The Four Chachalacas do the 2020 Frontera Birdathon

2/1/20 

Pat and I met Alicia and Sue at the former’s house bright and early, and after a fruitless search for Pauraques at the end of Alicia’s road, we headed out to South Padre Island in order to bird The Flats before the Kite Event started, enjoying a gorgeous sunrise on the way there!  Our first bird was a Mockingbird at the Stripes in Laguna Vista, followed by an Osprey (2) along SR 100, a Brown Pelican (3) seen from the causeway, and Laughing Gull (4), Rock Pigeon (5), and Great Blue Heron (6) on the way to The Flats.  The birds were way out there, and even though Alicia’s SUV was high-clearance, it wasn’t four-wheel-drive, so she was understandably hesitant to take the car closer to the birds!  But as we scanned the flocks, the White Pelicans (7) were the most obvious birds, and we were able to pick out a Ring-billed Gull (8) amongst the Laughers.  There were so many Black Skimmers (9) that eBird flagged Sue’s count of several hundred!  Caspian Tern (10) was the first of that group, and we were able to spot some Red-breasted Mergansers (11) out in the surf!  As we continued scanning the beach and the bay, we added Willet (12), Royal Tern (13), Sanderlings (14), Coots (15), calling Short-billed Dowitchers (16), a fly-by Mottled Duck (17), and several Dunlin (18, that also thankfully called for good measure as they were awfully distant).  Plovers were tough, but we managed Semipalmated (19), several Black-bellied (20), and a single Snowy (21) that thankfully Sue also saw (the rule is that at least two members of the team have to see or hear the bird).

Sunrise heading to South Padre

Part of the skimmer mob (with a White Pelican)

  

We bypassed the Convention Centre in favor of the Birding Center (assuming the CC’s boardwalks were still closed), picking up Great-tailed Grackle (22) in the parking lot and their mascot feral Muscovy (23) on the way in!  We checked out the garden area first, adding a calling Kiskadee (24) and a skulky Long-billed Thrasher (25) that we checked carefully to ensure it wasn’t a lost Brown, as one will periodically show up here!  We added Orange-crowned Warbler (26), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (27), and a Cardinal (28), and while I heard the Wilson’s Warbler (29), the girls finally got a brief glimpse of yellow!  I heard Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (30) in the distance, but it wouldn’t be until after the boardwalk loop that we would actually see them on the retention ponds!

Alicia, Pat, and Sue (three of the Four Chachalacas) heading into the Birding Center

Making the loop, we quickly added Snowy Egret (31), Green Heron (32), beautiful Redheads (33) shining in the sun (and I noticed how their heads do indeed look black until the sun hits them just right), Great Egret (34), the freeloading Common Gallinules (35), and the wintering Belted Kingfisher (36).  Alicia spotted a Tricolored Heron (37) and White Ibis (38) hiding over in the mangroves, and a Pintail (39) occupied its own little pond.  A Yellow-crowned Night Heron (40) was also in the mangroves, and out in the bay a couple of American Wigeons (41) were in with the Redheads.  At one of the Bird Blinds some Long-billed Dowitchers (42) flew by peeping, and I was thrilled to spot a Common Loon (43) flying by, as they can be tough to get (I barely got it for the year in 2019)!  Somewhere a Long-billed Curlew (44) called, and a Turkey Vulture (45) rocked overhead, while a Yellowthroat (46) called in the wetlands and a Cooper’s Hawk (47) blasted through!  A Red-winged Blackbird (48) flew overhead while a Pied-billed Grebe (49) sat placidly and a Little Blue Heron (50) drifted by.  Out in the “East Pond” the Roseate Spoonbills (51) came through (and we also saw that apparently the CC boardwalks are now open, as there was a guy on the parallel walkway)!  Also in the pond were Black-necked Stilts (52), Blue-winged Teal (53), both Lesser (54) and Greater Yellowlegs (55), and a weird-looking Shoveler (56) that we first thought was a hybrid Pintail/Mallard that had been reported!  We picked up an Eastern Phoebe (57) on the way out, and a Double-crested Cormorant (58) up on a pole in the parking lot.

