A Roll Down the Beach

9/28/19 

Kay from San Antonio had been to the Valley before, but she had never gone “guiding”, so she and her friend Chris (joined by their local friend Denise) “signed up” for a road-birding trip down to Boca Chica Beach!  (I gave them a list of routes to choose from, and when they finally asked me what I would do, I said, “Well, if it were just me I’d do Boca Chica Beach as I still need Red Knot for the year!” J and that sounded great to them!) Aside from leaving later than anticipated (due to my own confusion – these “brain supplements” aren’t doing their job L), we had a chatty and uneventful drive out there (oh, except for getting turned around coming off the toll road L), but after a stop at the Stripes we headed straight to the beach, making quick stops for White-tailed Hawks and logging spoonbills and avocets on the way.

We actually ran into a couple of “rain dumps” heading out (there was a particularly good downpour just before hitting the beach), but the beach itself was in great shape for driving; even the road’s end (which is usually like driving through a snowbank) was smooth as silk!  The tide was going out, so we headed south towards the mouth of the Rio Grande, and in addition to the usual Laughing Gulls and Brown Pelicans offshore, we initially had a couple of Ringbills and later a couple of big ol’ Herring Gulls!  We had a nice selection of terns:  mostly Royals, but also several Forster’s, a single Sandwich, and a couple of Commons, plus a couple of Caspians on the way back.  Sanderlings were entertaining doing their little “mechanical toy” run, but also doing the “toy run” were the Piping Plovers!  Most of them didn’t have “bling”, but we had one that was well-tagged…

Storm over the gulf

Laughing (left) and Ring-billed Gull

Royal Tern dolling himself up

Shy Royal (left) and Common Tern

Forster's Tern

Piping Plover with "bling"

Same guy - you can actually see the tag number!  If you ever see a banded Piping Plover and can record all the bling, go to this website and they'll tell you where to send the info!

Kay also has a Subaru (an Outback), and she wanted to see how “Heppy” (my Forrester) performed on the beach; there was one spot where we squeezed by at a rather steep angle, and she mentioned that the Subarus have a “boxer engine” that allows them to do that without tipping over!  Down at the mouth we had several herons (not as many Great Blues hanging out in the dunes as usual), and other shorebirds included Willets, Ruddy Turnstones, and singletons of Black-bellied and Snowy Plovers.  But with the sun at a better angle heading north, we noticed a darker-mantled gull in with the tern flock – a Lesser Black-backed!  Woo hoo! J  That was a very pleasant surprise year bird!  But a little further down we spotted a few “giant Sanderlings” in the form of the coveted Red Knots (except that the juvies, which we had, have greenish legs)!  Several Ghost Crabs were very entertaining, and just after turning back on the main road a couple of mystery empids showed up, but they were too far away for me to tell what they were; I snapped off a couple of pictures to try and figure out later…  (My educated guess is Least, but I have the pictures out there on a forum for discussion...)

The mouth of the Rio Grande and Mexico beyond

The girls (and Heppy) on the beach

Several shots of the beat-up Lesser Black-backed Gull

Red Knot - greenish legs and crisp feather edging indicate a juvenile

Great Blue Heron

Bad Hair Day...

Several shots of our empid - the jizz suggests Least but the eyring seems a little thin and the tail a little broad...thoughts?

Back up on the main road we just kind of poked along (with some stops for photo ops with Space X J), but what birds there were out on the flats were way out there.  At one stop we did manage Reddish Egret (one of each morph) and a skimming Black Skimmer, which Kay was thrilled with!  But Chris spotted the prize in the form of a Peregrine Falcon sitting out on the flats!  Later on we also spotted an Osprey just sitting on the ground with an attendant Laughing Gull that we assumed was waiting for a scrap of fish…

We turned off on Palmito Hill Road and made a brief stop in the parking lot there, adding a pair of Curve-billed Thrashers and our only Golden-fronted Woodpecker of the day on the railing!  A Lark Sparrow was on the wire, along with several Mockingbirds.  Heading down the road, we managed to pull out Kay’s life Cassin’s Sparrow, and lots of Eastern Meadowlarks either sang or flew low over the vegetation.  A Cliff Swallow flew over, showing its “headlights” very nicely, and at the cactus patch a pair of Cactus Wrens actually showed (they had been absent the last several times I was there)!  After the turn we had more thornscrub stuff at least vocalize, like Green Jays, a Ladder-backed Woodpecker, and White-eyed Vireos, and an Eastern Wood Pewee posed nicely.  Several Bobwhite ran around the road in front of us, and we also had a couple of Common Ground Doves show well, but no Roadrunner this time L.  We thought we had an Altamira Oriole calling, but it turned out to be a Mockingbird…  At the turnaround the girls noticed a batch of black butterflies that turned out to be Sickle-winged Skippers, so I stepped out of the car to shoot them and logged a calling Long-billed Thrasher while I was at it…  On the way out a lovely Scissor-tailed Flycatcher flew across the road, and a Loggerhead Shrike posed on a yucca.  A Cave Swallow sat on a wire for good views as well.

