Kingdom Company

11/15/19 

This morning Keith’s British friend and festival helper Tim joined us as we headed to Estero Llano Grande State Park on yet another brisk morning!  (I figured they’d all enjoy each other’s company as Kay and Martin were from Manchester and Tim was from Spalding…)  Tim never goes anywhere without his scope, so he volunteered to be the scope-bearer (especially since he had a Scope-Pak which made carrying it easy) as we headed into the Tropical Zone.  Just before the Green Jay Trail Tim peeked into a corner of ground, and found the Pauraque pair that had apparently camped out at that spot – that was really a treat!

Kay, Tim, and Martin get ready for the big hike!

Enjoying the "Entrance Pauraque" (below)

As usual, it was pretty quiet to begin with; we took the back trail and had the usual Orange-crowned Warblers and titmice chirping, and a Golden-fronted Woodpecker posed on a dead tree.  A 15-minute vigil in the Indigo Blind proved pretty fruitful, however: even though the faithful volunteers hadn’t put out the buffet yet, the place was covered in White-tipped Doves and Green Jays waiting for their vittles!  Both Buff-bellied and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds came in to the hummer feeder, and a Cardinal visited the tray picking up the leftovers.  A couple of Kiskadees fought over the empty peanut butter feeder as well!

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

White-tipped Dove

Cardinal

Kiskadee

Buff-bellied Hummingbird

From there we made another vigil at the picnic table feeders, picking up the resident Harris’ Hawk flying by on the way!  Once at the table Tim right away got everyone on a brilliant male Black-throated Green Warbler!  Again, the residents were picking at the leftovers as titmice, Cardinals, Green Jays, White-tipped Doves, and both species of thrasher came in to the tables!  Shortly the breakfast crew showed up (Kay asked them for eggs and sausage J), and after they filled the feeders the gentleman said, “Now you’re gonna see some action!”  Sure enough, the minute they left, the place was mobbed with more of the same, plus a pair of Golden-fronted Woodpeckers attacking the fresh grapefruit!  Unfortunately the Olive Sparrow didn’t make a showing before we had to continue on, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk kinda broke up the party, anyway…

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Playtime at the feeders (with Golden-fronted Woodpeckers and Green Jays)

Heading out of the Tropical Zone

On the way to the deck the guys spotted an Inca Dove that I never got on, but an Altamira Oriole whistled happily while Kay got a glimpse of the thing shooting through!  Being overcast made Ibis Pond easier to peruse:  it wasn’t stuffed with stuff, but there were plenty of Blue-winged Teal, a few Shovelers, a couple of Mottled Ducks, and Coots and Gadwall over in Avocet Pond.  A Black Phoebe was flopping around (I don’t recall seeing one at Estero before), and a Common Yellowthroat was unusually cooperative!  Kay discovered some Chachalacas on the floor of the “restroom feeders”, and as we made our way out to Dowitcher Pond I tried unsuccessfully to pish out some lisping Olive Sparrows.  

Blue-winged Teal (note the water drops on the head of the bird above)

Proud Black Phoebe (above and below)

Common Yellowthroat

  

At the pond we added a male Cinnamon Teal, a pod of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, a few Least Grebes, some Green-winged Teal, and a very bold Sora to the list!  Four Plegaids ibis were feeding halfway down the pond, so I asked Tim to check them out as Glossy had been reported, but he said they all had red eyes, making them White-faced…  A few Least Sandpipers came in close which delighted Kay!  Grebe Marsh didn’t have much except a Spotted Sandpiper, but a Green Kingfisher did zip by and give a brief look!  (Tim shared a bit of anecdotal info about how to tell Spotted from the nearly identical Common Sandpiper of Europe:  he’d noticed that Spotteds will crouch and stalk prey items, and he had never observed Commons doing that!  I knew exactly what he was talking about, as I had once videoed a Spotted doing just that with a damselfly on a log!)  A Ladder-backed Woodpecker and Tropical Kingbird vocalized nicely but played hard to get…

White-faced Ibis

Sora

Least Sandpiper (above and below)

Over at Alligator Lake I was really expecting more night herons, but only had one adult Yellow-crowned Night Heron, albeit close to shore!  Since we had already seen Pauraques I took my charges along the back loop to see if the McCall’s Screech Owl was in his box (he wasn’t L), but Kay and Martin were keen on seeing more Pauraques, so Tim was able to find the “reliable” one in the “usual” spot, although this time he was sitting in a bunch of greenery!  While scanning the lake another Green Kingfisher shot across (I thought they’d be about the same size as Britain’s kingfisher, but Kay said they’re actually smaller than the Green), and Tim was rather nonplussed when we reached the deck and the lake didn’t have the “tons” of birds that were there the last time he was there!  I dutifully teased him as, in my experience, it never has “tons” of birds, but it’s always a good place to pick up a few things, and this time we had two Black-crowned Night Herons and an immature Yellow-crowned that Tim said didn’t look too happy… J  On the way out Martin was pointing at something on the ground, and Tim assumed he had found another Pauraque on the “wrong” side of the trail, but he had actually found a Hispid Cotton Rat!  Nearby someone spotted a Snowy Egret and Anhinga close together on a branch just visible through the brush!