Great Blue Heron

Red-breasted Merganser

American Wigeon

Redhead (notice how black the lower one's head looks)

Green Heron

Mottled Ducks

Shoveler in what is apparently a retarded eclipse plumage

We quickly checked out Sheepshead, logging the Eurotrash Collared Dove (59) and Starling (60) on the way, along with a not-so-trashy Loggerhead Shrike (61)!  Sheepshead was pretty dead (they had turned off the back water feature that the waterthrush likes, and had also cleared away a lot of the thick habitat back there), but we at least added Inca Dove (62), Tropical Kingbird (63), and House Sparrow (64).

The Highway 48 Boat Ramp was next, where we added Kestrel (65), Harris’ Hawk (66), and Caracara (67) on the way.  Once there we added a nice selection of species, including Herring Gull (68), a white morph Reddish Egret (69), several Ruddy Turnstones (70), the requisite Oystercatcher (71), several Avocets (72), and both Forster’s (73) and Gull-billed Terns (74).  We found a Spotted Sandpiper (75) bobbing along, and several Least Sandpipers (76) that blended in very well with the mud!  Continuing south we added a Harrier (77) hunting over the fields.

Medford Pond was next, where we added a brilliant Vermilion Flycatcher (78), a Golden-fronted Woodpecker (79), and both Lesser Scaup (80) and Ruddy Duck (81) in the pond itself.  But the big show there was the hordes of Laughing Gulls dipping down for a drink and then settling on the pond!  Several Green Jays (82) bounced around, and managed to add a Curve-billed Thrasher (83) as well.

Kiskadee checking things out

Vermilion Flycatcher

Laughing Gull mob

On to Sabal Palm Sanctuary, where we added a Red-tailed Hawk (84) on the way.  Once there we picked up more “bitty birds”, such as House Wren (85), Ladder-backed Woodpecker (86), White-eyed Vireo (87), Black-crested Titmouse (88), Carolina Wren (89), and Yellow-rumped Warbler (90).  We heard a Red-shouldered Hawk (91), and a pretty adult Gray Hawk (92) showed well on the way in (we had a nice immature on the way out).  Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (93) was another little guy added to the list, but because I had to use the restroom, I missed the White-tipped Dove (94, which I saw later) and the Olive Sparrow (95, which I didn’t L) at the feeder area.  We went straight to the big blind after that, where thankfully there was some water!  We were able to add a Lincoln’s Sparrow (96), but the big prize was a Swamp Sparrow (97), a lifer for Sue!  We also added a whistling Altamira Oriole (98) and fluffy-butt Least Grebe (99), but the honor of bird #100 went to the subtle but handsome-in-its-own-way Gadwall.

Adult Gray Hawk on the way in 

Cardinal at the feeders

Immature Gray Hawk on the way out

From there we headed over to the UTRGV campus in Brownsville to try for the Common Black Hawk, which had been seen earlier by our friends Baceliza and Alan (and a bunch of ACAS folks I found out later J)!  By that time things were very quiet, but we at least added Neotropic Cormorant (101) and lots more feral Muscovies!  We contacted Baceliza to find out exactly where they had the hawk (which was nowhere to be seen), but she also told us about a sapsucker and some other goodies on the way to the other resaca, so we headed that way behind the building, and sure enough, there was her Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (102) up in the tree! Continuing on we picked up a couple of House Finches (103) on the lawn (not flaggable in Cameron County), and not only the reported Black Phoebe (104) at the other resaca (definitely flaggable in Cameron County) but a Solitary Sandpiper (105) to boot!

Fuzzy Solitary Sandpiper

Black Phoebe

From there we inspected Old Port Isabel Road only to the gun club; no Aplomado, and we only added Mourning Dove (106) and Savannah Sparrow (107) for our efforts (I think the wind was picking up by then), so we headed up to Hugh Ramsey, picking up a flock of Green Parakeets (108) on the way!  The target here was a lost Audubon’s Oriole that Alicia had seen recently, but he never showed, although we were able to add Buff-bellied Hummer (109), Clay-colored Thrush (110 – I missed that one, too, also due to a restroom break L), and a Green Kingfisher (111) over by his regular spot.  