Kay's life Cassin's Sparrow!

The girls along Palmito Hill Road

Sickle-winged Skipper

From there we zipped up the main road, stopping briefly for a Harris’ Hawk, and enjoying a big flock of White Ibis crossing the road! We stopped at the traditional falcon stop, but no falcons were to be had.  We did manage to add Black Vultures to the day list as they were soaring around the famous Dump…

Headed home after that, with a modest 60 species for the morning.  Bird list:

Northern Bobwhite

Eurasian Collared-Dove
Common Ground Dove
Mourning Dove
American Avocet
Black-bellied Plover
Snowy Plover
Piping Plover
Killdeer
Ruddy Turnstone
Red Knot
Sanderling
Willet
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern
Common Tern
Forster's Tern
Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern
Black Skimmer
Brown Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Tricolored Heron
Reddish Egret
White Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Harris's Hawk
White-tailed Hawk
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Peregrine Falcon
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
White-eyed Vireo
Loggerhead Shrike
Green Jay
Purple Martin
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Cave Swallow
Cactus Wren
European Starling
Curve-billed Thrasher
Long-billed Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Cassin's Sparrow
Olive Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Great-tailed Grackle
Northern Cardinal

When Easy Is Hard (and Vice Versa)

9/19/19 

Barbara was to head back home today, so we opted to go to Santa Ana NWR, as it was close, and her main target (the Beardless Tyrannulet) was reasonably easy to get.  Katinka joined us again, and before long we were hitting the trail, covering the Chachalaca Trail, then hugging the full Willow Lake (whichever one that is) on the Tower Trail, going past said towers, then picking up the Willow Lake Trail past the big overlook, then back to Chachalaca.  The air was full of birdsong:  Altamira Orioles and Green Jays were dominant, and large flocks of White-winged Doves and Red-winged Blackbirds flew over.  On the way to the restroom I discovered an Io Moth that was reticent to show his “eyes” for Barbara’s camera!

Io Moth

Heading down to the “roundabout” we heard several Olive Sparrows lisping and Carolina Wrens fussing, and before long Katinka spotted her life Long-billed Thrasher!  We stopped for every little guy, as Barbara was still looking for Alder Flycatcher and odd warblers, but the vast majority were Yellow Warblers or Blue-gray Gnatcatchers.  Both Tropical and Couch’s Kingbirds were all over, as well as four kinds of swallows swooping overhead in addition to the Chimney Swifts!  Something that I didn't recognize was going "tuck tuck", and we never could get it to come out, but the next morning on an exercise walk the perp came out for me, and it turned out to be a Yellow-breasted Chat!  We got to the first Willow Lake overlook where the girls spotted a raptor in a tree that I never could get on, but was probably a Harris’ Hawk from their description.  A pair of Mottled Ducks flying over were our only ducks, and Baltimore Orioles were going through in good numbers, but we also had some Hooded Orioles wheeping, with one female showing.  A Northern Waterthrush pinked near the big blind, and the Olive Sparrows finally showed for Katinka (another lifer), along with Black-crested Titmouse and Verdin.  A group of anis bounced through, and a Myiarchus flycatcher with a paler throat was labeled as a Brown-crested.  But I was very disappointed, as every exercise walk I’ve taken around the Chachalaca Trail (on a near daily basis) has produced the tyrannulet, and we didn’t hear one WheeK!  L

Groove-billed Ani

Barbara trying to pin down a mystery call (which turned out to be a Yellow-breasted Chat)

Katinka and Barbara pinning down a warbler

Barbara (left) and Katinka by the Big Blind

  

Continuing on the Tower Trail, we found Killdeer on the little sandbar, but Barbara spotted the Green Kingfisher shooting across!  A little further down an empid came and sat, and we had a discussion as to whether it was a Least or an Alder, as the former was my first impression (especially after Katinka’s pictures showed a dark tip to the lower mandible).  However, while we were watching that bird, I was hearing a pit coming from elsewhere that exactly matched the call note of the Alder, so she could at least bag that target (which, frankly, was the harder one to get)!  Someone spotted a raptor fly into a tree, and a look through the scope revealed a young Red-shouldered Hawk!  (They were hoping for a Roadside… J)  As we left the lake, a Ringed Kingfisher decided to sound off!

