4/30/22
Left the house around 5:00 AM, where a Mockingbird was singing his little heart out and got the honor of being the first bird of the day! Nothing else got added until I reached Estero Llano Grande State Park around 5:30, where the Purple Martins (2) were gurgling up a storm! Estero is famous for its Pauraques (3), so that got added almost immediately as well, with several birds singing in quadraphonic!
My habit until now was to start at Bentsen Rio Grande State Park an hour before dawn to listen for night birds, but having missed the Elf Owls two years in a row (and knowing they were there), I decided to try Estero, assuming I’d probably miss the Elves but pick up the other regular night birds anyway (plus, I just felt more comfortable there in the dark than so close to the border). I chose the end of the Tropical Zone as my “wait in the dawn” spot, settling at the picnic table near one of the feeding areas near Pauraque Hall. Besides oodles more Pauraques, the Yellow-crowned Night Herons (4) were calling back and forth, sounding like Green Herons with sore throats! Long before the eastern sky even started to get light, a White-winged Dove (5) began its Who cooks for you? song. Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (6) lived up to their names by whistling as they flew overhead in the dark, and I was thrilled to hear a close-by Chuck-will’s-widow (7) tune up! Black-necked Stilts (8) started barking from nearby Ibis Pond, and Brown-crested Flycatchers (9) joined the dawn chorus. The Coke-bottle coos of the White-tipped Doves (10) were next, and they were actually the first seen birds as they poked around under the feeders in the dusk! Mourning Doves (11) were next, then a sprightly Common Yellowthroat (12), also from Ibis Pond. A Clay-colored Thrush (13 – once considered a vagrant but now a backyard bird) called querulously before starting up his mellow robin-like song.
As it gradually got lighter the cacophony increased, with Cardinal
(14), Long-billed Thrasher (15), Green Jays (16), a bouncy-ball Olive Sparrow
(17), tittering Tropical Kingbirds (18), rollicking Carolina Wrens (19),
whistling Black-crested Titmice (20), and conversational Couch’s Kingbirds (21)
all being added. A flock of Red-winged
Blackbirds (22) flew overhead, a Golden-fronted Woodpecker (23) announced its
presence, and a Chachalaca (24) sounded the alarm while a Yellow-billed Cuckoo
(25) gave its soft, repeated cou song. A Brown-headed Cowbird
(26) vocalized its liquid call as it flew past, a Ladder-backed Woodpecker (27)
laughed, a migrant Baltimore Oriole (28) chattered, and a flyover Dickcissel (29)
gave its flatulent braat call – and all this before official sunrise!
I was really surprised not to hear any Great Horned or Screech Owls (since the Tropical Zone houses several of the latter as well), so I went to try to find one of the stakeout birds Park Host Huck had shown us the previous week; found the tree, but not the bird… L A Buff-bellied Hummingbird (30) rattled instead, and near the gate to the residential area a Starling (31) had me wondering if I was hearing a Bronzed Cowbird singing (they can found similar) until he “said” something more scratchy! The first Great-tailed Grackle (32) of the day flew overhead, as did several Rock Pigeons (33). I looked in vain for the Great Horned Owl family that had been hanging out on the west side of the Zone, but was thrilled to pick up Groove-billed Anis (34) on the north end! I was hoping to pick up some migrant warblers in here, and some little birds bouncing around got my hopes up, but they turned out to be Lesser Goldfinches (35), a local breeder. A couple of raptors on a snag proved to be nothing more exotic than Turkey Vultures (36), so headed on to the Green Jay Trail and the drip therein, hoping to kick up the reported Black-billed Cuckoo. Heard a Swainson’s Thrush (37) singing instead, and during a five-minute sit at the drip, he finally came in for a view! Unfortunately he was the only taker…
By then it was time to work the park proper, so
headed down the brick walkway to the Visitor’s Center and the deck overlooking
Ibis Pond, on the way to which added Great Kiskadees (38) yelling and an
Orchard Oriole (39) giving its cute but characteristic nyeh call! The pond was evaporating (as were most of the
parks’ ponds where water must be pumped in), so the Black-bellied Whistling
Duck population was much reduced from recent visits, and I couldn’t find hide
nor feather of the two Fulvous Whistling Ducks that had been hanging around. The water was shallow enough for a few Stilt
Sandpipers (40) to feed, and a wintering Marsh Wren (41) practiced its song
from the reeds. While passing the martin
house added the few House Sparrows (42) that were sharing lodging, and from the
boardwalk (which gives much better viewing into Ibis Pond in the early morning)
was able to add Killdeer (43), a Spotted Sandpiper (44) with his spots, a Sora
(45) actually out in the open, and the pond’s namesake – a White Ibis (46)
hiding in the reeds.
