“Graham” had 777 species on his ABA
list when he flew down from Michigan last week specifically to see the
Crimson-collared Grosbeak, and he and Keith spent all day at Frontera and were
getting ready to call it quits at 4:45 when another birder announced they had
it, and Graham got a brief but identifiable look for ABA Bird #778! Little did I know that with the arrival of a
White-throated Thrush at Estero Llano Grande SP he would make a return trip this week!
I had the honor of accompanying him
over there (hey, I wanted to see it, too J),
and after going straight to the Tropical Zone, we were surprised that we were
the only birders there! We poked around
a little, picking up an American Robin on a wire at least, and plenty of birds
were coming in to the feeders and water feature to entertain in the
meantime. Slowly other birders began to
trickle in and we made a few circles around Ben Basham’s place (many people
assume this is the same bird from previous years, in which case it traveled all
over the Tropical Zone), but no thrush.
American Robin, which can be tough in winter in the Valley!
Snooping along "Basham's Trail" in search of the elusive White-throated Thrush!
Around 9:00 a text came through on the
LTGV RBA that yet another
White-throated Thrush was currently being seen at the Kiskadee Blind at
Bentsen! Graham was all for chasing that
one, so we jumped into Diggory and headed out (thankfully with no pileup at the
83/281 interchange…), and made it there in good time! The weather was absolutely fabulous, with
blue skies and warm temps, so after checking in we walked all the way in
(picking up the canal’s Black Phoebe on the way), and took our places inside
the blind. We enjoyed both adult and immature Altamira
Orioles in addition to the expected Kiskadees and Green Jays, as well as at
least three Nashville Warblers that
were coming in to drink! But as we were
watching the warblers, what should appear in the same spot but the
thrush!! He leisurely took a drink while
shutters went off left and right, then hopped up onto a crooked branch that
seemed to be made just for him! What a
show!
Immature Altamira Oriole
Adult Altamira
The coveted White-throated Thrush (a vagrant from Mexico) comes in to drink...
...then poses on an open branch!
Having gotten his bird (and that was the
best look either of us had ever had of that particular bird), we decided to go
ahead and try for the Audubon’s Oriole that was hanging out at Feeder #10. While easy to get at the Salineño feeders in
Starr County, this is a very rare bird for Hidalgo County, so that was fun to
see.
Hanging out at Feeder #10
The wandering Audubon's Oriole makes a showing!
After enjoying a flyover Gray Hawk on the way back, we grabbed some lunch at P.F. Chang’s and then
decided to go back to Frontera to see if Graham could get a better look at the
grosbeak (and me a look at the
grosbeak and/or the Blue Bunting). I
figured it was gonna be tough as it was “that time of day”, but as we
approached Feeder Area #1, the Black-headed Grosbeak (another rarity from the
west) was already there at the feeders!
So we enjoyed him before making the circuit around the area, where it
was indeed very quiet; even the Turkey Vultures were few and far between (I was
tickled by the fact that they were selling stuffed TVs in the visitor’s center J)!
After the excitement of the morning, the atmosphere at Frontera was
rather subdued as neither mega-rarity had been seen. But, as the
saying goes, “Disappointment is inevitable, but discouragement is a choice,”
and we had a great time watching the regulars come in to the feeders, including
a Catbird, a sprawled-out squirrel, and a woodpecker who could reach the hummer
feeder from his tree!
Fox Squirrel enjoys a laid-back meal...
...while a Golden-fronted Woodpecker has found a creative way to raid the hummer feeder!
While not a "mega", a Black-headed Grosbeak from the West is a nice consolation prize!
I was actually dozing off after that big
lunch, so we decided to call it a day and head back to the Inn! Bird List:
Plain Chachalaca
Cattle Egret
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Gray Hawk
American Coot
Mourning Dove
Inca Dove
White-tipped Dove
Buff-bellied Hummingbird
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Black Phoebe
Great Kiskadee
Green Jay
Black-crested Titmouse
Verdin
House Wren
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Clay-colored Thrush
White-throated Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Curve-billed Thrasher
Long-billed Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Lincoln's Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Black-headed Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Altamira Oriole
Audubon's Oriole
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
42 SPECIES
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