Thursday 6/24:

The meeting was scheduled to begin with a late afternoon social thing. Since it’s about 5 hours to Orono, I decided to head up early and make a couple birding stops along the way. I left the house a little after 6 and reached the Kennebunk Plains at about 8:30.

The plains are a big open grassland with all sorts of interesting birds. My main target was Upland Sandpiper and I wasn’t even 50 feet from the car when one made several passes overhead.

It circled and called quite a bit and landed occasionally. Most of the time on the ground, it was hidden in the grasses, but I did manage one shot.

Upland Sandpiper was a long-overdue life bird so I spent a good bit of time enjoying them (there were at least two right there). Very much a curlew.

Once I had my fill of the sandpipers, I continued down the trail hoping for a few of the other specialties. Grasshopper, Vesper, and Clay-colored Sparrows all apparently breed here but I was only able to find Vesper. Fortunately, there were several and they were very cooperative.

I eventually worked my way down to some water, which was pretty quiet. It was getting hot, so I headed back to the car (stopping for the sparrows again) and moved on.

My next stop was to be Scarborough Marsh. However, I got somewhat lost along the way (not sure if there’s been new development since the birder’s guide to Maine was written or if I was just in the wrong spot for the entire time) so it took an extra hour. Once at the marsh, it was drizzling a bit. I decided that I didn’t feel like carrying the scope and would just take a quick walk out.

On the way, a Seaside Dragonlet posed nicely:

The usual birds were around including many egrets, a few Glossy Ibis, and Willets.

Sharp-tailed Sparrows were singing a good bit and I got some brief views. I suspect most were Nelson’s but one appeared noticably brighter, so that was probably a Saltmarsh. After following the path most of the way out, I headed back to the car for lunch (stopping for these neat flies on the way).

From here, I headed straight up to Orono, arriving early afternoon. I checked into my hotel, showered, rested a bit, and then headed to the main conference hotel. The group was taking over the lobby and I quickly was saying hello to many of the people I had met last year and meeting many others that came from further away.

After an hour or so here, we moved in a large group for dinner. This wasn’t the best idea as the nameless (only partially because I don’t remember it) restaurant was not capable of dealing with 30 people at once. The waitstaff was new but almost had things under control but the kitchen did not. My table got food probably 20 minutes after the other tables. For a slightly more expensive place, I wasn’t impressed with the obviously frozen green beans and packaged rice pilaf.

Once we finally managed to get away from the restaurant, we returned to the hotel where the initial meeting had already just about finished. Fortunately, they ran it again, so we were briefed on possible locations for tomorrow’s field trips.

After that, it was off to the hotel and bed for a fairly early start.

Today was a travel day as we headed back to San Antonio. Of course, with 2 very good birds on the way, it was also a good birding day.

We left Rockport and started towards Beeville. On the way, we found a couple Sandhill Cranes in a field and had an Avocet and other stuff fly over.

Reaching Beeville, we worked our way to the outskirts where a Northern Wheatear spent the winter at a farm. The farm was easy to find (a bit closer to the road than the directions implied). Getting out of the car, we were almost immediately joined by a Canadian couple. Seconds later, the wheatear popped up and gave us pretty good views (which was doubly nice as other people reported having long waits and only distant views).

After stocking up on peanut brittle for gifts, we headed on to the next stop, Choke Canyon State Park. Not surprisingly, the other people were heading that way too and we arrived at the same time. Checking in, we got directions to the pond hosting the Jacana and headed that way. Almost immediately, we located the bird walking out in the open along the edge of the lake.

We spent close to an hour watching it walk and fly along the edge of the pond, getting great views.

We drove around the park a bit and eventually stopped at one of the picnic areas for lunch. This was near the fishing area and we enjoyed a flock of Snowy Egrets waiting for leftovers.

From here, we headed back to San Antonio, arriving at Jack’s midafternoon. We went out to Red Lobster for dinner (again with a wait from rodeo crowds). It was fairly good (especially considering we already had excellent seafood the last few nights). We then packed and got ready for our early flight.

The return trip was easy with flights right on time (not having to get off the plane in Chicago was very nice) and we were home by midafternoon with Harry waiting.

Today started with a trip to Aransas NWR. On the way, I noticed that the gas tank was a bit low (presumably from all the idling in traffic yesterday) but figured we were still fine. The road to Aransas is pretty long and there’s absolutely nothing on the way, but we got there quickly.

Entering the refuge, there were a lot of vultures on the side of the road (photo by my mother).

After checking in, we headed straight for the tower. I missed the entrance and ended up walking out the boardwalk first. It was rather cold, but I quickly got a distant view of 2 Whooping Cranes, so mission accomplished. We continued to the end of the boardwalk, where a large number of herons and spoonbills were foraging.

Finding the correct spot to climb, we headed up. Surprisingly, the wind was almost better at the top and I was able to vaguely digiscope the cranes. In addition, there was a White-tailed Hawk way out, and on the new overlook that had yet to pass inspection, a Turkey Vulture.

Back at the car, we thought about the auto loop, but given the conditions and the fact that the car was very close to running out of gas, we decided to just head out and go elsewhere. That proved to be a smart decision as the gas light came on just before we got to a station.

After filling up, we drove to a few of the spots on the birding trail loop without finding much. We then hit the grocery store and bought some roast beef for lunch, which we ended up eating back at the hotel. After eating, we headed back out and drove along the coast a bit before working our way to Goose Island State Park.

At Goose Island, we drove around a bit before stopping on the beach, where there were many skimmers and Laughing Gulls, along with a few turnstones. We watched those for a little while before driving around the rest of the park (and deciding that the trails were too wet to walk). We returned to the beach, where we found a few loons on the water (and I found a couple Eared Grebes way, way out). The gulls took a big interest in us when I attempted to peel an orange outside the car, to the point that I decided not to bother.

After Goose Island, we headed back to the hotel. For dinner, we went to Captain Benny’s. It was very good, although a bit of a dive. Benny looked shockingly like a certain Massachusetts birder, although he sure didn’t run the restaurant with the same precision.

Tomorrow (which will not take another month and a half to publish): Beeville and Choke Canyon

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

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

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.

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.

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 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).

(Sorry for the blank refresh, I’m bumping the date so this is at the top of the TX09 category)

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.

Species Lists

The following are lists of what I was able to identify. Bird and dragonfly lifers are bold, almost all of the butterflies were, so it would be pointless to label them.

Birds (118+2)

• Fulvous Whistling-Duck – good-sized flock at Estero Llano Grande
• Wood Duck – 3 at Resaca de la Palma
• Gadwall – several at Santa Ana, Sabal Palm, and Bentsen (and a few on the Mexican side at Salineno)
• American Wigeon – several at Salineno on both sides of the river
• Mottled Duck – flyby at Santa Ana, 4 at Resaca, about 8 at the ponds by LRGV NWR (presumably I’ve seen them in Florida and just didn’t ID them)
• Blue-winged Teal – present at just about every pond
• Cinnamon Teal – 1 at Estero, 3 at LRGV NWR
• Northern Shoveler – present at most ponds
• Northern Pintail – a few at Sabal Palm and LRGV NWR
• Green-winged Teal – present at most ponds
• Plain Chachalaca – found at most appropriate sites including Santa Ana, Bentsen, Sabal Palm, and Estero
• Least Grebe – present at just about every pond (including some flooded spots on the side of the road near LRGV NWR)
• Pied-billed Grebe – present at most ponds
• American White Pelican – a few in Zapata and Falcon and a big flock at Estero
• Neotropic Cormorant – a few in the Zapata/Falcon area but most cormorants (including one flock of several hundred) were too far away for me to ID
• Double-crested Cormorant – several at Estero and see comments about the large numbers at Falcon under Neotropic
• Anhinga – present at most of the lower valley sites including Resaca, Sabal Palm, Estero, and Bentsen
• Great Blue Heron – present at several sites
• Great Egret – present at most water
• Snowy Egret – present at several sites
• Little Blue Heron – 4 at Estero
• Tricolored Heron – 3 at Estero
• Cattle Egret – 4 at Estero, scattered flyovers and along highways elsewhere
• White Ibis – 4 young birds at LRGV NWR
• White-faced Ibis – flock at the hotel in Zapata and 2 at Estero
• Black Vulture – 2 on the highway in Zapata, 3 at Resaca
• Turkey Vultures – everywhere
• Osprey – singles at Zapata, Falcon, and Sabal Palm
• White-tailed Kite – one or more birds at Resaca, one or two at Estero
• Northern Harrier – one at Resaca
• Sharp-shinned Hawk – one at Salineno (several small Accipiter type birds elsewhere)
• Harris’s Hawk – at several locations including Santa Ana and Estero
• Red-shouldered Hawk – singles at most locations south of Falcon
• Red-tailed Hawk – 1 at LRGV NWR, many along Rt. 281
• Crested Caracara – all along the highways and at Falcon, Resaca, and LRGV NWR
• American Kestrel – on almost every power line along the highways, large falcon flying by leaving Bentsen the last day as well
• Sora – 2 at Estero
• Common Moorhen – many at Santa Ana, Resaca, Estero, and LRGV NWR
• American Coot – at most ponds in good numbers
• Killdeer – at Zapata Boat Ramp, Resaca, and LRGV NWR
• Black-necked Stilt – many at Estero, 1 at Bentsen
• American Avocet – many at Estero
• Greater Yellowlegs – at Estero and LRGV NWR
• Lesser Yellowlegs – at Estero and Bentsen
• Solitary Sandpiper – 4 at Resaca
• Spotted Sandpiper – 1 at Salineno and a couple at Estero
• Long-billed Curlew – 3 flying over the entrance road to Resaca and a couple flyovers leaving Bentsen
• Least Sandpiper – many at Estero and Bentsen
• Stilt Sandpiper – 3+ at Bentsen
• Long-billed Dowitcher – many at Estero and Bentsen
• Wilson’s Snipe – 3+ at LRGV NWR
• Laughing Gull – 4+ at the Zapata Boat Ramp
• Ring-billed Gull – 1 at the hotel in Zapata
• Herring Gull – 1 at the hotel in Zapata
• Rock Pigeon – all over the highways and towns
• Eurasian Collared-Dove – several in the Zapata/San Ygnacio area
• Mourning Dove – all over
• White-winged Dove – at Salineno, Santa Ana, and Bentsen
• Inca Dove – at Salineno and Estero
• Common Ground-Dove – at most sites from Falcon to Estero
• White-tipped Dove – at Salineno, Bentsen, and Estero
• Greater Roadrunner – 1 at Santa Ana
• Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl – 1 at Bentsen, probably the highlight of the trip
• Common Pauraque – several staked out at Estero
• Buff-bellied Hummingbird – 1 at Estero
• Black-chinned Hummingbird – 1 at Estero plus one other hummingbird
• Ringed Kingfisher – on along the side of 83 near La Joya
• Belted Kingfisher – at Falcon, Santa Ana, and Estero
• Green Kingfisher – 2 at Estero
• Golden-fronted Woodpecker – all over from Salineno south
• Ladder-backed Woodpecker – at several sites from Salineno on
• Least Flycatcher – 1 at Resaca
• Eastern Phoebe – at most sites from Bentsen to Sabal Palm
• Vermilion Flycatcher – at the hotel in Zapata, Falcon, and Estero
• Great Kiskadee – at just about every stop
• Myiarchus sp – 1 at Resaca
• Tropical Kingbird – 1 at Estero
• Couch’s Kingbird – 1 at Sabal Palm (and likely 1 at Santa Ana, several silent kingbirds at Santa Ana and Resaca)
• Loggerhead Shrike – 1 at Falcon, 1 at LRGV NWR
• White-eyed Vireo – at most locations
• Blue-headed Vireo – 2+ at Resaca
• Green Jay – at most locations
• Chihuahuan Raven – 3 along 83 near Zapata
• Tree Swallow – 1 at Estero
• Cave Swallow – big flock at Santa Ana, few at Estero and Bentsen
• Black-crested Titmouse – at most locations
• Cactus Wren – several at Falcon, 1 at Santa Ana
• Carolina Wren – several at Santa Ana
• House Wren – at several locations
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet – at most locations
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – at most locations
• Clay-colored Robin – 6 at Santa Ana
• Northern Mockingbird – at most locations
• Long-billed Thrasher – at most locations
• European Starling – all over
• American Pipit – 20 at Falcon, 2 at Estero
• Orange-crowned Warbler – everywhere
• Nashville Warbler – 1 at Resaca, 1 at Bentsen
• Yellow-rumped Warbler – everywhere, all I saw appeared to be Myrtle
• Black-throated Green Warbler – 2+ at Resaca
• Black-and-white Warbler – 1 at Resaca
• Common Yellowthroat – at most places with water
• Wilson’s Warbler – 1 at Resaca
• Olive Sparrow – all over at Santa Ana, Resaca, and Bentsen at least
• Chipping Sparrow – several at Salineno
• Lark Sparrow – big flock along the entrance road at Falcon, couple at Resaca
• Savannah Sparrow – several at Estero
• Song Sparrow – 1 at Falcon
• Lincoln’s Sparrow – all over
• Northern Cardinal – at most sites
• Pyrrhuloxia – many at Falcon
• Red-winged Blackbird – all over
• Meadowlark sp – many along the sides of the roads
• Great-tailed Grackle – all over, probably the most common bird of the trip
• Brown-headed Cowbird – huge flock at Falcon, few at Salineno
• Altamira Oriole – 1 at hotel in Zapata, present at most sites from Salineno to Resaca
• Audubon’s Oriole – 2 at Salineno
• House Finch – couple at Zapata boat ramp
• American Goldfinch – couple heard flying over at Sabal Palm
• House Sparrow – at Salineno and Estero

Dragonflies (14)

• Rainpool Spreadwing (Lestes forficula) – 1 male at Sabal Palm
• Blue-ringed Dancer (Argia sedula) – 1 at Bentsen
• Familiar Bluet (Enallagma civile) – at several sites from Falcon to Resaca
• Rambur’s Forktail (Ischnura ramburii) – at Falcon, Bentsen, and Resaca
• Common Green Darner (Anax junius) – at Resaca and Estero
• Turquoise-tipped Darner (Rhionaeschna psilus) – 1-2 males at Resaca
• Pin-tailed Pondhawk (Erythemis plebeja) – all over at Sabal Palm
• Band-winged Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax umbrata) – several sites from Falcon to Sabal Palm
• Straw-colored Sylph (Macrothemis inacuta) – 1 male at Falcon
• Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea) – 1 male at Sabal Palm
• Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens) – 1 at Falcon
• Variegated Meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum) – at Resaca and Sabal Palm
• Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta) – all over, most common ode of the trip (one possible Black Saddlebags at Sabal Palm as well)

Butterflies (40)

There were quite a few skippers at Resaca and Sabal Palm that I didn’t really attempt to identify. Most of the Bentsen ones were on the butterfly walk, I probably wouldn’t have gotten half of them on my own.

• Brown Longtail (Urbanus procne) – several at Santa Ana, Bentsen, and Sabal Palm
• White-patched Skipper (Chiomara georgina) – Bentsen
• Sickle-winged Skipper (Eantis tamenund) – Bentsen
• White Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus albescens) – Falcon and Bentsen
• Tropical Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus oileus) – Bentsen and Resaca
• Laviana White-Skipper (Heliopetes laviana) – Santa Ana and Bentsen
• Fawn-spotted Skipper (Cymaenes trebius) – Bentsen
• Eufala Skipper (Lerodea eufala) – Bentsen
• Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius) – Bentsen
• Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus) – LRGV NWR
• Common Mellana (Quasimellana eulogius) – Bentsen
• Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole) – Falcon
• Sleepy Orange (Abaeis nicippe) – Falcon
• Little Yellow (Pyrisitia lisa) – Falcon and Bentsen
• Southern Dogface (Zerene cesonia) – Bentsen
• Large Orange Sulphur (Phoebis agarithe) – Bentsen
• Checkered White (Pontia protodice) – Falcon, Bentsen, Resaca
• Great Southern White (Ascia monuste) – Bentsen
• Silver-banded Hairstreak (Chlorostrymon simaethis) – Bentsen
• Dusky-blue Groundstreak (Calycopis isobeon) – Bentsen and Resaca
• Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak (Strymon istapa) – Falcon and Bentsen
• Clytie Ministreak (Ministrymon clytie) – Bentsen
• Cyna Blue (Zizula cyna) – Bentsen
• Reakirt’s Blue (Echinargus isola) – Falcon and Bentsen
• Fatal Metalmark (Calephelis nemesis) – Falcon and Bentsen
• Red-bordered Metalmark (Caria ino) – Bentsen
• American Snout (Libytheana carinenta – Santa Ana and Bentsen
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) – Falcon, Bentsen, and Estero
• Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) – Falcon
• Julia (Dryas iulia) – Sabal Palm
• Zebra (Heliconius charithonia) – Santa Ana and Bentsen
• American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) – LRGV NWR
• Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) – Falcon and Bentsen
• White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae) – Bentsen and Resaca
• Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) – LRGV NWR
• Texas Crescent (Anthanassa texana) – Falcon
• Chestnut Crescent (Anthanassa argentea) – Bentsen
• Vesta Crescent (Phyciodes graphica) – Bentsen
• Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon) – Bentsen
• Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius) – Bentsen, Resaca, Sabal Palm