Category Archives: Texas birding

Hooded Warblers

We have been having some unsettled weather here at Goose Island State Park which has resulted in mini-fallouts of warblers.  After each set of showers, a few new birds show up.  Mostly, it’s been Black & White Warblers and the ubiquitous Yellow-rumps but we’ve seen Black-throated Greens, Yellow-throated Warblers, Northern Parulas, and Orange-crowned Warblers.

We had a pretty stiff thunderstorm this afternoon.  Afterward, Penny and I took a long walk, seeing little besides the normal suspects, but at the far end of the wooded part of the park, I noticed some movement on the ground and approaching, saw a Northern Mockingbird and a couple of yellow spots.

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It was a couple of male Hooded Warblers, feeding on the ground, tired from their journey, and essentially ignoring us.  I got closer and grabbed a couple of shots although they were still quite far away.  I saw five other warbler species on the ground as well.  (This was not like a major fallout with hundreds of exhausted birds — it was more of a rest stop by a few migrants.)

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This was not a life bird for me: I saw one two years ago here.  I was exciting because what’s not to like about a colorful bird, right out in the open, giving you plenty of time to watch and wonder.  And no warbler neck problems.

The forecast for the week looks pretty lousy, weather-wise, but for birders, it may provide some more opportunities.  It’s still running 40 degrees or more warmer than home so we aren’t complaining.  And I may get to see some of these guys and gals, or their cousins again, later this spring.

Birds of Goose Island

Birding at Goose Island State Park is always a treat although right now, we have a slight dearth of species since some of the winter birds (Eastern Phoebe for example) have left and the migrants and nesters are yet to arrive. Still, it’s normal to get 30 or more species on woods bird walks and over 50 on the shore walk. Then, just up the road are still the Whooping Cranes that spend each winter in a farmer’s field.

We got here a day or so ago and got the campsite that we like and I’ve logged 54 birds so far in rather laid-back birding. Here are some photos that I took to give a sense of the variety here:

This Great Blue Heron is developing breeding plumage. A Little Blue Heron We have seen several Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, perched and in action. Always a treat. A Tri-colored Heron A Great Egret checking out the Tri-colored Heron

 

This Forster's Tern was working hard for lunch.

We are expecting a cold front tomorrow (72 down to 63!) and hope it produces a little warbler fallout action. We are here another week and I hope to hit 100 birds in the county by then – it’s fun to sort out the shorebirds once again.

Pushing The Camera’s Envelope

I have pretty much switched to my Canon SX50 HS digital zoom, leaving my more expensive camera back at the trailer. Generally, this is a good strategy but every so often, I end up pushing the digital zoom too much.

In some settings, the zoom will go all the way in to 200x or the equivalent of 4800mm. At this distance, the photo quality gets grainy, especially in poor light – but it captures a record of what you saw.

We had a great visit to Lost Maples State Natural Area where I got three life birds (more on that next time.) I heard about a nesting Great Horned Owl late one day so we drove out to the picnic area and soon located her in a cave-like impression in the cliff across the valley. The light was fading and she was in the shade but the photo, grainy as it is, looks almost like a painting. She was there the next day but sleeping.

Not far away, in another cliff in a neighboring valley, there is a Red-tail Hawk nest. The local bird hosts have built a pipe-tube pointer to allow you to pinpoint the far-away site. The first two times I checked it there was no activity. The next morning, I saw a RTHA flying over the campsite and later, when I took Penny for a walk up the trail, she was on the nest. Again, another long-range shot at the limits of the camera.

Even though it snowed in Vermont the first day of Spring, these nesters give one hope that warmer days are ahead. Happy Spring!

I’m an Old Cowhand

Having married a Vermont farmer’s daughter many decades ago, I am relatively comfortable with cows – although I must admit that Mary’s dad and brother kept this "townie" away from skill jobs like milking. But I was a pretty good herder – or at least I thought so.

Birding at Patagonia Lake State Park has made me remember those days of moving heifers down from pastures: there are cows grazing all over the places we bird. First time I’ve seen that in a state park but in true Western fashion, the grazing rights are leased. So Penny and I deal with curious calves and nosy mothers but just shoo them away. Penny is curious but does pretty well. So we see neat birds and a bunch of free-ranging stock.

Today, driving the back roads, we came across many cattle guards in the road – those series of pipes that often are used on ranch access roads. Cattle can’t get over them so it eliminates the need for a gate. I kept thinking, "Why do they need them every half mile in the road?"

