A Revisit to the Valley

2/11/19 

Craig and Sandy from Tennessee were spending extended time in South Texas and had never had a private guiding experience, so they contacted me and we planned a day together!  They had visited the area about ten years ago during a Texas Ornithological Society (TOS) meeting, but wanted to revisit the birds; since the only target I could weasel out of them was a Pauraque, the first stop was definitely Estero Llano Grande!

We headed over in pea soup fog, but at least it was calm!  We headed into the Tropical Zone, getting the common wintering stuff right away, and an Altamira Oriole choiped and whistled from the top of a tree.  We got scope looks at a Ladder-backed Woodpecker, then we eventually made our way down to the feeders where the White-tipped Doves and the Green Jays were already hogging the place!  We sat and watched for about 15 minutes, enjoying a titmouse and an Orange-crowned Warbler, but I heard an odd call that I couldn’t place, so I went to try and track that down.  I did manage to spot a Black-and-white Warbler, but while I was gone a Long-billed Thrasher showed itself to my charges, along with a Chachalaca!  

Sandy (at the scope) and Craig enjoying a Golden-fronted Woodpecker in the Tropical Zone

Enjoying a White-tipped Dove (below) at the feeders

A sit at the drip didn’t bring in anything, so we headed to the Indigo Blind, where a Golden-fronted Woodpecker, a Mockingbird, and a Green Jay were all facing off at the tray feeder!  What struck me as a Black-chinned Hummingbird was visiting the back hummer feeder, but what also visited was both members of the wintering Hooded Oriole pair!  After the Redwings invaded we looped around enjoying the exotic blooming cactus, and back out the entrance road, where I thought I heard the wee-see-wee-see-wee-see of the Black-and-white Warbler, but when the culprit showed himself it was just another titmouse! L

Northern Cardinal

Shy female Hooded Oriole

A Mockingbird claims the feeding tray...

...along with a pair of Red-winged Blackbirds!

The female Redwing joins the Mocker...

 

A male Golden-fronted Woodpecker shows off his lovely tri-colored head pattern!

  

It was hard hitting either the restroom or the visitor’s center to check in, as we were enjoying all the ducks in the fog:  Shovelers, Green- and Blue-winged Teal, and several Black-necked Stilts entertained!  A guy with a monster camera spotted two male Cinnamon Teal and pointed them out to us, but we looked in vain for the rails. L  We thankfully had both Tropical and Couch’s Kingbirds calling along the trail, but Dowitcher Pond was pretty quiet as well (except for a Blue-headed Vireo in a nearby tree).  Grebe Marsh had all the action as a female Green Kingfisher whizzed in and landed on a snag for scope views!  A Least Grebe was pretty close as well, but the Hooded Merganser had se fued the joint.  Swallows were all over, including the returning Purple Martins and the chortling Cave Swallows.  

Foggy Ibis Pond

The morning dew reveals a spider's artistic handiwork!

Northern Shovelers

Craig shoots some Cinnamon Teal (below)

 

Couch's Kingbird

Enjoying a Least Grebe (below) at Grebe Marsh

  

Down at Alligator Lake, the night heron mob was a hit, especially the long-legged immature Yellow-crowned!  A couple of male Anhingas was quite spiffy, and as I noticed that a big group had found the Pauraque, I left my charges with the herons and tootled down to locate the bird.  Turns out the group was being led by my friend Michael Marsden, and he pointed the thing right out for me (and it was in a different position than normal, so I’m glad they found it)!  So after they went on we three went up and also got scope views of the snoozing caprimulgid!  

Snoozing Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Listen very carefully for the quiet grunting noises this Great Blue Heron is making!

The famous Pauraque is stealthfully keeping an eye on us!

