Red-necked Phalarope at Sal del Rey, 10/14/10

This morning I went up to Sal del Rey with the hope of finding something good for my Hidalgo County year list. I was thinking that a Sanderling or a Red-necked Phalarope would be nice. I parked at the Brushline Rd. entrance and walked in on the newly improved road. After the Lower Rio Grande NWR graded this road I'm getting a lot fewer ticks and chiggers. A refuge employee told me in the future we would be able to drive the half mile down to the red gate making for a shorter walk. This Marsh Wren greeted me at the freshwater cienega.



Scoping over the lake I found a large raft of American Coots. Closer inspection turned up ten Redheads and a few Eared Grebes. Redheads are hard to find in Hidalgo County and the species was a new year bird for me. They were too far out for a pic. Scoping to the west I could see some very distant American Avocets and a few peeps so I made the long slog though the mud along the south shore. As I got closer I could see a phalarope with the avocets. A lone phalarope might be a Red or a Red-necked. As I got closer I could see it was a Red-necked Phalarope. It was out about 100 yards and too far for much or a pic, so I rolled up my pants legs and started wading. The mud can be soft but I got lucky and it was firm enough to get out about half way. I like it when I score one of my target birds.





Nothing else too exciting around. The cool front did bring in a lot of Variegated Meadowhaks.



Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 25
Blue-winged Teal 5
Northern Shoveler 30
Redhead 10
Northern Bobwhite 15
Eared Grebe 5
Snowy Egret 2
Turkey Vulture 2
Cooper's Hawk 2
American Coot 150
Killdeer 2
American Avocet 18
Long-billed Curlew 32
Western Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 300
Red-necked Phalarope 1
Laughing Gull 3
White-winged Dove 40
Mourning Dove 3
Common Ground-Dove 4
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 2
Least Flycatcher 1
Eastern Phoebe 2
Couch's Kingbird 2
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 10
Barn Swallow 50
Cliff Swallow 1
Verdin 2
Bewick's Wren 2
House Wren 10
Marsh Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Northern Mockingbird 5
Long-billed Thrasher 1
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 1
Wilson's Warbler 1
Lincoln's Sparrow 4
Northern Cardinal 1
Pyrrhuloxia 1
Red-winged Blackbird 25