Sunday, November 25, 2007

Sal del Rey, 11/25/07

I headed up to Sal del Rey this cold, blustery morning. After a wet summer, the rainless fall has pretty much dried things up. Water evaporating from already hypersaline Sal del Rey is causing a salt precipitate to form along the shores and coating anything in the water.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

There were not to many shorebirds and they were concentrated in the southwest corner. I was happy to see 15 Snowy plovers after missing them on my last visit.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Long-billed Dowitchers are supposed to prefer freshwater while we often find Short-bills in salt water along the coast. I tried to turn this into a Short-billed Dowitcher, but I thing it's just a salt loving Long-billed.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

I was sad to see this dying Sand-hill Crane. I'm sure it won't go to waste as there are plenty of coyotes around.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Snow Goose 50
Great Blue Heron 1
Black Vulture 8
Turkey Vulture 10
Northern Harrier 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Harris's Hawk 3
White-tailed Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Crested Caracara 4
Sandhill Crane 1
Snowy Plover 15
Killdeer 8
American Avocet 1
Greater Yellowlegs 4
Lesser Yellowlegs 20
Sanderling 10
Western Sandpiper 10
Least Sandpiper 175
Stilt Sandpiper 8
Long-billed Dowitcher 2
Eastern Phoebe 1
Great Kiskadee 2
Green Jay 3
Cactus Wren 1
Bewick's Wren 1
House Wren 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 4
Northern Mockingbird 5
American Pipit 10
Orange-crowned Warbler 2
Eastern Meadowlark 1

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Frontera Audbon Thicket, 11/17/07

This morning Mary Gustafson found a Winter Wren along the trail on the south side of the pond at Frontera Audubon Thicket in Weslaco. As I was already leaving I didn't have much time to look for it. Best bird I had was a Clay-colored Robin along the south fence and a female Painted Bunting along the boardwalk. There were a pair of Green Kingfishers in the narrow pool west of the pond and a pair (same?) along the east ditch. A Yellow-throated Warbler was at the water feature behind the visitor's center. Overall migrant and wintering passerines are still low in numbers.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

I though this Soldier looked cool sitting on the reed.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Plain Chachalaca 25
Cooper's Hawk 1
Inca Dove 10
White-tipped Dove 8
Buff-bellied Hummingbird 2
Green Kingfisher 4
Golden-fronted Woodpecker 8
Great Kiskadee 5
White-eyed Vireo 2
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Black-crested Titmouse 1
Carolina Wren 2
House Wren 3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
Clay-colored Robin 1
Northern Mockingbird 6
Long-billed Thrasher 3
Curve-billed Thrasher 2
Orange-crowned Warbler 3
Yellow-throated Warbler 1
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Northern Waterthrush 1
Common Yellowthroat 1
Wilson's Warbler 3
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 4
Painted Bunting 1
Bronzed Cowbird 1
House Sparrow 3