Long-billed Thrasher

Altamira Oriole

  

We had received a couple of RBA’s on our phones about a Dusky-capped Flycatcher and Rose-throated Becard seen at Resaca de la Palma State Park, so we stopped there on the way to Oliveira Park (I heard an Eastern Meadowlark going in, but since I was the only one to hear it we couldn’t count it for the official list); we barely made it in before closing (in fact, Alicia had to go move her car and picked up Chachalaca – 112 – and Turkeys – 113 – in so doing), and a hike down the Ebony Trail produced no rarities and nothing new.  But the good news is that as we pulled out of the park, the Turkeys were along the road and put on a great show, gobbling to beat the band whenever Alicia honked the horn! J

Hen Turkey

Tom Turkeys owned the road!

Turkeys' reaction to the car horn... (© Alicia Cavazos)

On to Oliveira, picking up a White-tailed Hawk (114) on the way.  While we waited I heard a Yellow-throated Warbler (115) chirping, so that was a fun addition, and eventually the parrots came in in droves, mostly Red-crowned (116), but also the White-fronted (117); sadly we weren’t able to pick out Red-lored or Lilac-crowned, and the Yellow-headed, if present, would have been obvious.  We were treated to a gorgeous sunset at the end!  

White-fronted Parrots

Southern Charm Times Two!

1/31/20 

Met Matt and Jill, a delightful and fun couple from South Carolina (complete with accents J), outside the Inn Friday morning; they opted to drive as they were heading straight to the airport after the field trip.  They had already birded a few days before meeting me, but the initial itinerary I sent them still sounded good (they claimed to be very casual birders), so we headed straight to Estero Llano Grande as planned.  A Tropical Kingbird tittered from a wire along the entrance road to start the day, and for comparison we found a “pupping” Couch’s Kingbird in the Tropical Zone!  Sneaking by the park host area, we had various wintering things as well as the titmice (Matt and Jill loved to travel, so they had already bagged that bird in Fort Davis).  A Verdin that was calling refused to come out (as per usual), and the blind was also quiet as breakfast hadn’t arrived yet, but a Kiskadee and White-tipped Dove eventually came in for a look.  But the picnic table feeders were where all the action was:  Matt was hoping Jill could see the Chachalacas as she had missed them previously, and he got his wish in spades as the place was crawling with them!  They were even starting to get feisty, as a couple fluffed up and faced off, jumping up and down and all over each other!  More White-tipped Doves paraded across the floor seemingly unaffected by all the hoopla going on, while the Green Jays sat in the wings and made funny noises…

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Fighting Chachalacas

The screech owl wasn’t in his hole in the white shack this time, but as we made our way to the Visitor’s Center via the trail next to Ibis Pond, a nice Black Phoebe performed well, and just before the building an Altamira Oriole sat overhead!  Something shuffled noisily in the palm tree inches away from us before being spooked – a pair of Curve-billed Thrashers, another bird they really wanted to see!  Being a former hunter, Matt was particularly interested in the pretty ducks (teal were good eating; Shovelers weren’t…), and we had the  regulars to enjoy in Ibis Pond; one of them (I think it was Jill) asked about this close bird in the mud that was so camouflaged, and it was one of the several Wilson’s Snipes that had been reported!  What a look!  Matt was trying to get me on something way across in Avocet Pond when I suddenly noticed one of his other most-wanted birds, a Vermilion Flycatcher, sitting on a post!  That was pretty exciting!

Wilson's Snipe

Green-winged Teal

Heading over to Alligator Lake, we checked Dowitcher Pond and were able to nail down a couple of Cinnamon Teal, although still coming out of eclipse plumage.  Jill noticed a long line of something that turned out to be distant Snow Geese!  (Wanted to turn what looked like a smaller one in the lead into a Ross’, but it could have been an optical illusion…)  A small flock of Lesser Yellowlegs flew by, and at Grebe Marsh we enjoyed the pond’s namesake as finally a Least Grebe stayed on the surface long enough for Jill to see him! J  As we approached Alligator Lake I heard the tick-ticking of the Green Kingfisher and were thankfully able to spot him across the way!  (We all agreed that some of the standard descriptions, like “sounds like a typewriter,” may not compute with the younger generation… J)  The night herons showed well, and a gentleman walking his dog cottoned us onto a White-tailed Kite perched in plain view at the “little overlook”!  (The kingfisher blasted over to us and ticked annoyedly as if to say, “Hey, don’t look at him – lookit me!” J) A Neotropic Cormorant flew over, showing the long-tailed shape well, and thankfully we found the Pauraque right away, which elicited the proper ooos and ahs!  A Ringed Kingfisher machine-gunning in the distance made me run back to the open area, but he was too distant to spot…  At the “big overlook” a nice male Anhinga posed, a bird both beautiful and ugly at the same time, they said!

Green Kingfisher

Hidden Pauraque

White-tailed Kite (also below)

Jill and Matt at the "Little Overlook"

Anhinga

  

We made our way back to the Visitor’s Center, enjoying some close-up Least Sandpipers on the shore of Dowitcher Pond (and later Ibis Pond), plus the Spotted Sandpiper that always seems to be there!  We and sat at the feeders for awhile, and thankfully the Buff-bellied Hummer came through!  A Lincoln’s Sparrow skulked on the ground (Matt got to see it but I think Jill missed it L), and when we checked the ponds again an Eastern Phoebe was over where the Vermilion was before. On the way to Progresso, what should be sitting on the wire over the actual Estero Llano than the Ringed Kingfisher!  We made a Uie and everyone had a great view – he’s getting to be a regular at that spot! 

Green-winged Teal (male above, females below)

We run into long-time Alamo Inn Winter Texan Kathy on the way back!

Least Sandpiper

Snowy Egret

Ringed Kingfisher

When Matt mentioned that he really wanted to see whistling ducks, I texted my friend Dan Jones and asked if we could drop by, as his resaca is the whistling duck capital of the Valley!  We had barely stepped out of the car when we saw the mob in his back yard instead of across the resaca in the neighbors’ yards! J  Dan himself shortly came out with his scope and encouraged us to go on back while he set up shop and started scanning.  I ribbed Matt and said, “You wanna see whistling ducks?” and pointed him towards the lawn down the way on the opposite side that was just carpeted with ducks – Matt and Jill were duly blown away! The feral Muscovies got logged, and Dan spotted a Red-tailed Hawk perched on a pole.  Both Caspian Tern and Rough-winged Swallows flew over (the latter was Dan’s first for the year), and we added a chipping Yellow-rumped Warbler in his awesome butterfly garden.

Dan's famous back yard...

...always has lots of cool birds!

Yellow-crowned Night Heron (with ducks)

Black-crowned Night Heron

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

After kissing Dan goodbye we headed over to the Progresso Silos, as Bronzed Cowbird would have been a life bird.  We had Inca Doves going in, and of course tons of redwings, but as we turned south on a dirt road we found several Bronzed Cowbirds right outside the car, and one male even did a little bit of The Helicopter!  Continuing down, we were able to pick out a handful of Yellow-headed Blackbirds in the mix, as well as Brown-headed Cowbirds.  Heading north on another dirt road, we had a pale buteo that could have been a Krider’s Redtail, but I just didn’t get a good enough look to tell as it flew by…  We took a slight detour eastbound on US 281 to enjoy a nice Harris’ Hawk on a pole!

 

Bronzed Cowbird

A couple of Yellow-headed Blackbirds hide amongst the mob

  

Matt had mentioned in passing that he had never seen a Peregrine, so after a requisite stop at Stripes (when I mentioned it in my e-mail, he thought I was talking about some fancy restaurant J), we made a stop at Tower Road on the way to Anzalduas, and thankfully he was on the water tower!  Since they were also looking for Horned Larks and both pipits, we continued up Tower and came back on Border, just to see if we could kick up anything in the ag fields; nada in the target department, but we did see several Long-billed Curlews and Savannah Sparrows, plus a couple of Coyotes running into the sugar cane fields.  Dipped on the Burrowing Owls (thankfully they didn’t really need that one), but the big show was a tremendous cane burn that was so big it was generating its own cumulus clouds! 

