Today was the Danish group’s last day, and
it was certainly a glorious one! The White-collared Seedeater was up and
singing in full view at Salineño, just giving a great show! A pair of Mexican Ducks flew by, but no
Muscovy or Red-billed Pigeon. The Dump
Road was productive, however, with both Bobwhite and Scaled Quail in the same
binocular view, and a Black-throated Sparrow being harassed by a Lark
Sparrow!
Enjoying the White-collared Seedeater at Salineno
Two views of the White-collared Seedeater
Happy campers!
The Salineno boat ramp, showing a flooded Rio Grande and Mexico just across the way!
Looking for Black-throated Sparrows along the Dump Road
The County Park had the group’s first
Vermilion Flycatchers, White Pelicans, Hooded Orioles, and Cactus Wren (and
some got the Verdin), but the stars were the two Red-billed Pigeons that
wheeled in and landed full view in a tree!
While some of the group was literally crawling through the bushes
chasing a Verdin, those of us who opted to stay on the straight and narrow were
treated to a Brewer’s Sparrow, a rare bird for the Valley (and only my first
for the area)! J
The state park was kinda quiet, but those who had missed Pyrrhuloxia
before got a nice view, and some folks got on a performing Roadrunner. (I snuck over to the butterfly garden and had
loads of Lyside Sulphurs and Elada Checkerspots, and a beat-up Sickle-winged
Skipper and Giant Swallowtail…)
Enjoying a Vermilion Flycatcher at Starr County Park
Brewer's Sparrow, rare in the Valley
An elusive Red-billed Pigeon makes a showing
Enjoying the pigeons
Elada Checkerspot
Sickle-winged Skipper
Cloudless Sulphur
Giant Swallowtail
A visit to Rancho Lomitas produced more
Scaled Quail and a Painted Bunting, and while Fleming and I staked out the
feeders, the rest went with Jim Seeden, one of the caretakers, down to a pond
where they picked up a Belted Kingfisher, so with the Ringed and Green we got
at Salineño, that made it a kingfisher sweep for most of the group! Back at the feeders I was messin’ with a
Roadrunner that was rattling and cooing nearby, but he never did come out for
looks for the group when they returned…
Green Jay
Sneaky Scaled Quail
We headed back tired but happy, with 71
species for the day, which isn’t bad for Starr County! Bird List:
Mallard (Mexican Duck)
Plain Chachalaca
Scaled Quail
Northern Bobwhite
Neotropic Cormorant
American White Pelican
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
White-tailed Kite
Cooper's Hawk
Harris's Hawk
Gray Hawk
Swainson's Hawk
Spotted Sandpiper
Caspian Tern
Rock Pigeon
Red-billed Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Inca Dove
Common Ground-Dove
White-tipped Dove
Greater Roadrunner
Ringed Kingfisher
Green Kingfisher
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Crested Caracara
American Kestrel
Vermilion Flycatcher
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Tropical Kingbird
Couch's Kingbird
Western Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
White-eyed Vireo
Green Jay
Chihuahuan Raven
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-crested Titmouse
Verdin
Bewick's Wren
Cactus Wren
Clay-colored Thrush
Curve-billed Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
White-collared Seedeater
Olive Sparrow
Brewer's Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
Summer Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Pyrrhuloxia
Painted Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Hooded Oriole
Bullock's Oriole
House Sparrow
71 SPECIES
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