The weather wasn’t as bad as
predicted the day before, but we still felt hitting South Padre Island would be
a good idea, as there could still be good fallout conditions. But first, we made a stop at Old Port Isabel
Road for the Aplomado Falcon. Once you
know where to find the hacking station (that the birds now use as a nesting
platform), your chances of seeing the birds are pretty good, and this day was
no exception, as two birds were in the dead tree near the platform! More exciting for Pat and myself, however,
was a Whimbrel that flew in!
Checking out Old Port Isabel Road
The hacking station with two Aplomado Falcons on the left
Whimbrel
From there we went straight to the Hwy 48
Boat Ramp, as not everyone had seen yesterday’s Wilson’s Plover, and there was
a good chance of finding one here.
Unfortunately I could find none, and Pat thought she had one, but the
wind was pretty strong and I think we went away empty on that target. However, there was lots of other great
stuff: Black Skimmers, Franklin’s Gulls,
Least Terns, Semipalmated Plovers, and the nearly-reliable Oystercatcher!
A flock of Franklin's Gulls wheels overhead
On to the Island we went, stopping at the
Sheepshead Lots first, along with every other birder in the Valley! J
(Frands jokingly said, “What’s the occasion??” J)
One of the participants said it was like a shooting gallery: there were birds all over and you didn’t know
where to look first! Worm-eating,
Chestnut-sided, Tennessee, and Hooded Warblers all made an appearance, along
with a female Blackburnian Warbler that had been hanging around! Around the corner a Blue Grosbeak showed off,
and a Warbling Vireo gave a look.
A Golden-fronted Woodpecker demonstrates how he can use his long tongue to raid the hummingbird feeder!
This early female Blackburnian Warbler caused a lot of excitement!
The white braces on the back are diagnostic in any plumage.
We had a hard time convincing them it was
time to head to the Convention Center (lunch time J), but we eventually got them there
and dropped them off with their picnic lunches while Pat and I got
Subways. We returned to find the crew
focused on a Painted Bunting, one of their most wanted! New migrants were coming in, including lots
of Baltimore Orioles, the Kentucky Warbler, a Canada Warbler, a Rose-breasted
Grosbeak, the continuing Prairie Warbler, and plenty of Swainson’s
Thrushes. Along the back side were lots
of Baltimore and Orchard Orioles where Scarlet and George Colley, the dedicated caretakers of this oasis, had made a special
feeding platform for them, and the gang was thrilled with a Dickcissel feeding
with the doves and whistling ducks! A
stroll around the boardwalk bagged them their Least Bittern, but the Clapper
Rails, as usual, were heard-only. A
lingering Red-breasted Merganser was new for their trip list, though!
A shy Painted Bunting hides in the foliage
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak not quite into breeding plumage yet
Female Least Bittern on the boardwalk
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Not surprisingly, the gang wanted to
return to Sheepshead (after a quick run down to the condos to see the
Peregrine), and that proved very productive, as they were able to add Cerulean
Warbler and American Redstart to their list!
In addition to the female Blackburnian, a Yellow-throated Warbler also
came in, and while the whole kit-n-caboodle got enticed down the road after the
first Cerulean Warbler Alarm, I found an Eastern Wood Pewee in a vacant
lot.
More views of the female Blackburnian Warbler...
...while a curious male Black-throated Green Warbler comes in to say hello!
The Danes (and everyone else on that side of the Island) respond to a Cerulean Warbler Alert!
Pat and I didn’t think we’d be able
to get them to leave at the appointed time, but they were ready to head home
after an exciting day of migrant chasing on the coast (but not before picking
up a pair of Chihuahuan Ravens along Hwy 100)!
My personal list was 110 for the day!
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Mottled Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Red-breasted Merganser
Pied-billed Grebe
Neotropic Cormorant
Brown Pelican
Least Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Reddish Egret
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Clapper Rail
Sora
Common Gallinule
American Coot
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
American Oystercatcher
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Willet
Lesser Yellowlegs
Upland Sandpiper
Whimbrel
Long-billed Curlew
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Least Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Laughing Gull
Franklin's Gull
Least Tern
Caspian Tern
Royal Tern
Black Skimmer
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Inca Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Crested Caracara
Aplomado Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Western Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
White-eyed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Chihuahuan Raven
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Marsh Wren
Bewick's Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Swainson's Thrush
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Worm-eating Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Kentucky Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
American Redstart
Cerulean Warbler
Northern Parula
Blackburnian Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Canada Warbler
Clay-colored Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Summer Tanager
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Painted Bunting
Dickcissel
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow
110
SPECIES
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