Baldy Trailhead

A Two-tailed Swallowtail (state butter of Arizona) discovers his reflection in the Do Not Enter sign!

Since I really had all day to spend in the area, I took my time working my way back down, but ended up going back up as I realized that that might be my only chance at Red-faced Warbler (as that’s where I got my life bird in the 70s, but I realized later that, back then, I probably did hike up the trail as I had the energy to do so in my late teens). I hiked a little of the upper Nature Trail, but didn’t find anything, so I decided to go back to the lodge and chill until I could check in, where the British guy was there along with some Indian photographers asking advice. When I saw one of them leafing through a book written by the British guy, it clicked – it was Richard Crossley! About that time fellow guide Lori Foss (whom I knew through her help with our own Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival) showed up with some friends, and this one local lady was quite friendly; I think she was also helping with the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival. A big tom Turkey was at the feeders, and the proprietor told me that if I came back around dusk, I’d have a chance at seeing a Ringtail! Tempting, but I’d planned to be in bed long before that…

One last stroll around the Mt. Wrightson parking area before heading to the lodge...

We’re greeted by a big tom Turkey!

Female Western Fence Lizard (until told otherwise)

Southeast Arizona Adventure Part 7 - Mt Lemmon

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 14:39:23 GMT

Was seriously thinking about skipping Mount Lemmon and just doing Saguaro, and maybe scouting Madera before heading to Canelo Ranch for the weekend break. As it turns out, I shoulda stuck with that plan, but after reviewing BirdsEye, there were more potential targets along the Mt. Lemmon route than the Saguaro route, so we did that. This was the first time I actually got to do it “BBS style”, and I have to say that the scenery was gorgeous, but the birds were quiet: saw the dawn in at the first pullout, with mainly Black-throated Sparrows. Picked up a nice Blue Grosbeak at Molina Canyon along with a singing Bell’s Vireo, and at the Prison Camp a Raven was making funny noises, and an Arizona Woodpecker came bounding in! The highlight at one of the vistas was a singing Rock Wren that was actually visible, and at another stop a Black-throated Gray Warbler came in for good looks! Windy Point didn’t have any swifts like last time, but it was fun in that there were several rappelers there having a big time!

Molina Vista

Common Raven (left) and Blue Grosbeak

The old prison camp, now called Gordon Hirabayashi Campground

Black-throated Gray Warbler (left) and Spotted Towhee

Windy Vista

Had a hard time getting a signal, so when I got into the first of the high altitude stops at Willow Canyon, I had to use the last place I was able to get, and it didn’t like my Olive Warbler! �� Same with some of the campgrounds up there where I had to explain Steller’s Jays and Pygmy Nuthatches! Was finally able to get a signal at Bear Wallow, so I spent an inordinate amount of time uploading all those previous checklists (and decided not to do any more unless I had something new)! Unfortunately didn’t spot the Short-tailed Hawk, or any other hawk for that matter (Incinerator Ridge was like another Carr Canyon, so I didn’t go far on that one before making an about-face); at Marshall Gulch I ran into the couple I met at Beatty’s yesterday, and they reported a little feeding flock along there and told me where it was, but by the time I got back there it had started raining…

Bear Wallow

Mullein flower (left) and Yellow-eyed Junco

Creek at Marshall Gulch Campground

Backing up, I checked out Ski Valley where I filmed some Acorn Woodpeckers on a pole, but the trailhead at the end of the road was packed with cars (evidently a big family gathering), so I wheeled back to Summerhaven where I couldn’t find that big restaurant with the hummer feeders; I wonder if it burned down or something? Anyway, there were more people than birds up there, so after I wrapped up at Marshall Gulch I headed back down through the aforementioned mini-monsoon…

View from Ski Valley (left) and Acorn Woodpecker

Had enough time to do a quick run-through of Saguaro after all, where, despite the 100+ degree heat, Rufous-winged Sparrows were singing throughout the route! (I think the Blackthroats outnumbered them, though…) The Gilded Flickers were laying low (don’t blame them), and my camera battery was dying, so finished that up quickly and headed down to Canoa Ranch, and thankfully got checked in before the monster monsoon hit!

Eastern portion of Saguaro National Park (before the camera died)

Monster monsoon coming down the I-19

Southeast Arizona Adventure Part 6 - The Huachucas

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 17:10:28 GMT

Got to Carr Canyon well before dawn (even though I didn’t mean to ��), so set up the chair and enjoyed the dawn chorus, including a Poorwill! A Hepatic Tanager was fairly close, and the two cliff wrens sang up on the mountain! Started the BBS Protocol at sunrise and got the normal players heading up (Bridled Titmice and Mexican Jays in the foothills, juncos and pewees higher up), but the road was bad enough that I decided never to go up again, especially since I didn’t get the Buff-breasted Flycatcher! ☹ (But with the passage of time already I’m starting to reconsider that… ��) The Virginia’s Warbler halfway up was a nice consolation prize, and once up at The Reef, heard some accipiter squealing right over my head and was hoping I had the reported Goshawk, but after analyzing the video and getting better looks at all three birds (and also comparing the squeals of the two species) they all proved to be juvie Coopers (although someone did report Goshawks up there the same day I did…) It was actually pretty dead up there; stopped at all the places I historically got the buffie with no response, and a walk around the cul-de-sac only yielded a gorgeous Mountain Spiny Lizard! The one cooperative bird was a Hairy Woodpecker on said pines. My dilemma was now: where to find the buffies? Sawmill Canyon was way too rough when I did it years ago, and even though they’re reported at other high-elevation spots, Carr is the only place I’ve gotten them period, much less consistently, but unless they’re a sure thing, it’s not worth worrying about whether you’re gonna blow a tire on one of those rocks on the way up! (Later a friend was telling me about these tires made of Kevlar – maybe I should invest in some!)

View of Carr Canyon Road from on high

While a family of Goshawks were reported here, all I could find were these Cooper’s: buffy head, even tail bars, thin streaks, and whitish breast all rule out Goshawk.

Normally great Buff-breasted Flycatcher habitat

Mountain Spiny Lizard

Hairy Woodpecker

Ramsey was much more productive: a crowd was at the Inn because both a Beryline and Violet-crowned Hummer had shown up (I had forgotten about the Beryline), so I spent about 15 minutes there filming the usual suspects before heading up to the VC, which turned out to be closed! While the website said they were open on Thursdays, the building apparently isn’t, but you can still hike the trails. So I poked up to the upper feeders and sat with a gal who volunteers at Ash Canyon and was spending her birthday up there (that came up as she apologized ahead of time for her phone constantly going off with well-wishers ��)! After she left the Violet-crowned came in at point blank, so that was nice! Three other birders came in, huffing and puffing, about the time I headed back down; spent another hour down at the Inn, and by that time the place was really packed! The Beryline actually did come in briefly according to the young guide who spotted it, but it came and went before I could see it… ☹ A nice male Western Tanager showed up in the trees behind the inn, and the normal seed birds were coming in to those feeders, but honestly, I didn’t even pay attention to those!

Trail to the feeders at Ramsey Canyon

Violet-crowned Hummingbird

Adult male Rivoli’s look all black...

...until the light hits them just right!

Headed to Beatty’s after that, and sadly that trail up to the controlled access feeders is way too scary now (for me, anyway – a normal person with good stamina and balance would be fine…)! Also found out from a Field Guides group that was leaving as I arrived that the White-eared was not coming in to the feeders, but was up the trail almost a mile coming in to some flowers! So I wrote that one off almost immediately, as it was already hot enough to douse myself with water, and there was no way I was gonna attempt an uphill hike in that heat (the controlled access area notwithstanding)! But even though the White-eared didn’t come in (Tom showed up and confirmed that was unlikely seeing as they have plenty of natural food right now), got some nice hummer video, including a female mountain-gem! Tom’s Redbone Coonhound Ruby followed him up and loved on me (and vice versa); I thought it was interesting that he had them radio tagged, and he explained that they were always wandering off and getting lost, so that’s how they kept track of them! After he left another couple from Virginia (I think) came up, and they enjoyed the show, including a female Broad-tailed that I thought was reflecting the red of the feeder at first! And this is where I had those two whiptails where, upon closer inspection, one of the “Sonoran Spotted” turned out to be a Gila Spotted!

Scene from Beatty’s Guest Ranch

Broad-billed Hummingbird

Black-chinned Hummingbirds

Female Blue-throated Mountain-gem

Sonoran Spotted Whiptail

Ash Canyon was next, and a Lucifer had shown up just before I got there, but after an hour plus he never did again ☹. But had a nice chat with Carol Sykes, who with her hubby Tom has guided several tours to Costa Rica with Richard Garrigues, so I wanted to hear about her experiences! Hummer video was a little better here as the light was perfect, and a young male Rufous came in for the day. The guy who was sitting next to me pointed out a Chipping Sparrow, and just as I was leaving I heard a Gila Woodpecker, so back I went to get him on film!

Ash Canyon feeders

Mexican Jays

Anna's Hummingbirds

Gila Woodpecker (left) and female Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Southeast Arizona Adventure Part 5 - Portal

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 19:00:52 GMT

Headed out to the “Research Station Road” pre-dawn as planned, but the trailhead parking spot I was going to use backfired only in that you could hear Cave Creek “roaring” behind you (at least enough to drown out any night birds), so decided to try Sunny Flats instead. A lot more people had settled in since the day before, and after I thought I had found a spot that was somewhat isolated, I didn’t count on the campsite “kind of” next to me (they were several yards back from the road) having two guys who were also early risers walking their dogs and chatting while they were at it! So we decided to use the end of South Fork Road (since Jon told me that I should get Whiskered Screech Owl almost anywhere), and thankfully no one was camped out there themselves! It was a lovely experience, with the owls tooting almost immediately!

No other night birds, and just had the regulars tuning up (oh, some Mexican Jays came in and fed on something in the parking lot; was almost too dark for video). No return appearance of the trogon, and I can’t recall anything stupendous on the way to Paradise Road (except another Sulphurbelly near the VC), but said road was gorgeous! A cute little Black-throated Sparrow sang, but the highlight here was a nice male Black-tailed Gnatcatcher! As we climbed, who should we run into again but Jon’s bunch! They had stopped for a Scott’s Oriole (that I thankfully saw fly in), so since they all piled out, I parked well behind them and moseyed over. Turns out the reason he stopped here was because Black-chinned Sparrows had been reported, so he was trying for that (never came in, though… ☹)! I chatted with one of the ladies who was here for the first time and was thrilled with all her lifers, while both Canyon and Rock Wrens sang from on high. Jon also confirmed this was the spot where the summering Green-tailed Towhee was hanging out, and unlike the sparrows, he did cooperate – everyone was able to get great views (and I got video to prove it ��)!

The end of South Fork Road (once it was light enough to take pictures…)

Sunrise on the mountains!

Cave Creek

"Long-crested" Cardinal

Yet more scenes...

Black-throated Sparrow

Scene going up Paradise Road

Over-summering Green-tailed Towhee

I continued on with the BBS Protocol, where Variegated Fritillaries and Orange Sulphurs played in this gorgeous open space! Made the right at the T, and found the “Lee Clark Property” fine thanks to a sign (the road up there left much to be desired; I didn’t think Jon’s van would make it)! Bob Chapman was the caretaker, and he pointed out the various feeder stations, which all happened to be in great light! After a few “can’t help myself” shots at the feeders near the house, I set up camp at the hummer feeders first since I was more in need of video of that than the normal “hard food” birds as he called them, and was able to film Rufous, Broad-billed, Black-chinned, and Rivoli’s for sure (there may have been a Broad-tailed in there, too). Down at the other station got great video of Acorn Woodpeckers, Mexican Jays, Lesser Goldfinches, and Black-headed Grosbeaks (I’m noticing that I tend to be ignoring the House Finches, but I got a couple of them, too…).

Continuing up Paradise Road

Gulf Fritillary

Continuing on...

Up at the Lee Clark property, the Acorn Woodpeckers drank from the Agaves!

Presumed young male Rufous Hummingbird as at least one red gorget feather has come in!

Rivoli’s Hummingbird (showing small tail spots at left)

Broad-billed Hummingbird

Diners down at the “hard feeders” include Lesser Goldfinches...

Black-headed Grosbeak...

House Finches...

...and Mexican Jays.

Cliff Chipmunk (token mammal)

After that headed down to the George Walker House, where a couple of other guys (one with a Big Gun) had just arrived, and the owner was explaining the setup. Their boxer whuffed, and I remember him being friendly the last time, but when he said his name was Bo, I could have sworn I was told a different name! He confirmed that that was Topaz, who was no longer with them, but Bo was just as friendly and was all too pleased to give me a Doggie Fix! �� I had barely sat down when the target Juniper Titmouse came in, so got “proof” video of that one, I think, but during the course of my time there also had Bridled Titmouse, a friendly White-breasted Nuthatch (the guy said he was getting ready to remove the ceramic cat from the feeder the nuthatch kept coming in to), a Black-headed Grosbeak, and the regular assortment of hummers. When my timer went off I was getting ready to leave when the Blue-throated Mountain-gem showed up! (Funny how that bird has more of an appeal since the name change… ��) Filmed a Desert Grassland Whiptail back at the car…

A White-breasted Nuthatch defies the ceramic cat in order to pick just the right seed!

Too cute Bridled Titmouse!

The not-so-cute but still striking Desert Grassland Whiptail

Headed back to the Cave Creek feeders after that and chilled in the shade. The two guys showed up again and parked themselves over by the office; they asked about the Arizona Woodpecker and I mentioned that I had heard a couple, but they hadn’t come in to the feeders – just Acorns. Never saw the mountain-gem, but he was calling over my head the whole time! When I got up to leave I went over to the one guy (the other was around the corner on the phone); he explained that they often did cross-country birding trips together, and he himself had been birding since he was a kid! As always, I encouraged them to come stay with us at the Alamo Inn whenever they were in the Valley ��, and while we were yapping the Arizona Woodpecker suddenly came in! He ran to get his friend, but I don’t recall if he got to see it before it bounced over the trees (I was too busy filming it)…

Bully Black-headed Grosbeak

Arizona Woodpecker

The last two feeder stops were the Portal Store, where housekeeping was busy and the feeders didn’t look active, so I went to the feeders down the road from the library. Ran into a couple there; the husband said the feeders were down the road a bit, and I think that was the same road I had the Montezuma Quail on last time, as it looked familiar! Anyway, when I found the place, they even had places to sit, so I enjoyed the diners which also included a female Broad-billed Hummer. But the star was the mountain-gem, who eventually perched right over my head and preened; a little awkward, but got him filmed! On the way back had two types of lizard: Desert Grassland and Sonoran Spotted Whiptails (only got the former on film)!

