Adding to the Photo List

4/22/16

            Ron and Char had been birding on their own for awhile before hooking up with me, but Ron’s life list was a little different in that he didn’t count the bird unless he could photograph it!  So since they had either already been to or were planning on going to two of the best spots in the Valley for photo ops, I decided on Quinta Mazatlan for a chance at migrants and maybe the nesting Green Parakeets.  It was a good sign when we pulled into the parking lot, got out of the car, and his first new bird was right overhead:  a calling Brown-crested Flycatcher! 

In order to maximize our time there, we spent about five minutes at most of the benches; we had heard an ani coming in, so I was wondering if this harsh sound I was hearing at the drip was just an odd call I had never heard, until it dawned on me that it was probably a frog…  It was actually rather quiet, but a Long-billed Thrasher gave nice views, and when we got to the “new area” (called the Ebony Trail I found out), we found two pairs of Green Parakeets checking out the nest holes!  They were so cute, especially when one would stick her little head out the hole!  Circling around to the back of the mansion, a few silent parrots flew overhead and then landed in a tree; of the two visible ones, one was a definite Red-crowned, and the other was a Lilac-crowned!  After paying the entrance fee we continued on the back way, past the Education Building and past the little pond, where a Wood Thrush landed briefly on a log and then was gone!  As we made our way to the main road, we flushed a Chuck-will’s-widow, which miraculously landed in the woods across the street where we could actually see him!  What a treat!  The main feeder area had mostly doves and Chachalacas, but on the way back to the parking area an Olive Sparrow hopped around practically at our feet!

 

 

Ron adds the Green Parakeet to his photo list!

 

"Hmm - will this make a good nest?"

 

"I think so!"

 

Ron and Char along the trail 

 

 

A Chachalaca "awww" moment

 

 

Not the best shot, but you don't often catch a Chuck-will's-widow perching in a tree!

 

Perky Olive Sparrow

 

Inca Dove

            With several new birds under his belt, Ron was very pleased, but in deciding where to go next, Char asked about the possibility of Northern Beardless Tyrannulets, so we decided to swing over to Anzalduas.  When we descended the levee, Char said she remembered the place from a previous trip: there was such a big party going on that the guy at the entrance gate automatically gave them plasticware and napkins!  (Must have been Easter Sunday…)  We cruised the roads and got out to walk a couple of times, seeing the requisite Black Phoebe, a silent “Copical” Kingbird, an uncooperative Altamira Oriole, and the Cliff Swallows nesting under the dam, but nothing new for Ron; I did hear a tyrannulet, but he was way back in the back area that is closed off to the public.  A Gray Hawk was whistling as well, but never showed.

 

 

Tropical and Couch's Kingbirds are virtually identical, so unless they talk, you can be hard-pressed to tell which species you have!

 

Cliff Swallows nest on the dam

            With about an hour to kill, we decided to go to the McAllen Nature Center, a beautiful little place, but with it warming up and it being “off season” for feeding, we really didn’t add anything except a calling Yellow-billed Cuckoo that refused to come out…  Nevertheless Ron was very happy with their half day, and we finished up with 61 species for the morning.  Bird List:

  Black-bellied Whistling-Duck         

  Plain Chachalaca                     

  Neotropic Cormorant                  

  Great Egret                          

  Turkey Vulture                       

  Osprey                                

  Harris's Hawk                        

  Gray Hawk                            

  Swainson's Hawk                      

  Laughing Gull                        

  Forster's Tern                       

  Rock Pigeon                          

  Eurasian Collared-Dove               

  White-winged Dove                    

  Mourning Dove                         

  Inca Dove                            

  White-tipped Dove                    

  Yellow-billed Cuckoo                 

  Groove-billed Ani                    

  Chuck-will's-widow                   

  Chimney Swift                        

  Buff-bellied Hummingbird             

  Golden-fronted Woodpecker            

  Ladder-backed Woodpecker             

  Green Parakeet                       

  Red-crowned Parrot                   

  Lilac-crowned Parrot                 

  Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet        

  Black Phoebe                         

  Brown-crested Flycatcher             

  Great Kiskadee                       

  Tropical Kingbird                    

  Couch's Kingbird                     

  Western Kingbird                     

  Scissor-tailed Flycatcher            

  Loggerhead Shrike                     

  White-eyed Vireo                     

  Purple Martin                        

  Cliff Swallow                        

  Cave Swallow                         

  Black-crested Titmouse               

  Verdin                               

  House Wren                           

  Carolina Wren                        

  Swainson's Thrush                    

  Wood Thrush                          

  Clay-colored Thrush                  

  Long-billed Thrasher                 

  Northern Mockingbird                  

  European Starling                    

  Common Yellowthroat                  

  Olive Sparrow                        

  Northern Cardinal                    

  Indigo Bunting                       

  Dickcissel                           

  Red-winged Blackbird                 

  Great-tailed Grackle                 

  Bronzed Cowbird                      

  Altamira Oriole                      

  Lesser Goldfinch                     

  House Sparrow                        

61 SPECIES