On this last guiding day (and a
gorgeous one at that) we decided to clean up some needed birds; first stop was
Hidalgo and the resident Monk Parakeets, which proved to be an easy and
cooperative lifer! Next we went over to
Anzalduas, stopping at the “secret rock pile” to enjoy not one, not three (like
we had last time), but four Burrowing
Owls! That was definitely one of the
highlights of the day (and the morning light was perfect)!
When we got to the park, the potties
were the first order of business, but a feeding flock right outside the
restroom got us all distracted! What
would have been Chad’s life Northern Beardless Tyrannulet was calling right
there, but we were all focused on a Solitary-type vireo that in California
might be called a bright Cassin’s, so I madly took pictures while Chad tried to
stay on it: what caught my eye was the
fact that the bird didn’t look as “contrasty” as most Blue-headeds that I’ve
seen, and it looked suspiciously like a bird in California I initially thought
was a Blue-headed (that did seem to
show a contrast between a gray head and an olive back, with bright yellow
sides), but was told was just a bright Cassin’s. One major field mark to look for is the level
of contrast between the hood and the throat (very sharp in Blue-headed, less so
in Cassin’s), and the edges seemed a little blurred in this bird. Feedback from a lot of great birders far and wide confirmed that it was indeed a first-year Blue-headed (although we had a couple of votes for Cassin's, and one prominent birder said it was safer just to call it a "Solitary")! Also in the flock was a Black-and-white and
Pine Warbler.
Probable first-year Blue-headed Vireo
From there we headed to the “Pipit
Field” and did the scrimmage line, but to no avail (we only kicked up what I
suspected were Savannah Sparrows, but I didn’t get a good look). So we headed on to the area where the Greater
Pewee had been hanging out, and he didn’t materialize, either! L
So we cruised around, picking up “our” House Finches that even Chad and
Marge ooohed and ahhhed over, saying they were much redder than theirs! A sparrow flock included Lark and Chipping,
along with a female Pyrrhuloxia. We
passed a van full of birders who informed us that they had found the Greater
Pewee, but over by the entrance, then asked us about the Black-throated Gray
Warbler! I had forgotten about that guy,
actually (a wintering bird that shows up sporadically), so I told them about
the “Secret Trail” over by the dam where the bird usually is, then headed over
there ourselves!
Anzalduas is one of the few places in the Valley where House Finch is considered reliable; otherwise they're considered a vagrant!
There’s a leg of the park road that
runs parallel to the Rio Grande but perpendicular to the levee, and where this
road starts to veer left and parallel the levee, there’s a little hidden trail
that leads right to the base of the dam, where there’s a small “window” where
you can even see some of the rocks on the other side where water birds like to
hang out.
Today we were able to spot White Pelicans, both types of cormorants, and
a few Spotted Sandpipers, as well as a Black Phoebe that showed well. No warbler, so we went back and worked the
outside of those same trees when I heard the Tyrannulet! Thankfully everyone got on him, and he put on
a great show! While all this was going
on a Caspian Tern was playing with his supper by continually dropping and
catching his fish, and a young White-tailed Hawk powered overhead! We made another potty stop, after which Chad
announced he had seen the Zone-tailed Hawk!
I had little doubt from his description!
We continued to crawl, enjoying the
wintering Eastern Bluebirds and a fly-by Ringed Kingfisher, until we got to the
entrance grove, but couldn’t find the pewee. However, Chad and Marge were up for another hike
across the field, and this time I had more hope as a big flock of American
Pipits were feeding close to the road, just like they were when I brought Joe
and Mary out here. We had to go a little
further this time, but finally a sharp Pike!
announced the presence of the little beastie, and everyone got smashing looks
at the Sprague’s Pipit! High fives all
around!
"Chad and Marge" in the Sprague's Pipit Field
Distant view of said Sprague's Pipit
It was time to head home after that,
happy with a very successful four days! Bird List:
Mottled Duck
Green-winged Teal
Neotropic Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Cattle Egret
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
White-tailed Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
American Coot
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Caspian Tern
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Burrowing Owl
Ringed Kingfisher
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
American Kestrel
Monk Parakeet
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Black Phoebe
Eastern Phoebe
Great Kiskadee
Loggerhead Shrike
Blue-headed Vireo
Green Jay
Black-crested Titmouse
House Wren
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
American Pipit
Sprague's Pipit
Black-and-white Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Pyrrhuloxia
Western Meadowlark
Great-tailed Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Altamira Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
59 SPECIES
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