1/14/22
Today was the big excursion to Salineno, so we left early and decided to take the long way around in order to avoid all that construction work on I-2 (including coming in to La Joya)! Carrie’s plan was to go up to Trenton and over, which I realized was a great idea as I would often get the Green Parakeets that hung around the HEB there in the morning! Not today, though, so I suggested we take 10th up to SR 107 as they sometimes staged along that area as well. This time we hit pay dirt, as we first heard a flock screeching by, then found a mass of them on the wires! We found a parking spot so that people could get pictures; that was definitely an unexpected blessing!
Enjoying the Green Parakeets (below) along 10th Street
We made it up to Salineno without incident (Carrie, John, and Elizabeth entertained those within earshot with a “pun-off” that lasted all day on and off J), where Carrie parked the van in the Valley Land Fund parking lot, and with scopes in hand we trucked down to the Rio Grande. Right away a Ringed Kingfisher flew overhead, making his cracking flight call, and on the river we had good comparative views of a Neotropic Cormorant next to two Doublecrests. Someone spotted a Spotted Sandpiper on the bar, and at some point the Least Sandpiper flock went wheeling past.
There were some ducks way upriver (Pintail were the
only identifiable ones at that distance), so we headed up the rather quiet (except
for a calling Greater Yellowlegs) trail to the cul-de-sac, where the ducks
spooked, but we were at least able to nail down Blue-winged Teal and Mottled
Ducks. The Osprey pair was chasing each
other, and the Vermilion Flycatcher was still performing from his tree across
the way! The dead snag hosted a Merlin,
but I had just gotten the scope on it when I heard a suspicious and somewhat
Song Sparrow-like bark, and a little pishing betrayed the presence of the
coveted Morelet’s Seedeater! She
miraculously came right to the top of a stalk next to us (eating seeds, someone
pointed out J), and actually stayed put for a while, giving everyone great
views! By the time she decided she had
had enough attention and said her farewells, the snag had become host to a pair
of rattling Caracaras along with a Black Vulture companion. On the way back someone near the end of the
line spotted some flying ducks that had the tell-tale white borders to the
speculums, nailing them as Mexicans (or at least something with Mallard blood
in them…).
Sadly, we didn’t even hear any Audubon’s Orioles along the trail, and Merle reported that they
hadn’t been coming to the feeders, but we at least enjoyed the regulars, with
the highlights being the Green Jays, Kiskadees, sunning Chachalacas, an
Orange-crowned Warbler, a Long-billed Thrasher, a shy Clay-colored Thrush, knock-out
Altamira Orioles, and a female Ladder-backed Woodpecker that stayed put even
when the Sharp-shinned Hawk came blasting through! (The Bewick’s Wren was content to sing but
didn’t come in…) From there we made a
stop at Subway in Roma and took our sandwiches to Bicentennial Plaza, then
headed over to Rancho Lomitas in Rio Grande City.
Feeding stations
This is the place to get Scaled Quail in the Valley, but one must make prior arrangement with Toni Trevino so she can prepare the feeders! It was also our last best chance at getting the Audubon’s Oriole, as they were a no-show at Salineno. L Today Anna greeted us and encouraged us to split up between the casita feeders and the feeders at Jim’s (the resident naturalist) trailer; I stayed at the casitas with Kerry and a handful of others, where once the humans got settled J the Scaled Quail eventually came in to our feet at Anna’s prompting! Other expected suspects showed up (including a titmouse that grabbed a peanut almost as big as he was), but before long Kerry spotted the Audubon’s, which eventually came down to the feeders! What a look! A White-tipped Dove gave a fleeting but identifiable glimpse as he blasted across the courtyard.
A Red Admiral poses on one of the inspirational signs
Before long we really had to get going, but just as
we were pulling out to pick up the gang that had gone to Jim’s, Anna called us
back – the Roadrunner came out! So we
all piled out and got great looks and pictures; even Carrie was able to walk
right up to him for an iPhone video!
Their resident Roadrunner hides in the shadows..
...then creeps out into the open!
After that we picked up the rest of the gang (who
thankfully had also seen the Audubon’s) and
came home by way of FM 490 and McCook, where we were able to pick up a Krider’s
Red-tailed Hawk and a better look at a White-tailed Hawk! We ended the day with 59 species (and one subspecies
counting the Krider’s), which is about right for the deserts of Starr
County! Bird list:
Blue-winged Teal
Mexican Duck
Mottled Duck
Northern Pintail
Plain Chachalaca
Scaled Quail
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Inca Dove
White-tipped Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Greater Roadrunner
Least Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Double-crested Cormorant
Neotropic Cormorant
American White Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Harris's Hawk
White-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ringed Kingfisher
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Crested Caracara
American Kestrel
Merlin
Green Parakeet
Vermilion Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Loggerhead Shrike
Green Jay
Black-crested Titmouse
Verdin
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Bewick's Wren
European Starling
Long-billed Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Clay-colored Thrush
House Sparrow
Altamira Oriole
Audubon's Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Orange-crowned Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Morelet's Seedeater
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