I came around a corner and got my answer:

This good old boy (or gal – I was focused on the horns) was just plodding down the side of the road, heading to town. I rolled down the window and to this shot of Mary and her new friend:

I must say, seeing the feedlots in Las Cruces, New Mexico, early this week made me wonder about the lean hamburger we bought the next day at a supermarket. However, these cattle, grazing on whatever stubble they can find but roaming rather free, make me think of the good beef Mary’s family farm is now producing and selling in Vermont. Check them out at Robb Family Farm.

Some Texas Birds

We have been staying at Davis Mountains State Park which is a picturesque high desert location with pretty good birding. The ongoing Texas drought is apparent: fewer birds, dusty trails, and beautiful sunsets. Here’s a picture I just took with the iPad, sitting in a grocery store parking lot.

Here are a few bird photos that I’ve taken recently. The first is the Greater Roadrunner – a bird that drives Penny nuts.

The Western Scrub-jay is a lot like our Blue Jay – smart, noisy, pretty.

Another noisy but colorful bird here is the Acorn Woodpecker. They are a delight to watch.

When you hear a "chip" down here, it may be a Northern Cardinal, but more often , a Pyrrhuloxia. Here’s a female.

We leave Saturday for Hueco Tanks State Park, just outside El Paso. Then to Arizona on Monday.

The Orioles of Salenino

One of the "must see" spots on any visit to the Upper Rio Grande Valley is the sleepy little community called Salenino. Just several miles from Highway 83, it’s a hispanic settlement with a garish cemetery, a big Roman Catholic church, mangy dogs that never heard of rabies shots, and some of the best birding in the Southwest.

You drive down this rutty clay road, hoping not to meet another vehicle, and there’s a small parking lot and then, the Rio Grande, and Mexico. Here is a two acre parcel where volunteers have been feeding birds since 2008 or so, supported by the hundreds of birders who visit each winter from across North America.

While there are many unique birds seen at Salenino each season, the three orioles are the daily stars. The big Altimira Oriole is seen in other parts of the Valley but this is the reliable place for Audubon’s and Hooded. Mary and I saw all three the other day, aswesatwith others inawn chairs watching the avian show before us. We have been there mant times before but it never disappoint. Hey, if the orioles are elswhere what’s not to like about dozens of Green Jays annd Great Kiskadees.

Here’s a big Altimira that we saw:

An Audubon’s Oriole came in for its peanut butter fix:

The Hooded Oriole is smaller and noted by its hood but this is a juvenile

This will be our last visit to Salenino this trip – and it is the last year for one of the long-time volunteers, Cheryl Longton. She’s pointed out the orioles, Brown Jays, Red-billed Pigons, Gray Hawks, Zone-tailed Hawks, and other special birds to hundreds of visitors. Great job, Cheryl. Good birding.

Life Birds #368 & #369

Warblers can be frustrating, flitting from branch to branch, often moving through and suddenly gone, and causing you neck pain as you try to watch them high in the trees. I’ve had several that were target birds but which I kept missing. The other day, several birders gave me the old "We got some good looks at them a few minutes ago" spiel, which while true, didn’t make my day.

Saturday, I returned with the dog to Anzalduas County Park to try once more. It was quiet (there is a fee for weekends) but when I saw and heard a singing Loggerhead Shrike on the way in, and then spotted an Eastern Bluebird as I parked the truck, I was expecting a good morning. And it was.

Going into the grove of trees we visited the other day, I saw all sorts of activity up ahead. Dozens of Blue-grey Gnatcatchers and Orange-crowned warbers worked through the foliage, with many American Goldfinches feeding as well. Then I spotted something different – smaller, black and white – and a Black-throated Gray Warbler, life bird #368, popped out in the open. I studied it as it moved back into the branches, and grabbed for the camera. It was moving away, little by little.

As things happen, I then saw some yellow and in seconds, was looking at my first Yellow-throated Warbler. This time I was ready with the camera and grabbed this shot.

Then, as is often the case with warblers, it was over. They had moved on and I was left with this "wow, that was something else" feeling of being at the right place at the right time. Good Birding.

Wrapping up the Lower Valley birding

We had guys from a RV repair service out of Tennessee, who winter in the Valley, come by to size up the work on our sagging belly pan. I had devised a plan to fix it but it was a two-person job so when Casey showed up alone, I pitched in and we got it buttoned up fine in less than an hour. Mary and I leave for Falcon Lake State Park in a couple of days so it’s nice to have it done.