Kay and Tim check out Alligator Lake

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

The "reliable" Pauraque

Black-crowned Night Heron

Anhinga

The gang was game for a peek on the levee, so up we went, where the wind was gale force but thankfully to our backs; we quickly picked up Avocets in addition to the ubiquitous teal, and Tim spotted a distant Red-tailed Hawk before we headed down the levee and down the other “ramp”.  A young male Vermilion Flycatcher greeted us at the “T” intersection, but Dowitcher Pond had nothing new (except the field trip across the way J), so we continued on the trail through the mesquite savannah, where turning the corner someone spotted a “thrush” up in the tree that turned out to be an American Robin!  (Ho hum to most of the country, but that’s a good bird for the Valley!)  On the Spoonbill Trail boardwalk a lovely Harrier sailed overhead, a “Myrtle” Warbler came close along with a couple of Orangecrowns, and an Eastern Phoebe flopped around in the marsh.  A Cave Swallow flew overhead, prompting a wish for one to show up in Britain!  A couple of Eastern Cottontails poured on the cuteness (including an adorable baby that I wasn’t quick enough with the camera for), and we ruminated over the identity of a deceased mouse on the boardwalk until Kay finally said, “It’s a dead one…” J

Up on the levee

American Robin, a good bird for the Valley!

Tim trying to shoot the Robin...

We decided to spend about 15 minutes at the “Restroom Feeders” where there was a bit of action (besides the ubiquitous Red-winged Blackbirds and House Sparrows):  both species of thrasher showed up (in fact, the Curve-billed was being a bit of a bully towards the blackbirds), and a Wilson’s Warbler played hide-and-seek in the bushes.  Titmice and gnatcatchers made brief appearances, as did the field trip that came parading through while we were there – they looked like they were enjoying themselves!  

Long-billed Thrasher

Curve-billed Thrasher

  

The kids had commandeered the deck, so we decided to take the back trail to the Tropical Zone and then head to the parking lot from there.  We enjoyed several Chachalacas hogging the tray feeder behind the building, and an Orange-crowned Warbler taking a bath in the water feature, but the Screech Owl was not in his hole in the white building L.  We enjoyed our stroll back out, adding a singing Carolina Wren to the list, checked in on the Pauraque pair again, and then headed home with a respectable 68 species for the morning!  Bird list:

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

Blue-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Mottled Duck
Green-winged Teal
Plain Chachalaca
Least Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe
Inca Dove
White-tipped Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Common Pauraque
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Buff-bellied Hummingbird
Sora
Common Gallinule
American Coot
Least Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
Anhinga
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
White Ibis
White-faced Ibis
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Harris's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Green Kingfisher
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Crested Caracara
Black Phoebe
Eastern Phoebe
Vermilion Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Tropical Kingbird
Green Jay
Black-crested Titmouse
Verdin
Cave Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
House Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Curve-billed Thrasher
Long-billed Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
Olive Sparrow
Altamira Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Orange-crowned Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Northern Cardinal

Road-Birding La Sal

11/14/19 

It was still cold (in the low 40s), but at least it wasn’t raining when I met my charges, Kay and Martin from Great Britain, at the Inn for a morning’s birding!  A fine mist was covering the car as I drove, so we decided to switch the destinations for the two-day adventure and do the La Sal del Rey Route this morning.  Picked up Cattle Egrets flying across Alamo Road for the first “interesting” bird of the day!

Kay and Martin were self-described “nature lovers”, not hard-core birders, so they were happy with whatever came by!  We started on Brushline Road north of SR 186 where it was pretty quiet to start, but we had plenty of Caracaras and a couple of Eastern Phoebes show well.  One pair each of Golden-fronted and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers seemed to be squabbling over ownership of this one power pole, and the mammal highlight was a pair of Racoons rummaging in the road before a passing truck scared them off!  We also had a couple of White-tailed Deer crossing the road, but I was keeping an eye out for Nilgai!