We headed straight back after that, but not before trying unsuccessfully to draw out a singing Olive Sparrow and getting brief views of a Common Ground Dove along the trail.  A gentleman we had seen in the blind told us that he had both the Virginia Rail and Sora back near the boardwalk, along with the anis, so on we went, picking up some White Ibis on the way.  We checked out the area, but no rails or anis were to be found (Sandy thought she saw a little rail-sized bird scoot into the reeds, never to be seen again).  So we took one more quick look at the ducks and chatted with park host Laura Paulson on the deck, who showed us where the anis sometimes showed up (“way over there”), but we were too beat to take another hike out there (for a “maybe” bird, Craig said).  In the meantime a White-tailed Kite went after a Harrier, so that was exciting! 

Craig had a modest SLR camera with him, so I gave them a choice of going somewhere with more feeders birds, or road-birding for raptors and sparrows.  They chose the latter, so we headed up to Brushline Road!  It was rather quiet to start, but we did manage a female Pyrrhuloxia on a fence, several Savannah Sparrows also on a fence, a big mob of Lark Sparrows in the plowed field, and a whole slew of regal Sandhill Cranes near the rapidly-drying pond!  A Merlin shot overhead just before SR 186, and on the north side we had a cooperative Bewick’s Wren, and an odd noise and scuffling in a dead tree next to us turned out to be a sapsucker when the thing darted away and started saying something more recognizable! J  Turkey and Black Vultures were all over, but a different-looking pair of raptors turned out to be their life White-tailed Hawks!  We also had lots of Redtails (including one that looked like a “Fuertes’”), and a big commotion next to the road turned out to be a youngster that had just procured lunch!  A Roadrunner finally cooperated, and Caracaras and Harris’ Hawks gave nice views.  The mammalian highlights included several Nilgai!  

Craig checks out something along Brushline Road

Loggerhead Shrike

The farm pond was quite productive this time, with lots of ducks and three Roseate Spoonbills being the highlights, along with what I think Craig said was an Audad (a type of exotic sheep) with two cute babies (and the Emu, of course J)!  While scoping the ducks I found an American Pipit strutting along the shoreline!  Ken Baker Road had lots of shrikes and a flyby Long-billed Curlew, as well as a brilliant Vermilion Flycatcher and a not-so-brilliant Eastern Phoebe.  A Horned Lizard ran across the road that unfortunately Craig didn’t get to see before it disappeared down a hole… L  A quick visit to the Rio Beef Feedyard bagged my charges’ life Bronzed Cowbird and Brewer’s Blackbirds, but getting back out was an adventure, as the office staff had left and closed the gate, so I had to call someone to figure out how to get out!

Audad family

Horned Lizard

Vermilion Flycatcher

We called it quits after that, with 94 species for the day!  Bird list:

Blue-winged Teal 

Cinnamon Teal 
Northern Shoveler 
Gadwall 
Mottled Duck 
Northern Pintail 
Green-winged Teal 
Plain Chachalaca 
Least Grebe 
Pied-billed Grebe 
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove 
Common Ground-Dove 
White-tipped Dove 
Mourning Dove 
Greater Roadrunner 
Common Pauraque 
Black-chinned Hummingbird 
Buff-bellied Hummingbird 
American Coot 
Sandhill Crane 
Black-necked Stilt 
Killdeer 
Long-billed Curlew 
Greater Yellowlegs 
Anhinga 
Neotropic Cormorant 
Great Blue Heron 
Great Egret 
Snowy Egret 
Black-crowned Night-Heron 
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 
White Ibis 
Roseate Spoonbill 
Black Vulture 
Turkey Vulture 
White-tailed Kite 
Northern Harrier 
Cooper's Hawk 
Harris's Hawk 
White-tailed Hawk 
Red-tailed Hawk 
Green Kingfisher 
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 
Golden-fronted Woodpecker 
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 
Crested Caracara 
American Kestrel 
Merlin 
Eastern Phoebe 
Vermilion Flycatcher 
Great Kiskadee 
Tropical Kingbird 
Couch's Kingbird 
Loggerhead Shrike 
White-eyed Vireo 
Blue-headed Vireo 
Green Jay 
Horned Lark 
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 
Purple Martin 
Cave Swallow 
Black-crested Titmouse 
Verdin 
House Wren 
Marsh Wren 
Carolina Wren 
Bewick's Wren 
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 
Long-billed Thrasher 
Northern Mockingbird 
European Starling 
American Pipit 
Olive Sparrow 
Lark Sparrow 
Vesper Sparrow 
Savannah Sparrow 
Lincoln's Sparrow 
Western Meadowlark 
Hooded Oriole 
Altamira Oriole 
Red-winged Blackbird 
Bronzed Cowbird 
Brown-headed Cowbird 
Brewer's Blackbird 
Great-tailed Grackle 
Black-and-white Warbler 
Orange-crowned Warbler 
Common Yellowthroat 
Yellow-rumped Warbler 
Northern Cardinal 
Pyrrhuloxia 
House Sparrow

