Crimson-collared Grosbeak at Frontera Audubon Thicket, 12/29/08

Finally got some good looks at the Crimson-collared Grosbeak this morning at Frontera Audubon Thicket in Weslaco. I head the Blue Bunting was being seen near the gate but I missed it again. It was very birdy this morning.



I returned in the afternoon and found this striking male Black-throated Gray Warbler.



Plain Chachalaca 12
Cattle Egret 1
Green Heron 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Sandhill Crane 50 (overhead)
White-winged Dove 1
Mourning Dove 3
Inca Dove 7
White-tipped Dove 6
Green Parakeet 3
Buff-bellied Hummingbird 4
Belted Kingfisher 1
Golden-fronted Woodpecker 5
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Great Kiskadee 5
Couch's Kingbird 1
White-eyed Vireo 1
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Black-crested Titmouse 2
Carolina Wren 2
House Wren 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
Clay-colored Thrush 1
Northern Mockingbird 3
Long-billed Thrasher 1
European Starling 3
Orange-crowned Warbler 6
Nashville Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 3
Black-throated Gray Warbler 1
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Ovenbird 1
Common Yellowthroat 4
Wilson's Warbler 4
Olive Sparrow 1
Lincoln's Sparrow 3
Crimson-collared Grosbeak 1
Northern Cardinal 2
Indigo Bunting 1
Great-tailed Grackle 1
Altamira Oriole 2

We did the Welaco CBC on the 27th. It was a hot windy day with the mercury rising to a record 90 degrees. We had 86 species on the day which is a little low for our area which include the Llano Grande flood channel but the whole count did well with about 170 species. Very good for an inland count. Didn't have anything great but nine Sprague's Pipits was pretty good .



This Paraque at the Mercedes cemetary was pretty cool.