We decided to take a hike out to the Salt Lake, which because of the cold was also rather quiet, but at the parking area a Long-billed Thrasher called, and we managed brief looks at Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and a House Wren near the pit toilet.  Some distant Sandhill Cranes were calling, and they eventually flew over the trail, giving great looks, while a single American Pipit and chipping Yellow-rumped Warbler was less impressive…  Some Olive Sparrows lisped in the cactus patches along the trail near the lake, but true to form, didn’t want to come out. There was absolutely nothing at the lake (except a lot of water from all the rains), so we poked back to the car, scaring up that female Nilgai we had been looking for!

Martin and Kay at the trailhead

Reading up on the history of the salt lake

La Sal del Rey ("The King's Salt")

Continuing to crawl north, we eventually had some nice sightings along the road:  some Black-throated Sparrows popped up across from the ranch with the picturesque gate J, a couple of Black-crested Titmice showed well in a feeding flock along with some Orange-crowned Warblers and Bewick’s Wrens, a Verdin actually showed itself, and a Cactus Wren popped up at one point!  Cardinals kept fooling us into thinking they were Pyrrhuloxias, and a young White-tailed Hawk made a strafing run at a Turkey Vulture!  (A Caracara did the same thing later, along with a Kestrel…)  A Long-billed Curlew called unseen, Green Jays fed along the road, and a couple of Turkeys made a beeline into the brush!  On the eastbound leg of Brushline we had a Loggerhead Shrike, a pair of Harris’ Hawks, and just before hitting the farm pond a fence line was quite active with a pair of Curve-billed Thrashers, several Kiskadees, and a Pyrrhuloxia.  (It may have been here I got a brief glimpse of a White-crowned Sparrow before my attention was required elsewhere… J)  The farm pond itself was quite productive with tons of Gadwall, a few Shovelers, a pair of Mottled Ducks, and singletons of Pintail, Green-winged Teal, and Ruddy Duck!  Both grebes were represented, and three Avocets fed next to a Great Egret.  A Great Blue Heron and Greater Yellowlegs noisily objected to our presence, while the Killdeer in the field didn’t seem to care…  In the process of turning around we spotted a brilliant male Vermilion Flycatcher, more Black-throated Sparrows, a female Pyrrhuloxia, and a Harrier cruising around!  A Sprague’s Pipit gave its distinctive pike out in the open field, and we finally got our Roadrunner sunning on westbound Brushline! 

Young White-tailed Hawk

Curve-billed Thrasher

We turned onto Ken Baker Road and were greeted by several Black Vultures sitting on a power pole!  That wasn’t the only thing we were greeted with, as the road itself turned out to be quite adventurous – again, I was glad I was raised learning to drive in snow!  We went through several bad spots that I pondered going through at all, but we made it (including one really dicey spot near Rio Beef Feedyard that a huge semi truck went through shortly after we did), and it was worth it:  a pair of Bobwhite flushed right next to us, a pair of lovely adult White-tailed Hawks posed along with a single Red-tailed Hawk, and a pair of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers performed well!  But the best treat was in the “barren field” with a herd of about 15 Wild Turkeys!

Adult White-tailed Hawk

Wild Turkeys

We really had to scoot after that, so we headed back to Alamo with an even 60 species for the morning!  Bird list:

Northern Shoveler

Gadwall
Mottled Duck
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Ruddy Duck
Northern Bobwhite
Wild Turkey
Least Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Greater Roadrunner
Sandhill Crane
American Avocet
Killdeer
Long-billed Curlew
Greater Yellowlegs
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Cattle Egret
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Harris's Hawk
White-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Crested Caracara
American Kestrel
Eastern Phoebe
Vermilion Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Loggerhead Shrike
Green Jay
Black-crested Titmouse
Verdin
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
House Wren
Bewick's Wren
Cactus Wren
Curve-billed Thrasher
Long-billed Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
American Pipit
Sprague's Pipit
Olive Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Western Meadowlark
Red-winged Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Pyrrhuloxia

Baldy's Back!

11/13/19 

The good news was that it wasn’t raining the next morning; the bad news was that it got progressively worse as we headed to Starr County! L  So the plan was to road-bird Falcon State Park until it quit (which was supposed to be around noon) and then head to Salineño.  We had plenty of Mockingbirds along the entrance road, and I pointed out the Coma trees that the Red-billed Pigeons like in the spring.  An “Audubon’s” Warbler gave its dry chip (not as husky as the “Myrtle”), but understandably it was pretty quiet!  After stopping at the entrance for bathrooms we started to pile into the car when a Roadrunner on the side of the road distracted us!  A Curve-billed Thrasher was with him until he gradually made his way to the curb near the parking lot, then headed back to the main road (until an RV came by and shooed him off…)!  

