Feb 11

Today, we headed to Laguna Atascosa. It was drizzly to rainy when we arrived and the staff were almost surprised that anyone showed up. Luckily it stopped enough to walk the trails near the visitor’s center for a few minutes. We didn’t see too much (unfortunately the Blue Bunting didn’t show up until a day or two later).

Starting around the auto loop, we had many thrashers and a few ducks. Unfortunately the fog rolled in, so viewing the water was not easy, especially along the bay. We were able to pick out a few of the sandpipers and egrets but most were getting lost. One good bird on the way was a Grasshopper Sparrow that was sitting in the road. I was able to roll the car right up to it and snap a few shots:

Continuing around, we were passed by a couple cars and seeing more of the same. Eventually I saw something small pop up off the road. I pulled over and surprisingly was able to find it in the vegetation. It looked pipitish, so I pulled out the scope. It flew again but I again managed to refind it and confirm the blank face of a Sprague’s Pipit. This was one bird that I was hoping for but not anticipating finding. The area also had a few Gull-billed Terns flying around, of which I managed a couple marginal (for a marginal definition of marginal) photos.

Completing the loop, we drove to the observation platform and trail. It started raining a bit, but we walked down the trail to the pond. The water there was almost over the platform and the only bird on the water was a Least Grebe. Getting back turned out to be a muddy mess.

From here, we began the long drive to Rockport. Before really getting going, we did get a fairly decent look at a perched White-tailed Hawk. The drive was fairly quiet (and rainy off and on). A stop at the Sarita rest stop had more than a couple Brewer’s Blackbirds, another overdue lifer. Instead of taking the camera, I decided to drive up to the flock and get some pictures on the way out. Of course, the birds took off in by the time we did so.

Other than a big traffic jam near Corpus Christi (which was stop and go for probably 40 minutes, note this for later), we didn’t have any major issues and reached Rockport (or Fulton), where we got a room at the Best Western for the next two nights. Dinner was at Charlotte Plummer’s (which took a bit of work to find with the road being dug up). The food was excellent, especially the shrimp gumbo (thanks for the recommendation Paul).

Tomorrow: Aransas NWR and vicninity

Feb 10

We started today at Estero Llano Grande. There’s a Wednesday bird walk and we arrived just in time to join. It was rather cold and windy, which presumably kept crowds down. In fact, there were only 2 others on the walk and five park staff/volunteers.

Lots of good stuff from the deck included all 3 teal, some Mottled Ducks, and many Black-necked Stilts. We started down the trails and spent some time waiting for some scaup to stop sleeping (which they did, proving to be Lesser).

The cold got to me (and my father) and we ended up running back to the car for jackets. Passing the feeding station, I found a Ruby-throated Hummingbird and then a big flock of Cedar Waxwings dropped in. The host was quite excited when I mentioned them once I rejoined the group, apparently they’re not very regular down in the valley.

We rejoined the group at the Pauraque stakeout, with one very obvious bird. At Alligator Lake we had a variety of herons including Black-crowned Night-, Little Blue, and Tricolored. There were a few Anhinga around and a single Nutria.

We moved on to the uphill portion of the park. After being warned that the wind would be bad, it turned out to be no worse. The White-tailed Kites sitting nearby and the huge flock of pelicans coming in helped. As did the stilts and avocets and huge number of shovelers.

Once back downhill, the other people had to leave, which left us with a personal tour. We continued around the pond, finding a (presumed) Tropical Kingbird among other things.

I spotted a whitish bird coming over the wooded area and after getting bins on it, the crazy bill revealed it to be a Roseate Spoonbill. Not quite the view I hoped for, but (pending a couple others) this was #500! Finally.

We worked our way back to the visitor’s center and then decided to head out after spending a few minutes at the feeders. The next stop was Frontera Audubon, which was only a few minutes away.

After checking in, we headed down the trail and found the feeding area. Settling in, we enjoyed the large number of Inca Doves and an Ovenbird. Eventually, a large group came in and we got ready to move on. Luckily, right before we did the Tropical Parula put in a very quick appearance.

We walked the rest of the trails, getting lost a couple times. It was fairly quiet, with the main highlights being a large number of perched Turkey Vultures and a Green Kingfisher. We ran into the large group again, who were as lost as we were but eventually we made our way back out.

Next stop was the Wendy’s up the street for lunch and then we began the ride to the coast and South Padre Island. On the way, we got minimal views of White-tailed Hawk but not a whole lot else.

At South Padre, we went straight to the boardwalk. I probably should have dragged the scope but there was enough close stuff to not care too much. Highlights included an active Reddish Egret, a couple Long-billed Curlews, a nice close Spoonbill, many Black Skimmers, and several Caspian Terns (a very overdue lifer). A presumed Couch’s Kingbird was nice as well.

On our way out, we asked the person behind the desk and the cashier about places nearby for food. They gave us several recommendations but when we said we were from Massachusetts, the cashier started telling us how much she loved our new senator. The other staffer tried to get her to move on but she didn’t take the hint. I have no idea why anyone dealing with tourists would think politics was a reasonable subject for conversation.

We ended up staying down the street at a Days Inn, which was perfectly acceptable (other than the supermarket donuts for breakfast). We walked to Blackbeards’ for dinner (apparently named after multiple people), which was quite good.

