Harris's Sparrow at South Padre Island, 11/2/19

I spent all day yesterday scouting for the upcoming butterfly and bird festivals which start on Sunday.  So today I was going to stay home and get some stuff done, but a Harris's Sparrow was discovered at the South Padre Island Birding Center.  That's a bird I've been wanting for Cameron County for a long time.  So to hell with work and I got my 411th species for the county.  And it's a beautiful adult!

It was cavorting with a flock of Indigo Buntings and a young White-crowned Sparrow.

Meanwhile a few feet away, a first fall female Cape May Warbler was found.  I think this plumage is a first for me.

In the same clump of trees was this Bewick's Wren.  I don't remember ever seeing one of these on SPI.  It seems browned than the ones I normally see out in the brush country.  I wonder where it's from.

And under that group of trees was a skulking Curve-billed Thrasher.  What's up with that?  Another species that I only see out in the dryer parts of the brush.  This is consistent with the large number of Long-billed Thrashers that have been seen on the Island lately.  Not to mention Pyrrhuloxias.  A Green-tailed Towhee was also seen at Sheepshead last week.  Something is going on this fall.

Well I'm off leading trips for the Texas Butterfly Festival for a couple of days and then it's the RGV Birding Festival.  I bet more cool stuff will be found.