Of Sparrows and Scissortails

2/1/19 

Douglas (nicknamed “Keys” for his skill as a pianist) and Judith had a specific target list of “troublesome birds” that they wanted help with, so the original plan was to head to Santa Ana to try for the Beardless Tyrannulet and Olive Sparrow, in addition to some grassland sparrows out along the Pintail Lake Trail, but the misty weather and muddy trails precluded that idea (and thankfully they had already bagged the Olive Sparrow at Hugh Ramsey), so we headed straight to our planned second destination:  Brushline Road!  We ended up spending the whole day there, starting at the intersection of Brushline and FM 490, and this time we really didn’t even make it to the immediate turn before being inundated with birds!  A female Ladder-backed Woodpecker was right outside the car, and the trees had feeding flocks consisting of the usual Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers!  Once we made the turn a flock of Savannah Sparrows played hard to get in the bushes.

Keys and Judith at the turnoff to Brushline Road

Female Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Pompous-looking Savannah Sparrow

  

Continuing north, there were lots of Red-tailed Hawks on the posts, but the real treat was tons of Sandhill Cranes, both in the fields and flying overhead!  At another stop a Least Flycatcher whitted and what initially looked like a flyover cormorant turned out to be a lone White-fronted Goose!  We got to teasing Judith as so many of the birds she was calling to our attention turned out to be Mourning Doves (MODOs), but when I called out a distant Kestrel I heard a “dang” from the back seat:  she thought that was what it was but was afraid to say anything for fear it was just another MODO!  J  

Judith checks out the habitat next to the road.

Sandhill Cranes

Keys and Judith on Brushline

The big pond was rapidly drying up, but several Avocets were swishing about, and a flock of American Pipits came wheeling in and proceeded to bathe near the south edge!  Judith discovered a covey of Bobwhite making their way through the flowers that were just on the other side of the fence (too fast for the camera), and in the plowed fields we had fun trying to pick out the Lark and Savannah Sparrows as they went up and down the furrows!  But the stars of the show for my charges were two target raptors (although very distant): Caracara and White-tailed Hawk!  Just before SR 186 was the best sighting (so far as I was concerned): in with two Black Vultures was a big ol’ Wood Stork!  (Exciting only in that they’re supposed to be long gone by now…)

