1st Lesser Yellowlegs at Progreso Lakes, 4/2/21

There are still quite a few regular migrant passerines I have yet to see in our Progreso Lakes yard.  Yesterday five of them, all warblers, were seen at Estero Llano Grande State Park which is only five miles away.  Birders there managed to find Louisiana Waterthrush and Blue-winged, Kentucky, Worm-eating and Prothonotary Warblers.  So today I thought this is the time to stay put in the yard and let them come to me.  So I waited while good birds were being reported at Estero and out on South Padre Isand and I waited and I waited.......and not much happened except for the regular yard birds coming into the feeding area.  And then I caught sight of a flock of five slim medium sized shorebirds hurtling over the resaca.  I got the camera on them and coaxed it into focusing on them before they disappeared behind the big ash.  I was surprised I actually got three images and even more suprised to see they were my longtime nemesis yard birds, Lesser Yellowlegs.  Lesser Yellowlegs are among the most common migrant and wintering shorebirds in the RGV and somehow I had managed to not see any during the more than four years we've lived at Progreso Lakes.  The photos are not great but the combination of yellow legs extending beyond the tail, the barred tail with white rump and the medium length bill leave no doubt.  Lesser Yellowlegs in the 238th species for our yard.

I saw a small passerine perform a belly splash in our bird bath I suspected it was a vireo.  Turned out to be a Blue-headed Vireo.

Five hours of watching for warblers only turned up a Nashville, an Orange-crowned and three Myrtle Warblers.  And there were precious few migrant raptors.  I was about to call it quits when an afternoon Turkey Vulture drifted over the opposite bank of the resaca.  But something was different about its posture.  It flew with it's head down instead of out at an angle like a normal TV.  As it came closer I could see the yellow cere.  I had my first Zone-tailed Hawk for the year.  The finely barred tail indicates it is an immature bird.  Adults have broad black and white bars.

Well I didn't get any of my warblers but it was still a good day.Tomorrow the wind picks up so I'll probably get some yard work done but I'll keep my eyes open.