Flights were on American (several airlines were all at the same rate, picked based on time and connecting city) and we had no real issues. Car rental was through Hertz. Mazda 3, which was much less comfortable than the 6 I had last year. We’re pretty sure we got screwed a bit on the cost there and have no interest in dealing with Hertz again any time son. Hotels and food are all mentioned in the daily reports.
I brought my own GPS. It worked fine for the most part, but had occasional issues with new construction and road names. The construction wasn’t a problem as it was obvious where to go but the names did cause some problems. We had to refer to the paper directions for several places as I couldn’t find them in the attraction list and the route number in the address wasn’t accepted (for some reason it wanted the local name).
Here’s everything seen on our trip:
Birds (156)
- Gadwall
- At most places with water
- American Wigeon
- various watery spots
- Mallard
- A few in the Riverwalk in San Antonio and a couple in Rockport
- Mottled Duck
- 2-4 each at Santa Ana, Llano Grande, and South Padre
- Blue-winged Teal
- Couple each at various water spots
- Cinnamon Teal
- Four from the deck at Llano Grande
- Northern Shoveler
- Big numbers at Llano Grande and Laguna Atascosa
- Northern Pintail
- Huge numbers at Laguna Atascosa and Goose Island
- Green-winged Teal
- Couple at Llano Grande and Choke Canyon
- Redhead
- Many in the bay at South Padre and Laguna Atascosa
- Ring-necked Duck
- 1 at Santa Ana, handful at Llano Grande
- Lesser Scaup
- 2 at Llano Grande
- Bufflehead
- Few each at Aransas, Goose Island, and Choke Canyon
- Common Goldeneye
- Couple while driving over the causeway between Rockport and Aransas
- Red-breasted Merganser
- Few at most coastal stops
- Ruddy Duck
- 15 at Llano Grande
- Plain Chachalaca
- Flocks of 5-10 at most valley sites (Santa Ana to Laguna Atascosa)
- Common Loon
- 5 at Goose Island
- Least Grebe
- Few at Santa Ana and Llano Grande, single at Laguna Atascosa
- Pied-billed Grebe
- At sites all over from Zacata Creek to Goose Island
- Eared Grebe
- Few way out at Goose Island
- American White Pelican
- Few at Falcon and Zapata, about 100 at Llano Grande, couple elsewhere
- Brown Pelican
- All over the coast
- Neotropic Cormorant
- Few from Zacate Creek to South Padre
- Double-crested Cormorant
- from Laguna Atascosa to Goose Island (probably lots should have been cormorant sp)
- Anhinga
- 4 at Llano Grande, 2 at Frontera
- Great Blue Heron
- Everywhere
- Great Egret
- Everywhere
- Snowy Egret
- Everywhere
- Little Blue Heron
- 1-3 at Llano Grande, South Padre, and Laguna Atascosa
- Tricolored Heron
- Singles at Llano Grande and South Padre, 6 at Aransas
- Reddish Egret
- 1 at South Padre, 2 at Aransas
- Cattle Egret
- 3 at Zacate Creek
- Black-crowned Night-Heron
- Single at Llano Grande (the bird walk also had a Green Heron that I missed)
- White Ibis
- few from South Padre to Aransas
- White-faced Ibis
- Single at Zacate Creek
- Roseate Spoonbill
- Singles at Llano Grande and South Padre, about 10 at Aransas on the boardwalk by the tower
- Black Vulture
- Everywhere
- Turkey Vulture
- Everywhere
- Osprey
- Few near Falcon, along coast, and at Choke Canyon
- White-tailed Kite
- Pair at Llano Grande
- Northern Harrier
- Singles at Falcon, South Padre, and Laguna Atascosa
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Singles at Zacate Creek and Bentsen
- Cooper’s Hawk
- Singles at Santa Ana, Quinta Mazatlan, and Llano Grande
- Harris’s Hawk
- Single at Falcon and Santa Ana
- Red-shouldered Hawk
- Small numbers from Frio County to Llano Grande
- White-tailed Hawk
- several along the roads in Cameron County and up to Aransas (one perched in front of the cranes)
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Numerous along the highways (likely some other hawks mixed in but it was hard to stop)
- Crested Caracara
- Numerous, especially near Zapata and along the coast
- American Kestrel
- Abundant along the highways (I could have used a hand clicker to keep track of numbers)
- Peregrine Falcon
- One over the parking lot at the Best Western in Weslaco
- Aplomado Falcon
- A distant bird in flight at Laguna Atascosa must have been one of these
- Sora
- One at Llano Grande
- Common Moorhen
- Few each at Santa Ana, Llano Grande, South Padre, and Laguna Atascosa
- American Coot
- Everywhere there was water
- Sandhill Crane
- 2 along the road west of Rockport somewhere
- Whooping Crane
- 2 were visible from the tower at Aransas
- Black-bellied Plover
- Single at South Padre
- Killdeer
- few all over
- Mountain Plover
- At least 50 in the field at the intersection of 57 and 140 in Frio County
- Black-necked Stilt
- 6 at Llano Grande
- American Avocet
- 4 at Llano Grande, 1 over the road between Rockport and Beeville
- Northern Jacana
- the long-staying bird at Choke Canyon was easy to see at the shore of 75-Acre Lake
- Spotted Sandpiper
- 1-2 at many spots
- Greater Yellowlegs
- Few each at Zacate Creek, South Padre, and Laguna Atascosa
- Willet
- 4 at South Padre, 30+ at Laguna Atascosa, 4 at Goose Island, all presumably Western
- Long-billed Curlew
- 2 at South Padre, 5+ at Laguna Atascosa
- Marbled Godwit
- Single at South Padre, handful at Laguna Atascosa
- Ruddy Turnstone
- 1 at Laguna Atascosa, few at Goose Island
- Dunlin
- 10+ at Laguna Atascosa
- Long-billed Dowitcher
- 40+ at Llano Grande, single dowitcher at South Padre
- Laughing Gull
- Numerous along the coast
- Ring-billed Gull
- Few at Goose Island
- Herring Gull
- Handful
- Gull-billed Tern
- About 10 at Laguna Atascosa
- Caspian Tern
- 4 at South Padre, singles at Laguna Atascosa and Rockport (several tern sp along the coast as well)
- Royal Tern
- Few at South Padre at least
- Black Skimmer
- About 50 at South Padre, 3 at Goose Island
- Rock Pigeon
- Various in cities
- Eurasian Collared-Dove
- 5 at the Best Western in Weslaco, 2 near the Big Oak at Goose Island, 2 in Lamar
- White-winged Dove
- 2-20 at various spots
- Mourning Dove
- Plenty
- Inca Dove
- from Salineno to Frontera, most numerous at Frontera
- Common Ground-Dove
- Salineno, Bentsen, and Llano Grande
- White-tipped Dove
- Couple at most valley sites and Laguna Atascosa
- Greater Roadrunner
- 5 at Laguna Atascosa
- Common Pauraque
- 2 staked out at Llano Grande
- Buff-bellied Hummingbird
- 2-3 each at Llano Grande, Valley Nature Center, and Frontera
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Singles at Llano Grande and Frontera
- Ringed Kingfisher
- 2 over Zacate Creek, 1 over Military Highway in Mission
- Belted Kingfisher
- 1 on the highway near Falcon, 1 at Aransas, 1 in Rockport
- Green Kingfisher
- Singles at Santa Ana and Frontera
- Golden-fronted Woodpecker
- Everywhere
- Ladder-backed Woodpecker
- Few from Falcon to Quinta Mazatlan including 8 at Bentsen
- Eastern Phoebe
- at most sites
- Great Kiskadee
- Numerous from Zacate Creek to Frontera
- Tropical Kingbird
- 3 (presumed) at Llano Grande
- Couch’s Kingbird
- Single at South Padre, 4 along the road in at Laguna Atascosa
- Rose-throated Becard
- The young male coming to the peanut butter feeder at the gatehouse at Bentsen was easy to see as the park opened
- Loggerhead Shrike
- Single at Falcon, few near Laguna Atascosa, 1 at Goose Island
- White-eyed Vireo
- Single at Falcon, 3 heard at Laguna Atascosa
- Blue-headed Vireo
- Single at Bentsen
- Blue Jay
- 3 in San Antonio
- Green Jay
- Most valley sites, up to Choke Canyon
- Chihuahuan Raven
- handful along the highway near Zapata
- Tree Swallow
- Few at Santa Ana
- Cave Swallow
- Single at Santa Ana
- Black-crested Titmouse
- At most places in the valley
- Verdin
- 2 at Falcon
- Carolina Wren
- One in San Antonio and Santa Ana
- Bewick’s Wren
- One at Salineno
- House Wren
- Single at Bentsen
- Marsh Wren
- Couple calling at South Padre
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- All over the valley
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- At most sites in the valley
- Northern Wheatear
- Wintering bird was easy to see in Beeville
- Clay-colored Thrush
- Single at the gatehouse at Bentsen
- American Robin
- San Antonio and Zacate Creek
- Northern Mockingbird
- All over but especially abundant at Falcon and Laguna Atascosa
- Long-billed Thrasher
- At most valley sites, good numbers at Laguna Atascosa
- Curve-billed Thrasher
- 2 at Quinta Mazatlan, single at Laguna Atascosa
- European Starling
- few
- American Pipit
- Few along the roads, single at Llano Grande, and a handful at Choke Canyon
- Sprague’s Pipit
- Single at Laguna Atascosa near Pelican Lake
- Cedar Waxwing
- Few in San Antonio, single at Quinta Mazatlan, about 20 at Llano Grande
- Orange-crowned Warbler
- Everywhere
- Tropical Parula
- Both staked out birds (Quinta Mazatlan and Frontera) were seen
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Everywhere, all appeared to be Myrtle
- Black-and-white Warbler
- Single at Valley Nature Center
- Ovenbird
- Single at Frontera
- Common Yellowthroat
- At most wet spots
- Olive Sparrow
- From Salineno to Laguna Atascosa
- Cassin’s Sparrow
- One at the start of the nature trail at Falcon
- Chipping Sparrow
- Couple in San Antonio and Aransas
- Savannah Sparrow
- Handful at Llano Grande, Laguna Atascosa, and the wheatear site
- Grasshopper Sparrow
- One at Llano Grande, 2 (1 incredibly cooperative) at Laguna Atascosa
- Lincoln’s Sparrow
- Falcon, Bentsen, and Llano Grande
- Swamp Sparrow
- Single at Aransas
- White-crowned Sparrow
- 1 at Falcon
- Crimson-collared Grosbeak
- The Quinta Mazatlan bird was fairly easy to see once we got to the right spot
- Northern Cardinal
- All over
- Pyrrhuloxia
- Couple at Zacate Creek, 10+ at Falcon
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak
- One at Bentsen
- Indigo Bunting
- Few at Bentsen
- Red-winged Blackbird
- All over
- Eastern Meadowlark
- Many singing at Laguna Atascosa
- Western Meadowlark
- Presuming most of the meadowlarks from San Antonio to Zapata and in Beeville were Western (several heard)
- Brewer’s Blackbird
- Sarita rest stop and elsewhere along 77
- Great-tailed Grackle
- Everywhere
- Bronzed Cowbird
- 4+ at the Best Western in Weslaco
- Brown-headed Cowbird
- Few at Falcon and Sarita
- Hooded Oriole
- 3 at Salineno and 1 likely at Falcon
- Altamira Oriole
- Falcon, Salineno, and Bentsen
- Audubon’s Oriole
- 1 at Salineno
- American Goldfinch
- 2 at Zacate Creek, 5 at Frontera
- House Sparrow
- Many
The cool and cloudy weather wasn’t very good for bugs, which were in low numbers after cold weather before we arrived.
Butterflies (6+)
- Funeral Duskywing
- Presumably the duskywing at Falcon.
- Tropical Checkered-Skipper
- Several at Valley Nature Center
- Skipper sp
- Falcon, still working on it
- Little Yellow
- Falcon
- Reakirt’s Blue
- Falcon
- Fritillary sp
- Presumably Variegated but very poorly seen at Falcon
- American Snout
- 1 at Santa Ana
- Mestra
- 1 at Santa Ana
Odes (3)
- Familiar Bluet
- 1 female at Falcon was presumably Familiar
- Common Green Darner
- Several at Santa Ana
- Red Saddlebags
- Several at Santa Ana