Peregrine Falcon

Long-billed Curlew

Coyote

Cane Burn

Anzalduas was next, and it was clear the Hawk Show was over, as we only picked up a couple of Great Blue Herons in the field north of the park (which they still thought was pretty cool).  Bagged the Vesper Sparrow along the entrance road, and the Say’s Phoebe was still on his pole in the big field, as well as the Green-winged Teal in the spillway!  We parked past the entrance building and started the Pipit Poke through the field, and this time I took Father Tom’s advice and went slower than usual (I never see the things until they flush L)!  Jill spotted a couple of small birds bouncing around not too far away; one was definitely a Savannah Sparrow, but the other one looked suspicious, and when I got the scope on it, it did indeed turn out to be the Sprague’s Pipit!  Everyone got great looks (still not sure I would have spotted the thing before flushing it…)!  There were also lots of Western Meadowlarks of course, and walking over to the Rio Grande we added coots and Lesser Scaup, plus another Ringed Kingfisher!  Lots of Tree Swallows were swooping around as well.  

Jill spots the Sprague's Pipit (below)!

Primping Ringed Kingfisher

Made our way back to the car and continued on; turning the corner we ran into another group that was staying at the Inn who were looking at a bird they thought might be the Say’s Phoebe (it was a female Vermilion Flycatcher – depending on the plumage that can be an easy mishap), and in turn they told us about the Eared Grebe, which would have been another lifer for Jill and Matt!  So after pointing the way they took off on their own Pipit Poke while we finally got looks at the grebe when it wasn’t diving!  Also in the mix was a single female Ruddy Duck and several Least Grebes.  The resident Osprey was enjoying lunch until the kingfisher came over and started harassing him, and a feeding flock had a brilliant male Vermilion Flycatcher (probably the same one we had with Selimah and Elizabeth, but it rightfully wowed Matt and Jill)!  A lone Cattle Egret was on the raft in the middle of the river, and another Black Phoebe was at the boat ramp.  The Tropical Kingbirds were near the “Government Area” as before, and a single Gadwall was in the river as we approached the dam.  Rock Wren was indeed a life bird, and after warning them that it took some people two hours to get the bird (they weren’t willing to wait that long, understandably), we parked, stepped out, and there was the silly Rock Wren sitting right on top of the barbed wire!!  Couldn’t believe it!

Vermilion Flycatcher

  

Rock Wren

From there we headed home, adding House Finch to the list and pointing out a Green Jay doing a Gray Hawk scream... J    On the way over the levee we spotted a distant Caracara flying by, and we made a brief stop in Hidalgo for the Monk Parakeet (singular, although a flock blasted over on the way there that could have been either species, I suppose…).  

Monk Parakeet

We had a great time sharing local idioms (they had never heard the term “grouse” – as in “complain” – before), and ended the day with a respectable 95 species!  Bird list:

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

Snow Goose
Muscovy Duck (Domestic type)
Blue-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Mottled Duck
Green-winged Teal
Lesser Scaup
Ruddy Duck
Plain Chachalaca
Least Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe
Eared Grebe
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Inca Dove
White-tipped Dove
Mourning Dove
Common Pauraque
Buff-bellied Hummingbird
American Coot
Killdeer
Long-billed Curlew
Least Sandpiper
Wilson's Snipe
Spotted Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Ring-billed Gull
Caspian Tern
Anhinga
Neotropic Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
White-tailed Kite
Northern Harrier
Harris's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ringed Kingfisher
Green Kingfisher
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Crested Caracara
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Monk Parakeet
Black Phoebe
Eastern Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Vermilion Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Tropical Kingbird
Couch's Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Loggerhead Shrike
Green Jay
Black-crested Titmouse
Verdin
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Rock Wren
House Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Curve-billed Thrasher
Long-billed Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
House Sparrow
Sprague's Pipit
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
Olive Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Altamira Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Bronzed Cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Orange-crowned Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal