1/27/2016
Today’s list was short on quantity
but very high on quality! Starr County was the driest spot in the
county, so we decided to make a run for Salineño, even though we figured we
wouldn’t have time to do Falcon. After a
coffee pit stop in Roma we headed straight for the feeders, where Bob was
holding down the fort, and the birds were even more active than the last time we were here in the afternoon! Chad and Marge were overwhelmed: half a dozen
Cardinals provided the reds, and Altamira Orioles provided the oranges (the
color, that is – they were eating the fruiting kind… J), to say nothing of the
black-and-yellows of the Audubon’s Orioles and Kiskadees, the green-and-blues
of the Green Jays, and the flashy patterns of the two woodpeckers! Even the earth-toned birds provided a thrill,
as the Bewick’s Wren and the Olive Sparrow were also life birds! Even the blackbird flock was diminished; the
Dickcissel of last week didn’t show, but a Bobwhite did sneak in towards the back, as well as a couple of White-winged
Doves! It was heaven! J
The feeders at Salineno are always hopping!
Where else can you see at least four Altamira Orioles at once??
L-R: Altamira Oriole, Great Kiskadee, and Green Jay
Female Cardinal
Mr. Cardinal
Great Kiskadees plotting their move...
Altamira Oriole eyes the peanut butter mixture...
Happy campers!!
We didn’t spend much time at the
river due to the lack of birds (and the whipping cold, although the Osprey pair
was still there), so since time was short we decided to cruise the Dump
Road. That proved to be pretty sparse as
well, as the wind was keeping stuff down.
We barely made it onto the entrance road to Falcon State Park before we
had to start heading back, but not before encountering a wonderful mixed flock
of Lark and Chipping Sparrows, plus several knockout Pyrrhuloxias! We also got a great look at a Cactus Wren
perched on the fence! That was
definitely a highlight!
"Marge" checks out the Rio Grande
We started back, picking up a Gray
Hawk on a wire (!), but also kept an ear out for the Green Parakeet flock the
Birder Patrol had found in Rio Grande City.
A couple of squawks later and we found the crowd in an Anacua tree in an
alley, chowing down to beat the band!
And since their view of the Red-crowned Parrots Tuesday morning was less
than ideal, I suggested making a run for the parrot roost in Weslaco, and while
we were concerned that the setting sun might beat us there, we heard the
parrots coming down Border, so I swung onto 8th and it was
“storm-chasing” mode again until we found the flock, pretty much at the same
area we had it with my two Californian guests!
Only as I took a closer look, I was shocked to find that this flock,
like the one in Brownsville, also had its share of “escapees” with several
Red-lored Parrots and a single big Yellow-headed in with them! The poor guy who owned the house we were
parked in front of got home with his toddler about then; you just hope that
they’re used to birders coming to gawk at “their” parrots! J
Green Parakeets in Rio Grande City
An escapee Yellow-headed Parrot joined the Red-crowned Parrot flock in Weslaco!
The day was low on quantity but definitely high on quality! Bird list:
Northern Bobwhite
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Harris's Hawk
Gray Hawk
Rock Pigeon
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Inca Dove
White-tipped Dove
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Crested Caracara
American Kestrel
Green Parakeet
Red-crowned Parrot
Red-lored Parrot
Yellow-headed Parrot
Eastern Phoebe
Great Kiskadee
Tropical Kingbird
Loggerhead Shrike
Green Jay
Black-crested Titmouse
Verdin
House Wren
Bewick's Wren
Cactus Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Northern Mockingbird
Orange-crowned Warbler
Olive Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Pyrrhuloxia
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Great-tailed Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Hooded Oriole
Altamira Oriole
Audubon's Oriole
House Sparrow
45 SPECIES
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