Linda and Evan from Austin and Linda and
Bill from Tucson were two birding buddy-couples that made plans to meet here in
South Texas for some local birding before the latter headed to the Island and
the former headed back home. They booked
a half day to start, so I thought Quinta Mazatlan and Old Hidalgo Pumphouse
would be good places that people who were also “culturally oriented” would
enjoy!
Quinta was great: the gate was open by the time we got there,
getting Inca Doves in the parking lot and a flyby Yellow-crowned Night Heron right
away. A singing Yellow Warbler greeted
us along the trail, while others were not so cooperative: Common Yellowthroat, Nashville, and
Black-throated Green Warblers gave views that we had to work for! A Curve-billed Thrasher posed nicely on the
fence at the end of a dead-end trail (Bill wasn’t even interested until I told
him it was a candidate for a split… J), and a
Swainson’s Thrush came in to one of the water features. A Green Jay came down to say hello, and both
Green Parakeets and Red-crowned Parrots went screaming behind the canopy; we
got fleeting looks at the parrots over by the new section (that’s not quite
open yet). Both Lindas were great
spotters, and Linda M. was able to get the others on a singing Olive Sparrow at
one of the rest stops! A pair of noisy
Couch’s Kingbirds demanded attention, and an oriole chattered that we just
couldn’t get a bead on, but it sounded more like a Baltimore to me. An Empid
showed up that screamed “Least” to me, so that’s what we called it. Just before the house a group of
Black-crested Titmice showed off, making me think of poor Mike trying to get
his photo… L
Evan, Bill, Linda, and Linda pose along the trail!
After checking in we continued on the
loop, and everyone commented on what a peaceful place it was! Linda A. got talked into posing as a
butterfly over at the educational center J, and just before
we got there they all latched onto a Yellow-breasted Chat that I missed! (J for them, L for me…) After a quick check of the pond we continued
on where a Chachalaca was posing on their Indigo Snake statue as though he had
proudly caught the thing himself! J We took the new “Prehistoric Trail” over to
the feeder area, where a 15-minute watch gave us great views of Long-billed
Thrasher, Kiskadee, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, and a pair of Clay-colored
Thrushes (one of which was banded), to say nothing of tons of White-winged
Doves! A Great Crested Flycatcher posed
near the top of a tree for good measure, while a Catbird was more evasive. Cedar Waxwings gave their ringing call
somewhere behind us.
Linda letting her "inner butterfly" come out!
Trying to find that elusive warbler...
This Chachalaca feels very brave around a fake snake!
Clay-colored Thrush pair
Note the band...
Long-billed Thrasher - different lighting conditions can make them look quite rusty!
A group of kidlets were descending upon
the area, so we headed over to Old Hidalgo Pumphouse, picking up a Loggerhead
Shrike on a wire at a stop light. We had
the place to ourselves, and while quiet, we did have a female Rose-breasted
Grosbeak right away, and a family of Black Phoebes, the youngster still showing
his gape mark! Both Buff-bellied and Archilochus hummingbirds buzzed around
in the garden, but the resaca was empty except for the phoebes, although some got
a glimpse of a Yellow-billed Cuckoo hiding in the tree, and a Swainson’s Hawk
soared in the distance. We decided to
walk the trail next to the levee, where a Blue-headed Vireo came out in the
open (can’t say the same for the White-eyed), and both an Altamira and
Bullock’s Oriole were present (the former gave a look, but the latter remained
hidden). A pair of Lark Sparrows posed
down the way, but the highlight along this trail was the pair of Groove-billed
Anis that gave great looks; definitely upstaged the little Eastern Wood Pewee! Linda and I kept hearing a Sharp-shinned Hawk
calling across the way, accompanied by unpleasant bird cries (like something
was in the throes of death), and we kept trying to find it until we heard a
Peregrine call right on the heels of the Sharpie, and concluded that it was
some company playing raptor calls to keep unwanted pigeons (or whatever) away
from their buildings! Had us fooled!
Black Phoebe
Checking out the grounds
We hiked back along the levee, but it was
getting pretty warm by then; had a few Monk Parakeets fly over (some with
nesting material), and Evan and I had a nice chat with the Border Patrol agent
on duty (I wanted to find out if the powers that be were ever going to open up
that Walking Trail again, but found out it was permanently closed to protect
the NWR tract). A Gray Hawk was
whistling in the distance, while Tropical Kingbirds were tittering back in the
gardens. Headed home the back way (after
freeing a Santa Ana Tussock Moth that had gotten caught in their trunk) with 64
species for the morning!
Coming back along the levee
Santa Ana Tussock Moth
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Plain Chachalaca
Great Egret
Green Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Turkey Vulture
Gray Hawk
Swainson's Hawk
Rock Pigeon
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Inca Dove
White-tipped Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Groove-billed Ani
Lesser Nighthawk (at the Inn)
Chimney Swift
Buff-bellied Hummingbird
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Monk Parakeet
Green Parakeet
Red-crowned Parrot
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Tropical Kingbird
Couch's Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Loggerhead Shrike
White-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Green Jay
Cave Swallow
Black-crested Titmouse
Verdin
Swainson's Thrush
Clay-colored Thrush
Gray Catbird
Curve-billed Thrasher
Long-billed Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Nashville Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Olive Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Dickcissel
Great-tailed Grackle
Bronzed Cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Bullock's Oriole
Altamira Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow
64 SPECIES
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