Greater Pewee in Mcallen, 11/27/10

The interesting Fall continues with a Greater Pewee found in McAllen yesterday by visiting top notch birder Cin-Ty Lee. I'm ashamed to say that this morning was my first visit to the cemetary but I'll be going back. Except for the headstones, wandering under the large trees with lots of warblers around is reminiscent of Anzalduas. Greater Pewee is native to the mountains of Mexico extending up into SE Arizona and have nested in the Davis Mountains of west Texas. I've seen Greater Pewee in Texas a couple of times previously but it's still a great year bird.





Lots of warblers around, mostly Yellow-rumps but there were a few Pines and a Yellow-throated.





This Summer Tanager may stay for the winter.



Turkey Vulture 1
Inca Dove 8
Golden-fronted Woodpecker 6
Greater Pewee 1
Eastern Phoebe 2
Great Kiskadee 10
Tropical Kingbird 1
Loggerhead Shrike 1
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Black-crested Titmouse 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 8
Northern Mockingbird 6
Orange-crowned Warbler 6
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 25
Yellow-throated Warbler 1
Pine Warbler 3
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Chipping Sparrow 3
Summer Tanager 1
Lesser Goldfinch 3

Rufous-backed Robin at Laguna Atascosa NWR, 11/22/10

Sunday afternoon a Rufous-backed Robin was found in the water feature at the visitors center at Laguna Atascosa NWR at 3:45 PM. So I got up the next morning and arrived at 8 AM figuring I could twich the robin and be about my business. Well it wasn't that easy and I waited around all day, wandering around, checking out juicy spots where I thought it might be hiding out. After almost deciding to give up and go home on several occasions, I thought I might as well wait till the designated time. And at 3:48 PM he pops out into the water feature and takes a bath. I couldn't believe it. Cameron County bird #352. I've been on a roll lately.



This is the the sixth Rufous-backed Robin for the country this year. There's been two in the RGV, three in Arizona and one in New Mexico. This species is native to the west coast of Mexico and the Rio Balsas watershed. No matter where these birds are coming from they're travelling more than 500 miles. I wonder what's going on down there and if it will cause other species to wander up this way.



While waiting for the robin this late Wood Thrush put in an appearance.



Most visiting birders to the RGV are blown away by the beauty of Green Jays. We local residents sometimes fail to appreciated them. This ones got his crest fluffed up a bit.

Field Sparrow at SPI, 11/18/10

After watching the Spurs whip the Bulls last night in San Antonio we raced home so Honey could go to school today. I was pretty groggy but it didn't keep me from an afternoon trip to South Padre Island to look for Scarlet's Blue-throated Hummingbird. I got brief looks at it in the same vacant lot where I saw the Anna'a Hummingbird a few days ago. The seep calls were familiar from my years in Arizona and trips to Boot Springs. Unfortunately I didn't get any pics. Then out at the convention center I was unable to find the Winter Wren. In fact most birds there seemed to have moved on with the cold front. But this cute little Field Sparrow gave me a brief look. Two more new Cameron County birds!



Here's a Rain-pool Spreadwing by the convention center.

Red-breasted Nuthatch at Quinta Mazatlan, 11/16/10

This morning I went over to Quinta Mazatlan to search for the Red-breasted Nuthatch that was originally found last week during the RGV Bird Festival. I didn't have much hope of of finding it as it had not been seen since the original sighting. Well I got lucky and found my first nuthatch for the Valley and Hidalgo County bird #354. I really enjoyed watching this bird doing his nuthach thing!







Aftewards I ran over to Bentsen to look for the Unanius moth and the Blue-eyed Darner. No luck but here's a nice gulf Fritilary.



Yesterday I stepped out of the house and this Merlin was just a few yards away over the neighbor's house. Yard bird #158.

Ruddy Ground-Dove at Estero Llano Grande

Today I finally nailed one of my long time nemesis birds for Texas, the Ruddy Ground-Dove. I failed to find the one at Big Bend a couple of years ago. There was one at Estero Llano Grande State Park several years ago that I tried for 13 times but had no luck. Many are reported here in the Valley by over enthusiastic birders who don't understand how maroon a male Common Grond-Dove can be. I've chased after those too. So here's the story of today's bird.



The Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival is taking place this weekend in Harlingen and I get to co-lead a couple of field trips with the renown ornithologist, author and bird guide, Jon Dunn. We did a warbler field trip together last year and thought it was worthwhile to do one again. Also while in the Valley, Jon graciously agreed to speak in Weslaco for a fund raiser for Frontera Audubon Society and I happily offered to drive him over from Harlingen. Well Honey and I thought we might as well invite Jon for dinner before the program and we got to spend a brief bit of time with this geneorous and entertaining man. Here's Honey and Jon.



Today Jon was leading a van of people as part of the bird festival's Big Day competition. I was over at Frontera scouting for our warbler trip. After I got home I called Mary Gustafson to finalize a few things for the festival and got word that Jon's group had just found a Ruddy Ground-Dove at Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco. So I raced right over and got bird #530 for my Texas list. I have seen Ruddy Grond-Doves many times in Arizona and even had a flock of five of them at my apartment while I lived in Patagonia. But today's bird is the east Mexican rufipennis subspecies which is a much richer rufous, almost maroon. Thanks Jon!

While scouting for warblers at Frontera Audubon Thicket I found this nice Black-throated Green in the water feature.



Yellow-throated warblers like riparian vegetation during the breeding season. They love palms when they winter in the Valley.



Here's a really sharp Blue-faced Darner. Not sure how much longer they'll be around as winter approaches.

Great birding this weekend!

Yesterday I spent the day birding in Willacy County hoping to find a Golden-crowned Kinglet for my county list. Well, I didn't find one but I checked out the Mountain Plover spot east of Sebastian and with a bit of effort found eight of the little tan-colored ghosts. They are so hard to see as they run, popping up and down, between the furrows in the very large plowed fields. Here's a poor pic.



Meanwhile I had left my phone at home and didn't know Mary Gustafson was looking at a Winter Wren at South Padre Island and didn't find out till I got home. So I got Honey out of bed (on a morning when we should have been using our extra daylight savings hour) and we ran out to the Island. Honey with her good karma found the Winter Wren first but it took me a while. Its voice indicates it's the newly split eastern species called the... uhm... Winter Wren. The western one is called the Pacific Wren. Anyway it's a new one for my Cameron County list.





There was also a Northern Flicker which is very hard to find in the Valley. It was my second for the county.



The cute little Golden-crowned Kinglet was still there.



After good luck at the Convention Center, Honey and I ran over to the late Barbara Kennet's house to look for the possible Anna's Hummingbird found by Scarlet Colley. Well, it looks like a good female to me. Two new county birds in the sme day!



Here's the SPI Convention Center list.

Pied-billed Grebe 2
Brown Pelican X
Great Blue Heron 3
Great Egret 1
Little Blue Heron 1
Tricolored Heron 1
Reddish Egret 1
Clapper Rail 1
Common Moorhen 2
Black-bellied Plover 5
Semipalmated Plover 8
Piping Plover 5
Killdeer 2
Black-necked Stilt 1
Greater Yellowlegs X
Willet X
Lesser Yellowlegs X
Sanderling X
Least Sandpiper X
Dunlin X
Laughing Gull X
Herring Gull 1
Forster's Tern 1
Royal Tern X
White-winged Dove 2
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Couch's Kingbird 1
Blue-headed Vireo 1
House Wren 3
Winter Wren 1
Sedge Wren 1
Marsh Wren 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
Hermit Thrush 2
American Robin 1
Gray Catbird 3
Northern Mockingbird X
Long-billed Thrasher 1
Orange-crowned Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Wilson's Warbler 1
Red-winged Blackbird X
Great-tailed Grackle X