Avocets

Loggerhead Shrike

"Proof shot" of the flyover Wood Stork

North of the highway a male Vermilion Flycatcher was very cooperative for pictures (he wasn’t even fazed by the big truck that went by), and we finally got a look at a calling Couch’s Kingbird.  Common Ground Doves were more numerous than I’ve ever seen them, as were Roadrunners – we must have had well over 20 during the course of the route, most being very cooperative!  Making the right turn on eastbound Brushline yielded lots of Pyrrhuloxias, more hawks (including Harris’), an uncooperative Black-throated Sparrow, and several lines of ducks flying overhead making an incredible wing noise!  Once we got up to the farm pond we logged several species (interestingly we were able to pick out Pintail and American Wigeon in the flyover flocks, but neither landed on the pond), along with grebes, Common Gallinule, and a growling Anhinga.  Comedy relief was provided by the rancher’s pet Emu that came by to say hello (quite literally, as he drummed deep in his chest)!  On the way out we had a fabulous look at a flyover White-tailed Hawk, and heading down to Ken Baker Keys got his wish: another covey of Bobwhite was right by the road, showing beautifully for pictures, mainly due to the fact that half the covey was still on the other side of the road, and what I assume was the “leader” was waiting until all his ladies made it safely across before diving into the brush himself!

 

Several shots of the Vermilion Flycatcher

With an itch...

North Brushline habitat

Pyrrhuloxia pair (female below)

Roadrunner (one of several)

Two different immature Red-tailed Hawks

Keys and Judith at the farm pond at the north end of Brushline

The friendly Emu

Ken Baker had more Pyrrhuloxias getting gravel from the road, and the little bog near Rio Beef had lots of Brewer’s Blackbirds, mostly females with only a couple of males.  We drove up the entrance road on the off chance that we might kick up a Say’s Phoebe or sparrow (or even the Snow Geese we were hearing behind the feedlot), but that turned out a bust.  But continuing east on Ken Baker we hit pay dirt as several Lark Sparrows graced the fence line, but also single Clay-colored and Vesper Sparrows!  Unfortunately the Cassin’s wouldn’t play ball anywhere along the route, but a Bewick’s Wren got in our faces instead!  A Curve-billed Thrasher also showed nicely along the fence, and along Jesus Maria a Northern Harrier on the ground gave flight and showed off its white rump.  

Bewick's Wren

About that time we had to head back, but got great looks at another Caracara along Rio Beef (while trying to stay ahead of a Mac truck J), and a herd of Turkeys blocked the road close to 186.  But the excitement wasn’t over:  Keys had been hoping for a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher all day, and after warning him that they were tough this time of year, I think we had pretty much given up when a beautiful male shot off a power line and did a wonderful lap over the road, showing off that gorgeous tail!  What a great last bird!

We ended up with 72 species for the day.  Bird list:

Snow Goose 

Greater White-fronted Goose 
Blue-winged Teal 
Northern Shoveler 
Gadwall 
American Wigeon 
Northern Pintail 
Green-winged Teal 
Northern Bobwhite 
Wild Turkey 
Pied-billed Grebe 
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 
Eurasian Collared-Dove 
Common Ground-Dove 
Mourning Dove 
Greater Roadrunner 
Common Gallinule 
American Coot 
Sandhill Crane 
American Avocet 
Killdeer 
Greater Yellowlegs 
Wood Stork 
Anhinga 
Black Vulture 
Turkey Vulture 
Northern Harrier 
Cooper's Hawk 
Harris's Hawk 
White-tailed Hawk 
Red-tailed Hawk 
Golden-fronted Woodpecker 
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 
Crested Caracara 
American Kestrel 
Least Flycatcher 
Eastern Phoebe 
Vermilion Flycatcher 
Great Kiskadee 
Couch's Kingbird 
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 
Loggerhead Shrike 
White-eyed Vireo 
Green Jay 
Horned Lark 
Black-crested Titmouse 
Verdin 
House Wren 
Bewick's Wren 
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 
Curve-billed Thrasher 
Long-billed Thrasher 
Northern Mockingbird 
European Starling 
American Pipit 
Olive Sparrow 
Clay-colored Sparrow 
Black-throated Sparrow 
Lark Sparrow 
Vesper Sparrow 
Savannah Sparrow 
Lincoln's Sparrow 
Western Meadowlark 
Red-winged Blackbird 
Brewer's Blackbird 
Great-tailed Grackle 
Orange-crowned Warbler 
Yellow-rumped Warbler 
Northern Cardinal 
Pyrrhuloxia 
House Sparrow