(I need to make a caveat: the Spring Tour blogs only reflect the days *I* took Mike and Sally out; Michael Marsden and Keith Hackland were the guides when I wasn't available, so there are actually more "parts" than what I've published here!)
Mike and Sally were the only participants
on Alamo Inn’s “Spring Tour”, but that certainly made things easy logistically
as we just hopped in “Heppy” and took off! J We had had a thunderstorm the night before
(that Sally flew through in order to get in late last night L), so since it was
supposed to clear up that morning and start raining again in the afternoon, I
planned on taking them to Frontera Audubon Thicket for some hopeful migrants,
and then road bird the La Sal del Rey area so we could stay dry in the car!
Frontera turned out to be extremely
productive: we arrived at about 7:40 and didn’t get out of there until about
2:00!! They had just opened the gate and
I was wheeling in to park, expecting my charges to follow me in, when what
would have been their life White-tipped Doves pranced across the parking
lot! Thinking they went in another way,
I went ahead and parked, then discovered that they had been waylaid by a
perched Mississippi Kite! I was sure
hoping to see one of those this
season!
Things were quiet at the water feature at
first, so we headed into the woods and tried to get on every little seep we heard and every little body we
saw! Most of them wanted to stay high in
the trees and behind the leaves (or in the sun), but during the course of the
morning we did manage to get decent
looks at Philadelphia and White-eyed Vireos, Black-throated Green and Nashville
Warblers, and even a Yellow-billed Cuckoo that flew in! At the big pond overlook a male Green
Kingfisher shot back and forth, and in the little muddy section in the middle
had both Solitary and Spotted Sandpiper (with the spots), plus a fluffy Snowy
Egret! Along the back fence a pair of
Carolina Wrens doing some nest-building allowed Mike to get a great shot, and at
the view into the cemetery we had great looks at Inca Doves hopping around. A rest at the feeder areas gave us wonderful
views of Chachalacas, White-tipped Doves, and finally a Cardinal for Mike to
photograph! The “new” feeder area
boasted a Painted Bunting, and at the “old” feeder area a nice Blue-winged
Warbler came in close, along with both Great Crested and Brown-crested
Flycatchers! Both Sally and Mike enjoyed
the antics of the Fox Squirrels and Eastern Cottontails as well! J
Male Green Kingfisher
Mike and Sally birding from the boardwalk
Nest-building Carolina Wren
Eastern Cottontail
Chachalacas and a White-tipped Dove at the feeders
This Myiarchus flycatcher generated much discussion, but we finally settled on Great Crested Flycatcher!
After checking in we covered one last
trail and managed to flush two Chuck-will’s-widows! Green Parakeets were shooting over
occasionally, but only allowed brief looks through the trees. Chimney Swifts were all over, and at one rest
stop we actually got a view of a liftoff of Mississippi Kites – yippee! J While we were trying to zero in on a feeding
flock we were distracted by a Gulf Fritillary and a Brown Anole extending his
bright red gular flap! We then checked
the butterfly garden (as they were both interested in having those pointed out
as well – at least the big, pretty ones J) where we were
hoping a titmouse would come in to the feeders, but only got House
Sparrows. We had run into Simon K., however,
and he called over to say he had a Bell’s Vireo! So we all rushed over and saw glimpses of
said bird, but not enough to really tell what it was. He then found a Wood Thrush, which thankfully
Mike and Sally saw, but I didn’t L.
Ultra-cooperative Olive Sparrow
Brown Anole extending his brilliant gular flap (below)
Female Brown Anole has a white stripe down the back.
Gulf Fritillary
Texan Crescent
Female Carmine or Roseate Skimmer - they can be tough to tell apart!
Female Northern Parula
We finally tore ourselves away from there,
picking up a Loggerhead Shrike on the wire on the way out! Chris had told us about a good sandwich shop
in Weslaco called the Chef’s Club, so we ordered some sandwiches to go, and
they were really quite good! We munched
while heading up to La Sal del Rey (getting many Scissor-tailed Flycatchers on
the wires), but the threatened storm apparently dissipated, so I felt
emboldened to go up CR 20 and see if there were any goodies in that wetland
that the road crosses! Indeed there were,
with both Pectoral and Baird’s Sandpipers giving a show, along with a couple of
Horned Larks!
Baird's Sandpiper on the far side of the pond
We continued on and enjoyed the butterfly
show in the flowers along the roadside, including a Giant Swallowtail and a
Snout right by the car! From there we just
crawled through the refuge area; despite the heat we saw some good birds,
including three Indigo Buntings that were eating seeds along the fenceline, a
Bullock’s Oriole that gave a distant view, and a wonderful Bewick’s Wren that
came in with a little prompting! Lots of
Common Ground Doves flushed left and right, and then the star showed up: a Roadrunner with a big lizard in his
beak! That was definitely the highlight!
Giant Swallowtail
Sally and Mike along CR 20 in the La Sal Viejas Tract
We had to get going after that, but not
before enjoying a Harris’ Hawk being chased by a kingbird, and then on the way
home passing a tremendous wetland that had all sorts of shorebirds, including
stilts, avocets, both yellowlegs, Stilt Sandpipers, a dowitcher, and another
Baird’s in with the Leasts! My FOS
Western Kingbird also landed on the wire while we were enjoying a couple of
Bronzed Cowbirds making chests at each other…
Finally headed home after that with 84
species for the day! Bird List:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Mottled Duck
Plain Chachalaca
Northern Bobwhite
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Mississippi Kite
Harris's Hawk
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Stilt Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
Laughing Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Inca Dove
Common Ground-Dove
White-tipped Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Greater Roadrunner
Chuck-will’s-widow
Chimney Swift
Buff-bellied Hummingbird
Green Kingfisher
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Crested Caracara
Green Parakeet
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Great Crested Flycatcher
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Tropical Kingbird
Couch's Kingbird
Western Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Loggerhead Shrike
White-eyed Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Green Jay
Horned Lark
Purple Martin
Black-crested Titmouse
Verdin
Carolina Wren
Bewick's Wren
Clay-colored Thrush
Wood Thrush
Long-billed Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Blue-winged Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Olive Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Summer Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Painted Bunting
Dickcissel
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Great-tailed Grackle
Bronzed Cowbird
Bullock's Oriole
Lesser Goldfinch
House Sparrow
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