Meanwhile, I’ve been trying to pick off some birds I have missed. Let me share with you some of the diverse birds that make this place so special.

Perhaps my favorite is the Vermillion Flycatcher. They are my kind of bird – active in their flycatching and brilliant in coloration. Unlike their Least, Willow and Ash cousins who are impossible to identify without calls, these hotshots just put on a show.

Just as brilliant are the Great Egrets.

We see six doves here: White-tipped, White-winged, Inca, Mourning, Eurasion-collard, and Common Ground. These three young Commons were hanging out yesterday morning – begging for a caption.

One of the ineresting fishing birds here is the Anhinga, aptly known as "Snake Bird."

I’ll put up a few more shots in a day or so – the 4G system is completely overloaded here. We’re moving to the boonies next week so we will see how that works out.

A month from now, we’ll be in California. Time to start easing westward.

“They Only Go After the Old and Slow”

Several year ago, we were camping at Brazos Bend State Park, south of Houston, where there were lots of birds but also lots of big alligators. It was later in the year and the guys would bellow their mating calls and they all hung out on the banks, and even the trails. I recall whipping around a corner on my bike and skidding to a stop (with the dog attached) as a big ‘gator blocked my way. I decided that the long way home was the smart route.

I thought that they were sort of cool but Mary really disliked them, and the park. She was talking to a ranger one day about them when he said, "Ma’am, they only go after the old and the slow!" Moi?

It was like "Take a number, gator, some not-so-spry food is on the way." We’ll never go back there.

So, that’s been a running (excuse the pun) joke with us ever since. And I thought about it the other day when I encountered this sign at Alligator Lake at Estero Llano Grande State Park.

It is mid-January and I figured everything was dormant until our group came to an opening and across the water was this big guy/gal enjoying the sunshine. Our guide explained that they hardly move this time of year but come Spring when the gators get active, the Yellow-crowned Night Herons and others that roost there vacate to other gator-free ponds in the park to nest.

The night-heron was my ninth life bird of the trip so far. I have missed a couple that Mary saw but we have a few days left here.
World Life List

1 Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Estero Llano Grande SP WBC (LTC 054) US-TX 15 Jan 2014

2 Sora Estero Llano Grande SP WBC (LTC 054) US-TX 15 Jan 2014

3 Tropical Kingbird Estero Llano Grande SP WBC (LTC 054) US-TX 15 Jan 2014

4 Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet Bentsen-Rio Grande Val. SP WBC (Mission) US-TX 12 Jan 2014

5 Least Grebe Edinburg Scenic Wetlands WBC (LTC 061) US-TX 10 Jan 2014

6 Black Phoebe Bentsen-Rio Grande Val. SP WBC (Mission) (LTC 069) US-TX 08 Jan 2014

7 Green Parakeet Americana RV Park US-TX 07 Jan 2014

8 White-tailed Hawk 26.4828x-98.3865 – Jan 6, 2014, 12:48 PM US-TX 06 Jan 2014

9 Horned Lark 26.4828x-98.3865 – Jan 6, 2014, 12:48 PM

I have 109 birds in the County so far and am aiming for 115. It’s no wonder birders flock to the Valley.

More Rio Grande Valley Birds

The Green Parakeets were cool the first day or so but their noisy frenetic flying, throughout the day, is getting a bit old. However, like with many flocks of swirling birds, I wonder how they signal turns and swoops and dives. These guys chatter a lot but I don’t think it’s "Break right and dive toward that guy and dog" that they are calling out.

We’ve been going to some of the many birding sites and done a few bird walks. We have to manage the dog so often, I’ll ask Mary to take the walk while I go separately with Penny. I have used our bike setup a couple of times which gives her a workout. Yesterday, I came up on a perched hawk, stopped for a look but the squeaking front brake flushed it.

As we headed out the other morning, this coyote just stared whileI took long distance shots – then he just ambled off.

We see a lot of egrets – I had a wonderful Great Egret shot which I accidentally deleted from the camera. This Snowy Egret was also cooperative:

Monday, we birded for a while at a County Park not far away. Two British birders, who I had met the day before, showed us this Eastern Screech Owl in a tree right in the middle of the park. Talk about protective coloration!

This Green Kingfisher was in poor light but dove and got a fish just after I took this shot.

Driving along, it is common to see American Kestrel perched on wires. Perhaps these are the same ones we see in Vermont in summer.

And every so often, you get a reminder that this not New England birding: