4/12/21
Jackie was able to do a lot of birding on her own on Sunday, and while visiting Old Hidalgo Pumphouse, she reported a bird hanging with a Painted Bunting that she admitted had to be an escaped exotic, as the app she used to identify it came up with Blue Finch, a near-threatened Brazilian species (turquoise blue with a bright yellow bill)! So I was naturally curious to see if we could refind and document the thing, so we changed plans once again and headed out there, deciding to go ahead and spend the day in the Hidalgo/Mission area seeing as she had to pick up her doggie from the groomers in San Juan at 3:00!
We
went the back way via US 281 which led straight into Hidalgo and the
Pumphouse. Jackie loved the place; we
checked the channel for kingfishers and Black Phoebe (nada), but had a
tittering Tropical Kingbird nearby. Her
mystery bird was along a neighborhood fence visible from the levee, so we
headed straight there; nothing except barking dogs, but we did pick up
the Monk Parakeets and their stick nest from up there! We decided to walk down to where the bike
path veers off, picking up an adult and immature Altamira Oriole – lifer! A cooperative Ladder-backed Woodpecker was in
a nearby dead tree, but it wasn’t long before the event of the morning started
taking place: kettle after kettle after
kettle of Broad-winged Hawks! It was
incredible; we estimated at least a thousand birds! Try as we might, we couldn’t pull out any
kites in with them this time (although a few Turkey Vultures and Laughing Gulls
joined the dance); we even pointed them out to the National Guard guy at his
post, who had never seen anything like that!
Coming back after our rest on the bike path bench we did spot a
couple of Painted Buntings in the grass, along with an Indigo Bunting and a
singing Lark Sparrow, but no exotic little beastie showed itself. Cedar Waxwings in the trees were fun, a
couple of Couch’s Kingbirds called from the refuge land south of the wall, and
in the midst of all this a late Pine Siskin cheered overhead!
Next
was Anzalduas, where we added Harris’ Hawk and Eastern Meadowlark on the way
there. On the way in an Osprey was
ripping apart a fish, and Jackie saw more Broadies while I was filming the
Osprey. We headed up on the levee, and
while the gate was open, the Constable was turning people away due to
“activity” in the area (I warned Jackie that they sometimes do that), but since
she wanted to take a picture of the river he gave us the okay to go ahead and
park at the other end of the levee (the overlook area where I always used to
stop for five anyway before the “No Trespassing” signs went up) and get our
pictures. While Jackie shot, I scanned,
and we added Pied-billed Grebe, Coots, and Great, Snowy, and Cattle Egrets to
the list from up there (there were some things in the river that you
needed a scope for, but we both agreed that pulling out the scope would be
pushing the envelope…)!
Osprey chowing down on a fish
Since Fulvous Whistling Duck was on her want list, we headed straight up Shary Road to Bannworth Park in hopes that the Fulvous that had been hanging around all winter was still there. The bird numbers had thinned considerably: still lots of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (and domestics), but not nearly as many as on previous visits. Just two Black-necked Stilts graced the lake, and Jackie got a big kick out of the turtles, especially this Soft-shelled Turtle that was making tracks across the lawn and into the water! The Fulvous appeared to be gone, but better than that was a pair of Brewer’s Blackbirds in the parking lot!
From there we decided to check the feeders at the National Butterfly Center, picking up a nice male Harrier and Red-tailed Hawk along Military Highway on the way. Once there we got our bands and headed down to the south gardens. The Chachalacas were chasing each other around like nobody’s business, and a Long-billed Thrasher came in to drink, but since it wasn’t quite time for the afternoon feeding, things were quiet, so we decided to check the Back 70 and then come back after the food had been put out. Best bird back there was a hen Turkey in the grassy wetland!
Back to the garden we went, poking along until 1:30 when the guy was gonna put
out the vittles. A pair of Curve-billed
Thrashers claimed the pavilion, and we heard a Brown-crested Flycatcher that
just would not let us find him!
We did spot another Altamira Oriole, and their signature
butterfly, the Mexican Bluewing, made a quick pass as well (was glad to see
them come back after the freeze)! Back
at the feeding station, besides the tons of blackbirds and grackles and continuing
Chachalacas, we also enjoyed Green Jays, Cardinals, a Golden-fronted
Woodpecker, White-tipped Doves, and a Clay-colored Sparrow hanging with a
Lincoln’s! Alas, the Clay-colored Thrush
never came in before we had to leave, but as Jackie agreed, it was just another
excuse to come back! We added a Caracara
just before pulling out of the center’s drive, and heading back on Military
Highway, what should be soaring over the road but an adult White-tailed Hawk! That was another one on the “wish list”, and
we got it at the 11th hour!
(The Cooper’s Hawk over the levee was anticlimactic…)
We ended up with a modest
60 species for the day, but had some wonderful experiences! Bird list:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Plain
Chachalaca
Wild
Turkey
Pied-billed
Grebe
Rock
Pigeon
Eurasian
Collared-Dove
White-tipped
Dove
White-winged
Dove
Mourning
Dove
American
Coot
Black-necked
Stilt
Laughing
Gull
Neotropic
Cormorant
Great
Egret
Snowy
Egret
Cattle
Egret
Turkey
Vulture
Osprey
Northern
Harrier
Harris's
Hawk
White-tailed
Hawk
Broad-winged
Hawk
Red-tailed
Hawk
Golden-fronted
Woodpecker
Ladder-backed
Woodpecker
Crested
Caracara
Monk
Parakeet
Brown-crested
Flycatcher
Great
Kiskadee
Tropical
Kingbird
Couch's
Kingbird
Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher
White-eyed
Vireo
Green
Jay
Black-crested
Titmouse
Northern
Rough-winged Swallow
Barn
Swallow
Cliff
Swallow
House
Wren
European
Starling
Curve-billed
Thrasher
Long-billed
Thrasher
Northern
Mockingbird
Cedar
Waxwing
House
Sparrow
Pine
Siskin
Olive
Sparrow
Clay-colored
Sparrow
Lark
Sparrow
Lincoln's
Sparrow
Eastern
Meadowlark
Altamira
Oriole
Red-winged
Blackbird
Bronzed
Cowbird
Brown-headed
Cowbird
Brewer's
Blackbird
Great-tailed
Grackle
Northern
Cardinal
Indigo
Bunting
Painted
Bunting
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