The "far" Willow Lake along the Tower Trail

Killdeer

Baltimore Oriole

We continued on past the towers, logging a Yellow-billed Cuckoo pair, and a nice look at a pewee.  Katinka saw a Nashville Warbler somewhere in there, and the bird of the day for me was a Chuck-will’s-widow that we flushed near the towers!  Approaching the overlook along the Willow Lakes Trail a Chachalaca let loose with an alarm call, and a Common Ground Dove sat on the railing (but not long enough for a picture… L).  As we rested there, what should come screaming in but the Ringed Kingfisher with a Couch’s Kingbird hot on her tail!  She made a couple of splashes and seemed to ignore the kingbird pair (we thought there was just one but the photos revealed two) until she finally found a perch out of sight.

Ringed Kingfisher (bottom right) and tormentors (Couch's Kingbirds)

Close-up of the kingfisher

Eastern Wood Pewee

  

Things were quieting down as we circled around, and I suggested we pass through the Spanish Moss-laden section of the Chachalaca Trail again, but no tyrannulet was to be had… L  However, during the second pass by Willow Lake, what I assumed was a Diamondback Water Snake came “slithering” across the lake (Katinka and I were transfixed but Barbara se fued the joint J)!  After posting the video on Facebook, several snake experts suggested that it was actually a young Indigo Snake, as the way it was swimming wasn't consistent with a water snake!

Young Indigo Snake

  

We crawled down the road and back to the Visitor’s Center, and while I got us signed in and took a peek at the back feeders (where a White-tipped Dove was poking around), we still had a little time left, and after some hemming and hawing Barbara asked if we could take one more swing around Chachalaca Trail, which was fine, so off we went!  I’d love to say that this time we hit pay dirt but sadly, the tyrannulet never called, but we did pick up a Great Crested Flycatcher on the return leg!  Barbara’s consolation was that she would hopefully pick it up at the King Ranch in a couple of weeks!

Surprised-looking Northern Rough-winged Swallow

  

We finally called it a day after that, with 52 species for the morning.  Bird list:

Mottled Duck

Plain Chachalaca
Inca Dove
Common Ground Dove
White-tipped Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Groove-billed Ani
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chuck-will's-widow
Chimney Swift
Killdeer
Turkey Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Ringed Kingfisher
Green Kingfisher
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Alder Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Tropical Kingbird
Couch's Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Green Jay
Black-crested Titmouse
Verdin
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Purple Martin
Barn Swallow
Cave Swallow
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Carolina Wren
Long-billed Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Clay-colored Thrush
House Sparrow
Lesser Goldfinch
Olive Sparrow

Yellow-breasted Chat

Hooded Oriole
Altamira Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Northern Waterthrush
Nashville Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Dickcissel

Bust and Bounty

9/18/19 

Once again, Barbara was down to the Valley from the Hill Country to try and wrap up a few year birds, and while she hit pay dirt the evening before on her own (bagging anis and the screech owl at Estero), this morning was kind of a bust so far as targets for her went, but Katinka, a visiting guide from Honduras, joined us and racked up several life birds!

Barbara’s targets were limited to Alder Flycatcher and oddball warblers that might show up, so we headed to South Padre for the morning.  We went straight to the Convention Centre where skies were sunny with a slight breeze blowing, and Katinka’s sharp eyes picked up several Yellow Warblers, a Wilson’s, and an empid that unfortunately was just a Least…  A Blue Grosbeak sitting on the high dead branches was nice, but he was shortly replaced by a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, who was then upstaged by a Loggerhead Shrike!  But the one day I forgot to pack my Off Wipes was the one day we really needed them:  the mosquitos were horrendous!  Bird-wise we had a couple of Northern Waterthrushes and an Ovenbird out in the “back yard”, and from the overlook we picked up Marbled Godwits, Willets, both Blue-winged Teal and Mottled Ducks, and the normal cormorants, pelicans, and herons (including our pie-bald Reddish Egret playing hide-and-seek behind the island out in the Laguna Madre).  Out on the boardwalk we had the resident spoonbills and a few Western Sandpipers, but the only migrant we had out in the mangroves was a male Baltimore Oriole sitting up top (plus the wintering Belted Kingfisher out on the very end).  Dickcissels were flying all over, giving their brat flight calls, and on the way out we checked the circular area again and had a female Orchard Oriole.  Just as we were driving out Katinka spotted an Eastern Kingbird!

Heading over to South Padre Island on the Causeway

Katinka spots a warbler!

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Loggerhead Shrike

 

Katinka and Barbara take the long way around!

Marbled Godwits (and Willet in the back)

Interesting fungus (also below)

Heading back...

Looking for goodies on the boardwalk...

Marbled Godwit (left) and Blue-winged Teal

Baltimore Oriole

Female Orchard Oriole

  

Barbara decided she wanted to take her Ford Expedition out on the Flats, so we took the shortcut road and headed out to enjoy several terns (Forster’s was a lifer for Katinka), skimmers (including some crisp juveniles), and more Piping Plovers hanging with the Sanderlings!  Barbara spotted a single Semipalmated Plover out there, and of course there were some Black-bellieds that still had their black belly, but alas, no Red Knots showed up… L

Caspian (left) and Forster's Terns

Black Skimmer - adult

Juvenile

Sandwich (left) and Royal Terns with skimmer

Piping Plover that escaped being "blinged"

Stretching...

Sanderlings

  

From there we headed to the Birding Center where a Kiskadee flopped around right in front of us as we parked, and an Osprey greeted us right away on a pole!  Barbara was a sport and agreed to hike the whole boardwalk (the only real migrant trap is the tiny little butterfly garden, where we saw zilch, zero, nada):  lots more Mottled Ducks greeted us (and wanted a handout, of course), and we found Big Padre the Alligator and his smaller kin.  I was still hoping for Red Knot for the year, and thought I saw a couple fly by, but the only chunky shorebirds we could find in the flats south of the boardwalk were Short-billed Dowitchers and Black-bellied Plovers.  While checking those out Barbara hissed, “Right in front of us!!”  A little guy was flopping around in a close mangrove, and since she glimpsed stripes on the head she thought she had her coveted Worm-eating Warbler, but when it finally gave us a decent look it turned out to be a Red-eyed Vireo…  Clapper Rails sounded off very close, and Barbara was actually able to spot one near the boardwalk – another lifer for Katinka!  (They get the split-off Mangrove Rail in Honduras…)  Several White Ibis on the railing entertained us, and a Least Sandpiper gave a good look on the east-bound loop.  Green Herons flew across while Least Bitterns sounded off unseen, and while trying to sort things out in the East Pond, an adolescent Common Gallinule whined at us from just over the boardwalk; even Momma acted like she was expecting a handout!  Back at the car, Barbara spotted (no pun intended) a Spotted Ground Squirrel beyond the fence, a nice mammal to get here!

Katinka acts as photographer for a visiting couple!

Tricolored Heron

Barbara enjoys the tame White Ibis on the railing!

Here he takes a drink (and his eye is fine - he's blinking!)

From there we headed over to Sheepshead, where there was actually a bit of action:  right away a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher hopped around in a mesquite before we even got out of the car, and an Olive-sided Flycatcher sat on the wire!  Two pewees song-battled it out next door to the “dark side”, and we glimpsed an American Redstart before we had to escape due to some electrical work being done on the power lines!  We actually checked the “sunny side” first where we had another Least Flycatcher and another couple of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, but on the “dark side” about the only thing we could muster up was the ever-present Northern Waterthrush.  A second Olive-sided Flycatcher showed up, which was kinda cool!

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Katinka points out a pewee on the Sunny Side

We called it a day after that, adding a Northern Harrier along SR 48 on the way home, and ending with 67 species for the morning.  Bird list:

Blue-winged Teal

Mottled Duck
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Clapper Rail
Common Gallinule
American Coot
Black-necked Stilt
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover
Killdeer
Marbled Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Least Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Laughing Gull
Caspian Tern
Common Tern
Forster's Tern
Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern
Black Skimmer
Neotropic Cormorant
Brown Pelican
Least Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Tricolored Heron
Reddish Egret
Green Heron
White Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Northern Harrier
Belted Kingfisher
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Eastern Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Red-eyed Vireo
Loggerhead Shrike
Barn Swallow
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Northern Mockingbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
American Redstart
Yellow Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Blue Grosbeak
Dickcissel