Curious Greater Roadrunner

There was really zero bird life as we cruised around the outer loop and the primitive campground, but the boat ramp had a young Great Blue Heron and Neotropic Cormorant tag fishing by the pier!  Probably the best sighting of the day happened after we turned the corner from the boat ramp area towards the rec center, and there was a whole herd of Collared Peccary hogging the road (no pun intended)!  They allowed pretty close approach in the car, and they all appeared to be guzzling down the water that had puddled on the road!  A “thooking” Hermit Thrush added background sound effects, and the Osprey on the pole by the butterfly garden was almost anticlimactic!

Young Great Blue Heron

Collared Peccaries at a puddle

Check out that tusk!

Osprey

The picnic area was quiet as well, but a view into the lake from there added one White Pelican, a Laughing Gull, and distant egrets and cormorants, while we finally bagged a Pyrrhuloxia in the cabin area.  Several more Roadrunners made appearances here and there, and a crawl through the one road that was open in the hookup area produced a nice feeding flock with Orange-crowned Warblers, kinglets, a Bewick’s Wren, and an Olive Sparrow that popped up!

Cold Cardinal

It was still raining, so we made a mad dash for the Salineño feeders (we did not go by way of the Dump Road J), where Lois assured us via text message that the awning on their RV was up and we could enjoy the birds while staying dry!  The place didn’t disappoint: it was hopping with Bobwhite, four kinds of doves, Altamira Orioles, both woodpeckers, a Long-billed Thrasher, the Olive Sparrow, Green Jays all over, and so many Chachalacas that Mike and Merle had to chase them off!  It turned out that Bronzed Cowbird was a life bird for Peggy, so we actually were able to pick one out amongst the hordes of Redwings!  While the Audubon’s Oriole didn’t come in while we were there, the biggest surprise was hearing an American Robin talking to us off-stage!  

The famous feeder area at Salineno

Fuzzy Bobwhite

Fuzzy Olive Sparrow

(The light was too low for sharp stills, so here are a few videos...)

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Quartet of Green Jays

It was still dripping a little bit, so we sat at the boat ramp (in the car) and had a Green Kingfisher land on the cement wall!  It let up enough so that my charges wanted to hike the trail, so we bundled up and headed out, where about all we got at first was some exercise trying to stay upright on the slippery trail!  All the action was at the cul-de-sac, where a nice little flock of Mexican Ducks sat for us!  Eventually other stuff showed:  a pair of Gray Hawks flew overhead, whistling away, while a Red-shouldered called unseen upriver.  Also vocalizing upriver was an Anhinga, and a Snowy Egret showed up with his golden slippers!  A Belted Kingfisher rattled and landed, while a Black Phoebe peeped in the reeds on the little island.  A lovely Vermilion Flycatcher sat across the culvert, and a Spotted Sandpiper flew across the river with its characteristic bowed wingbeat.  The seedeater never showed up, but across the river we heard the Scrub Jay-like “shack” and sad whistle of the Audubon’s Oriole, although we never could spot him…

Female Green Kingfisher

With that, my charges were more than happy to sit at the feeders some more in hopes of said oriole coming in, so back up we went (with our lunches this time, I think J)!  Merle informed us that the Clay-colored Thrush had shown up just as we left L, but at least it was showing, so we were hopeful!  Before long we heard that “shack” again (a little harsher than the Altamira’s “choip”), and here came Baldy, the Audubon’s Oriole with some missing head feathers, back for his fifth year, Merle said!  His mate also came in, so we enjoyed them until it was time to wrap up and start heading back to Alamo.  But Peggy wanted to give it just a few more minutes, and it’s a good thing we did, as that’s when the Clay-colored Thrush came in!

Baldy, the returning Audubon's Oriole

The more common Altamira Oriole

Mike shows John and Peggy a chili pequin, that reportedly made him dance when he ate it...

Lois pointing out said chili (circled, believe it or not)!

We bagged one more species than the day before with 58, but that’s not bad for Starr County, even on a sunny day!  Bird list:

Mexican Duck

Plain Chachalaca
Northern Bobwhite
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Inca Dove
White-tipped Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Greater Roadrunner
Spotted Sandpiper
Laughing Gull
Anhinga
Neotropic Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Cooper's Hawk
Gray Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Green Kingfisher
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Crested Caracara
American Kestrel
Black Phoebe
Vermilion Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Green Jay
Black-crested Titmouse
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
House Wren
Bewick's Wren
Curve-billed Thrasher
Long-billed Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Hermit Thrush
Clay-colored Thrush
American Robin
House Sparrow
Olive Sparrow
Altamira Oriole
Audubon's Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Bronzed Cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Orange-crowned Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Pyrrhuloxia