Going a little further on the boardwalk gives you a peek into Avocet Pond; here I was very happy to add Roseate Spoonbill (47) to the list (they can sometimes be hard to pin down in Hidalgo County), along with a Common Gallinule (48), some Long-billed Dowitchers (49) feeding like sewing machines, and some chattering Least Grebes (50). A Tricolored Heron (51) fed actively while a Great Egret (52) preferred to stand still and let his breakfast come to him! From that angle I could look back into Ibis Pond and picked up a pair of Mottled Ducks (53), while an Inca Dove (54) sang Bob Hope! from somewhere near the visitor’s center.
Things were pretty quiet on the loop through Curlew Pond (nada) and over to Dowitcher Pond; some Barn Swallows (55) looped overhead, and while the pond was pretty overgrown with reeds, there were a couple of places you could peek in where another Common Gallinule showed off his colors. An oriole shot overhead before I could get a good look, but before long his mate also shot over and started his “happy whistle”, nailing them as Altamira Orioles (56)! A sharp crack! alerted me to a flyover Ringed Kingfisher (57), and continuing to the end of Dowitcher Pond a White-faced Ibis (58) and some Blue-winged Teal (59) called unseen (eventually was able to see the teal, but not the ibis…). A tight flock of Lesser Yellowlegs (60) wheeled overhead and off to places unknown. Heading over the steel bridge to Alligator Lake, a White-eyed Vireo (61) sang his belligerent song, and while perusing Grebe Marsh for a possible Green Kingfisher, one suddenly shot by (62) and headed for the canal!
Turning the corner to the lake I ran into Becky, whom I had been guiding along with her husband Michael (although she was on her own today)! Being a photographer, she (like the egret) was content to wait and let her quarry come to her, and as we chatted suddenly two Least Bitterns (63) flew across the lake and landed in the vegetation on the far side and promptly went into hiding! Her nemesis birds had been the two specialty kingfishers, which I had just seen L, so I had mixed feelings about telling her that, but she knew they would be tough to photograph, especially this time of year when they’re nesting… However, she mentioned that, despite having seen the Pauraque with Huck on one of their visits, she was never able to photograph it, so since I was headed to the overlook we checked on the “backup Pauraque” that’s often at the foot of the overlook entrance, and there he was!
I left Becky to enjoy him while I continued to the overlook, where a couple of Anhingas (64) and a Green Heron (65) were about the only things out there; it looked like the night herons had left for the season L. The sweet song of an Eastern Meadowlark (66) wafted from the fields across the levee, and on the way out a Great Blue Heron (67) squawked from somewhere. Becky had come up on the overlook and was still working that area when I got to the end of the trail and decided to give the opposite bank one last look; a Bewick’s Wren (68) sang across the way and a Common Ground Dove (69) shot across as well. But what else was singing was the Least Bittern, and he was actually visible! I texted Becky right away and shortly she showed up with her rig; she was (understandably) having trouble finding the thing (while visible, he still blended in pretty good), so I got her camera on it (and fired off a couple of shots for good measure J), but later she would report that the bugger slunk away and the pictures I took for her were the only ones she got! L (I know it's not the same if you don’t take the picture, but I can remember several occasions where I’ve handed my camera to someone in the car/van who was in a better position to shoot the bird and said, “Here – you take it!” J)
Headed back to the parking lot, where a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (70) was on the wire, and a Hooded Oriole (71) wheeped from a palm tree. On the way out a parrot spooked from one of the trees in the parking lot and then flew right back in; I stopped to see if I could spot him (which I couldn’t), but his cleo-chop-chop call led me to log him as a Red-crowned (72) and not one of the other feral species that had been reported there. It’s been said that “Estero Never Disappoints”, and that was certainly the case this morning, bagging 72 species by 9:00!
Next stop was nearby Frontera Audubon Thicket, as it’s known as a great migrant trap and migrants had been pretty slim so far. Getting out of the car I was happy to hear Green Parakeets (73) screeching overhead, as well as chittering Chimney Swifts (74), two species that tend to hang around urban areas! A Canada Warbler had been reported the day before, but a five minute wait at their water feature yielded zilch, so I started poking slowly through the woods, hoping the report from the older couple I passed (that “nothing was moving back there”) wouldn’t hold out! It was actually pretty quiet to begin with, but finally near the turnoff past the boardwalk I ran into some warblers; however, the only ones I could get on were a male Common Yellowthroat and a Black-throated Green Warbler (75). Shortly I met up with a young gal from New York who had been seeing lots of migrants (!), and as we chatted said migrant flock suddenly materialized with the aforementioned Black-throated Green, but also a Ruby-throated Hummingbird (76), a Nashville Warbler (77), and the real prize, a male Golden-winged Warbler (78), a bird so hard to pin down that I had totally missed it last year! A raptor flew over that I didn’t get the greatest look at before it disappeared behind the trees (all I caught was an overall pale coloration and a longish, barred tail), but my young friend was almost convinced it was a Hook-billed Kite, due to its broad wings and barred underparts! Thankfully what was probably the perp started whistling, confirming him (in my mind anyway) to be a Gray Hawk (79), much more expected here than the kite! After we parted company and I continued the loop, I was able to find her reported Great Crested Flycatcher (80), but that was about it.
Since the Progresso Sod Farms (an old standby on previous Big Days) were no longer sod farms but rather a new housing development, I decided to try the Rio Rico Sod Farms instead, as these places are often magnets for “grasspipers”. Well. It turned out to be a bit of a bust, with only Crested Caracara (81) and Eurasian Collared Dove (82) being added to the list. So I headed on to Valley Acres Reservoir, where I had called Javier, the overseer, to get special permission to take a peek into the lake, as the island in the middle often holds surprises! On the way I ran across some flooded ditches that held a few Least Sandpipers (83) along with Black-necked Stilts and other shorebirds already logged, and turning into the drive added a flyover Black Vulture (84). While waiting for Javier to arrive and unlock the gate, I was entertained by several flyby Neotropic Cormorants (85 – some with sticks) and a few Bronzed Cowbirds (86) puffing up their ruffs at each other. A Snowy Egret (87) sailed over the as-of-yet-unseen lake followed closely by a Little Blue Heron (88). Once inside and up on the dike, a 15-minute vigil added a White Pelican (89) gliding overhead, and ended up spooking a few Black-crowned Night Herons (90) from their roosts on my side of the lake! The island itself was full of (presumed) nesting waders, including Great Egrets and Roseate Spoonbills! A Cattle Egret (91) flew by, but the star was one I was (to be honest) hoping to kick up here, as it can be a good place for them, even though right now they’d be a bit early: a tall white wader with a naked slaty head stretched his black-and-white wings, confirming him to be a Wood Stork (92)! A gull wheeled around that I at first assumed was a more-expected Laughing Gull, but the white “window” in the wingtips proved him to be a migrating Franklin’s Gull (93)!
The next stop was a famous pond along FM 1015, due east of Delta Lake, that often had surprises, and this time a reported Purple Gallinule was in the offing! Sadly, though, after another 15 minute vigil the gallinule never showed, and the pond yielded only already-bagged birds such as whistling ducks, Blue-winged Teal, singing Yellowthroats, and Common Gallinules. A Common Nighthawk (94) beented overhead, so he was the only addition. So I continued north to work the La Sal del Rey Driving Route.
One of my favorite road-birding routes, this is a must in order to bag “ranchland” birds for your list! Since you have to cheat and go through a portion of Willacy County to get there, I try to ignore anything I hear on Rio Beef Road (which is right on the county line), but this time a singing Summer Tanager (95) caused me to hit the brakes and get a video! Continuing north I made a mental note of the chiming Verdin (96) and the singing Painted Bunting (97), knowing that they would certainly show up on the Hidalgo County portion of the route, which starts when you make the left turn onto Ken Baker Road. The strategy was to stop every mile, get out of the car, and look and listen, which you need to do if birding by ear as the car/road noise can drown distant stuff out; that certainly would have been the case with the cooing Roadrunner (98)! Continuing on, a beautiful White-tailed Hawk (99) sailed by, and the honor of Bird #100 went to a Wild Turkey that was gobbling at the next stop! A Lark Sparrow (101) bounced across the road showing his white outer tail corners nicely, and shortly after that a Black-throated Sparrow (102) sang his tinkly song, which was great: being a desert species that reaches the eastern-most edge of their range here, they can be hit-or-miss along this route!
At another stop, while trying to hear through the
mockingbirds and flycatchers, I finally heard a distant Bobwhite (103) clearly
enough to log it (and would see at least two along the road later)! A Harris’ Hawk (104) on a pole also got added
at that spot, and once on Brushline Road heading north, another stop yielded a
singing Cactus Wren (105) and a Pyrrhuloxia (106) singing on a power line! (I had suspected I was hearing one earlier,
but they can sound very similar to Cardinals…)
Other already-bagged birds common to this route included Bewick’s Wren,
Long-billed Thrasher, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Couch’s Kingbird, and oodles
and oodles of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers!