Tomorrow: Laguna Atascosa

Feb 9

Today got off to an earlier start as we wanted to be at Bentsen for the 8AM feeding as the Rose-throated Becard was most regular at that time. We arrived a few minutes before 8 to find the visitor center closed. We went to the self-pay station and were walking in when the volunteer at the gatehouse started yelling at us to go back. Apparently the self-pay and the new wristband regulations haven’t quite synched up but eventually we got things straightened out.

We sat down outside the gatehouse and were told that the becard would likely be in as soon as the food was brought out. I looked up and it was sitting there waiting. Unfortunately it was too dark (and windy) for photos and the ones that I took were blurred to the point of showing two birds.

We continued to watch the show and soon had a Clay-colored Thrush pop in.

Eventually the light improved somewhat and I got some passable shots of the becard:

There was also a Fox Squirrel. I had only seen one up in the trees last year and didn’t realize how colorful they are

By now a crowd was assembling and the bird walk was due to arrive at any moment, so we headed into the park. At the next set of feeders, a single javelina was feeding. We spent a few minutes watching as it was one of the things my father most wanted to see.

Moving on, we got to the boat ramp and found the wind to be way too much to be anywhere in the open. We quickly went to the blind. There were plenty of birds coming in to the water here including several orioles, White-tipped Dove, a Golden-fronted Woodpecker, and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

There was also a female cardinal that had a couple loose feathers, showing the pink base to them.

We then walked out to the hawk tower (stopping at the Forbes’ Silk Moth sign). It was too windy to stay at the tower, so we started to walk back. After a bathroom stop, we checked the Acacia Trail feeders and watched a Blue-headed Vireo, an Olive Sparrow, and several buntings.

We worked our way out (stopping to check the feeders and not finding anything different) and headed off to our next stop.

It was only about 20 minutes to Quinta Mazatlan, home of the Crimson-collared Grosbeak. After mistaking the bathroom for the office, we got vague directions to the bird and headed to the amphitheater. The first person there said they hadn’t seen that but there might be a Ladder-backed Woodpecker around. I took that as a sign that we may need more directions and went to pay the admission and find out exactly where the bird was.

The person at the desk told us that it has been hanging out by the pond. We headed over and sat down (after realizing the water feature the size of a birdbath was actually the pond). An Orange-crowned Warbler came in to the oranges but there wasn’t much else around (an Accipiter passing through didn’t help).

I eventually started wandering around a bit and found a Curve-billed Thrasher. When I went back, I found someone telling my parents that they have no idea why the desk keeps sending people here and that the bird is towards the other end of the estate. We started to head over (I made a stop for a thrasher photo first).

And a Chachalaca crossing the path:

We reached the spot and found out that the bird had just disappeared. After giving it a few minutes, we started to wander the area a bit figuring that it was looping around. No luck with that, but my mother found the Tropical Parula while off by herself.

I eventually started to loop around again and was halfway through when my phone buzzed with a missed call. I figured the bird must be there and started to pick up the pace. My phone buzzed again and I got there in time to see the bird as it buried itself deep in a bush.

Fortunately, a few seconds later it popped up and sat in the open briefly. Absolutely stunning, an incredible shade of red. The bird dropped back into the bushes and disappeared.

With the bird gone, we turned to the oranges that the parula had been frequenting, which were all of 30 feet away. We sat down and before long had been joined by about ten people. Ten minutes after arriving the bird dropped in for a brief visit.

With both targets recorded, we headed off for lunch after a quick stop for the Curve-billed Thrashers. I forget exactly what we did for lunch, but McDonald’s sounds right. After lunch, we tried a couple spots on the birding trail list, neither of which was worthwhile. Eventually we ended up at the Valley Nature Center.

At the center, we wandered around a bit before sitting at the feeding station, which had several Buff-bellied Hummingbirds around, some of which actually posed.

We walked all of the trails, which were fairly quiet (Black-and-white Warbler, several Tropical Checkered-Skippers) but it was relaxing. Eventually we headed out to find a hotel. The GPS said there was a Best Western right up the road, so we headed there. I sat in the car while my parents got a room and ended up finding a Peregrine, several Eurasian Collared-Doves, and a bunch of Bronzed Cowbirds.

I also attemped to record some of the Great-tailed Grackle flock although I haven’t checked the quality of the recording yet.

Dinner was at Chili’s, which was surprisingly good.

Tomorrow: Estero Llano Grande, Frontera, and South Padre Island.

Feb 8

Today we started by driving around Zapata a bit but never quite found the seedeater spot (and I didn’t really care so didn’t look too hard). Eventually, we headed off to Falcon State Park and arrived at about 9:30.

After checking in and finding out the staff didn’t know much about the Roadside Hawk, we began to walk the nature trail. Before entering the trail, we had many Pyrrhuloxia and a bit of a surprise: a Cassin’s Sparrow which was a life bird for me.