Preening Blue-throated Mountain-gem right over my head…

After “taking care of things” I headed to Bisbee to visit my friends Earl and Judy (and their friendly Newfoundlands Emma and Yogi whom I hadn’t met yet ��). It really was a lovely drive from this direction; Douglas was no trouble at all to negotiate, and didn’t get lost until I turned on Black Knob instead of Hazzard ☹, but it was still a lovely drive in with the hill in the distance! After our visit I headed to Sierra Vista (Judy encouraged me to stop at Culver’s, but I was too tired to go by the time I got there) and checked into their new Best Western, which was lovely!

Southeast Arizona Adventure Part 4 - Pinery Canyon

Mon, 04 Sep 2023 14:50:16 GMT

Headed out to Pinery Canyon Road, and thankfully didn’t nail a Poorwill this time (didn’t even see one flush)! And for the first time I got confused and neglected to make the turn towards Chiricahua, but the good news is that the detour bagged us a Great Horned Owl that flew up on a post! Pinery Canyon Road seemed kinda slimy at first, so that got me feeling a little icky, but it turned out okay; at the first stop Botteri’s Sparrow and Common Nighthawk were new for the trip, but the “Lilian’s” Meadowlark call threw me; I thought it was a Lark Bunting at first!

Lower Pinery Canyon Road in the early dawn

The “rule” for these roads was thus: if we came to a dicey crossing that had deep running water, we’d turn around and do the backup, which today would have been Chiricahua National Monument. But when we came to what I recalled as the primary “dicey spot”, it was fine, so I thought we were home free! Right around there were the sycamores, and a couple of Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers sounded off (eBird didn’t like them because I had to use a Mt. Graham checklist as we had no signal…)! We got the normal foothill stuff going up (chupping Hepatic Tanager, lots of Spotted Towhees, etc.), and in the higher elevations picked up a new trip bird: a singing Greater Pewee! Western Wood Pewees were all over, a Plumbeous Vireo let me film him, and Cordilleran Flycatchers were in good numbers as well, calling and fighting with each other! (I did hear an Olive Warbler, but he was way over there…) At one stop I thought I was pulled over enough when this utility truck went screaming by (and he didn’t slow down much, either…)!

One of the “dicey crossings” where Pine Creek crosses the road

Black-headed Grosbeak & Plumbeous Vireo

When we got to Onion Saddle I saw the guy’s truck parked where I usually park, so we headed on up to Rustler Park. Again, the butter action was pretty dismal, even though there were lots of flowers in bloom. Actually, in general it was pretty quiet overall, but at the end of the road where I decided to have a bite to eat (and tried to entice a pair of Steller’s Jays with a bagel – didn’t work…), the highlight was a flock of Band-tailed Pigeons that were feeding on the berries of this long-leaved bush!

Rustler Park

Yellow-eyed Junco ; Immature and adult Band-tailed Pigeons

No chickadees ☹, so headed back down the entrance road where I pulled over to let a van through, and it was Jon Dunn leading a Wings tour!! That was a fun reunion! I gave him a report of what I had gotten so far, so they headed up to the park and I continued down the mountain, keeping an eye out for the reported Short-tailed Hawk, but couldn’t spot any raptors aside from TVs… But my “rule” was put to the test when we arrived at Turkey Creek and it was flowing pretty good! We rammed through anyway as there was lots of “high ground” and made it fine; in fact, we stopped to check for odes and picked up what ended up being Springwater and Tonto Dancers, thanks to help from the Arizona ode folks! While I was doing that a young kid wearing bins came over, and I asked him if he was looking for bugs, too! No, he was a birder, but he was checking the crossing, as he was driving a low clearance vehicle and he wasn’t sure if he could make it across! (Don’t know if he ever tried it…) All the water made for some great little waterfall video, though!

Coming down the other side of Onion Saddle

Tonto Dancer & Springwater Dancer

Around noon I forsook the “Breeding Bird Survey” (BBS) Protocol and just crawled down the road as it was getting hot (Heppy’s thermometer still said 58 or something ridiculous – I don’t think so!). I did make a brief stop at Sunny Flats Campground and hiked about ten minutes of the nature trail, where a couple of young Cooper’s Hawks were squealing (Goshawks had been reported here as well, so I wanted to be sure…). The Research Station was closed, but cruised down that road a little to find a place to camp out pre-dawn for Whiskered Screech Owl; decided on a trailhead parking area close to the station.

Cave Creek Nature Trail

But God made up for the missed chickadees in spades while crawling down South Fork Road: at some sycamores I heard some funny noises that almost reminded me of a weaker version of the Eared Quetzal’s whee-chup call, and the next thing I knew, a male Elegant Trogon blasted in! I got out and attempted to get video, and while he was very active he did give me some great video ops! Turns out that’s exactly where he had the nest everyone told me about later – no wonder he seemed agitated! Another couple drove up behind me (Dave and Anita from San Diego), and she was thrilled to see him (but I don’t think he was as cooperative for her – he led her on a merry chase down the road…)!

Cooperative Elegant Trogon (with food for the kids at right)

Headed straight to the new Jasper/Moisan feeders where a lady named Ronna was taking care of things; the light was awful (although the pictures turned out better than I expected), but the birds were great with Gambel’s Quail, Broad-billed Hummer, Hooded Oriole, Verdin, and Pyrrhuloxias all coming in! I heard an Anna’s Hummer, but then saw what looked a lot like Carolyn Ohl’s Costa’s Hummer in Alpine from earlier this summer – could that have been what was singing, and if so, did we have a hybrid on our hands?? I entered it as Costa’s, but then took it off later as we saw several young Anna’s at the various Huachuca feeders that looked just like it (and indeed, hummer expert Sheri Williamson confirmed it as an Anna’s, as some can look whiter below than our standard “dirty” Anna’s I remember from San Diego)! On the mammal side a little Harris’ Antelope Squirrel was just as cute as he could be!

Left: Verdin; Right: Anna’s Hummingbird with an unusually pale breast

Rock Squirrel & Harris’ Antelope Squirrel

After that headed to Bob Rodriguez’s feeders and enjoyed more quail, tons of House Finches, a Black-throated Sparrow, Curve-billed Thrasher, and a Blue Grosbeak (could have sworn a Varied Bunting shot through, but it looked rather big, so I wrote it off as a young Blue as I’ve seen people mistake them for Varieds). I had a start when I glanced at my phone and it said it was 4:10 (when my alarm was set to go off at 3:30), so I figured it thought I was in New Mexico…

Gambel’s Quail & Blue Grosbeak

View heading back into Portal

Stopped at the Portal Store to get water and ice, and ran into Jon’s group again; thankfully they did get the chickadees at Rustler, so it was good practice in “rejoicing with those who rejoice” (and knowing Jon, he probably worked his tail off to get it, too, and I’m just too laid back for that)! I was disappointed in that this time the streak was broken (I had at least heard them on every previous trip up Pinery Canyon), but as I said before, all the locals are saying that the dry weather is having an adverse effect on the birds and butters…

Headed to Cave Creek Lodge with no time to check the feeders out, but the gal gave me a map of all the feeders in Portal, so that was very helpful! And the room was wonderful – no uninvited critters here!

Southeast Arizona Adventure Part 3 - Mt. Graham

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 16:16:14 GMT

Heading out of the hotel I came across a grasshopper that was barely alive, so I retrieved it and stuck it in a baggie to examine later; it looked just like that Pale-winged Grasshopper I saw at Big Bend, and when I spread the wing for a photo (and shot the inner “thigh” of the leg as well), that seemed to be what it was! Headed up Mt. Graham, almost nailing a Poorwill (that was a first for this area – usually that happens to me going up the Chiricauhuas…)! At The Sign they were singing just like the last time I was there, and was able to get some great sunrise video while being serenaded by Black-throated Sparrows and a Canyon Towhee. Stopped every half mile (as best I could) and picked up Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay, a very friendly (and scruffy) Painted Redstart who nonetheless displayed for me, the ringing of Broad-tailed Hummer wings, and Violet-green Swallows that thankfully called as I couldn’t see any details!

Another sunrise scene

Scene on the way up in the early morning

Beat-up but spunky Painted Redstart

One productive stop was Round the Mountain campground, where a feeding flock included Bridled Titmice, Bushtits, and a Black-throated Gray Warbler, all pretty cooperative for video! Continuing higher, the birds came fast and furious with both Mexican and Steller’s Jays, all three nuthatches, Mountain Chickadee, Grace’s Warbler, a Western Tanager I thought was a Grace’s ��, and a feeding flock with three Hermit Warblers (although one of them had some streaking on the side, and it dawned on me way later that it was probably a Hermit/Townsend’s hybrid, as Hermits are unstreaked)! I thought for sure I had a Red-faced while I was filming (albeit a backlit one), but a review of the video showed it to be just another Hermit, so that sadly had to come off the list… ☹ At one stop several Red Crossbills came in, and got video of one trying to pry open a pine cone while a Western Bluebird called in the background! Near the top I was stopped in some pines and trying to track a Brown Creeper when the park host stopped by on his motorized golf cart and chatted a little! Mammal highlights included Cliff Chipmunks, Coues’ White-tailed Deer (one went straight down the embankment; don’t know how she managed that without killing herself…), and the coveted Abert’s Squirrel!

Round the Mountain Campground

Bridled Titmouse

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Bushtit

Clearing the 8000 ft. mark!

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Mountain Chickadee

Red Crossbill

Abert's Squirrel

I just wrote this off as a female-type Hermit Warbler at first, but now I’m wondering if it’s a Hermit/Townsend’s hybrid (which is not all that uncommon), as Hermits should not be showing any streaking!

Top of the mountain (almost)!

The monsoon clouds were starting to form, and after seeing that monster yesterday, I was getting a little nervous about being up there too long (my “rule” was, the minute you hear thunder, you’re outta there! Never did…), so we stopped at the Visitor Center (which was closed), but they had several sidewalks to explore (more my speed ��). Actually, as we were pulling in a juvie Yellow-eyed Junco was right outside the window, and when I pished at it to get it to come out from behind the bush, it practically flew under the car! Flickers were all over, making funny noises (probably juvies themselves), and flushed a baby Hermit Thrush from the grass! Siskins were feeding on the sunflowers, but the highlight was a male Olive Warbler that actually let me see him (but not film, sadly; he wasn’t that friendly ��)! As a bonus a Mountain Spiny Lizard posed on a rock as well.

Trail at Columbine Visitor’s Center

Yarrow’s Spiny Lizard, a race of the Mountain Spiny Lizard

Baby Hermit Thrush

It was around 1:30 about then, so since I was really tempted to try and check out Twin Lakes at Willcox (and beat the monsoon), we went ahead and headed back. Good thing, too, as it took almost three hours to get there! They were doing road construction (looked like part of the road had fallen away), but the threatened delays were virtually non-existent. And the rain did start, but it was a nice, soft rain, not a monsoonal downpour!

Hospital Flats (and what we drove through)

By the time we got to Twin Lakes we barely had time to check it out before needing to get gas, ice, and water, and then check in at the hotel, so we rolled in, hearing a Scaled Quail and filming a nice Cassin’s Kingbird on the way in. There were plenty of birds in there but most were pretty far off, so I “camera-scoped” to try and ID them – I couldn’t pick up any of the rarities (Sanderling, Pectoral, and Semipalmated Sandpipers had all been reported), but there were tons of Wilson’s Phalaropes (did manage to pick out one Red-necked), several Baird’s, Least, and Western Sandpipers, Stilts and Avocets, White-faced Ibis, and both Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teal (the latter was more numerous)! Guess the Western Grebe was long gone, as that would have been easy to pick out, but we really didn’t have time to thoroughly explore the place; they have a new observation deck that I really wanted to check out, but we just didn’t have time. Bagged a Swainson’s Hawk on the way out, and as I was parking at the hotel a Say’s Phoebe pair was flopping around in the “back yard”!

Twin Lakes

White-faced Ibis and Long-billed Dowitchers

Wilson's Phalaropes

Southeast Arizona Adventure Part 2 - A Stop at Franklin Mountains State Park

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 16:18:05 GMT

Was wide awake around 4:00, so decided to do the morning routine and get going. Decided that two packets of oatmeal for breakfast were too much… ☹

Was a little nervous about driving in the pitch, so didn’t take it any faster than 65 I think, but once it started getting lighter I felt better about going the speed limit. I forget where the first stop was (maybe Fort Stockton), but topped off there (I thought over three bucks a gallon at the time was pretty steep – little did I know…), then got a breakfast sandwich at Wendy’s at the next stop, only they gave me a chicken/bacon thing instead of the sausage/egg/cheese thing! (I probably should have taken it back, but the adventuresome side of me decided to try the thing; will stick with the sausage/egg/cheese thing… L) Maybe that was Van Horn – it was, because I was trying to enter an eBird report of the stuff on the way, and amazingly both ravens were flaggable! (We saw three small ravens in the desert scrub just before getting there…) Just looked at the range map – they oughta be there!

Anyway, topped off again just before El Paso, and took the bypass as I realized we would have plenty of time for a 15 minute vigil at the Franklin Mountains SP blind! It was a lovely day, and the temps were just perfect (oh, forgot that we drove through some major rainstorms on the way)! They have a new visitor’s center that you have to go into to check in, and on the way I rescued this pretty yellow and black caterpillar that the rangerette said was a White-lined Sphinx!

