Miracle Morning

3/22/22 

Sirimon et al had booked a half day the next day, so we opted to drive separately to Estero Llano Grande State Park in case they wanted to head to another birding spot after we were done.  Even though there was a Red Flag Warning still out, it was a lovely day, and since “Pam in the Palm Now in the Box” (one of their staked-out McCall’s Screech Owls) was so close to the parking area, we opted to see if “she” was peeking out of her hole, and she certainly was!  (I explained that the bird’s gender was arbitrary, of course, only because “Pam in the Palm” had a nice ring to it, just as we have no idea if “Fred in the Shed” is really a male…)

"McCall's" Screech Owl

After enjoying “her” we headed to the deck and just hung around until the office opened; Ibis Pond was stuffed with Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, of course, but miracle of miracles, the Fulvous was among them, right out in the open!  Right around the time the office opened the blackbirds and ducks made a beeline to the lawn feeders in anticipation of being fed (although the volunteer we ran into said they were waiting in vain as they only put food out for them occasionally, because they had gotten so out of hand)!  We then spent about 15 minutes at the “restroom feeders” hoping a Buff-bellied Hummer would come in, but were entertained by the redwings and House Sparrows instead.  But we soon had another miracle:  a Verdin popped up right out in the open in one of the trees!  (Don’t read this, Jen… J)  A singing Long-billed Thrasher was quite cooperative as well! 

Sirimon and Sarida check out something along the Brick Walkway while Sak returns from the truck...

Fulvous Whistling Duck

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

Verdin

Green Jay

From there we headed out to the boardwalk, enjoying the Purple Martins, followed by the morning bird walk, where we actually negotiated our routes so that we wouldn’t be stumbling over each other (especially as Sirimon’s desire was to get some nice photographs)!  They headed to Alligator Lake while we continued on the boardwalk (where the lighting was much better for photography) and enjoyed more whistling ducks and a pair of Shovelers.  Things were naturally quiet circling around the mesquite savannah until we got to Curlew Pond, where we had a trio of Mottled Ducks (until proven otherwise), a couple of Lincoln’s Sparrows in the brush, and a semi-cooperative Great Crested Flycatcher over the trail!  Crossing Dowitcher Pond, the reeds were way too high to spot the Soras that were plaintively calling back and forth (Sarida described their chicks as black cotton balls with legs J), but we did glimpse a Cooper’s Hawk batting over the marsh.  A female Hooded Oriole was in a tree along the trail, and Yellowthroats called and sang unseen.  Where we could look in was devoid of birds, but a nice Harrier swooped low towards the end of the trail.

Purple Martins 

Northern Shovelers (female left, male right)

Black-bellied Whistling Duck log

L-R:  Me, Sirimon, Sarida, and Sak (© 2022 Surasak Pratuangtham)

Heading over the little footbridge we checked out Grebe Marsh which also had no birds, so we headed to Alligator Lake, where a White-tailed Kite made a brief pass over the levee.  The night herons of both flavors were still there (more Yellow-crowned than Black-crowned), and the Anhingas (called Darters in Thailand Sak told us) showed well (actually, “American Darter” would probably be a more appropriate name)!  From there we looked carefully for the Pauraque when another miracle took place:  Sirimon actually spotted the thing way back in the brush!  Sarida also spotted it, but Sak and I were having a hard time of it (from Sarida’s directions, I was convinced they were actually looking at a piece of wood J)!  But Sirimon was able to get a picture of it, and she indeed had the bird (which was partially obscured by a log)!  Another gentleman and his wife came by who happened to have a laser pointer, so Sarida used it (appropriately – wanted to assure our readers about that) to get everyone on the bird – then I could see where it was!  I was amazed that Sirimon was able to spot it in the first place!  The good news was that the Bird Walk Bunch was coming back from the overlook and had not seen the Pauraque, so Sarida took them back and got them on the bird, while the rest of us focused on the feeding flock the group leader cottoned us onto, which included a gorgeous Black-throated Green Warbler and a cooperative (!) White-eyed Vireo! 

White-eyed Vireo

Black-throated Green Warbler

Photographing the Pauraque (below)

(His face is obscured by a piece of wood...)

Female Anhinga

We had nice looks at both “Greg” and “Sneg” at the overlook (banding codes for Great Egret and Snowy Egret), and several Neotropic Cormorants, including several that entertained us with their grunting!  A grackle nearly as big as the Anhinga next to it took off before I could get a documentation photo J, and a Great Blue Heron joined another Yellow-crowned Nightie, but no kingfishers were to be found. L  So we headed out, enjoying both Least and Pied-billed Grebes (and a grackle “escorting” a Turkey Vulture out of the area J), and after passing the turnoff to Camino del Aves I took a quick look in the little wetland that looked perfect for Green Kingfishers.  Sure enough, Sak (I think it was) spotted one, and I only got on him because he moved!  Not sure Sirimon was able to get a picture before he took off again for the canal, but he sure was a cutie!  Three White Pelicans sailed by on the walk back.

Least Grebe

Pied-billed Grebe

"Greg" and "Sneg"

Great Blue Heron, Neotropic Cormorant, and Yellow-crowned Night Heron 

After using the facilities we headed for the Tropical Zone and the Indigo Blind, taking one more quick look at “Pam” on the way.  We ran into a couple of ladies who had spotted a Clay-colored Thrush, which was new for the gang, and also Huck Hutchins who was leading a tram tour and told us that an Olive Sparrow was coming in to the blind.  The Bird Walk Bunch was already there, but apparently they had spent enough satisfactory time observing the birds that they were more than willing to “change the guard”!  So we took over, and even though it seemed dead quiet, I insisted on giving it 15 minutes to let the birds get used to us.  And after what seemed like an eternity, in they came, one after the other:  feisty Kiskadees (I was waiting for that “crown flare” that they never gave me L), Green Jays, titmice, both woodpeckers, Cardinals, another Long-billed Thrasher, and eventually one of Sirimon’s targets, the Buff-bellied Hummingbird!  We also had female-types of both Archilochus come in, based on the wingtip shape and tail-pumping (or lack thereof), and the Olive Sparrow finally gave a view as well!  After crossing the forest floor several times the White-tipped Doves eventually gave great views, and a young Altamira Oriole came in to the peanut butter, along with an Orange-crowned Warbler.  But the star of the show was another Clay-colored Thrush who posed beautifully on the log! 

Female Black-chinned Hummingbird

Female Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Great Kiskadee (this is the closest he came to showing me his crown...)

Immature Altamira Oriole

Clay-colored Thrush

Where else can you get three Valley specialties in one frame??

Peek-a-boo Long-billed Thrasher

White-tipped Dove

Orange-crowned Warbler at his peanut butter

Another lady came in who mentioned the baby Great Horned Owl, so we “changed the guard” again and took off down the path and found where park personnel had moved the cones down to where the baby was being seen (quite a ways from the nest)!  I was mildly distracted by a singing Black-and-white Warbler, but we eventually made it down to the cones where we didn’t see a thing at “the spot”.  Sarida and I headed back towards the nest site, scanning the trees, when we heard a shout behind us:  Sak had found the owls!  So we hightailed it back and saw Momma (assumed) and the grown fluffy baby right next to her!  That was a great end to the morning! 

Baby and mom Great Horned Owl

Sirimon and Sak enjoying the owls

Since we hadn’t seen any Chachalacas, I recommended Valley Nature Center as an after lunch destination (and the Golden-crowned Warbler was still being reported), so after kissing goodbye I headed back towards the parking lot, checking out the Green Jay Drip first, where I added Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (we had heard one coming in earlier that morning), and a Nashville Warbler, along with a posing Great Pondhawk.  The butterflies weren’t bad, either, as a Giant Swallowtail floated by only to be chased by a Zebra Heliconian, with a Mexican Bluewing batting by as an encore!

Great Pondhawk 

We wrapped up the morning with 63 species!  Bird list:

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

Fulvous Whistling-Duck

Muscovy Duck (Domestic type)

Northern Shoveler

Mottled Duck

Least Grebe

Pied-billed Grebe

White-tipped Dove

White-winged Dove

Mourning Dove

Common Pauraque

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Buff-bellied Hummingbird

Sora

Anhinga

Neotropic Cormorant

American White Pelican

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Snowy Egret

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Turkey Vulture

White-tailed Kite

Northern Harrier

Cooper's Hawk

Eastern Screech-Owl (McCall's)

Great Horned Owl

Green Kingfisher

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Crested Caracara

Eastern Phoebe

Great Crested Flycatcher

Great Kiskadee

Couch's Kingbird

White-eyed Vireo

Green Jay

Black-crested Titmouse

Verdin

Purple Martin

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

House Wren

Carolina Wren

Long-billed Thrasher

Northern Mockingbird

Clay-colored Thrush

House Sparrow

Lesser Goldfinch

Olive Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow

Hooded Oriole

Altamira Oriole

Red-winged Blackbird

Great-tailed Grackle

Black-and-white Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Black-throated Green Warbler

Northern Cardinal

Escaping the Hurricane

3/21/22 

Sirimon, Surusak (Sak for short) and their child Sarida were visiting the Valley for the first time (originally from Thailand, they now lived in Chicago while Sarita was attending college in my old stomping grounds of San Diego), so since they wanted a well-rounded experience (and were going to visit Cameron County and South Padre Island on their own), I had planned on taking them up to Starr County for their first day.  I wasn’t too hopeful with a wind advisory issued no matter where we went, but we all piled in Sak’s rented pickup (quite roomy, actually) and headed up first to Starr County Park in hopes of Red-billed Pigeons. 

None had been reported in a long time, and I was concerned that the coma trees (the berries of which the pigeons come to eat this time of year) took a bad hit during the Big Freeze and just weren’t producing.  A quick swing around the park still proved productive, however, with Loggerhead Shrike, Lark Sparrows, Eastern Meadowlarks, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, and the star of the show, a pair of Vermilion Flycatchers!  What looked like an all-black cowbird making funny and unrecognizable noises allowed one inconclusive photo before taking off, and thinking “zebras” I was wondering if we might have had a Shiny Cowbird, but a blow-up on the computer revealed it to be a Brown-headed after all (glad I didn’t plaster that one all over the RBA L)!  [Update:  Ironically, one WAS reported two days later near Corpus Christi!  Hmm...] 

Eastern Meadowlark

Brown-headed Cowbird

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Vermilion Flycatcher

Sirimon at Falcon (Starr) County Park

Ladder-backed Woodpecker in mid-hop

Loggerhead Shrike

From there we headed to Salineno and hiked the Seedeater Trail; no seedeater, but there was no wind to speak of, so it was actually quite pleasant!  A Ruby-crowned Kinglet played hide-and-seek right at the beginning of the trail, while both a Long-billed Thrasher and an Audubon’s Oriole sang and called from the woodland but wouldn’t show.  A couple of Olive Sparrows shot across the trail, and another one was singing close by, but when I saw a small bird come in to my pishing I thought that was it until Sarida said, “No way!”  Said bird turned out to be an Orange-crowned Warbler (as the Olive Sparrow still sang away in the nearby brush J)!  A little further down a pair of Ladder-backed Woodpeckers came to say hello, and several unseen Laughing Gulls made a ruckus!  

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

The gang on the "Seedeater Trail"

An hour’s watch at the end of the trail yielded a pair of Altamira Orioles, both Mexican and Mottled Ducks, Blue-winged Teal (a group of five that kept wheeling back and forth several times), and a “fitting” Marsh Wren.  Both cormorants powered by at different times, and a pair of Black Vultures were in the dead tree across the way, to be usurped later by a Gray Hawk!  A White-eyed Vireo actually sat up out in the open and sang on top of a dead tree, while a White-tipped Dove called mournfully in the distance.  A pair of Ospreys circled close while a Swainson’s Hawk soared way over Mexico, and an Eastern Phoebe flopped in and peeped while a Couch’s Kingbird gave his distinctive “Cher-REER!” call, but amazingly a Tropical Kingbird also tittered, which is rare in that area!  (Unfortunately he shut up before I could get a recording… L)  Kiskadees flew back and forth, and surprisingly we had no kingfishers whatsoever, so I figured they had probably started nesting.  A few fly-by White-winged Doves got us going once in a while, but no Red-billed Pigeons. 

Mexican Ducks

Gray Hawk

White-eyed Vireo across the river

The gang at the end of the trail, overlooking the Rio Grande

Black Vultures

Altamira Oriole

From there we crawled along the Dump Road, where a Pyrrhuloxia finally gave a decent view!  A Black-throated Sparrow popped up with a little coaxing, but the Bewick’s Wren wasn’t as cooperative (and the Cactus Wren was too far away to even try for, as was the Ash-throated Flycatcher).  A Harris’ Hawk sailed by in front of a couple of Turkey Vultures, and Caracaras flew across the road. 

Black-throated Sparrow looking at us cross-eyed...

Pyrrhuloxia

We ran over to Falcon State Park to eat lunch, but we didn’t have enough time to visit Park Host Mike’s feeders before we had to head to Rancho Lomitas, so we just headed straight there.  We added a young White-tailed Hawk on the way in, along with two more Turkey Vultures.  Anna met us and had the vittles out already, where it didn’t take long for a Black-crested Titmouse to come in even before we sat down!  Green Jays were quick to come in as well, and even the signature Scaled Quail quickly warmed up to us and trotted over (and they were starting to get feisty as well)!  Thankfully the Audubon’s Oriole came in, as well as a Hooded a little later and a few Inca Doves.  A male hummingbird breezed through that in that desert area I called a Black-chinned, especially with the “ringing” wings.  But the real ham (besides the quail) was their “tame” Roadrunner who came right up to us, wanting his mealworms!  Anna clucked at him and I cooed at him, so between the two of us he was really being messed with! J

Picnic time at Falcon State Park

Watching the show at Rancho Lomitas 

Female Ladder-backed Woodpecker

"Where's my mealworms?!"

(Their "tame" Roadrunner)

Inca Dove

Audubon's Oriole

Feisty Scaled Quail

Normal appearance...

Hooded Oriole

Cardinal

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Green Jay

Before long it was time to head home, but I took them out the “back” way, where we found another Vermilion Flycatcher, but also a flock of House Finches and Chipping Sparrows!  And although we didn’t encounter much wind at all, I found out later that the coastal areas had experienced hurricane-force gusts at times, and we in Alamo had lost power several times!  So we indeed made the right choice in destinations! 

Chipping Sparrow

Vermilion Flycatcher

Finished the day with 62 species, which is pretty decent for Starr County! Bird list:

Blue-winged Teal

Mexican Duck

Mottled Duck

Scaled Quail

Eurasian Collared-Dove

Inca Dove

White-tipped Dove

White-winged Dove

Mourning Dove

Greater Roadrunner

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Laughing Gull

Double-crested Cormorant

Neotropic Cormorant

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Harris's Hawk

White-tailed Hawk

Gray Hawk

Swainson's Hawk

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Crested Caracara

Eastern Phoebe

Vermilion Flycatcher

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Great Kiskadee

Tropical Kingbird

Couch's Kingbird

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

White-eyed Vireo

Loggerhead Shrike

Green Jay

Black-crested Titmouse

Verdin

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Purple Martin

Barn Swallow

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Marsh Wren

Bewick's Wren

Cactus Wren

Long-billed Thrasher

Northern Mockingbird

House Finch

Olive Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Black-throated Sparrow

Lark Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow

Eastern Meadowlark

Hooded Oriole

Altamira Oriole

Audubon's Oriole

Brown-headed Cowbird

Red-winged Blackbird

Great-tailed Grackle

Orange-crowned Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Northern Cardinal

Pyrrhuloxia