We wandered the trail for close to a couple hours, finding good birds including Verdin, Great Kiskadee, Green Jay, an Altamira Oriole, and many, many Northern Mockingbirds (I think every tree had 5). We also had our only White-crowned Sparrow of the trip and the only White-eyed Vireo that wasn’t heard only. Eventually we returned to the car, where the Cassin’s Sparrow popped up and almost posed for a few seconds:

We then drove to the picnic area and walked over to the boat ramp. There were two Blue-winged Teal in with the coots but not much else. On the way back, I paused a bit for butterflies and found this duskywing among others:

We then drove around a bit finding a Harris’s Hawk and not much else, so we headed for Salineno. There were actually people around this time and the bird show was a bit better. We sat for an hour and had all the expected birds including 3 species of oriole (Altamira, Audubon’s, and 3 different Hooded), 4 doves (White-tipped, White-winged, Inca, and Common Ground-), Ladder-backed and Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, Olive Sparrow, Long-billed Thrasher, and Black-crested Titmouse. I also enjoyed a Bewick’s Wren.

Unfortunately this year, Red-winged Blackbirds were coming in in huge numbers and eating everything in sight. The volunteers would chase them off occasionally but they would be back quickly. Still quite a sight even if they were annoying:

Once we had our fill, we went and scanned the river for a couple minutes and then headed towards Mission. Lunch was at a Whataburger, which was a decent fast food burger but nothing extra. After eating, we realized we still had a lot of daylight left, so I decided to head to Santa Ana. The GPS refused to pick up the road names we had, so it took a bit of effort to get there, but we arrived seconds before the visitor center closed.

We walked some of the shorter trails (I’m actually not sure which one, I got a bit lost). Besides the scenery, we enjoyed several Chachalacas, more Olive Sparrows and Black-crested Titmice and perched Red-shouldered and Harris’s Hawks. On the water were many coots and moorhens, along with several Least Grebes and many ducks including a couple Mottled. Way out, we found a Green Kingfisher.

Walking back, I got distracted by a butterfly which I eventually figured out was a Common Mestra:

From here, we went looking for a hotel (another Ringed Kingfisher flew across the road in front of us) and ended up at another Holiday Inn. Better than the one the night before at least. The person at the desk recommended a Mexican restaurant that we were able to walk to. It was called Antojito’s and was slightly above fast food but very good. I don’t think any of us actually know what we had to eat but it was all tasty so we didn’t care.

Tomorrow: Bentsen, Quinta Mazatlan, and Valley Nature Center.

Feb 6

Today was mostly a travel day. We left for the airport a little before 6. Other than the taxi driver being too busy talking to actually get on the pike, no issues getting to the airport and then getting through security. Both my mother and I got patted down and I had my boots taken for extra scanning (they were back by the time I got my wallet and watch and stuff back together so it wasn’t even a slight inconvenience).

The flight to Dallas was right on time (after some initial delays while they fixed the coffee machine). We had just enough time to grab food before the brief flight to San Antonio. Our bags were off the baggage claim quickly and it didn’t take too long for the rental car (though upcoming logistics post). First birds were Great-tailed Grackles waiting for the shuttle.

Like last time, I got a bit lost leaving and ended up circling around a little bit before I found the right highway. Ten minutes later, we pulled up to our friend Jack’s house.

After a few minutes to relax, we headed out to get a tour of San Antonio. After a bit of driving around, we went to walk around the riverwalk and some nearby areas. We parked on a fairly empty street, put a bit of time on the meter, and started off when a truck with some sort of tourist board logo stopped. A woman hopped out and told us that there were lots of break-ins to cars in the area. We immediately got back in and moved to a parking lot.

The riverwalk and surrounding area was fun, it reminded me a lot of the Faneuil Hall area but with a southwestern feel. We stopped outside the Alamo for pictures and then ended up walking through. It was small but more interesting than we expected.

After checking out a nearby indoor market, we decided to head to the Outback near Jack’s house for dinner. We ended up getting completely lost on the way back to the highway and I had to pull the gps out to get us back. Once at the restaurant, we were told the wait was about an hour (it was rodeo week). I think it was closer to 40 minutes. The food was decent as expected. There was a big grackle roost right outside the restaurant and the noise was quite entertaining. A short ride back and we were ready for bed.

Feb 7

Today started with a leisurely start. After breakfast, we went to the grocery store (an HEB) for snacks and other supplies. Jack then took us on a walk around his neighborhood. There were quite a few birds around including a presumed Golden-fronted Woodpecker and my first Texas Blue Jays, American Robin, and Cedar Waxwings.

A little before noon, we loaded up the car and headed south. I had originally planned to head for Aransas first and then work our way south but with the Amazon Kingfisher report, I decided that we were better off heading for Laredo and looping around that way.

Our first stop, however, was off the highway in Frio County. Mountain Plovers had been reported on TEXBIRDS and they appeared to be not too far off the route. Just when I thought we had managed to miss the turn, we found highway 57. The first field was a few miles down but the birds were supposed to be distant and we didn’t see the exact spot, so we continued to the second listed field figuring we could backtrack if needed.

There was no need. As soon as we pulled up to the second field at the intersection of 57 and 140 (field was on 57, west of 140), we could see many plovers. Jumping out, I set up the scope and we had excellent looks at several birds. I snapped a few mediocre photos and we continued (it was starting to drizzle a bit).

We continued on towards Laredo, making a quick stop to eat some of the food we had bought earlier. We reached Zacate Creek a little after 3PM. After moving to the closer parking lot, we began to explore a bit. Unfortunately, the Amazon Kingfisher had moved on (or somewhere else) but we did have a few good birds including feeding Osprey and Neotropic Cormorant, Great Kiskadees, and our only White-faced Ibis of the trip.

We spent a few minutes talking to some of the other birders (one born in Waltham(!)) and got some good information on some of the birds down in the valley. We also learned that the Roadside Hawk was no more but that a new one had been seen in Falcon State Park. Two Ringed Kingfishers flew overhead. They didn’t land but we still had good views.

After an hour or so, we headed out to Zapata. We reached the Holiday Inn Express just about in time for kickoff (it was the Super Bowl) but had to run out to get subs for dinner. We saw some of the first half and the entire second half. The hotel seemed to have gone downhill from last year, with screaming kids audible for most of the night and just a general off feel.

Tomorrow: Falcon, Salineno, Santa Ana.

I spent a week in January 2009 (from the 10th to the 16th) in South Texas. This trip was by myself and covered from Zapata to Brownsville looking for birds with some butterflies and dragonflies thrown in. I had originally planned on heading as far east as Laguna Atascosa and South Padre Island but ended up not going quite that far. As it was my first time down there, I didn’t spend a lot of time looking for individual birds but just wanted to experience a bit of everything. Consequently, I missed most of the harder to find species and the vagrants that were present (Blue Bunting and Crimson-collared Grosbeak among them).

I ended up with somewhere around 115 species of birds, 40 butterflies, and 12 dragonflies, including plenty of new everything.

This report will include daily summaries as well as a wrap-up and a species list.

• Travel Day (Boston to San Antonio to Zapata)
• Day 1 (Zapata, Falcon State Park, Salineno)
• Day 2 (Santa Ana and butterfly walk at Bentsen)
• Day 3 (Resaca de la Palma and Sabal Palm)
• Day 4 (Estero Llano Grande and LRGV NWR)
• Day 5 (Bentsen and drive to San Antonio and then flight home the next day)

Travel and equipment notes and complete lists

Also see the two posts I managed to make during the trip: after day 1 and heading home (not that those won’t be repeated in the daily reports).

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Here’s a few notes about the trip (travel, car, hotel, food) and then complete lists of what I saw.

Travel

I flew on AirTran from Boston to San Antonio. Although San Antonio was a bit of a drive, round-trip was about $250 and Mission and other nearby airports were all well over $500. I also got a chance to see my friend Jack in San Antonio (although I didn’t actually have time to see the city). AirTran was quite good. I picked it out of several airlines that were all about the same price because it had the best connections. Although I would have liked one more day, by leaving on Friday I had a noon flight where all the weekend flights were at 7AM. I also had a better layover in Atlanta (several hours) compared to barely an hour in either Detroit or Memphis.

Car

I rented the car from Hertz. Although I reserved a Ford Focus, I ended up with a Mazda 6. I have no idea if there was a difference in the cost (the Mazda was more, but the GPS was discounted and this and that) but it was a very nice car. The gas tank was huge and with good mileage I made it almost to Brownsville before I had to fill it (and then only had to fill it again on the way back and a third of a tank to return it full). It had a huge blind spot that took a bit to get used to and I never figured out how to move the wheel so it wasn’t blocking the speedometer. Otherwise no complaints (other than I hit the alarm button every other time I tried to lock the wheel while holding the keys). The cruise control was really nice on the highway (I wish it worked at 5mph so I could scan on side roads without ended up picking up speed).

The GPS worked fairly well. I noted a couple places in the trip report where it had issues, but other than not being able to find the hotel the second night none were major. It was definitely a good thing to have.

Hotels

The first night in Zapata was at a Holiday Inn Express. I had issues getting the internet to work and didn’t catch on to the pull ring for the shower but otherwise no complaints. As I mentioned in the report, the room had a view of the water which was really nice. In Mission, I stayed at the Hawthorne Suites, which was fairly nice although it was slightly out of the way and I didn’t really need a full suite. In Brownsville I stayed at a La Quinta, which was quite nice. The Best Western that I picked at random in San Benito was not as nice as the others but nothing was really wrong (wireless would have been nice). And back in Mission, I picked another La Quinta which was also very good. Other than the first night (and that may have as I had nothing that needed to go in and can’t remember now), all the rooms had refrigerators.

Food

I didn’t go out of my way for any local food. On the way to Zapata, I pulled off at a truck stop and grabbed a sub. I didn’t really bother with lunch the next day and went to Chili’s for dinner. I stopped at a grocery store for snacks, which included enough for lunch the next day. In Brownsville, I got takeout from Rudy’s, which was fairly good and had enough to save for lunch. In San Benito, I tried Whattaburger, which was adequate for fast food. I had lunch at a Wendy’s in Weslaco and then dinner at Tony Roma’s in McAllen. I was able to have leftovers for lunch and then went to a Mary Callender’s in San Antonio.

Computer

I bought an Asus EeePc for the trip. It worked out beautifully. Small enough to pack it in my backpack with everything (scope, camera, binocs, etc) but it’s a regular pc. I was able to check email every night and download photos. The keyboard takes a bit to get used to (pretty much every time you pick it up) but otherwise there’s nothing I can really complain about. For $320, it’s well worth it and will be very good on future trips.

Species lists below.
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Thursday, January 15

Today was the last morning of birding before I headed back to San Antonio. As I planned yesterday, I started by heading to Anzalduas. Or at least attempting to. I turned down the marked road and shortly found a giant dirt levee. Figuring that was wrong, I backtracked a bit and continued further but it appeared to be right. I returned, started up the levee, and decided that this wasn’t a great idea (although trying to back down wasn’t either). Since I was planning at Bentsen for souvenirs anyway, I headed over and spent the morning there.

I arrived at Bentsen in time for the first tram of the day. Two birders got off by the boat ramp and I got another ride by myself to the hawk tower. For a change, the weather wasn’t great, quite cloudy and I felt a couple drops of rain as I walked out to the tower.

There wasn’t a whole lot at the tower when I arrived, mostly the same dabbling ducks that were everywhere. I sat for a few minutes and some of the more distant shorebirds flew in closely. They proved to be mostly Long-billed Dowitchers but there were a few Least and Stilt Sandpipers mixed in. The Stilts were probably among the best views I’ve had, it’s nice when they stick out like that.

A few minutes later, a Black-necked Stilt joined them as well.

Since I still had about 40 minutes before the tram would return, I decided to walk the trail. On the way, my phone rang. The number looked vaguely familiar, but it started with 00. I passed it to voicemail and then noticed I was on a Mexican cell tower. Hopefully I wasn’t a few minutes earlier when I called home. The sign said 1.8 miles around, which I figured would give me plenty of time even if I found something. Fortunately, I didn’t find anything as I barely made it back in 40. Also fortunately, the tram didn’t arrive for a few more minutes.

I was planning on taking the tram back to the general area of the boat ramp, but on the way we passed two birders on the side of the road. The volunteer gave them a quick look at shouted “Stop!” He pointed and after taking a quick look I hopped right off. There was a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl sitting in the trees on the side of the road.

I spent quite a bit of time watching the owl (which didn’t do much other than look around) and talk to the finders (whose names I didn’t get, if one of them sees this leave a comment). Apparently they were walking along the road and heard a commotion. A bunch of Orange-crowned Warblers and some others birds were mobbing the owl, which made finding it quite easy. I caught the very tail end of that (a few Orange-crowneds and a Nashville) but a Ladder-backed Woodpecker came in and looked like it wanted to take a couple swipes. I did manage a lousy picture of that:

Eventually, we all moved on. I started back (actually went too far) but ran into another birder and came back to show it to him. I then worked my way to the boat ramp. On the way, I passed one of the park’s many feeding stations and found a great scene as one of the Javelinas stared down a park visitor who was trying for a picture.

There wasn’t much at the boat ramp, so I moved on to the blind. It was pretty quiet (doves and woodpeckers, no rare buntings), so I wandered around again. I went back to the boat ramp to try for a picture of a male Rambur’s Forktail but couldn’t find any in the cloudy conditions. I then went through the old trailer loop (now the Acacia Trail). Again, there wasn’t much but at the other side was a crowd of people staring at maps. They were obviously on their way to the owl, so I pointed them in the right direction and decided to take one more look before I headed out. The owl had moved a few trees down and was actually in slightly better light.

I started to walk back. On the way I pointed one of the park staff and a few visitors towards the owl. They were all on bikes and looked to be in a rush. Luckily the directions were stay left and look for the crowd of people. I didn’t find any other birds along the walk back or in the gardens by the visitor’s center.

After a quick stop to buy shirts and then a few minutes to finish off the leftover shrimp from last night, I began the drive back to San Antonio. It was pretty uneventful. I hit a couple brief heavy rains early on and was puzzled by the immigration stop near Falfurrias. It seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, but the sign claimed that they had already stopped 1100 illegal immigrants and a significant amount of drugs. I didn’t think it was a smart idea to take a picture of the sign though. At least all I had to answer was “Are you a citizen?” and “Where were you born” before being waved through.

A quick stop for gas and then a quick break to stretch and I was in San Antonio. Highway birds along the way were pretty much all raptors, mostly Red-tails and Kestrels with a few Caracaras mixed in. Up until maybe 15 miles from San Antonio the only time I saw more than two cars around me was in the ‘downtown’ areas where a traffic light would cause five cars to back up. But once I got to San Antonio, it got really bad. The last mile of highway probably took 15 minutes but I still arrived at my friend Jack’s house by 5:00.

We went out to dinner at Marie Callender’s where the country fried steak provided a nice change. Then back to Jack’s house to pack and sleep.

Friday, January 16

My flight left at noon and I had scheduled the car return for around 9:00, so I was up at about 7:30 and on my way by 8:30. A quick stop for gas (with a broken pump that started charging me before I put it in the tank and then spilled all over) and I was at the Hertz in 15 minutes. For at least the third time on the trip I set off the alarm while fumbling with the keys. At least I was able to stop it immediately this time.

The shuttle back to the airport showed up right after I finished the paperwork. Baggage check in took no time and I was through security easily (the guy checking things was actually friendly and was impressed by the size of my EeePc). The flight to Atlanta was right on time.

I had a layover of several hours in Atlanta. I started to look for food, but decided to just grab an ice cream sandwich out of a vending machine for now. I found the gate and sat down. Although there’s supposed to be a charge for wireless, the gate happened to be right next to the Continental President’s Club and I was able to pick up their free connection. Not too long after I sat down, the fire alarm went off. It specifically said to not do anything unless told but I didn’t see anyone even bat an eyelash. Twenty minutes later, it actually stopped. Eventually I got hungry and found a Nathan’s (the food at the other terminal was much better).

We finally boarded the flight home and then proceeded to sit on the runway for 30 minutes. I was sitting next to a soldier who told me that he hadn’t slept at all last night and was heading out with friends as soon as he got in (we were supposed to arrive around 9PM) and then started pestering the stewardess about what type of booze they have available. Luckily he promptly fell asleep once we were in the air.

The flight ended up landing pretty close to on time and surprisingly my bag was about the second one out at the baggage claim. And that was the trip.

Wednesday, January 14

Today started with the weekly bird walk at Estero Llano Grande. I joined the walk as it heads into restricted areas of the park, which is where all the rarities have been seen. We ended up missing all of those, but it was well worth it anyway.

The deck by the visitor’s center had a fabulous view of the water and I picked up the first lifer of the day from there with a Green Kingfisher perched in the open (finally). The walk started a bit late and as we milled around, someone called out that the Buff-bellied Hummingbird was near the feeders. I rushed over and got a nice look as it spread itself out to warm up in the morning sun.

Eventually the walk began. With over 40 people, we split into two groups and I went with Dave and Mary Elder to tour the park while the other group went right into the restricted area. We started by admiring the kingfisher, Least Grebes, a Vermilion Flycatcher, and many Kiskadees over the water and then checked the feeders. The feeders had a bunch of doves, chachalacas, and a couple Hispid Cotton Rats. The Buff-bellied was still around and two other hummingbirds joined it. One was identified as a Black-chinned, but the other got away.

We then headed down the trail and admired the large flock of American White Pelicans and other birds in the water. Someone picked out a Sora and we would later hear a couple more. Further down the trail, Dave stopped and pointed “Pauraque!” After a moment of shock, we realized that they were staked out birds that roost in the same spot every day. Even though he knew they were there, we could only find two of the three birds (and when I came back later I couldn’t even find the second). Amazing camouflage.

We continued on to the Alligator Lake. A few people did see a gator, but I never found it. However, another Green Kingfisher put on a good show, as did several species of herons, an Anhinga, and a Tropical Kingbird (very nice to be able to see and hear both on the trip).

We then moved on to the levee. There were a lot of birds in the water, but they were all a bit distant. We were able to pick out numerous American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts and the locals were all excited by a flock of Fulvous Whistling-Ducks (apparently much less common than Black-bellied here).

Dropping back down to the grassy area, we kicked up a bunch of sparrows that proved to be a mix of Lincoln’s and Savannah (causing some confusion as we were told that the local Savannahs look different as several of us got on a Lincoln’s). We then worked towards the former trailer park, which is the closed area. On the way, we stopped for a Red-shouldered Hawk and found a Cinnamon Teal in with the rest of the ducks. The teal was another much-wanted lifer and was a spectacular as I hoped.

At the trailer park, we learned that the Becard had shown very briefly but there had been no sign of the Black-throated Magpie-Jay (an escapee but apparently spectacular) or the Blue Bunting. We sat around for probably 30 minutes but had no luck (other than a very quick White-tailed Kite flyover).

That ended the walk. I was hungry and found a Wendy’s nearby where I planned my next move. I was thinking about Frontera and chasing Crimson-collared Grosbeak and Blue Bunting but decided I’d rather go for a bit of a drive and chase Masked Duck first. The ducks were in Raymondville, probably 40 minutes away, but it was a very easy drive.

As I drove up, there were three people scanning. I hurried over but it turned out that they had not found the birds (and the out-of-state visitor appeared to have no scope). I worked my way down the road slowly and sorted through lots and lots of dabbling ducks but no others.

The other people left fairly quickly and I began a more systematic search. Still no luck with the Masked Duck, but I found more Cinnamon Teal and also had some White Ibis and Wilson’s Snipe in between a couple of the ponds. A Ladder-backed Woodpecker popped up and there were a few butterflies including a very nice Buckeye and some Fiery Skippers.

Eventually, I gave up and headed out (I would later find out that they hadn’t been seen for a couple days and were not seen again). On the way out, a Loggerhead Shrike posed in the open, so I stopped for a second.

I had learned earlier today that the Least Grebe numbers were way up this year, but on the way back I was still surprised by two in what appeared to be an irrigation ditch along the side of the road. Apparently way up is understating it.

I planned on heading to Frontera now, but it was after 3:30 when I arrived and the sign said they closed at 4:00, so I decided to just go back to Estero and wander around on my own. I started with a few minutes getting better shots of the Pauraque (the ones above) and then sat at the Alligator Lake again. This time there was a big turtle with a Spotted Sandpiper right next to it but not much else.

I also spent some time on the Camino de Aves, which is a drier area. It wasn’t particularly birdy, although I did find a couple Harris’s Hawks (and a smaller raptor that got away), a Common Ground-Dove and an Orange-crowned Warbler that put on a show. A Gray Bird Grasshopper, which is one of the giant species hopped up as well.

I then walked around the ponds (and watched the idiot who had come by earlier pishing nonstop and not getting anything beyond a yellowthroat walk right down a closed maintenance road). The light was a bit harsh by now, but the first pond had two cooperative White-faced Ibis and a Vermilion Flycatcher.

At the pond closest to the visitor’s center, I flushed a small flock of Least Sandpiper. One landed on one of the poles along the edge. I grabbed the camera expected a one-of-a-kind shot but it turned out that there was an American Pipit mixed in. Still a neat photo:

I then returned to the car and headed to Mission to find a hotel. One of the first ones I saw was a La Quinta, and since I found the one in Brownsville very nice, I stopped. I ended up with the room right next to the elevator but didn’t hear a thing.

For dinner, I headed to Tony Roma’s. The food (grilled shrimp) was fairly good although the service was fair. There was a large birthday party at the table next to mine, which may have kept the waiter busy. They were taking a bunch of pictures and eventually asked me to take one of everyone. I was handed one of those single-roll cameras and realized I could barely see through the viewfinder. I’m fairly sure I framed it correctly, but if I didn’t, oops. They gave me a piece of cake, which was quite good even if I really didn’t want it.

I got back to the hotel and planned out the next day. I was thinking about Anzalduas County Park and then a quick stop at Bentsen for t-shirts before heading back to San Antonio.

Tuesday, January 13

As I noted in yesterday’s post, I scaled back today and headed to Resaca de la Palma. This is a brand new state park (open about 5 weeks) that has been getting good reviews. On the way over, I had noticed a birding trail sign right by the hotel, so I took a swing by. I believe it was for site 44, the Fish Hatchery. Partway down the road, two dogs ran in front of me, which caused a bit of a delay as I couldn’t see whether they had moved or not. I got down to the end of the road and didn’t see much habitat (reading the description later, I think I needed to go down to the right a bit), so I turned around and headed to Resaca.

On the entrance road, I picked up yet another flyover life when several Long-billed Curlews passed over (unfortunately I never got them on the ground). I found the parking lot and checked in. Arriving at 8, I was told the tram wouldn’t leave until 8:30 and that there was a short trail right there. I took a walk down to the end. On the way, I found a flock of migrants/overwintering birds that included a Blue-headed Vireo and a Black-throated Green Warbler. At the end was a nice overlook at the water. I found a bunch of Solitary Sandpipers, but not a lot more.

I got back to the headquarters ahead of the tram and found a couple Lark Sparrows in the trees. The tram driver showed up shortly and I was the only one around for it. I hopped off at the first stop (a couple more Tropical/Couch’s Kingbirds along the way). The driver told me that he liked the trails up a little further more than these and that I could catch the next tram in about an hour. I walked the short distance to the end of the first trail and immediately had a Myiarchus fly across the water. Unfortunately it disappeared quickly and I have no idea which one it was. The water was loaded with Least Grebes and when I turned around to go elsewhere a Wilson’s Warbler popped up.

Across the trail at the next opening, I didn’t find too much. It wasn’t close to time for the tram, so I figured I could walk down to the next set of trails and then catch the tram later. On the way down, there were several signs along the road including this one:

We had passed one in the tram. Passing quickly, I had read it as Shaky Habitat. I thought that was an odd way of saying fragile, but this makes more sense. Walking down the road, I found another Blue-headed Vireo. I turned down the next trail (the Flycatcher Trail) and followed the signs to the next overlook. There wasn’t much water around and the only bird at the water was an Eastern Phoebe. However, scanning through the vultures overhead I found a couple Blacks and later two Anhingas passed by as well. The vultures eventually came in close enough for photos.

I continued on and decided to follow the Flycatcher trail all the way around. Not too far down, a couple dragonflies flushed. I waited them out and one eventually landed. It looked like a darner and I quickly started snapping photos.

Once back at the car, I was able to identify it as a Turquoise-tipped Darner, another south Texas specialty, although one that appears to be expanding its range quite a bit.

Looping around, there wasn’t much else. Several Turkey Vultures flushed out of the trees but that was about it. Once back on the road, I continued on. Several Common Green Darners flushed out of the grasses and a surprise Northern Harrier flew by. Further on, a nice mature male Band-winged Dragonlet came close to posing in the open.

As one of the Green Darners eventually.

Further down, I caught something big flying over. It was quite pale but disappeared quickly. After puzzling for a second because male harrier didn’t seem quite right, I realized it had to have been a White-tailed Kite, another lifer. Again, not the best view.

I soon reached the Yellowthroat trail, which runs along water for a good distance and then intersects with a trail that appeared to run back to the road. Starting down, there were a couple egrets in the water and some Wood Ducks took off. A bit further down, I came across an Empid. It gave a couple whit notes and then disappeared. I walked back and forth for a few minutes looking for it. At one point I thought I had it and snapped a few photos before realizing it was just a phoebe, but shortly after I did get a brief view. One photo almost came out and from what I could see there was nothing to say it wasn’t a Least Flycatcher.

Looping around to the part of the trail that wasn’t by the water, I started seeing a few more insects (lots of Carolina Satyrs all along but not much else before). Several Dusky-blue Groundstreaks were flying around, giving moderate views of the blue upperside. No photos of that, but I did get some normal poses.

There were also a few Variegated Meadowhawks and this neat-looking spider (waiting on ID at bugguide):

As I passed into one of the real open areas, a Red-shouldered Hawk flew over and was immediately followed by the White-tailed Kite. This time, I was able to watch it for several minutes and then take several photos.

I reached what I thought was the trail back, but there was a trail closed sign on the ground (there had been several elsewhere as well). It was down on the ground, but since it was quite windy I wasn’t sure if it just blown over so I completed the loop and then walked down the road. I hoped to catch the tram going by, but it may have taken a noontime break.

It was quite hot out by now and very windy. The walk back was not much fun and pretty much devoid of anything. The kite made a couple more passes and some more Anhingas flew over but otherwise I saw nothing until I was almost back at the visitor’s center.

Just before reaching the visitor’s center, I found another flock of birds. It may have been the original one I saw as it contained a Black-throated Green and a Blue-headed Vireo, but they were also joined by a Nashville (and of course there were Orange-crowns and Yellow-rumps all over).

The BT Green posed well, but the Nashville wasn’t as cooperative.

Back at the visitor’s center, I checked out the butterfly gardens. There was a nice White Peacock, a Zebra, several Tropical Checkered-Skippers, a few Reakirt’s Blues, and a bunch of other skippers that I haven’t figured out. One of the park volunteers came by and talked for a few minutes. Apparently Blue Metalmarks are fairly regular, but no luck today.

At this point, I headed to Sabal Palm. It was a fairly long drive and I munched on the rest of my brisket as I went (I really would have appreciated the leaner cut here). Once I arrived, I checked, grabbed a map and started down the forest trail. It was late in the day and fairly quiet, but since I really wanted to see the Sabal Palms and not the birds, I was ok with that. The forest trail was spectacular and was truly another world. You’ll have to google up images and see what it’s like yourself as I didn’t have a small enough lens to really capture anything.

There were lots of dragonflies around, including Band-winged Dragonlets and Pin-tailed Pondhawks. The pondhawk was only suspected to fly year-round, so this should confirm that.

A bit further down, a large, orange butterfly flew by, my first Julia.

I took a quick walk to the photo blind. It was crowded and there wasn’t much visible (a few grebes, an Anhinga, a few ducks, and a bunch of turtles) so I moved on quickly.

I took the next trail that crosses the water and found one of my targets for the trip, a Roseate Skimmer. What a spectacular bug!

There were a bunch of skippers and a few Kiskadees nearby. I ended turning around and working my way through the rest of the forest trail. Partway through, I found a spreadwing. The light was quite difficult, but I got a couple acceptable shots.

I tried putting on the close-focus filter but wasn’t able to get a good shot with that. However, it was less flighty than most and I was able to catch it by hand. It didn’t settle down to let me get a good look at the appendages, but I did notice a couple dots on the underside of the thorax. Back home, when I posted my sightings to the Texas ode list, Dennis Paulson identified it as a Rainpool Spreadwing. Searching around, the dots do appear to be a mark, although I’m not sure if they’re diagnostic and if you can see those, you can probably identify it in other ways.

After finishing the forest trail, I checked the butterfly gardens and then took the river trail. I was rather disappointed as there turned out to be no view of the river. There also wasn’t much around other than Turkey Vultures and a single Osprey. After making the loop, I found the overlook at the river and realized it wasn’t that disappointing to be hidden.

But since it was a good place to sit and I was tired, I stopped for a few minutes. There was a sparrow-like chipping coming from a tree back up the path, but I ignored it. A youngish kid and his father walked up and the bird flew into the open. It wasn’t a sparrow, but a kingbird. I snapped a couple photos and watched it for a few minutes.

I was pretty sure the vocalizations were correct for Couch’s but decided to go back to the car and double-check. On the way, I got a basking Carolina Satyr but not much else. There was no sign of the Dusky-capped Flycatcher that had been reported. At the car, I grabbed the ipod and confirmed that it was a Couch’s, yet another lifer (unless I count the one at Santa Ana instead).

At this point, I headed towards Weslaco. I was planning on attending the bird walk at Estero Llano Grande in the morning and wanted to stop somewhere in that area. I forgot to check exactly where Weslaco is in relation to everything else and when I got tired, I stopped at the first hotel I found. I’d later figure out that I was in San Benito and should have continued for another 20 minutes, but I was tired enough not to care.

I was in the mood for a burger and put Whattaburger into the GPS. Following the directions, I saw one and pulled in. It was pretty good for fast food, but not great. Back at the car, the GPS offered to continue finding it. Since the hotel had no wireless, I went to look for a Wal-Mart and see if they had any cheap patch cables. Unfortunately, the GPS said I arrived and all I saw was a vacant lot. I decided to manage without internet for the night. I had requested the room for two nights but when I stopped at the desk to say I’d be moving on, the person said she had only checked me in for one, so it worked out. I went back to the room and collapsed (my allergies had really started acting up and I would later hear that the mountain cedar pollen count was into the thousands).