Entrance Sign

White-lined Sphinx caterpillar

Drove right by the blind at first, so cruised back down and found the nature trail (seeing as that’s where it was last time I was there), and all that building they were doing last time was now finished – they had put in a covered picnic area! The blind was great, although I didn’t need my tripod: not only was there no room for it, but you were close enough to the ledge that you could use that for a stabilizer! White-winged Doves monopolized the place, and a few House Finches managed to get in. Two Rufous Hummers were fighting, and I was hearing both Scaled and Gambel’s Quail (the former made a quick cameo appearance at the water feature). The token mammal was a Rock Squirrel that actually gave a good video performance, sitting up and looking all around before skedaddling… A human family came by and I invited them to come on in, but I guess they didn’t feel comfortable: it was a small enclosure and there were two small kids with them, but they were very nice at any rate. Shortly after they left, what should show up right over the ledge but the big fat male Gambel’s Quail! I started filming and that’s when the timer went off ☹; the Lord seemed to say, “Keep filming; you can take the audio out later!” ��That was the highlight of the day (and it was also cool that his wife came in, along with a White-winged Dove for size comparison)! Picked up a few butters for the trip as well; most everything was on the move, but a Sleepy Orange did settle down for a quick pic…

Gambel's Quail

Young male Rufous Hummingbird

Headed on after that (after going back up to the picnic area to use the restroom – oh, Canyon Towhee was singing in the parking lot, so that was a nice day bird), and it wasn’t too far to Lordsburg where we headed north into new territory – it was typical New Mexican yucca habitat, but so green! I expected a Pronghorn to show up at any minute! There was no gas station at the next 100-mile stop, so I used the opportunity to stop at a big pullout out in the middle of noplace, but that also allowed me to film this wonderful monsoon over the nearby mountain (with Black-throated Sparrow backup ��)!

Twin monsoons!

I had programmed this regional park where the over-summering geese were hanging out into Siri, so she got us going towards Safford, but it was weird in that the compass was telling us we were going southwest, not northwest! (In looking at the Google route map, I now see where that little southwest leg was…) At any rate, we got here fine, and I’m glad Birdseye has that ability to get directions to a location, as we zigged and zagged all over the place to get there! Then we drove all over the park before we finally found a fishing access (actually, Siri told me to turn left once I got into the park, but I didn’t listen…). Parked at the restroom and dragged myself up the ramp, and there were the two geese, hanging out with the domestics! They were pretty beat-up, too, so I assume they just were too worn out to make the trip north when it was time. Also picked up Neotropic Cormorant for the trip (funny how they’re not the rarity here now that they used to be), and filmed another monster monsoon clobbering Mt. Graham!

The two wayward geese (Greater White-fronted and Canada)

Monster monsoon on Mt. Graham!

Got gassed up, got enough KFC to last most of the week (I have a cooler in the car, in case you’re wondering ��), then wheeled into the Best Western, only to discover I was at the wrong one! I didn’t realize there were two, and my reservation was at the swankier one (and I even told the gal at the front desk how nice the room smelled)!

Southeast Arizona Adventure Part 1 - South Llano River State Park

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 16:56:20 GMT

Woke up earlier than anticipated, which meant I got going earlier than anticipated! Was kinda cool that the first bird of the trip was our purring Lesser Nighthawks, and since the “game” allows anything logged while packing the car, was able to add some nice Valley birds to the list, like Couch’s Kingbird and Green Parakeet!

It was a beautiful, sunny day, and a thankfully uneventful drive up to Alice, our first potty stop. On the way there picked up TV, Caracara (another non-Arizona bird), Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (ditto), and a couple of other widespread things (couldn’t get good looks at any of the hawks).

Second stop was the Subway at Pleasanton, continuing up the “back way” and avoiding San Antonio. My typed directions actually got us a little lost, so Siri got us to the Subway, and from there, by programming in the next town along SR173 (which happened to be Kyote), she got us back on our original route with no trouble! We picked up a Black Vulture along this stretch.

Kerrville was the next stop where we gassed up and picked up a Raven in town (assuming Common around here). It was a fairly quick drive to South Llano River, but we’d only have about 15 minutes to check the blind before having to head out again. Pulling in to the park was a scream: the river was full of revelers with their yellow innertubes! (They were all identical so I assumed they were park-issued…) When I got to the office my heart sank only in that it was packed with people in line (most with innertubes J), so I asked the ranger in the office if, since I had an annual pass and had to take off soon, I could just zip down to the blind. She very kindly took down my info so she could enter me in the system, and away we went! That was very generous of her! Added Lesser Goldfinch at their little outside fountain.

Entrance sign

It was in the high 90s when we pulled in the parking lot, so it was probably best that we weren’t gonna spend a lot of time there. I mounted the Powershot on the tripod, stuck a bottle of water in my back pocket and headed down, unsuccessfully trying to call out a fussing Bewick’s Wren. The blind was surprisingly active (it was about 2:20 by then), and (no surprise) the water feature was especially popular! Right away was able to get great video of a Yellow-breasted Chat, a female Painted Bunting, Cardinal, and Summer Tanager, lots of Field Sparrows, a lone Black-throated Sparrow, a young Black-crested Titmouse, and even a Golden-fronted Woodpecker and White-winged Dove that came in! Lark Sparrows had been singing and one showed up just as I was packing up. (Didn’t bother with the House Finches, and the Black-chinned Hummers were too quick…)

New Paragraph

A female Summer Tanager replaces the chat, while a Field Sparrow replaces the bunting!

Black-crested Titmouse

We headed back when the timer went off, picking up a buzzing Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and continued our trek to Ozona (after taking an obligatory picture of the entrance sign J). I was a little concerned about the heat and the speed limit’s effect on the tires (80 mph and hovering around 100 degrees), but we made it fine, where we gassed and iced up, then checked in to the Quality Inn.

Whooper Country Adventure (Texas) Part 6 - Whoopers with the Sims

Mon, 24 Jul 2023 14:21:00 GMT

It was an interesting last day of the trip (and am I glad I scouted Kevin’s dock in the daylight); Kevin had actually called me the day before (right as we were embarking on Cap’n Tommy’s boat, actually) to say that the forecast was for fog and then overcast skies, and did I still want to do the trip? Of course! I quickly told him I’d see him at six the next morning.

We leave at oh-dark-hundred in order to get to the refuge by dawn!

But aside from spitting just a little bit at one point, the overcast skies were just fine and dandy for photography! The first spot we stopped at shortly after sunrise had a Yellowthroat bouncing around, then Lori (Kevin’s wife) spotted a Clapper Rail out in the open! Apparently Kevin missed that one altogether, as he kept thinking I needed it throughout the morning, but this guy was at our feet! While that was going on I heard a Seaside Sparrow singing, so Lori called him in, and WOW – what video! That little guy just put on the best performance!

Clapper Rail at our feet!

Very cooperative Seaside Sparrow

Honestly, everything was anticlimactic after that (even the Whoopers, I hate to say), and it was rather quiet, but additional video highlights included a Caracara on a huge dead fish, both Forster’s and Caspian Terns together, some Bufflehead that Kevin skirted a reef to get, and maybe, just maybe, enough composite video of a Marsh Wren to do some good! Oh, and we pulled in to try and call out a Swamp Sparrow I heard peeping (actually, I wanted to make sure it really was a Swamp Sparrow and not a Phoebe), and they were cooperative as well! Also finally saw the Tree Swallows Tommy kept seeing yesterday that I couldn’t, and had a flock of dowitchers wheeling in circles that was kinda fun.

Caracara with major prize

But they worked hard to find Whoopers for me; one was actually one of the banded ones (Blue-Black-Blue), and the one we saw yesterday with the transmitter is apparently over 20 years old! They were telling me that the average life span of a Whooper in the wild was somewhere in the 20s, but there was one in captivity that actually reached 60! There was another “invisible” pair that was bugling, so Kevin cut the motor so I could at least get audio! We were actually heading back to port when Lori spotted two Whoopers flying to a central island behind us, so we wheeled around and snuck up on them, and they stayed put (all the others started walking away as we approached, but this was evidently a pair that Kevin said “couldn’t care less” about the boats)! So they gave some beautiful photo ops in their native habitat, especially this one that waded into the water to catch something! During one shoot I could hear another Seaside Sparrow singing right next to us, and I thought, “No, you are not going to tempt me until I’m done here!” But he stayed put to be filmed as well; this one had his back to us, so it was nice to get video of both poses!

We finally find a pair of Whoopers that doesn’t mind close approach!

This bird feeding in the reflective water was a highlight!

After we pulled in we kissed goodbye and I hit the Exxon, then returned my friend Derek Muschalek’s call (he wanted to know where I had the Least Bitterns at Aransas, and when I called him back he was looking at them!). I then headed over to the Linda S. Castro Nature Sanctuary (which, despite Siri, I got turned around trying to find; she must have said, “Proceed to the route” five times before I found the right road). Ate some chicken and then checked out the teeny little place; it was the worst time of day (and the sun had come out as we were arriving in Lamar, much to Kevin’s chagrin, I’m sure), so about the only things moving around were Cardinals and Yellow-rumped Warblers, but the cute little pond had a pair of Green-winged Teal, both Great and Snowy Egrets (“Greg and Sneg”), and even a Common Green Darner! A Phaon Crescent actually stood still for pictures as well, and got a cute video of a medium-sized Red-eared Slider pushing the baby one off the log while the big one just sat there… I discovered they had a drip, so I dragged out The Monster and sat for 15, but nothing came in; it was just a nice time to commune with the Lord!

Red-eared Sliders

Next was Rockport Beach Park, and that is indeed the place I had stumbled upon during my first road trip to Texas that had all the skimmers, but that I couldn’t find on the last trip after moving to the Valley! Only the skimmers hadn’t shown up yet – only the Laughing Gulls were carrying on and getting ready to breed! (Since their nesting area is very clearly marked telling people not to disturb the birds, I felt mildly guilty when I got The Monster out and they all up and left, but they shortly came back…) I was filming the habitat and enjoying the gulls going past the field of view for effect, when I noticed they had all lifted off again, only this time it was because of a Peregrine! In another parking lot some gals in a car were feeding the gulls and getting in-your-face photos with their iPhones, which in turn allowed me to get some nice video of hovering gulls!

Territorial Laughing Gulls

There were a few Ring-billed Gulls hanging around, so I filmed them with the Powershot out the window, along with a couple of turnstones. They also had an island where they had heron nesting platforms, but those weren’t as picturesque as The Rookery (which was right across the inlet, I noticed). Some ducks in the inlet turned out to be Blue-winged Teal, and both flavors of pelicans lazed on the island’s little “beach”. I knew I was gonna get laughed at ��, but I had to film the Starlings that were all lined up on the palm fronds in beautiful light! On the way out I spotted a Long-billed Curlew working the edge of the marsh, so I ran ahead of him to get him in better light, and he put on a great show, eventually marching right past me!

Long-billed Curlew

It was time to go “home” after that. Headed to my real home the next morning with no inclement weather, but made a quick crawl along the harbor first just in case any bay ducks were hanging around. Nothing but gulls, cormorants, and pelicans, so headed south, not really expecting to pick up any trip birds, but apparently the Harris’ Hawk along the freeway was a trip bird; I was sure I had seen one on the way up! (Maybe I did but forgot to enter it into eBird…) And I had completely forgotten that I was considering stopping to look for Aplomado Falcons on Mustang Island, but as it was, I was glad I hustled home, because the police had my street roped off – long story short, a parade was coming! So I snuck in the back way (thankfully you could make a left on Alamo Road), and by the time I got through unpacking, Main Street was packed!! Also added one last trip bird after pulling up: Curve-billed Thrasher, bringing the trip total to 124! (And the celebration turned out to be Texas Independence Day…)

Whooper Country Adventure (Texas) Part 5 – Whoopers with Cap’n Tommy

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 16:53:14 GMT

Had some time to explore before the boat trip, so headed for the first place on the list: Rockport Rookery. Siri led me to the back side of it (I was to find out later) which looked inaccessible, so went to the little nature park I passed on the way there, which happened to be Tule Creek Nature Preserve! That was a fabulous little place with lots of “nice” people taking their walks (met an especially friendly Beagle named Daisy); filmed waxwings and a Kiskadee with the Powershot, and added White-eyed Vireo to the trip list. At the turnaround point a guy walking behind me pointed out a deer, and I thought he was talking about the distant one on the golf course, but there was one right in front of me on the other side of the creek that I didn’t even see! Back at the overlook the photographer I talked to before heading down the hike-n-bike trail (who hadn’t seen anything) left too soon, because shortly after I set up, a group of four stags posed at the far end of the pond in wonderful light! In 15 minutes filmed a Mockingbird, an incoming Great Blue Heron, and finally a great video of House Wren before I left (the Marsh Wren still didn’t wanna play ball)!

Observation deck at Tule Creek

Scene along the Hike & Bike Trail

Cedar Waxwing Stags back at the overlook

Next was Cove Harbor Bird Sanctuary, which thankfully had a boardwalk that was situated in such a way that no matter what time of day you were there, you had something in great light! My “somethings” were mainly Long-billed Dowitchers, with a Dunlin, Willet, and courting Laughing Gulls thrown in (tried for Nelson’s Sparrow but got Savannah instead). Lots of stuff was to the east, but too far away to really ID; could hear Green-winged Teal, however, and something that sounded like duetting Keel-billed Toucans, but you know that had to be something else! ��

Long-billed Dowitchers (apparently Short-billed doesn’t occur here)

Little Blue Heron Dunlin

By then it was time to head to the Skimmer, but not before stopping quickly to film some Lesser Scaup (along with a Greater I discovered after the fact; the video had both side by side for a great size comparison) and a mob of pelicans, cormorants, and herons on a pier! The boat trip was great! Of course Tommy pointed out stuff on the way out: new for the trip were Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Marbled Godwit (including a leucistic bird that I discovered while reviewing the video later), and (believe it or not) Great Horned Owl, but we also had good looks at Forster’s Terns, more dowitchers, and Oystercatchers.

Greater and Lesser Scaups together

Time to board The Skimmer for the big Whooping Crane trip!

Cap’n Tommy briefs us on the use of the life jackets!

At the time, I didn’t even notice the leucistic Marbled Godwit (on the left) in amongst all the normal ones!

We checked a fresh water “bowl” that was stuffed with ducks and waders (including spoonbills, which were a big hit), but of course the stars were the Whoopers, and Tommy was sweating a little at first because most of them were waaay back there! Finally he spotted a pair close to the channel (he said he was off the hook��) and they gave us great photo ops! Another pair down the pike objected to another pair of birds flying over and gave us some “whoops” – that sure delighted the crowd! No Eared Grebe�� (Tommy thought he had one but it turned out to be a Pied-billed), but we sure couldn’t complain about the day – it was absolutely gorgeous! Oh, had several dolphin riding our wake as well!

The stars of the show – the Whooping Cranes!

A fly-by interloper causes some consternation with one of the couples!

Dolphins ride in our wake!

Talked a few folks into coming to visit us �� and Tommy et al encouraged me to come back and video the Oyster Fest, so after getting some Golden Chick (way too much, actually) and finding the real Rookery, I inhaled a leg and then filmed the herons displaying and clacking their bills at each other! One lady there said, “Did you see the Peregrine Falcon?” (Said “peregrine” was actually a Kestrel...) After another piece of chicken I checked out Little Harbor which was just down from where I had filmed the Redheads and Scaups, so since I didn’t record anything new I didn't even bother eBirding that one.

The famous Rockport Heron Rookery

Most are Great Blue Herons, but a single Great Egret has invaded the neighborhood!

Headed to the Oyster Fest after that, which (I found out from Makenzie, Tommy's right-hand gal) was really only a tribute to the real Oyster Fest, which they canceled due to COVID (I found their website on line later – boy, that’s a huge event!). This one gal Kristie explained how to eat the oysters – she even filmed me eating one!

Kristie, a local and long-time Festival attendee, dives right in!

Meanwhile, Tommy’s role has changed from captain to chairman!

To be continued...

Whooper Country Adventure (Texas) Part 4 - Exploring Rockport

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 18:13:01 GMT

Moore's Pond

The next day was kind of a fun day, as it consisted of exploring hotspots where we might pick up rare and/or year birds. Unfortunately it was socked in when I left, but I still wanted to check out the spots in order. First on the list was Rattlesnake Point for the reported Mallards, and when I pulled up at the end the road, there they were! Unfortunately I assumed they’d stay put as I got The Monster out; I should have gotten an initial shoot out the window with the Powershot, as they booked the minute the Monster was ready to shoot! A pair of Mottled Ducks was there as well, and some Purple Martins gurgling in the fog was new for the trip!

I gave it 15 minutes, then headed for the next stop, Port Bay Road, to try for the reported Nelson’s Sparrow. That was socked in as well, but at least the Long-billed Curlew and Ruddy Turnstone stayed put for hazy video! A Marsh Wren sang enticingly, but neither he nor the sparrow would pop up; at least got a couple of Savannah Sparrows out of it!

Ruddy Turnstone and Long-billed Curlew - Amazing what a lit tle “photo-shopping” can do to remove the fog from the Long-billed Curlew photo!

Moore’s Pond was the next stop, but as I made the left off of Port Bay Road, there in the wetlands next to FM 1069 were spoonbills, egrets, and any number of waders! So I found a place to pull over and took my life in my hands filming stuff next to the road (they don’t slow down for nuthin’): in addition to the spoonbills and egrets had a trio of White-faced Ibis and a dancing Tricolored Heron, making for some artsy footage with their reflections! I flushed a Snipe when I got out, and dowitchers were across the street.

Wetlands along FM 1069

An assortment of waders across the street

By the time I got to Moore’s Pond the sun was out, and it was in perfect light! While the target year bird wasn’t anything I wouldn’t get eventually, it was nice to actually bag the reported Rough-winged Swallow! But in addition had beautiful Green-winged Teal in wonderful light, along with other expected ducks, plus a small flock of American Pipits. Across the way also had a female Belted Kingfisher and a Robin on the fence.

Green-winged (left) and Blue-winged Teal

I apparently missed several goodies at Goose Island yesterday, as Common Goldeneye, Marbled Godwit, and Brown Thrasher were all reported (I suspected I glimpsed the thrasher, but wasn’t sure). So back we went, targeting the bay and the feeders, and it was so much more pleasant today! The viewing area at the end of Redfish Road had an egret, ibis, and Great Blue Heron, but nothing was in the bay. From there I went to the pier and walked all the way out (now that the weather was tolerable), and got excited when I saw four ducks bobbing in the surf, but they were Red-breasted Mergansers… Did get a single Oystercatcher way out there on a reef, and White Pelicans were even further out, along with some gulls and terns I had to blow up to identify! On the way back four turnstones posed for some video. While I was out there the couple who happened to be in the campsite right next to the viewing platform recognized me, and mentioned they had tried to shoo a rail my way (from their description probably was a Clapper…)! But they had camp-hosted in Estero years ago, and remembered me when I had first moved out there! That’s pretty incredible!

The Pier

Laughing Gulls (left) & Ruddy Turnstone (right)

After eating lunch I pulled into the marina to check out the little wetland, as there were shorebirds in there and figured that’s where the godwit woulda been, if it was around at all! Nope – just dowitchers and Willets so far as I could tell…

From there we decided to do the Warbler Way feeders first, as that’s where I had glimpsed the thrasher yesterday; I was gonna just stay for 15 minutes, but the place was so active I stayed for the full hour after all, and having a White-throated Sparrow show up the minute I sat down was helpful as well! The sparrow was too skittish for pictures, but the Clay-colored showed up again, and this time he sat with a Chipping Sparrow for great comparisons! Other than the Whitethroat I don’t think anything new came in for the longest time, although the Carolina Wren landed at my feet a couple of times! A bunny was a new mammal, and got some video of the female Redwings tearing up the ground in search of food, but I didn’t take a lot of new video as the light was pretty harsh (and now I see what the photographers are talking about: you really can’t tell with the naked eye, but looking through the viewfinder is almost painful if the light isn’t optimal)! But finally the thrasher came in, and I was thankfully able to get some footage, but I wasn’t absolutely sure – half of him was in the light and the crucial part (his face) was in the shadow, and even though he was bright rufous, that bill looked awfully long to me! Something spooked him and he was gone, so just before I left I reviewed the video on the camera frame by frame, and despite the longish bill, I was satisfied with the stronger facial pattern and lack of streaking on the undertail coverts – bingo!

Here’s the Clay-colored (left) and Chippie together; notice that the eyeline on the Chippie goes clear to the bill, whereas on the Clay-colored it doesn’t.

Friendly Carolina Wren (left) & Brown Thrasher (right). Both Brown and Long-billed Thrashers show up here, so identification can be tricky, especially when hybrids are involved! This rusty bird points to Brown.

From there I found Kevin’s slot in the daytime (so I could find it in the pitch on Friday), stopped for ice and some non-perishable snacks to take on Cap’n Tommy’s boat, then headed to Fulton Harbor for this alleged Common Merganser. The pigeons were in full form (and great light) so I couldn’t help but film them (along with a female Great-tailed Grackle), but I didn’t have high hopes of finding anything off the pier as the bay looked pretty empty! Filmed a lineup of Laughing Gulls and just for kicks and grins decided to try the Aperture Priority setting to try and get them all in focus – interestingly it did it automatically!

This speckled morph pigeon whispers sweet nothings to a dark morph bird, while the normal morph in the foreground tries to get into the act!

But boy, was I wrong about the bay being empty – right near the end a very cooperative Common Loon eventually got so close for video that I had to pull back the camera because he was bouncing around too much on the water to get a head-only shot! What a show! Got some Brown Pelicans in flight while I was out there, but they were anticlimactic!

Common Loon portraits

Still had some time before I had to call it quits, so I decided to revisit the two morning spots now that the sun was up! No Mallards at Rattlesnake Point, but some Waxwings on the wires didn’t stick around for video… A couple of male Redheads was new for the day, but that was it. Port Bay Road was pretty empty, too, except for a group of Sandhill Cranes in the field on the way in (although it was nice to see both places without the fog); no Nelson’s, but picked up a Pied-billed Grebe and Reddish Egret for the day.

Headed home with the highest daily species count yet for the trip with 76 species!

To be continued…

Whooper Country Adventure (Texas) Part 3 - Goose Island State Park

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 17:45:41 GMT

Whooping Cranes surrounded by Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

But what a day the next day!! It was still bitter cold with the wind, but at least it wasn’t raining! Went straight to Lamar, taking East Main Street (aka Park Road 13) all the way to the bay where it turns into Lamar Beach Road. Parking spots are few and far between, so when I came to a huge lot for a public boat ramp, I parked there, stepped out of the car, and couldn’t believe my ears: the Whoopers were bugling nearby!! Needless to say I got The Monster (aka the big Sony) ready post haste and double-timed it over to the Little Pasture, where two huge Whoopers were close at hand near the feeders! Talk about frame-fillers! When they saw me coming they very leisurely made their way to the famous 4th Street Marsh until they figured I was harmless, then gradually made their way back to the feeder! With them was a mob of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, several Coots, and even a Common Gallinule! Sandhills were also there, of course, and it was fun filming the two together to get the size difference!

“She’s still there, Wally; you think it’s okay to venture out??”

Another pair was way in the back beside someone’s house, and before long a lady visiting from Missouri came up, along with a guy who sounded like he might have been Russian (and also talked as though he might have been a local)! She was a horticulturalist, and was heartbroken over the “fried” palm trees damaged by the deep freeze! She asked me if the roots were killed as well, and I had no idea, but she said that so long as the roots survived, the tree would grow back. As we chatted another group of Whoopers that was hidden started bugling, and before long they all came wheeling in to the pasture, making a total of ten Whoopers in one spot! We even had a little territorial action! That was very fun!

The male swells up his crown so that it’s even more red and imposing!

We noticed a couple of color-banded birds that also had transmitters, and after inquiring with the Whooping Crane Conservation Association after I got home I found out that “both of the marked cranes are females originally marked as adults on the wintering grounds in Texas in January 2018. The B/Y/B bird was fitted with a new transmitter this winter after the first one failed.” Well, she was apparently still having a rough time of it based on the way one of the other Whoopers was treating her! While all this was going on the lady drew my attention to a close “merganser” that turned out to be a Redhead… ☺

Here “Blue” is seen with another banded female, “White-Red-White”, whose mate may even be the bully!

After they left (the people, not the Whoopers) a lady from Houston arrived with whom I had the chance to explain crane identification (in the poor light she was having trouble discerning the Whooper's red cap, which was throwing her)! A Spotted Sandpiper wheeled in while we were talking; she tried to shoo it down my way so I could film it, but it ended up taking off...

Whooper (left) with Sandhill Cranes

Anyway, continued on to the Big Pasture, where yet two more Whoopers were grazing, along with lots more Sandhills! Black Vultures were hanging out with the cows, and I could make out some grackles way over there, but no sign of the reported crow. I even filmed the pigeon flock that was wheeling around, as they had a couple of interesting brown ones! Redhead rafts were behind me in the bay, along with the regular gulls. Drove up to the parking area for the Big Tree, took a quick walk (and pictures) around said tree, then walked back to the pasture with The Monster, getting some nice video of both flavors of vultures (and the Blacks hanging with the cow were classic)! No sign of the crow from this angle, either, but I did see a distant Osprey!

The 1000-year-old Big Tree, named the "Texas State Champion Virginia Live Oak" in 1969, until a larger oak was discovered in Brazoria County, Texas, in 2003!

Headed over to the 4th Street Marsh after that, picking up some female Ring-necked Ducks in a little pond on private property on the way (and no place to park). An Anhinga flew up and over as I approached, and the one and only parking spot for the marsh was rather dicey (Heppy did a little 4-wheeling with that one ☺), but the original Whooper pair was visible from this spot as well, and they did do a little pair-bond display for me! There were also several Black-crowned Night Herons snoozing in there, but was sorely bummed that I wasn’t fast enough with the camera to catch the Alligator downing some kind of white bird! (I had heard the roar earlier, but didn’t connect the dots…) And the “white bird” was too small to be a Whooper… ☺

4th Street Marsh

After that headed in to the state park proper, where the volunteer pointed me towards the two bird feeding areas for a crack at the Fox Sparrow. I did happen to go by the park host who had some feeders going, and she confirmed that the Fox Sparrow was seen in the feeder area by the nature trail. So that was the first place I stopped, keeping my distance from another couple who had claimed the other picnic table, and enjoyed a plethora of feeder birds: mainly Cardinals and Red-winged Blackbirds, but also Lincoln’s, Chipping, and Field Sparrows, and Inca and White-winged Doves, but no Fox Sparrow. But, boy, those Cardinals were bullies! They’d chase the sparrows away with what sounded like a cross between a growl and a hiss! Heard an Eastern Bluebird somewhere, which was a nice addition.

“Don’t even think it, honey!”

It started spitting before my hour was up, so I hightailed it back to the car (and breathed a prayer of thanks that Heppy started up okay – he sounded a little rough at the marsh) and continued exploring. Headed straight to Redfish Point, and was a little surprised to see no birds along the shoreline as the last time I was here the place was stuffed with skimmers, gulls, and terns (to say nothing of the night herons at the bridge)! I was getting hungry for my sandwich (despite snacking on kettle cooked potato and baked apple chips all morning) so I crawled to the end where the nature viewing area was, and listened to the radio while downing the Subway. In the meantime a Common Loon and Pintail were floating in the bay, and several dowitchers were wheeling around with the Willet pair; when I eventually got out there, they turned out to be Long-billed despite being on the shore! What I initially thought was a Reddish Egret turned out to be a Little Blue Heron (not the first time I’ve made that mistake)!

The observation deck

Headed down Trout Street to the pier, but with that arctic wind there was no way I was gonna walk out there! I did get some artsy shots of the fishing boats on a sparkling bay against some dark clouds. Headed to the new wildlife viewing area that was located in the picnic areas near the rec hall; nothing was up there except more vultures and a calling Sedge Wren. So I wandered around the picnic area where a Robin sat up, and got a lady Ladder-backed Woodpecker filmed. I tried to find this Cardinal singing a real weird song, but I spooked him before I spotted him…

Ladder-backed Woodpeckers (male left, female right)

From there wanted to check out this other feeder area along Warbler Way, and while it was quiet when I first arrived, after a while there was a flurry of activity: many of the same players as at the other feeders, but in addition had a cute Orange-crowned Warbler trying to get something out of a tree knot, a Carolina Wren finding some leftover PB mixture, a flock of American Goldfinches wheeling in, and what was probably the best bird as it’s apparently a rarity up here: a Clay-colored Sparrow in with the other Spizellas! A Catbird fed nearby but very hidden in the brush, and a thrasher made a brief appearance that looked awfully rusty to me, but the only one I had been hearing all day was a Long-billed, so I let it go at that (although I saw later that someone did report a Brown Thrasher that day, so I made a return trip up there the next day)!

The bird in front may actually be a “Dixon’s” Titmouse (Black-crested/Tufted hybrid or a backcross), as its crest isn’t as black as the presumed pure Black-crested Titmouse behind him!

After that hit all the Nature Trails, starting with the Turks Cap Trail near the Youth Group Area. They had their own Big Tree along this trail as well, and while it was quiet bird-wise, it was a lovely walk (I think a flock of waxwings flew over at some point). Tried out the tiny loop that started near the Warbler Way feeder area and cut through Live Oak Circle, and again fantasied about having a camper and just “doing” all the state parks that way – it just seems that campers are such friendly people overall! Back at the car a couple of titmice were song-battling, and one of them let me film him with the Powershot! Next tried out the end of the Turks Cap Trail that started by the feeders there, and that’s really where the sun broke out! Ran into a couple with a friendly Airedale on that one!

Scenes along the Warbler Way Trail

It was time to head back after that, so stopped by the gas station to get ice and water, then headed “home”! With the added Clay-colored (it didn’t show up on the eBird list so I forgot about it) that made for an even 70 species for the day!

To be continued…

N America - US - Texas - Whooper Country Adventure 1 - Aransas

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 13:33:37 GMT

(Note: the Whooper Country Adventure travelogues are taken from a personal journal I kept up while on a video shoot in the Rockport area, targeting Whooping Cranes. I've only included a few photos here; more photos - and video - will be available in the actual video series coming soon!)

Added a handful of Rio Grande Valley birds to the trip list starting out and headed up US 77, stopping at the Sarita rest stop , and that worked out great, adding Brewer’s Blackbird to the list! Refugio was the convenient second stop, so we filled up, and headed on in to the refuge!

Obligatory entrance sign

As I told Keith (my boss) later, I’m glad we checked it out this day, as the rain threat was up to 70% the next day! It was really rather quiet; on the Rail Trail had a “marsh” wren that to this moment I’m not sure if it was Marsh or Sedge, as it was making a really strange scold that could have been either! Had my sandwich at the other end of the Rail Trail, where a couple of huge Alligators were lazing near the trail! Again, very quiet, the most exciting thing being a Black Vulture back at the bridge (which I inadvertently scared off before a guy had a chance to shoot him). But after that I figured it would be smart to go directly to the Observation Tower and work my way back.

Gator by the bridge

That turned out to be a great strategy: a pair of Whoopers was way out there, but not too far for the Canon Powershot to pick up (I figured that would be a great addition to the overall Whooper video, as that’s how most people see them from within the refuge)! The day’s only White Pelican was also there, along with gobs of Great Egrets. Hiked the boardwalk after that, which was really quiet (another lady pointed out the fish kill from the Big Freeze); some Brown Pelicans were way out there on a structure, and a Ring-billed Gull and Reddish Egret flew by, but that was about it! Had a very cooperative Kestrel on the way out, though!

This is about as close as you can expect to get to the Whoopers on the “public” part of the refuge!

I definitely wanted to check out Jones Lake, as that’s always productive (except when it’s dry), and it didn’t disappoint this time: tons of wigeon, plus a few Shovelers and Gadwall were there, along with a Pied-billed Grebe (no Least this time). A couple of Greater Yellowlegs were fighting, so that was fun! The last place I wanted to check before time ran out was the Heron Flats Trail, which actually had quite a few things: spoonbills, White Ibis, more egrets, a Tricolored, and a bona fide Sedge Wren doing both recognizable calls!

American Wigeon

Headed to Rockport after that, and approaching Goose Island, I couldn’t help myself: I had to swing by that pasture in Lamar and see if I could break my streak (of seeing no Whoopers when everyone else always sees them there)! And by golly, this time I hit pay dirt with a pair way in the back! But I also realized that that wasn’t the usual pasture I used to check out; a little further down was the big pasture, that was loaded with Sandhill Cranes, egrets, spoonbills, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, and grackles! (Also found out after the fact that that’s where someone had found an American Crow, apparently rare here…) I’m sure the Whoopers would show up there as well, as it’s right around the corner from the Big Tree, where they’ve also been reported. The Herring Gulls on the little pier were almost ignored!

My first Lamar Whooping Cranes !

Rolled into the La Quinta a happy camper, ready for the next day's adventure!

To be continued...

N America - US - Texas - Whooper Country Adventure 2 - Aransas Revisited

Sat, 29 May 2021 16:46:06 GMT

Another blessing was the fact that it wasn’t raining the next morning! ☺ They had a fog advisory out, but it wasn’t thick as soup, and we headed back up to Aransas just fine. (Also was able to download an eBird checklist before I got there as I discovered to my chagrin the day before that there was no service there…) It promised to be a good day when four Sandhill Cranes flew by at the entrance! Got The Monster set up, and got a Phoebe on video while other stuff called unseen, including Kiskadee and Robin. At the Alligator Overlook (which was packed with people yesterday) was pleased as punch to hear two Least Bitterns singing! Filmed a grebe, a gallinule, and a couple of Coots at the Rail Trail Bridge (the Swamp Sparrow didn’t wanna play ball), and was treated to hundreds of White Pelicans out in San Antonio Bay, visible from the Heron Flats overlook!

Eastern Phoebe left; Pied-billed Grebes center and right

It started to spit after that, so the Powershot was pulled into service as I continued stopping along the road: checked the big picnic area where the only living things appeared to be White-tailed Deer, and since I seemed to be the only one in the refuge I figured I was safe parking “sideways” at the fishing pier in order to shoot out the window, but just as I was filming some pelicans sailing in I heard a big ol’ truck come up behind me, but he continued on – sure hope he didn’t wanna stop! Lots of little stuff was out in the water, but too far away to ID with the bins, so I tried shooting pictures and then zooming in; one of those instances hit pay dirt when what I initially thought were mergansers turned out to be Horned Grebes! Somewhere in there I was able to film a spectacular male Red-breasted Merganser (but the video grab was too blurry)!

American White Pelicans

It had quit spitting by the time I got to Dagger Point, so I took the old Tenderfoot Trail, but it turns out a big chunk of it was apparently wiped out by Hurricane Harvey, as they had part of it closed! It was a nice walk through the dune forest, however… Jones Lake was next, so I took The Monster out there; same ducks as yesterday, so just got more “steady” video this time! Decided to take the entirety of the Big Tree Trail, swinging out by the boardwalk overlook; I didn’t plan on sitting out there with the arctic wind blowing, but I saw some suspicious stuff on the bay that turned out to be Buffleheads and Redheads! A flock of dowitchers flew by that I assumed to be Short-billed on the shore, but after getting some Long-billed on the auto tour (that were talking), I decided to take them off as I really wasn’t sure… (Later Lori Sims would tell me that a local expert admitted that, in reality, Short-billed doesn’t occur in this area, despite what the range maps say…) In the wooded part of the trail had a cooperative Fox Squirrel and some pretty Coral Bean pods. Just before the Observation Tower (I think it was) a Red-shouldered Hawk came blasting out of a tree and pounced on something on the side of the road, but just as I got the Powershot zoomed in on him, he took off! ☹

L-R: Female Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, male Gadwall, American Wigeon

Hit the auto tour after that, where I pulled over every half mile (where there was a pullout, anyway) and just sat for five instead of two, and that actually turned out to be productive (sometimes)! It was very relaxing (even though it was cold and windy) just to sit and enjoy creation! Black and Turkey Vultures were up, along with the odd Caracara, but about the only songbirds to brave the wind were the occasional Cardinal and several swallows winging through (could only ID Barn and Tree). At one of the wide open pullouts a ranger stopped and asked me if I had seen their eagles (!!!) and then proceeded to tell me where to look for the nest! I thanked him profusely and continued on, adding a distant White-tailed Hawk, a not-so-distant Harrier, and another more cooperative Red-shouldered Hawk perched by the road (the other one woulda been a better action shot ☺).

Cold Cardinal...

Dumped out of the tour road without any sign of an eagle nest (he said it was marked on the pavement at around the 7.5 mile mark), so decided to give it another go and reset the odometer so I would know where 7.5 miles was! Ironically, I did come to a spot where you could see where multiple cars had made their own “pulloff” (another landmark, according to the ranger), and when I looked, bingo! There was the nest! But there were no eagles even after five minutes of waiting. Just as I was ready to leave another car pulled in behind me, so I got out to tell them about the nest, only it turned out to be a couple of volunteers driving a little car with the FWS logo! After getting her leg slammed by the door (the wind was wicked) the lady told me where they had actually seen one of the adults sitting at eye level, along the main road! So, marveling at how these things work out ☺ I headed back to the main road, where lo and behold, there he was! Thankfully was able to get some video, but he got nervous and eventually flew off, not because of me, I don’t think, but because (even after pulling off the road best I could) I had created an “eagle jam” behind me! ☺ After turning around and coming back, I spotted him flying overhead with one of those many dead fish on the shore (I figured they’d have a feast out there, along with the vultures), but I wasn’t fast enough with the camera…

Bald Eagle

On the way out I wanted to check out the last two trails I didn’t have time to check before, so peeked into the Oak Sanctuary, which was a tree even bigger than “The Big Tree” in my estimation! Nothing but whitecaps was out on the bay, but on the way out a huge kettle of vultures was overhead! Back in the car one of them looked odd, and sure enough, he turned out to be an Osprey!

Monster Live Oak

It had started spitting again so I skipped the Songbird Loop and decided to call it a day, with a total of 55 species; not bad for an otherwise awful day weather-wise (although it coulda been worse – coulda been pouring rain the whole time)!

To be continued…

Cameron County (Texas) Birdathon

Wed, 19 May 2021 16:27:10 GMT

4/30/21

Was a little concerned about getting rained out this day, but thankfully it was dry when I set out (driving in the dark with my eyesight is bad enough, but driving in the dark when it’s raining is terrifying)! As with the Hidalgo County Birdathon, I did things a little differently this time and focused on destinations that were reporting rare (and year) birds, and as it turned out I had to change the “standard” itinerary very little! The first destination is always Resaca de la Palma State Park an hour before dawn for the night birds, and as I turned onto New Carmen Drive logged a Killdeer for the first bird, followed closely by a beenting Common Nighthawk (2). Once parked in my “spot” just outside the main gate, added White-winged Doves (3) tuning up already, and Pauraques (4) in surround-sound! According to the radar, South Padre Island was getting clobbered with a big thunderstorm, and indeed I saw lightning and heard thunder in the distance, but it was nowhere near my location; just close enough to enjoy!

The distinctive brat of a flyover Dickcissel (5) was next, followed by a distant Cardinal (6) and the dawn song of a Brown-crested Flycatcher (7). A Black-bellied Whistling Duck (8) called overhead, and as it started getting lighter several Couch’s Kingbirds (9) joined the dawn chorus, followed by Mourning Dove (10), a singing Clay-colored Thrush (11), a raucous Kiskadee (12), a mellow White-tipped Dove (13), some complaining Green Jays (14), a bouncing-ball Olive Sparrow (15), and a Golden-fronted Woodpecker (16) pretty close to sunrise (not that you could tell; in fact, I got spit on enough to take up the vigil from inside the car)! By sunrise the dripping had let up, so I took a quick walk into the “real” parking area and behind the visitor’s center as an American Robin had been reported (and indeed they had several over the winter), but no sign of that bird, nor of the Turkeys that are often back there, but did add Black-crested Titmouse (17), Mockingbird (18), chuckling Chachalacas (19), and a Long-billed Thrasher (20) to the list. A Great-tailed Grackle (21) flew over just before I left, and on the way to the freeway added a Caracara (22) on a pole, an Eastern Meadowlark (23) and Red-winged Blackbird (24) in the fields along New Carmen, some Barn Swallows (25) swooping across Olmito Road, and a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (26) on the wire.

The next destination (which was a departure from tradition) was the UTRGV campus in Brownsville, at which a Yellow-rumped Warbler was reported. Truthfully, I didn’t have high hopes of finding that one, either, but now that I had visited the area several times I felt more comfortable going there by myself, and it turned out to be a great substitution (as I had skipped Sabal Palm Sanctuary in favor of it)! A Starling (27) wasn’t all that exciting, but singing Carolina Wrens (28) were, and the place was lousy with feral Muscovies (29) flying all over! A Tropical Kingbird (30) tittered, and the resaca right there at the bookstore had a Green Heron (31), a Spotted Sandpiper (32), and Long-billed Dowitchers (33). Heading over to the “Black Hawk” resaca, a House Finch (34) sang (a good bird to pick up, as they’re rather rare in the Valley), as well as a Common Yellowthroat (35). A Yellow Warbler (36) chirped from one of the riparian trees there, making me wonder if he was a true migrant or one of the several birds that had overwintered there! But one of the most unexpected birds of the day went screeching over low: two Green Parakeets (37)! While looking for what I thought was another warbler that zipped into a tree, my bins landed on a Buff-bellied Hummingbird (38), and on the bridge picked up several Snowy Egrets (39), a couple of Roseate Spoonbills (40), a Little Blue Heron (41), a few Great Egrets (42), and a pair of Blue-winged Teal (43). On the way back a Painted Bunting (44) sang from the vegetation, and a Least Sandpiper (45) fed in the mud below the bridge. Back at the Bookstore Resaca a second look produced Solitary (46) and Stilt Sandpipers (47).

Feral Muscovy Duck ; although the domesticated variety comes in many patterns of black and white, this bird retains the plumage found in truly wild birds.

The Brownsville Dump was on the original itinerary, but in light of the rain there was no way I was going in there only to slip and slide up that hill (they may have closed it anyway), so I headed on to Old Port Isabel Road, one of the traditional Birdathon spots which is fully passable only when fully dry, which it obviously wouldn’t be, but the south half is a good caliche road and almost always in good shape. The first bird added to the list right near the new RV park was a Lark Sparrow (48), and with the overcast conditions I could actually see what was in Loma Alta Lake, the most obvious birds being Black-necked Stilts (49). A Blue Grosbeak (50) sang while I perused the lake: lots of Gull-billed Terns (51) were flying and calling, and a falcon-shaped bird got my juices going, but “camera-scoping” proved it to be a Peregrine (52), which isn’t too shabby this late in the season, either! With the bins I was able to pick out Shovelers (53), a prancing Reddish Egret (54), and a couple of Caspian Terns (55), but it took a little extra magnification with the Powershot to pick out Black Skimmer (56), Coots (57), and an American Wigeon pair (58 - I was surprised that one didn’t get flagged)!

Continuing on, the Willets (59) were making a fuss, and just past the canal I heard a peet! that sounded familiar but I couldn’t place; a scanning of the mud close by revealed a Wilson’s Plover (60)! Getting into the mesquite picked up White-eyed Vireo (61) and Bewick’s Wren (62), and three Purple Martins (63) sat on an overhead wire. A Ladder-backed Woodpecker (64) also called from the mesquite, and just past the gun range heard a Cassin’s Sparrow (65) sing in the distance (dipped on Botteri’s, although they’ve been reported). Laughing Gulls (66) called and flew overhead, and nailed down one of the many swallows as a Rough-winged (67). An Altamira Oriole (68) called and sang from somewhere, as did a Brown-headed Cowbird (69). The pond past the chicken coops was productive, adding Mottled Duck (70), a singing Cactus Wren (71), a few Ruddy Ducks (72), and several Wilson’s Phalaropes (73) to the list. The best bird along this route, however, was a presumably returning Ash-throated Flycatcher (74), as I had filmed one in practically the same spot last year! Thankfully he was calling up a storm and allowed for some video for confirmation! An Indigo Bunting (75) gave a brief appearance nearby, and shortly got to the point in the road where I had to turn around. Heading out added a pair of Harris’ Hawks (76) to the list, along with a fleeing Baltimore Oriole (77).

Common Yellowthroat

On to the Island from there, but since I had to take SR 48 to get there, it would have been a crime not to make a brief stop at the famous Boat Ramp to see what could be added. This is traditionally a good place for the oystercatcher, but the tide was so high that there really wasn’t much around: a couple of Brown Pelicans (78) was good for the list, and a Sanderling (79) flew up to the shoreline at my feet! Least Terns (80) were flying around and screeching, while a Bank Swallow (81) gave its rapid-fire call. A Great Blue Heron (82) stood stoically out in the mangroves, while a small group of Avocets (83) way out there was a nice addition.

American Avocets

On to the Island, where a flyover Tricolored Heron (84) got added, along with Rock Pigeons (85) and House Sparrows (86) in town. As mentioned, the tide was so high that I couldn’t drive out onto The Flats if I had wanted to (really didn’t want Heppy’s undercarriage to rust out any more than it already had), but there were only a handful of larids out there, with the only new one being some Royal Terns (87). Swung over to the Convention Centre, where my “favorite” parking spot at the head of the “Circular Area” was already taken (usually that’s the last place available ☺), but miraculously found a spot close to the center itself, which was probably just as well as I had a big bag of oranges to drop off! Collared Doves (88) were the first thing to be added here, but soon after a more appropriate Magnolia Warbler (89) showed himself! Things were definitely slower than everyone expected with the storm that just went through (plus the north wind), and what birds were there you had to work for! Thankfully there were lots of people around to help point out stuff: a Wood Thrush (90) was being sneaky at the water feature, while most of the tourists there were enthralled with the Ruby-throated Hummers (91) coming in to the feeder! A female American Redstart (92) popped in right when Peggy Rudman (the angel in charge of putting out oranges for the birds) walked up to say “hi”, and right after mentioning that a Gray-cheeked Thrush had been hanging around, guess what hopped into the water feature (93)! Poking along the “back yard” someone had found a snoozing nighthawk (the photos were inconclusive as to species), and added Tennessee Warbler (94), Orchard Oriole (95, along with many more Baltimores), Northern Parula (96), and a Black-throated Green Warbler (97). Checking the Back Flats added the Neotropic Cormorant (98) that’s always glued to the pilon out there ☺, and heard a couple of Clapper Rails (99) duetting as I poked back to the southwest corner (where the Cape May’s bottlebrush was). There’s a little opening into the “woods” that often hid skulky things like Kentucky Warbler, but this time it only held a few Bronzed Cowbirds, which got the “honor” of being Bird #100! While enjoying a Black-and-white Warbler (101), a young man (everyone's young to me ☺) who was leading a group at the time called us all back to look at an empid he had found and was calling a Willow; I shot off a bunch of pictures and reviewed them later, and while the all dark bill bothered me, everything else looked good for at least a “Traill’s” type, although it definitely showed an eyering (albeit a weak one), so I later settled on Alder Flycatcher (102). A Catbird (103) popped in during this whole episode, but he was almost ignored!

Male Baltimore Oriole

Female

Northern Parula

An empid that was initially ID'd as a Willow ; I leaned towards Alder , but yet others believe it's an Acadian ! Gotta love empids...

It was time to check out the boardwalk after that, where I added Common Gallinule (104) and a calling Least Bittern (105) and Sora (106). Five minutes at the Magic Mesquite only added a Wilson’s Warbler (107 – but the only one of the day, so it was worthwhile), and after mulling over whether or not to count the Olive-sided Flycatcher that Peggy called me over to see (as I had only gotten a look at its characteristic shape and not the field marks before it flew off, but everyone else there had seen it well enough to confirm it), I decided to go ahead and add it to the list (108). Although I didn’t add anything new by walking out to the pier, another birder got me on a Clapper Rail out in the open! On the way back I was told that the Purple Gallinule was showing well, so I went over to the other boardwalk, adding a Northern Waterthrush (109) that another gal was pointing out to her friend, and then finally got a butt-view of the Purple Gallinule (110) as it snuck into the reeds! Not new, but some Stilt Sandpipers were showing well close to the boardwalk for photos. I made one last swing around the grounds and added a squeaking Rose-breasted Grosbeak (111), and scouring the cowbird flock finally produced a female Yellow-headed Blackbird (112)! A handful of guys asked for my help in identifying a Lincoln’s Sparrow (113) in the brush, and back at the water feature a Veery (114) made a last minute appearance! On the way back to the car I heard someone say, “Scarlet Tanager,” and there he was on an orange, letting everyone get point-blank views (115)! The “dirty” young White Ibises (116) that had been hanging around for two weeks were still there as well! On the way out a Kiskadee was trying to impress a lady by flaring his crown, but the coveted photo was obscured by leaves!

Sunning Clapper Rail

Stilt Sandpiper

Scarlet Tanager

Displaying Great Kiskadee (blast that frond!)

Both a Mourning and MacGillivray’s Warbler had been reported at the Birding and Nature Center next door, so the first thing I did after parking was peruse the parking lot area, where a Clay-colored Sparrow (117) was feeding in the grass. I joined the crowd by the leaky faucet as they waited for the Mourning to come back in (which he had about an hour earlier) and added a pretty Nashville Warbler (118) to the list, but not the rarities (someone got onto a Hooded Warbler that I missed). The Cape May had apparently moved on, as the oranges weren’t nearly as active as they had been (still lots of Tennessees, though), so I headed to the Songbird Alley overlook, hearing a Sandwich Tern (119) in the meantime. A 15-minute vigil didn’t produce anything new (not much of anything, really) but after running back out to the car to fetch the charger cord for my phone before it died and then returning, another birder cottoned me onto a Canada Warbler (120) he had seen earlier that had come back!

Clay-colored Sparrow

I was running a little behind schedule by then, so I hoofed it through the boardwalk, pausing to photograph the Green Heron and her babies! As mentioned, with the high tide there weren’t many shorebirds around, and the bay was devoid of water birds (was keeping an eye out for the reported frigatebirds, but nada). A Marsh Wren (121) was singing from the reeds in the fresh-water section, and several already-counted things gave photo ops, such as Blue-winged Teal, Tricolored Heron, and Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. The white morph Reddish Egret showed well, but I was surprised to see the Redhead (122) still hanging around in the “East Pond” (also visible from the Convention Centre)! A bunch of Cattle Egrets (123) were in the grass near the rear end of the boardwalk.

Green Heron and chicks

Tricolored Heron

Blue-winged Teal pair

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

Surprise Redhead; usually they've cleared out by now!

White morph Reddish Egret ; the all-dark bill marks this bird as an immature.

Cattle Egret

I was really hurting for shorebirds, so when I saw some in the little wetlands on the way to Sheepshead I quickly pulled over to assess them: a Lesser Yellowlegs (124) was in one pond with a bunch of stilts, and another little wetland had Ruddy Turnstones (125), Short-billed Dowitchers (126), and a calling Greater Yellowlegs (127). The Sheepshead lots were pretty slow as well, but a 15-minute watch on the “Sunny Side” produced a calling Eastern Wood Pewee (128), a female Summer Tanager (129) loafing on a bare tree branch, and eventually a Yellow-breasted Chat (130) that came in to check things out! A Yellow Warbler was very friendly, and as always the Tennessee Warblers were getting drunk on orange juice ☺! The “Dark Side” didn’t have much activity at all except for a Catbird that came in close, but the real excitement happened just before I left when a very hammy Chestnut-sided Warbler (131) gave everyone there a great show on the fence!

Female Summer Tanager

Yellow-breasted Chat

Yellow Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

Gray Catbird

Female Chestnut-sided Warbler

Took the toll road back to I-69E, along which added Turkey Vulture (132 – was surprised I hadn’t seen one yet) and White-tailed Hawk (133). Hugh Ramsey Nature Park in Harlingen was the next stop, as a Bell’s Vireo had been reported there, and it also had the potential for a few missed species. Chimney Swifts (134) in the parking lot were a good addition, but as it was getting later in the day the trails were pretty quiet. A thrasher was singing that I suspected was Curve-billed, but since I have trouble telling the two apart by song, I wanted to hear the distinctive call note just to be sure. Down at the arroyo overlook finally hit pay dirt when a Green Kingfisher (135) gave its splat call, and later its more typical “typewriter” ticking! It was really warming up on the way back, so decided to rest at the Hummingbird Trail feeders for five and to see if anything new would come in. Three Chachalacas were working on a suet block when I got there, but just before I left I heard the tell-tale whee-WHEET! of the Curve-billed Thrasher (136), so I could count him with a clear conscience!

Plain Chachalaca

Upland Sandpiper at the bottom, with a displaying Buff-breasted Sandpiper behind him.

American Golden Plover coming into breeding plumage

Fulvous Whistling Duck

Roseate Spoonbills

American White Pelican

Hidalgo County (Texas) Birdathon

Wed, 19 May 2021 14:28:28 GMT

4/24/21

Was hoping that my first bird would be the Lesser Nighthawks that nest on our roof, but that honor actually went to the singing Tropical Kingbird somewhere in the dark! On the way to the freeway, the noisy cacophony of the Great-tailed Grackles (2) and the chirping of the House Sparrows (2) were next.

As usual, the first bird to get added to the list after arriving at Bentsen Rio Grande State Park an hour before dawn (I actually got there earlier than that) was a singing White-winged Dove (4) and surprisingly a Collared Dove (5)! Heading in, the many Pauraques (6) were tuning up, as well as a Mockingbird (7). Eventually I heard a “McCall’s” Screech Owl (8) well enough to be convinced I wasn’t hearing a distant Cane Toad! ☺ I startled some Mourning Doves (9) as I made my way to the Eagle Pond bench to sit for a while, adding a Great Horned Owl (10), Cardinal (11), and flyover Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (12). After the Pauraques quit I decided to make my way to the resaca, and was disappointed that I had not only not heard any Elf Owls, but Chuck-will’s-widows as well, when I suddenly heard one singing in the distance (the Chuck, that is – 13)!

Down at the resaca the following players brought in the dawn: Brown-crested Flycatcher (14), Yellowthroat (15), Common Gallinule (16), Couch’s Kingbird (17), Pied-billed Grebe (18), and Olive Sparrow (19). Some Red-winged Blackbirds (20) flew over with some grackles, and several Coots (21) became visible on the water. A Kiskadee (22) yelled from somewhere, and was surprised to hear a Roadrunner (23) singing (although I shouldn’t be as they do occur there)! A Golden-fronted Woodpecker (24) announced the sunrise as did a Brown-headed Cowbird (25), and before I left I spotted an Anhinga (26) down a ways. On the way out I was serenaded by an Altamira Oriole (27), a couple of Yellow-billed Cuckoos (28 – always a delight to hear), a chirping Verdin (29), a flyover Dickcissel (30), a coke-bottle White-tipped Dove (31), and a guttural Long-billed Thrasher (32). A Gray Hawk (33) whistled back towards the resaca, and a Baltimore Oriole (34) chattered from a tree. A Ladder-backed Woodpecker (35) laughed, and some Chachalacas (36) got upset about something, but weren’t chorusing yet (that would happen once I got to the levee ☺). A Clay-colored Thrush (37) sang sadly and then did its querulous call, and at the canal the Cave Swallows (38) voiced their annoyance! Closer to the buildings the Inca Doves (39) were tuning up, as were the Green Jays (40), and a Green Heron (41) “scalped” unseen from somewhere.

Slowly cruised Old Military Highway on my way to Anzalduas to see what I could pick up along the back roads; Eastern Meadowlarks (42) were singing from the fields, and a Blue Grosbeak (43) sang from the National Butterfly Center property. Picked up Starlings (44) on the wires, as well as a chattering Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (45). Now that the levee is closed to traffic, I returned to the truly “old” Military Highway that’s a dirt road through the woods (but in great shape now), and picked up a singing House Wren (46), White-eyed Vireo (47), Black-crested Titmouse (48), and a “wheeping” Hooded Oriole (49). Once back onto the pavement I made a right on FM 494 towards Anzalduas and picked up a Lark Sparrow (50) on a wire, a flyover Caracara (51), a pair of Harris’ Hawks (52) on poles, and a single Rough-winged Swallow (53) on a wire near the Academy.

A Loggerhead Shrike (54) greeted me on the wire when I made the turn on the entrance road, while a pair of Mottled Ducks (55) flew over the road. A nice Swainson’s Hawk (56) posed on a dead tree, and spotted a couple of Killdeer (57) coming over the levee and driving over the spillway. Heard Laughing Gulls (58) out one window and a singing Marsh Wren (59) out the other! Once past the entrance office I noticed a mess of birds out in the river, so even though I suspected any Sprague’s Pipits were long gone, I parked and hiked across the field to get closer to the river birds; amongst them were a Great Blue Heron (60), a Great Egret (61), a couple of Shovelers (62), and even more surprising at this late date, a pair of Lesser Scaup (63)! (Ebird, liked them, though… ☺) Blue-winged Teal (64) were easy to pick out, whereas a pair of beat-up Gadwall (65) were a little harder to discern save for their tell-tale white speculum patch! Had side-by-side Double-crested (66) and Neotropic Cormorants (67), swooping Barn Swallows (68), and a complaining Forster’s Tern (69)! On the island was a subadult Black-crowned Night Heron (70) trying to hide, and as I walked back to the car, I couldn’t believe it: an American Pipit (71) called overhead with its distinctive, sweet pipit call! (EBird did not like that one! ☺) Continuing the loop in the car, a Tricolored Heron (72) flew by in the distance, and the resident Osprey (73) perched in a lonely tree in the picnic area. A sparse tree in front of me looked like it might have had waxwings in it (that turned out to be leaves), but even more surprising was a female Yellow-headed Blackbird (74)! Stopped at the dam to get the requisite nesting Cliff Swallows (75) and Rock Pigeons (76), and while pausing near the maintenance shack to eat half a steak sandwich, logged a Turkey Vulture (77), a Bronzed Cowbird (78) in a tree, a distant Beardless Tyrannulet (79) doing its dear dear dear song, and a fly-by feral Muscovy (80 – yeah, I know that’s pushing it…). On the way out logged a Curve-billed Thrasher (81) doing its whee-WHEET! call on the fly.

Swainson's Hawk

Female Lesser Scaup

Male - his head looks more rounded than normal, but he's getting ready to dive; note the slight "bump" on the back of the head.

Neotropic (left) and Double-crested Cormorants; Neotropic is smaller with an arrow-shaped gular pouch, while the Double-crested is best told by its orange lores.

Female Yellow-headed Blackbird

I planned this year’s itinerary a little differently in that I thought I’d include places that were reporting some rare birds for Hidalgo County in addition to most of the old standbys (which also had some rarities), so the next stop was Old Hidalgo Pumphouse, as an Ash-throated Flycatcher had been reported. On the way there a raptor on a pole turned out to be a Black Vulture (82), and I needn’t have worried about going out of my way to get the Monk Parakeets (83), as they’ve now started making their stick nests on the main drag in Hidalgo (and they were flying all over the park as well)! Before entering the park I heard some Western Kingbirds (84) making a fuss, and walking through their gardens some Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (85) were fighting each other. The gate was locked, so I circled around the building to the channel; no kingfishers or Black Phoebe, so I headed down the trail next to the vegetation and the levee, as that’s where the flycatcher had been reported. I walked down as far as the overlook, and that turned out to be quite productive, with a Rose-breasted Grosbeak (86), a lagging Ruby-crowned Kinglet (87 – eBird liked that one, too, as I thought it was kinda late for them), a yowling Catbird (88), a creeping Black-and-white Warbler (89), and the best bird, a furtive Yellow-breasted Chat (90)! No Ash-throated Flycatchers, but there were plenty of Brown-cresteds around…

On to Quinta Mazatlan, where a Prothono tary Warbler had been reported. Right in the parking lot added Chimney Swifts (91) overhead, and the wooded trails had several migrants: Tennessee Warbler (92), a Great Crested Flycatcher (93), and plenty of Nashville Warblers (94) were to be had. I was going to skip the Ebony Trail but I ran into John Brush, the staff naturalist, who told me he had several thrushes back there where the Pacific-slope Flycatcher had been hanging out all winter, so that sent me back! The beginning of the trail was quite productive in itself, with a Black-throated Green Warbler (95) and a surprise Pyrrhuloxia (96) chattering (a surprise only in that they’re more expected in the brush country)! Back by the fence, two of John’s thrushes bounced around, but only one let me get a look – his Gray-cheeked (97)! On the way to the Discovery Center a Buff-bellied Hummingbird (98) chattered from somewhere, and a Purple Martin (99) gurgled overhead. I would have loved to report that the Prothonotary Warbler at Ruby Pond won the title of being Bird #100, but he never showed, so that honor went to a Northern Waterthrush (which is nothing to sneeze at, either)!

Great Crested Flycatcher - note the darker gray throat and pale base to the bill.

Edinburg Scenic Wetlands was next, where American Goldfinch and Mourning Warbler had been reported, and while I was still at Quinta, a report came over the Rare Bird Alert of a singing Bell’s Vireo there, so I was hopeful! Poking around the wooded trails (also a good migrant trap), no vireo sang for me, but a nice couple pointed out a Painted Bunting (101) they were enjoying in the old “Green Kingfisher Pond” that was being renovated! The North Pond had its usual cormorants, but Least Grebe (102), Snowy Egret (103), and Yellow-crowned Night Heron (104) were all good for the list. At the South Pond added Black-necked Stilt (105), and a female Ruddy Duck (106) hiding amongst more cormorants, but alas, no kingfishers of either flavor at either pond…

The La Sal del Rey Route was next, and even though a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl was reported there, I knew I had no chance in ---- of seeing that, especially since it felt like ---- when I got there: I knew it was getting hot but I took a double take when Heppy’s (my Forrester) thermometer read 100 degrees!! Holy smokes! (What shocked me even more were all the cars parked at both trailheads to the actual La Sal del Rey and the people walking out and back to match!!) I had little hope of picking up much of anything along the route in that heat (much less the owl), but surprisingly some things were singing, and by stopping every mile and just listening for two minutes (and I opted to stay in the shade of the car rather than get out like I normally do) was able to add both Bewick’s (107) and Cactus Wrens (108) to the list! But the big jackpot was at the farm pond at the north end of Brushline, which was stuffed with Wilson’s Phalaropes (109)! Picked up a Bullock’s Oriole (110) chattering and singing from one of the willows, and as I made my first pass of the pond a Green-winged Teal (111) flushed and flew off. What was left included several Cattle Egrets (112) in lovely breeding plumage, Long-billed Dowitchers (113) probing for lunch, a pair of courting Gull-billed Terns (114), a bobbing Spotted Sandpiper (115), a young Roseate Spoonbill (116) keeping company with a Great Egret, and a Stilt Sandpiper (117). There were some other smaller things in there that I just couldn’t make out, so had to let them go… Had more Harris’ Hawks and Pyrrhuloxias along the road, and on Ken Baker Road I paused to check out some distant Turkey Vultures, but by doing so was able to catch sight of a lovely White-tailed Hawk (118, that I never would have caught with the naked eye)! By that time it was 103 out there; I dunno what those walkers were thinking!!

Bewick's Wren

Next on the route was Hargill Playa for the Reddish Egret (and whatever else we could pick up), but just before reaching Hargill a Common Nighthawk (119) batted by! Once parked near the gate I doused myself with water before even attempting to walk down the road to get a decent peek into the playa (I sure don’t remember all those mesquites blocking the view!). The angle of the sun wasn’t the best, but the first identifiable bird (or birds, really) were several American Golden Plovers (120), a nice surprise! Tons of Shovelers were out there as well as more phalaropes, but again, there were several smaller things in there that I just couldn’t ID; I did pick out a nice Semipalmated Plover (121), and the “lineup of larids” that always seems to be there was made up of lots and lots of pink Franklin’s Gulls (122)! And way across there was the (seems like) resident Reddish Egret (123), doing his dancing thing, also in the company of a Great Egret!

Bird mob at Hargill Playa - mostly Franklin's Gulls , but a couple of Avocets are also visible...

Made a quick stop at the “1015 Pond” as it was on the way to Estero Llano Grande State Park, but added nothing new (no kingfishers there, either). Estero is another standby, but this time had the added attraction of a late Redhead and the continuing female Elegant Trogon! I think it may have cooled down to 98 or something by the time I got there ☺, but it was still pretty sweltering, so I doused myself again and headed in. I remember the “Green Jay Trail Drip” being so wonderful last year, but now I saw that the thing had been “vandalized” (Ranger Javier told me later that a Chachalaca had gotten into it…), so although that was disappointing, the Wood Thrush (124) at my feet certainly was not!

Headed on to the deck where a quick perusal of Ibis Pond added Least Sandpiper (125), Lesser Yellowlegs (126), and a White-faced Ibis (127) sailing in! I thought I glimpsed a Sora along the boardwalk but just didn’t get a good enough look… Further along the boardwalk I heard a Great Crested Flycatcher give its distinctive wheep, and had a female Summer Tanager (128) in one of the mesquites. Closer to the Tropical Zone cutoff had a nice Yellow Warbler (129) and a snapping Lincoln’s Sparrow (130).

It was pretty quiet in the Zone; went straight to the drip behind Pauraque Hall and gave it 15 minutes, but the only things to come in were a pair of White-tipped Doves. A Black-throated Green Warbler chinked overhead, and several Nashvilles passed through, but nothing new to add to the list. That’s when I ran into Ranger Javier, along with Ranger John and Huck, all who were doing a Big Day for the Great Texas Birding Classic! I joined them for awhile in the Indigo Blind where only an Archilochus hummer came by (and John almost swiped my camera thinking it was his ☺), then we went our separate ways. They had an electric tram, so they caught up with me shortly where I had just heard a Least Flycatcher (131, which they had already gotten), but they got me on an Eastern Kingbird (132) perched on top of a tree! Nice spot! After a thorough search of the woods near the Green Jay area with nothing new to add (much less the trogon), I was bemoaning the fact that not even a Carolina Wren had peeped, when out in the parking lot one finally decided to sing (133)! Talk about the 11th hour!

Theoretically, I still had time to do Santa Ana, but with the heat I was fighting off a headache, s o I just did a quick swing around the “Entrance Pond Trail” as several warblers were reported in that vicinity, but it was just too hot for anything to be moving (except gobs of Rough-winged Swallows swooping around), so I called it a day and headed home, making a swing around 7th Street to see if perchance our mixed Red-crowned/Lilac-crowned Parrot pair was near the nest hole! Nope, so I indulged in a DQ dipped cone and then headed to the apartment – where the Lilac-crowned half of the pair (134) was sitting on a pole! That was really the 11th hour! ☺

Lilac-crowned Parrot - the darker forehead and gray lores help separate it from the similar Red-crowned!

(And yet another surprise: while reviewing a video of those courting Gull-billed Terns at the Brushline pond, a heretofore undetected Greater Yellowlegs – 135 – went prancing across the screen! ☺)

Greater Yellowlegs photobombing a female Gull-billed Tern being courted..

N America - US - Texas - LRGV - Alamo Inn Spring Tour 2017

Sat, 13 Mar 2021 14:04:05 GMT

[Ed. Note: This was one day out of two weeks that we had some visiting Brits over, the goal being to see (and/or photograph) as many species as possible while in the Valley!]

Local guide Michael Marsden had taken our British guests Sally, Mike, and another Brit named Tim out to the Island on Sunday after a strong cold front Saturday night promised to down some migrants, and they had had a marvelous time! But the good news was that Michael had recommended they go out again today (and Keith concurred that migrants often hang around up to three days after a good front), and they were certainly game, as was I! Tim joined us today as well, so away we went, heading straight to the Convention Centre.

I dropped them off as parking was tight, and after I found a spot, I made my way back by way of the “circle bushes” (the area within the roundabout drive that is often good on fallout days), and before I met up with the gang I had already logged Blue-headed and Red-eyed Vireo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Tennessee Warbler, and a female Scarlet Tanager! When I finally found the crew in the back, they had already found a Bay-breasted and female Cerulean Warbler practically side by side (they got me on the latter but not the former), and Mike was shooting a brilliant Blackburnian Warbler practically at eye level! Baltimore Orioles were all over, as were the Indigo Buntings, and the gang informed me that the bird show was just about as good as yesterday’s but without the crowds! ☺

Blue-Headed Vireo

Indigo Bunting

Red-eyed Vireo

Female Scarlet Tanager

Peek-a-boo Blackburnian Warbler

We didn’t even make it out to the Flats as we were so distracted by the migrants; an Ovenbird strutted around on the grass, and three thrushes (Veery, Swainson’s, and Gray-cheeked) all gave great comparative views! Somewhere in there the guys found a Worm-eating Warbler while Sally and I circled around to the back, and had a brilliant male Hooded Warbler come in! When we met up again, someone thought they had a Mockingbird, but a second look revealed it to be a Black-billed Cuckoo! The Lazuli Bunting had been seen again, but he didn’t come out while we were there… ☹ A nice female Yellow-headed Blackbird gave good views, however.

Western Kingbird

Ovenbird

Female Yellow-headed Blackbird

Transitioning Indigo Bunting

Philadelphia Vireo

Baltimore Oriole

Veery

Black-and-white Warbler

Gray-cheeked Thrush

From there we went on the boardwalk (Mike decided to stay at the Centre, but Tim wanted the Least Bittern ☺), and we enjoyed the regular birds in the east pond. A peep came in that Tim initially ID’d as White-rumped, but I figured it was a little early for Whiterumps and it struck me more as a Baird’s, but it took off before we could get the scope on it. Continuing to the end the female Least Bittern did come out for us, and a squadron of skimmers came in and put on a skimming show! The other boardwalk had a Sora out in the open (which Sally really wanted to see), and the mangroves were just swarming with migrants (most of which you couldn’t see in the “stuff”)! The best one was a Blackburnian Warbler that was working his way down the railing, snatching bugs as he went! Baltimore Orioles were all over (along with a few Orchards), and we did manage to catch sight of a Nashville and Tennessee Warbler. Out at the end Tim found us a female Red-breasted Merganser, which was nice. We had some nice butterflies as well that Tim was focusing on: the Great Southern Whites were all over, of course, but we also had the occasional White Peacock, and both Common and Tropical Buckeyes.

Female Great-tailed Grackle

Eastern Kingbird

Least Bittern

The normally-secretive Sora

This Blackburnian Warbler was working his way down the boardwalk!

Reddish Egret

While out there I got an alert that a Black-throated Blue Warbler had been seen at Sheepshead, so we ran back to gather Mike and head over (but not before enjoying a big flock of Indigo Buntings in the lawn with a pair of Blue Grosbeaks in with them)! That target was long gone, unfortunately, but we did see some nice things, including lots of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and a Black-throated Green Warbler. On the “sunny side” a Yellow Warbler kept coming in to the drip, which was a big hit for the guys! At one point I went to get sandwiches while they stayed behind, and when I came back they were all watching a Kentucky Warbler, which I missed, but we had seen the female last week, so I wasn’t too disappointed! ☺ The guys had also seen a Yellow-breasted Chat while I was away…

Indigo Bunting mob with a token Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Undignified-looking Summer Tanager

Female Yellow Warbler - ho-hum to many, but a big hit for the Brits!

Lincoln's Sparrow

From there I realized that we really needed to hit the Birding Center if we were going to get home on time, so we headed over, where a nice male Yellow-headed Blackbird greeted us! I ran into fellow Birder Patrollers Norma and Sue and some of the Big Sit folks, and after we checked in we saw Mary G. keeping watch along with Scarlet, and they had already gotten close to 130 species just in that one spot (including a Prairie Warbler)! We continued on the boardwalk, where we got distant views of Black-bellied Plover and Caspian Tern, but the Mottled Ducks were close along with the Common Gallinules, and even a big Clapper Rail came out in the open! Both Eastern and Western Kingbirds were fun to see side by side, and in the mangroves we found several Northern Waterthrushes; Tim spotted a Yellow-billed Cuckoo which we later got great looks at. Swinging around the cleared area we had another Sora, plus several Pectoral Sandpipers (one liked to bully this poor Least Sandpiper), along with both Solitary and Spotted Sands. But this other peep came close and even flew around a little, and it was indeed a White-rumped Sandpiper (he was even close enough to see the diagnostic rusty base to the lower mandible)! So I reneged on my Baird’s… ☺

The gang enjoying birds from the Birding Center boardwalk

Spotted Sandpiper

Cooperative Clapper Rail

Tricolored Heron

Pectoral Sandpiper

Common Gallinule (check out those toes!)

Mottled Duck

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Immature Little Blue Heron (yes, really)

Black-necked Stilt

We were surprised to see no Alligators, but going by the east pond in better light we added the Redheads and some Blue-winged Teal to the list. We also managed to find what we figured was the same subadult Yellow-crowned Night Heron we had seen last week! As we made our way back to the parking lot we got great looks at the “tower” Peregrine, and back at the car we had a little flock of birds where I saw some Lark Sparrows and Tim spotted a Chipping Sparrow, and it was one of those situations where you think you’re looking at the same bird (but you’re not) and start having a debate about it! ☺ Another Dickcissel was in with them, so I think Mike finally got his shot! ☺ There was a big flock of Brown-headed Cowbirds there, along with a ground squirrel that I’m pretty sure was Spotted (as opposed to the more common Mexican), as the spots weren’t in neat rows as in the Mexican.

Pied-billed Grebe

Blue-winged Teal

Peregrine Falcon catching a few zzz's...

Spotted Ground Squirrel

Brown-headed Cowbird

We really had to take off after that, but I promised to make a reeely quick stop at the Hwy 48 Boat Ramp to try for the Oystercatcher. Dipped on that, but picked up Wilson’s Plover and two tern species for the day instead. A couple asking us about the Oystercatchers announced they had a Swallow-tailed Kite on the way up that morning, which caused some consternation amongst the group! ☺

Today’s list was the biggest yet (for me, anyway), and I added eight species to the list which the gang saw but I missed. Bird list:

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

Mottled Duck

Blue-winged Teal

Redhead

Red-breasted Merganser

Pied-billed Grebe

Neotropic Cormorant

Double-crested Cormorant

Brown Pelican

Least Bittern

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Snowy Egret

Little Blue Heron

Tricolored Heron

Reddish Egret

Cattle Egret

Green Heron

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

White Ibis

Roseate Spoonbill

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Harris's Hawk

Swainson's Hawk

Clapper Rail

Sora

Common Gallinule

American Coot

Black-necked Stilt

Black-bellied Plover

Wilson's Plover

Semipalmated Plover

Spotted Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper

Greater Yellowlegs

Willet

Lesser Yellowlegs

Ruddy Turnstone

Stilt Sandpiper

Dunlin

Sanderling

Least Sandpiper

White-rumped Sandpiper

Pectoral Sandpiper

Short-billed Dowitcher

Laughing Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Least Tern

Gull-billed Tern

Caspian Tern

Forster's Tern

Royal Tern

Black Skimmer

Rock Pigeon

Eurasian Collared-Dove

Mourning Dove

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Black-billed Cuckoo

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Peregrine Falcon

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Least Flycatcher

Great Kiskadee

Tropical Kingbird

Western Kingbird

Eastern Kingbird

White-eyed Vireo

Blue-headed Vireo

Philadelphia Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Barn Swallow

Marsh Wren

Veery

Gray-cheeked Thrush

Swainson's Thrush

Gray Catbird

European Starling

Ovenbird

Northern Waterthrush

Worm-eating Warbler

Blue-winged Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

Northern Parula

Tennessee Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Hooded Warbler

Kentucky Warbler

Cerulean Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

Bay-breasted Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Yellow-breasted Chat

Chipping Sparrow

Lark Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow

Summer Tanager

Scarlet Tanager

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Blue Grosbeak

Indigo Bunting

Painted Bunting

Dickcissel

Red-winged Blackbird

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Great-tailed Grackle

Brown-headed Cowbird

Orchard Oriole

Baltimore Oriole

House Sparrow

114 SPECIES

Making Sweet Lemonade (Texas)

Fri, 12 Mar 2021 20:26:20 GMT

Making Sweet Lemonade

Female Crimson-Collared Grosbeak

The Lower Rio Grande Valley has been nuts with rarities this winter, from all four directions! And with each new rarity reported, you can bet that birders from all over are going to flock to the site! But there's always the chance that a rarity (particularly a "mega-rarity") will be a One-Day Wonder, and that was certainly the case with not one, but two Yellow-faced Grassquits that appeared this year, one in February at Resaca de la Palma State Park (seen by a grand total of two people), and one in March at Estero Llano Grande State Park! The latter bird was seen by a handful of fortunate birders, and the minute the word went out, the park host site where the bird was seen was invaded by dozens of hopeful birders! Unfortunately, those of us who arrived later never saw the bird (and it never returned after the morning sighting), but the feeders that park hosts Sue and Steve have set up brought in lots of wonderful birds, even without the grassquit!

Great Kiskadee checks out the joint

Clay-colored Thrush , once a mega-rarity in its own right but now a backyard bird!

A female Ladder-backed Woodpecker peeks out from behind a peanut-butter feeder!

The heavily-streaked Lincoln's Sparrow , a common winter resident.

By contrast, the smooth-plumaged Olive Sparrow is a permanent resident and a Valley specialty!

Curve-billed Thrasher

This Yellow-throated Warbler fancied the jelly jar!

This young Altamira Oriole seemed to be getting on okay even with a stunted upper mandible

Another shot of the female Crimson-collared Grosbeak , who made multiple visits to the grapefruits!

One can't come to Estero Llano Grande SP without checking out the deck and Ibis Pond, where these Mexican Ducks have been hanging out with the more common (and expected) Mottled Ducks .

Restrictions Apply (Texas)

Thu, 26 Mar 2020 17:07:53 GMT

3/26/20

With our normally busy spring guiding season having gone bye-bye with the travel restrictions set in place as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, Birder Patroller Deb was moved to help out and actually hired me to help her with vocalizations!  So since Elf Owls had returned to Bentsen (and Whippoorwills were possible), we decided to head into the park an hour before dawn and hear what we could hear! Thankfully the predicted wind advisory was not to materialize until noon, so it was quite pleasant, with a clear, star-studded sky. But things were very quiet to start: we did pick up a distant Great Horned Owl (that we eventually got closer to), and a Cardinal was the first songbird to start tuning up. Ironically it was when the sky started lightening in the east that the Pauraques started sounding off, and at one point we actually spotted one on the road behind us, doing “knee bends” like a Rock Wren, then periodically jumping up to snatch a bug! The “McCall’s” Screech Owls were softly trilling, and thankfully a pair started calling close to the road so Deb could hear them!

Sadly, that was it for the night birds; the normal players (particularly Couch’s Kingbirds and Mockingbirds) brought the morning to life, and a Long-billed Thrasher started fussing right next to us, giving off all three common call notes (the smack, the duit, and the faaaaaa!)! A Clay-colored Thrush called, but was a little too distant for Deb to pick out amongst the rising cacophony.

Instead of “waiting in the dawn” at the resaca as I do on my Birdathons, we continued on and did the loop through Acacia Circle. We heard a Beardless Tyrannulet do its dear dear dear song near the restrooms, sounding like we were right on top of him, but could we find him?? Of course not! We finally gave up and continued on, when Deb spotted the Gray Hawk in a tree which was undoubtedly the same one we had heard whistling! A White-tailed Kite sailed overhead, but in the gloom Deb couldn’t see any detail.

Once in the loop we spotted a Bronzed Cowbird on the wire and a White-winged Dove in a dead tree. We then took the Kiskadee Trail back to the resaca, where we found the trail’s namesake on the nest (there were two nests, in fact)! They had a little spat when one of them tried to bring in some nesting material while the other was still sitting on said nest… A Verdin was chinking brightly (but refused to come out as usual), and heading over to the resaca an Upland Sandpiper called overhead! We logged a pair of Pied-billed Grebes and a distant Anhinga; Deb spotted a Great Blue Heron go past, and a Great Egret also flew over the road at one point.

White-winged Dove

It was shortly after that as we were headed out (and I was trying to video a singing Cardinal) that one of the rangers pulled up and informed us that they were closing the park! Hidalgo County had just issued their own “shelter in place” order the night before, but according to the order (of which I had a copy in my pocket with pertinent lines highlighted), one could still travel to parks and outdoor areas (in or out of Hidalgo County) to “recreate”, so long as you abided by the “Social Distancing Guidelines” (Deb and I had done our part by driving separately…)! The ranger (who was very nice and really seemed pained to have to break this news to us) said this was a state-wide thing from Texas Parks & Wildlife, so we (along with several other people we passed who were also biking or walking their dogs) were horrified at the prospect that our beloved state parks were now off limits! (Hold that thought…)

Video Grab of a Cardinal

So we continued on, picking up a trio of Chachalacas and a lonely White-tipped Dove at the Nature Center area (they all seemed to be saying, “Where’s our breakfast??” as feeding had discontinued earlier in the month), and somewhere in here I heard a Roadrunner cooing amongst the similar-sounding doves! Cave Swallows wheeled over the canal area while a single Barn sat on the wire, and the Black Phoebe actually sat up high in a tree near headquarters! A buzzy “Zoo-zee-zoozoo-zee!” betrayed a Black-throated Green Warbler, who refused to come out… We went to check the bathrooms (which were closed), logging a singing House Wren and Inca Dove on the way.

Barn Swallow

I was in dire need of said bathroom, so we agreed to meet at the El Tigre near the freeway. While I was taking care of things (and grabbing a package of Ramen noodles that I haven’t been able to find anywhere) Deb called Estero Llano Grande, where Ranger Javier assured her that “the wetlands awaited”! Apparently the decision to close was on a park-by-park basis (the Bentsen ranger told us that Resaca de la Palma had also closed), and I blessed Javier a million times over for keeping Estero open! Once we got there we headed straight into the Tropical Zone (after enjoying a Long-billed Thrasher in the parking lot that was serenading us), but the migrant show that was so prevalent on Sunday seemed to have had dissipated, as the only warbler we encountered was the ubiquitous Orange-crowned.

As we strolled, an Olive Sparrow sang his bright bouncing-ball song, and a Myiarchus flycatcher gave a fleeting glimpse, which could have been the reported Great Crested, but we never saw it again (and never heard it call). The Buff-bellied Hummingbirds were chattering around that exotic cactus they love, and an accipiter that blasted over revealed his identity as a Cooper’s when he started calling! Over by the Indigo Blind a female Hooded Oriole wheeped (and got chased off by another), then I tried to remember exactly where Ben had shown me the Great Horned Owl nest! We ran into a gal named Tracy who had worked with Deb at the RGV Birding Festival, and she pointed the nest out to us, this time with Momma in it! While we were chatting a Ruby-crowned Kinglet actually sang a little of its bubbly song!

Tracy points out the Great Horned Owl nest (below) to Deb

From there we headed to the drip by way of the butterfly garden, where a Carolina Wren was sitting up and calling in plain sight, but unfortunately Deb couldn’t get on him before he ducked down… we gave the two drips about 15 minutes each, where someone had placed some grapefruit that a couple of Mexican Bluewings were taking advantage of! Eventually a Green Jay and Orange-crowned Warbler came in to the “Pauraque Hall” drip, while only a White-tipped Dove came in to the “Picnic Table” drip. Black-crested Titmice came to the tray feeder occasionally, and somewhere in here Deb spotted a Ruby-throated Hummingbird! A Purple Martin wheeled overhead, and a young Altamira Oriole was working on sewing up the ever-present nest on the wire (even if it only consisted of a few strands)! The adult came blasting over before we ran into “Salineño Mike” and started chatting about the voluminous number of Red-billed Pigeons that were reported along the Seedeater Trail!

Carolina Wren

"Nuts - missed that one!"

Mexican Bluewing

A young Altamira Oriole practices weaving a nest from the wire

Continuing to the Park Host Area, we logged a bunch of Mourning Doves (MODOs to the jaded) and spotted a pair of Curve-billed Thrashers running around on the floor! From there we decided to check out “Mary’s Drip” at the start of the Green Jay Trail (so called because she was the one to cotton me onto that one), but since the bench was in the sun and it was currently inactive, we decided to go to the deck and finish the morning there.

We had the usual players in Ibis Pond: Least Grebes, Shovelers, Blue-winged Teal, Mottled Ducks, and tons of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks – a whole herd was resting under the “feeder tree” next to the building like so many lazing cows on a hot day! A Common Gallinule was poking around some lily pads that looked great for Purple (which would have gotten a lot of people excited), and another White-tailed Kite sailed by amongst the Turkey Vultures! More Purple Martins wheeled around (expected since their martin house was just out of sight), and Deb looked in vain for Vermilion Flycatchers …

Deb on deck

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

The back trail from the Tropical Zone to the VC

We called it a day, but not before watching a little White-eyed Vireo quivering his wings right next to us in the parking lot! We finished with a modest 61 species for the morning. Bird list:

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

Blue-winged Teal

Northern Shoveler

Mottled Duck

Plain Chachalaca

Least Grebe

Pied-billed Grebe

Rock Pigeon

Inca Dove

White-tipped Dove

White-winged Dove

Mourning Dove

Greater Roadrunner

Common Pauraque

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Buff-bellied Hummingbird

Common Gallinule

Killdeer

Upland Sandpiper

Anhinga

Neotropic Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Turkey Vulture

White-tailed Kite

Cooper's Hawk

Gray Hawk

Eastern Screech-Owl

Great Horned Owl

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet

Black Phoebe

Great Kiskadee

Couch's Kingbird

White-eyed Vireo

Green Jay

Black-crested Titmouse

Verdin

Purple Martin

Barn Swallow

Cave Swallow

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

House Wren

Carolina Wren

European Starling

Curve-billed Thrasher

Long-billed Thrasher

Northern Mockingbird

Clay-colored Thrush

House Sparrow

Lesser Goldfinch

Olive Sparrow

Hooded Oriole

Altamira Oriole

Red-winged Blackbird

Bronzed Cowbird

Great-tailed Grackle

Orange-crowned Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Northern Cardinal