My
Canadian friends Linda and Murray were back for more, and this time they
brought their long-time birding buddy Patty with them! They wanted to go to “out of the way” places,
and since seeing a Roadrunner was high on Patty’s list, La Sal del Rey seemed
like the logical place to go!
We
started on South Brushline Road just off FM 490, and we didn’t get very
far: right at the start a brilliant
Painted Bunting was singing! A little
down the road some Clay-colored Sparrows were also tuning up, but we couldn’t
get them to come out; more cooperative were the Lark Sparrows fighting with
each other! We also stopped for
Pyrrhuloxias, Olive Sparrows, and Verdins, and the bunting followed us the
whole way! I heard Dickcissels flying
overhead but never could spot one, while various swallows gave better views
along the way. One of the more exciting
sightings along this stretch was a Nilgai that hightailed it into the sorghum
field! Black-bellied Whistling Ducks
entertained by claiming several posts along a field, and a Common Nighthawk
silently batted by.
Painted Bunting (proclaiming his territory below)
Comparing bunting shots...
Lark Sparrow
I didn't notice until processing the pictures that this Curve-billed Thrasher had a bill deformity!
Big
on Linda’s want list was the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, and while we saw plenty
on the high wires, I was waiting for the wire fencelines so she could get really good looks! We had to cross SR 186 for that, and in
addition to the flycatchers, one dead bush had a Cassin’s Sparrow singing
away! Several Bullock’s Orioles
chattered and sang, but it took awhile before we could get good looks. Bobwhite were calling all over, but a pair
gave only a fleeting glimpse running across the road. A Bewick’s Wren flew back and forth across
the road and finally sat for a view, and several Javelina crossed the road at
various points along the route.
Pyrrhuloxia (Photo ©2018 Linda Dow-Sitch)
Verdin (Photo ©2018 Linda Dow-Sitch)
We
decided to hike the trail to the lake, which was very enjoyable: a Verdin actually sat out in the open and
chirped at us! A pair of Yellow-billed
Cuckoos duetted us in stereo as well, and a Black-crested Titmouse sat up and
sang! A Blue Grosbeak gave passable
looks, and just past the potties were three White-tailed Deer (and my charges
were amused by the fact that apparently the Nilgai and deer have their own
designated “potty places” along the trail…), but the real treat was a
“bird-nado” of Franklin’s Gulls wheeling and squealing overhead! We heard both Cactus Wrens and Green Jays in
the woods, but they didn’t want to show themselves… Once at the overlook, at first I couldn’t see
anything on the shore of the lake, but suddenly two bodies materialized against
the water, and as we got closer, we could make out the pale coloration and
start-n-stop behavior of the Snowy Plovers!
On the way back Linda and Murray spotted a Coyote close to the
trailhead!
The gang shoots a very cooperative Black-crested Titmouse (below) who sang for us!
Shield-backed Katydid in the restroom
Continuing
on, we managed good looks at a White-tailed Hawk, Common Ground Doves, and
Brown-crested Flycatchers, but right in the middle of a mouthful of steak
sandwich the Roadrunner appeared in front of us! Two of them actually crossed the road, and
then a third one appeared on the right and just stood and preened, and then
after a bit started running towards us, then took off flying! You don’t see that very often! Patty was pleased as punch after that
encounter! (Processing the pictures
later revealed a second bird behind us that we never saw!)
Greater Roadrunner
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Common Ground Dove
On
the north stretch of Brushline an Ash-throated Flycatcher called and gave
views, and Patty spotted a male Indigo Bunting right by the car! We found a couple of Swainson’s Hawks in with
a kettle of Turkey Vultures, and a Caracara finally sat on a pole so everyone
could get pictures! At the pond we had a
nice variety of things, including Cattle and Snowy Egrets, the stilts, and
several kinds of shorebirds including a couple of White-rumped Sandpipers
(showing very nicely next to a Semipalmated and a Least for good size
comparison)! Linda enjoyed the Stilt
Sandpiper that seemed to be swimming for his supper! Coming back we had the Harris’ Hawk pair,
another bird Patty wanted to see.
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (showing off his salmon colors below)
Linda got this great shot of a Crested Caracara having a Bad Hair Day!
(Photo ©2018 Linda Dow-Sitch)
Yet another Painted Bunting by the road...
Heading
back down towards Ken Baker, we ran into another birding couple who were
looking at the same Bullock’s Oriole we were looking at, but they had also
found some Lark Buntings! Knowing that
they’d be flagged (and that it was probably the same flock I had last time) we
spent some time waiting for them to pop up, and finally several of them flew
past and into a tree where we could pull up and get some documentation (this
time I found three turning males in the group)!
A little further on more Bobwhite crossed the road, so everyone got
their pictures before the oncoming car scared them into the bush!
Flock of Lark Buntings
Females
Transitioning male; before long he'll be entirely black with a bright white wing patch!
Bobwhite zipping across the road (Photo ©2018 Linda Dow-Sitch)
Bullock's Oriole (Photo ©2018 Linda Dow-Sitch)
On
Ken Baker an Eastern Kingbird joined the Scissortails, and since I had heard
that Brewer’s Blackbirds were apparently still hanging around Rio Beef Feedyard,
we swung in there to check it out, but only had lots and lots of Bronzed
Cowbirds strutting their stuff, a couple even performing “The Helicopter” for
us! Having grown up on a dairy farm,
Linda enjoyed seeing the cattle up close!
Eastern Kingbird
Loggerhead Shrike
Bronzed Cowbird trying to impress a female by performing "The Helicopter"
Proud-looking Bronzed Cowbirds
Brahman cattle at Rio Beef Feedyard
It
was time to head home after that, but we got waylaid by a snake on the
road! I wasn’t able to get pictures, but
the glimpse I got said either Bullsnake or Rat Snake – definitely wasn’t a
rattler. My charges were excited as they
had seen a huge Indigo Snake the day before, and told me that the biggest snake
they have back home is about the size of a Ribbon Snake!
Pat was able to snap this shot of our snake, which I think is a Bullsnake. Photo ©2018 Pat Sein
Finally
got going with a respectable 75 species for the day! Bird list:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Northern Bobwhite Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Harris's Hawk
White-tailed Hawk
Swainson's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Black-necked Stilt
Snowy Plover
Killdeer
Lesser Yellowlegs
Stilt Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Laughing Gull
Franklin's Gull
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Greater Roadrunner
Common Nighthawk
Chimney Swift
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Crested Caracara
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Couch's Kingbird
Western Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Loggerhead Shrike
White-eyed Vireo
Green Jay
Horned Lark
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Purple Martin
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Black-crested Titmouse
Verdin
House Wren
Bewick's Wren
Cactus Wren
Clay-colored Thrush (at the house)
Curve-billed Thrasher
Long-billed Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Olive Sparrow
Cassin's Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Lark Bunting
Summer Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Pyrrhuloxia
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Painted Bunting
Dickcissel
Red-winged Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Bronzed Cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Bullock's Oriole
House Sparrow
75 SPECIES
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