The farm pond at the very north end of Brushline often holds additional
goodies, but this time the goodies consisted of a Northern Rough-winged (107)
and Bank Swallow (108) sitting on the wires along with a mob of Barn
Swallows! At the gate at the end of the
road a pair of Curve-billed Thrashers (109) finally came through, but the only
additional water bird in the pond was a Coot (110); plenty of exotic game,
though! Backtracking, I continued the
routine along Brushline south of Ken Baker, and while no new birds got added,
the crème de la crème trotted across the road in front of me and into the
vegetation! I can’t help messin’ with
Roadrunners, so I stopped the car and cooed where he had gone in, and sure
enough, before long he was climbing the mesquite right next to the road, wondering
where this interloper was! J
It was decision time by then, as a couple of places with potential targets (a Mourning Warbler at Quinta Mazatlan and both Lazuli Bunting and Audubon’s Oriole at the National Butterfly Center) both closed at 5:00, and since it was already after 3:00, I only had time for one. I opted for the NBC (as I figured that place would be the less crowded one on a Saturday afternoon J), so headed for the freeway, adding nesting Cave Swallows (111) at the overpass just before the frontage road, survived the construction at the I-69C/I-2 interchange J, and made it to the place unscathed. I was directed to the famous Mulberry Tree where these birds had been showing up, but floral ignoramus that I am, I wasn’t sure I’d recognize said Mulberry Tree, but I did spot some spindly bushes in a grassy area that held four female-type Painted Buntings (and Peggy Rudman, the gal who had found the Lazuli, said it was in the same area as the Painteds), so I figured I was in the general vicinity! In the meantime, a pair of Chachalacas came running down the trail, and another Orchard Oriole showed himself nicely. Another young couple who were also interested in the Audubon’s showed up, but they were visiting and were just as clueless about where this Mulberry Tree was as I was, but just as I was about to ask one of the staff who had shown up in a utility vehicle, the Audubon’s (112) sang sadly from the tree! That was good enough for me, and after said staffer informed us that the Lazuli was being seen from the end of the Sunken Gardens (which was a bit of a hike north of where we were), she promised not to lock us in while I made a quick hike up there to check – nada, so I quick-timed it back to my car and got out right under the wire!
Even with the Golden-winged Warbler, my migrant
list was pretty dismal, so the last place that I figured might have migrant
potential (and that would still be open) was Santa Ana. Decided to take the back way along Old
Military Highway in hopes of picking up more raptors and “open country” birds,
and managed to spot a displaying Cooper’s Hawk (113) while on the levee near
the Riverside Club. The sun was in a
perfect position to photograph a Green Heron looking at me like a doofus and a
Great Egret posing against the blue sky, and added feral Muscovy Ducks (114)
while getting the National Guard guys to help me turn around on said levee J! A loud pik along FM 494 proved to be a transitioning male Blue Grosbeak (115),
and even though I knew Anzaduas County Park would be closed, I took a peek down
their entrance road to see what raptors might be hanging out; scored big with a
beautiful White-tailed Kite (116) on a dead tree, being harassed by both a
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and Couch’s Kingbird!
Then, taking FM 494 north to Military Highway again, a nice Swainson’s
Hawk (117) posed on a utility pole!
As it turned out, I had unknowingly entered the time for moonrise into my phone instead of the time for sunset L, so I was in a rush to get to Santa Ana before realizing my mistake! It had the potential for migrants and perhaps some raptors coming in to roost, but the only migrant I encountered along the Chachalaca Trail was another Black-throated Green Warbler, and unfortunately added nothing new to the list. A calling Yellow-crowned Night Heron flying over the parking lot was actually nice to see, and a pair of Carolina Wrens provided comedy relief by hippity-hopping across the breezeway at the Visitor’s Center, playing with downed moths before downing them for dinner! I was almost disappointed to see another White-tailed Kite over Willow Lakes (suggesting the jaunt down the Anzalduas entrance road was ultimately unneeded), but the Anzalduas bird provided great photo ops, so I couldn’t complain! I discovered my timing mistake when my “sunset” alarm went off and the sun was still obviously pretty high up, but I was beat and decided to wrap Santa Ana up and go for a dipped DQ cone in Alamo!
After getting said cone I realized I could camp out
in front of the Alamo Inn’s Guest Suites and wait to see if their nesting
Lesser Nighthawks would show up before I finished! They came through for #118, so after
finishing my cone I headed home. Just
before making the turn into the complex I realized I had at least one more
potential bird to bag here, so after waving at the guard I turned south with
the windows open, and it wasn’t long before the last bird of the day sang his
bubbly song – House Finch for #119! (I
was hoping the Loggerhead Shrike that hung out in my back yard would be on the
wires for Bird #120, but he wasn’t playing the game…)
And thanks to the What’s App Rare Bird Alert on my phone L, I was informed that the Canada Warbler at Frontera showed up after I left, as did the Black-billed Cuckoo at Estero, along with a Cerulean Warbler and three Canada Warblers! I admit the thought crossed my mind that maybe I just shoulda stayed at Estero J, but the addition of three potential migrants there would have been a big price to pay for missing at least 30 other species at other places – the key to a big day list is to hit as many different habitats as possible to log as many potential species as possible, with the understanding that you’re simply not gonna get everything (including reported rarities). ‘Tis best to stick with the plan, be thankful for what you do get to see and/or hear, and not grieve over what you missed!
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