Boy,
what an adventure! I talked everyone
into letting me switch itineraries with Juan Sebatian, who was scheduled to
take the gang out the next day to Brushline Road, as it promised to be a Big
Show on the Island the next day with the storm front moving through
tonight! And when I showed the group the
list of potential lifers on the Brushline route (not to mention new
possibilities just for the trip), they were excited!
It
was a beautiful day for photography, and on the way up we passed a lovely
Swainson’s Hawk on a pole that we swung around to take pictures of! At South Brushline, again we didn’t get very
far before a pair of Pyrrhuloxias performed famously, with the female
collecting nesting material! The
Brown-crested Flycatcher showed later, along with lots of cooperative Lark
Sparrows, and Suus even spotted a Cassin’s Sparrow on a post! Both flavors of cowbirds gave great looks
(and listens), and we did see a pair
of Bobwhite on the road, but they were waay
down there!
Swainson's Hawk along FM 493
Curious Brown-crested Flycatcher
Lark Sparrows
Bronzed Cowbird doing his best Darth Vader imitation...
Female Brown-headed Cowbirds
Lady Pyrrhuloxia with a rather stern look...
Crossing
the highway got us more into the thornscrub, with Caracaras, Harris’ Hawks, and
Black and Turkey Vultures batting around (we chuckled at the Swainson’s Hawk
and Black Vulture that seemed to be hanging out together…J). Bullock’s Orioles gave fleeting views, but the mammalian highlight was a huge Nilgai in the brush!
Female Nilgai
A little fuzzy, but you can see the tell-tale white ear tips
When we got to the trailhead to La Sal del Rey, we headed in with singing
Painted Buntings and Bewick’s Wrens in stereo! Kaas spotted a Rekirt's Blue, and another target, the Wild Turkeys, gobbled from the brush but wouldn’t
allow a view. Up at the cactus patch, the Cactus Wren made us work for him, but he
ultimately gave great views (just not on a cactus J), along with a
Bewick’s Wren that sang and scolded. Common Ground Doves sang
from the scrub (we eventually saw a couple dart across the road), but the
targets here were the Snowy Plovers, and we finally found Mama with two
adorable fluffy babies along the shore!
The gang gets ready to hike out to the salt lake!
Reakirt's Blue
Wim enjoys a Verdin (I think it was) through his scope, while Suus tries to get a shot!
Cactus Wren
Watching the Snowy Plovers at La Sal del Rey
As
we continued road-birding, a Curve-billed Thrasher sat on a wire next to his
cousin a Mockingbird for good comparative views! On the way to the farm pond I was pleased as
punch to hear a Black-throated Sparrow singing, who eventually gave everyone
great looks! Even the pond was
productive, with their life Baird’s Sandpiper looking like a huge bully next to
the Least Sandpipers, and a Stilt Sandpiper coming into breeding plumage
delighted the group! I heard a Hooded
Oriole as I was turning the car around, but that turned out to be the only one
of the route… On the way out Kaas
spotted the Bobwhites off the road wherein everyone jumped out to look – great
looks, but the birds were too quick for photos!
This Curve-billed Thrasher (left) and Northern Mockingbird couldn't have planned a better pose for comparative views!
Hot Curve-billed Thrasher
Heading up to check out the pond...
Heading
back down, I was about to turn onto Ken Baker when I noticed a shape in the
ditch ahead of us, and it was the coveted Roadrunner! Everyone got “proof shots”, after which we
snuck up a little, and he crept into the vegetation, but as I pulled up where I
thought he had gone and prepared to “mess” with him, there he was, right on the
berm! What looks! (And after he crept away again he refused to
be messed with… J)
Down
Ken Baker we went, with lots of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, but no White-tailed
Hawk this time… L It
was getting pretty quiet by then, but heading up Jesus Maria Suus spotted a
large body crossing the road, and it was the Turkey! Everyone got brief looks, but at least they
were looks! Kaas spotted a Red-tailed
Hawk which took off and gave everyone repeated great looks as he circled
around, and at the little hidden wetland in the “residential” area at the end
of the road, Kaas also spotted a Northern Waterthrush! There was also a Green Jay that showed
briefly in someone’s yard; Kaas jokingly suggested I jump the fence and scare
it their way…
We
picked up the pace going back, and as we were discussing options on Ken Baker
Road, we spotted something crossing it, so I slowed down to look and POW! The back tire blew! I assumed it was the previous patch job that
had just weakened, but when Keith came to rescue my charges, he took a look and
found the real culprit: a huge bolt that
none of us had seen! The AAA guy from
Harlingen showed up about then to put the donut on for me (and also showed me
where the thing had punched a quarter-inch hole in the rim itself L), so Keith took
over (since he was taking them to dinner and a night walk anyway J) while I limped
home on the donut… (Had I been on the ball I should have taken a picture of the offending item, which my friend Sue said probably fell off a tractor...)
Bird List:
Bird List:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Northern Bobwhite Wild Turkey
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Harris's Hawk
Swainson's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Black-necked Stilt
Snowy Plover
Killdeer
Lesser Yellowlegs
Stilt Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Eurasian Collared-Dove
White-winged Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Greater Roadrunner
Groove-billed Ani
Chimney Swift
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Crested Caracara
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Couch's Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
White-eyed Vireo
Green Jay
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cave Swallow
Black-crested Titmouse
Verdin
Bewick's Wren
Cactus Wren
Curve-billed Thrasher
Long-billed Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Olive Sparrow
Cassin's Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
Pyrrhuloxia
Painted Bunting
Dickcissel
Red-winged Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Bronzed Cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Hooded Oriole
Bullock's Oriole
House Sparrow
58 SPECIES
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