Progreso Lakes yard, 10/26/19

After the cold front roared though yesterday, morning low temperatures were in the 40's.  But that didn't keep Birder Patrol from making their appointed visit.  So I got up out of my nice warm bed to greet them and enjoyed our back yard birds with them for a couple of hours.  Wood Storks passing overhead got everyone excited.

And a few minutes later this small flock of White-fronted Geese was a fall first for everyone.

Everyone is always impressed with the large flock of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks.  They just arrived a few days ago.  My current estimate is 1200.

We even got lucky with a flyby Fulvous Whistling-Duck.  I got this poor photo later.

After two hours the group up and left for more birds at nearby Estero Llano Grande State Park.  Shortly after their exit a couple of gulls flew by.  I got on them late and assumed they were the usual Laughing Gulls.  But a bit later one returned and I was shocked to see it was a Franklin's Gull.  They are hard to find inland in the fall.

And then five American Avocets were my first for the fall.

Several local sugar cane farmers were burning nearby fields in preparation for harvest.  This fire was across the river in Mexico.

And burning sugar cane brings in the raptors hoping for roasted rodents.  There were two White-tailed Hawks.

And several Black Vultures with the Turkey Vultures.  Here's one of each.

Here's today's list.

Jones yard, Progreso Lakes, Hidalgo, Texas, US

Oct 26, 2019 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Protocol: Stationary

61 species (+2 other taxa)

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (fulgens)  1200

Fulvous Whistling-Duck  2

Greater White-fronted Goose (Western)  11

Muscovy Duck (Domestic type)  1

Plain Chachalaca  2

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  20

Eurasian Collared-Dove  2

Inca Dove  2

White-winged Dove  3

Mourning Dove  5

Ruby-throated Hummingbird  2

Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Northern)  1

American Coot (Red-shielded)  1

American Avocet  5

Killdeer  1

Spotted Sandpiper  2

Franklin's Gull  2

Caspian Tern  1

Wood Stork  14

Anhinga  1

Neotropic Cormorant  5

Great Blue Heron (Blue form)  1

Great Egret (American)  1

Green Heron  2

Black-crowned Night-Heron  2

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron  3

White-faced Ibis  3

Black Vulture  6

Turkey Vulture  300

Osprey (carolinensis)  1

White-tailed Kite  2

White-tailed Hawk  2

Swainson's Hawk  1

Ringed Kingfisher  1

Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Northern)  4

Ladder-backed Woodpecker  1

American Kestrel  1

Black Phoebe  1

Eastern Phoebe  1

Vermilion Flycatcher  1

Great Kiskadee  4

Tropical Kingbird  2

Tropical/Couch's Kingbird  2

Loggerhead Shrike  1

Northern Rough-winged Swallow  70

Barn Swallow (American)  30

Cave Swallow (Texas)  1

House Wren (Northern)  1

Carolina Wren (Northeast Mexico/South Texas)  1

European Starling  5

Northern Mockingbird  4

Clay-colored Thrush  1

House Sparrow  1

Savannah Sparrow (Savannah)  2

Western Meadowlark  3

Altamira Oriole  1

Red-winged Blackbird  200

Bronzed Cowbird (Bronzed)  1

Great-tailed Grackle  6

Nashville Warbler  1

Common Yellowthroat  1

Yellow-throated Warbler  1

Northern Cardinal  1