Frontera Audubon Thicket, 9/22/07

Pretty boring morning at Frontera Audubon Thicket in Weslaco. There were lots of Wilson's Warbler but not a lot else. We need a cold front to push some things down. My best sighting was this Guava Skipper.



Solier is not a common butterfly in the Valley. I see about 100 Queens for every Soldier.



Plain Chachalaca 10
Great Egret 1
Green Heron 1
Killdeer 1
White-winged Dove 360
Mourning Dove 2
Inca Dove 7
White-tipped Dove 8
Red-crowned Parrot 4
Chimney Swift 15
Buff-bellied Hummingbird 4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 3
Green Kingfisher 1
Golden-fronted Woodpecker 10
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 2
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Great Kiskadee 6
Couch's Kingbird 3
White-eyed Vireo 6
Green Jay 1
Barn Swallow 5
Black-crested Titmouse 2
Carolina Wren 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
Northern Mockingbird 2
Long-billed Thrasher 1
European Starling 2
Nashville Warbler 1
Yellow Warbler 2
Black-and-white Warbler 2
Ovenbird 1
Northern Waterthrush 1
Wilson's Warbler 9
Yellow-breasted Chat 1
Northern Cardinal 1
Dickcissel 1
Great-tailed Grackle 3
House Sparrow 1

Allen's Hummingbird at Bentsen State Park, 9/15/07

Thanks to Mary Gustafson for refinding and reporting the adult male Allen's Hummingbird at Bentsen State Park's World Birding Center. My wife Honey and I spent about an hour this evening watching the feeder on the north side of the offices. Honey found the bird perched in the small ash near the men's restroom near the feeder. I told her it was because she was wearing her lucky ...er...uhm...never mind. Here's some not too great pics.





Mary is trying to catch the bird to see if it is indeed an Allen's Hummingbird as a small percentage of adult male Rufous Hummingbirds show a green back. She will have to examine the shape of the next to middle rectrices. If she can't prove it's really an Allen's I just may count it anyway. I need it for a state and county bird!

Frontera Audubon Thicket, 9/15/07

This morning I found the first ever Northern Beardless Tyrannulet for Frontera Audubon Thicket. In fact it was the first I have ever seen in Weslaco. It was back in the NE corner by the new gate and the ditch. Too bad I didn't take my camera. Not too much else going on except for FOS Blue-headed and Warbling Vireos.

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 9
Plain Chachalaca 15
Green Heron 1
Killdeer 1
Rock Pigeon 2
White-winged Dove 40
Inca Dove 3
White-tipped Dove 6
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Chimney Swift 10
Buff-bellied Hummingbird 10
Green Kingfisher 1
Golden-fronted Woodpecker 8
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet 1
Least Flycatcher 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Great Kiskadee 5
Couch's Kingbird 6
White-eyed Vireo 5
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Warbling Vireo 1
Green Jay 1
Barn Swallow 8
Black-crested Titmouse 4
Carolina Wren 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
Northern Mockingbird 3
Long-billed Thrasher 2
Yellow Warbler 6
Wilson's Warbler 3
Canada Warbler 1
Yellow-breasted Chat 6
Olive Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 3
Painted Bunting 1
Great-tailed Grackle 1
Baltimore Oriole 1
Lesser Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 3

Santa Ana NWR, 9/9/07

It was really hot and sweaty at Santa Ana NWR this morning. There were lots of Yellow-breasted Chats and a few other warblers but nothing too exciting. Best thing I saw was this cool venomous Texas Coral Snake.





Here's a Green Kingfisher.



Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 21
Mottled Duck 1
Plain Chachalaca 15
Neotropic Cormorant 1
Great Egret 3
Snowy Egret 1
Little Blue Heron 1
Tricolored Heron 1
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 6
Harris's Hawk 4
Swainson's Hawk 1
Killdeer 5
Black-necked Stilt 16
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
Solitary Sandpiper 2
Least Sandpiper 5
Stilt Sandpiper 1
White-winged Dove 30
Mourning Dove 5
Inca Dove 2
White-tipped Dove 3
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Groove-billed Ani 15
Lesser Nighthawk 1
Buff-bellied Hummingbird 2
Ringed Kingfisher 1
Green Kingfisher 1
Golden-fronted Woodpecker 8
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 5
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 2
Brown-crested Flycatcher 3
Great Kiskadee 12
Couch's Kingbird 15
Eastern Kingbird 2
White-eyed Vireo 5
Green Jay 5
Cave Swallow 110
Barn Swallow 2
Black-crested Titmouse 2
Carolina Wren 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
Clay-colored Robin 4
Northern Mockingbird 2
Long-billed Thrasher 6
European Starling 5
Yellow Warbler 3
Mourning Warbler 2
Common Yellowthroat 5
Canada Warbler 3
Yellow-breasted Chat 16
Olive Sparrow 8
Painted Bunting 1
Dickcissel 2
Red-winged Blackbird 50
Great-tailed Grackle 5
Baltimore Oriole 8

Frontera Audubon Thicket, 9/1/07

It was a plesant birdy morning this first day of September at Frontera Audubon Thicket in Weslaco and the warblers showed up just like they're supposed to. Nothing outstanding but seven warbler species were nice for a change. Notice the off-white eyestripe, fine streaking and spotted throat on the Northern Waterthrush. Very different from the Louisiana Waterthrush on the previous post.





Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 2
Plain Chachalaca 12
Green Heron 1
White-winged Dove 450
Inca Dove 1
White-tipped Dove 8
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Chimney Swift 10
Buff-bellied Hummingbird 7
Green Kingfisher 1
Golden-fronted Woodpecker 6
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1
Empidonax sp. 4
Brown-crested Flycatcher 1
Great Kiskadee 4
Couch's Kingbird 3
White-eyed Vireo 3
Black-crested Titmouse 5
Carolina Wren 4
Northern Mockingbird 1
Curve-billed Thrasher 1
Yellow Warbler 8
Black-and-white Warbler 4
Northern Waterthrush 1
Mourning Warbler 1
Wilson's Warbler 4
Canada Warbler 3
Yellow-breasted Chat 1
Olive Sparrow 4
Northern Cardinal 5
Dickcissel 1
Great-tailed Grackle 2
Baltimore Oriole 3
Lesser Goldfinch 1