American Woodcock at Santa Ana NWR, 1/11/20

Yesterday I ran over to Santa Ana NWR to work on my new year list and to get some exercise.  Birding was really slow.  There were ducks on Willow Lake but passerines were almost nonexistent with just a few orange-crowns and gnatcatchers.  So I was walking the Willow Lakes trail and had gone past the three overlooks and the overlook with the water inlet and berm and had picked up no new birds for the year.  Then I headed along the trail into the wooded area and I saw a movement under the trees along the water.  I could not believe what I saw in my binoculars....an American Woodcock!  I had only seen five of them previously in the RGV in 27 years and had never seen one along water.  And this was my first self found American Woodcock in the Valley so it was special.

Continuing along the Willow Lakes trail I saw precious little.  A brief stay on top of the tree tower netted nothing but Harris's Hawks.  But I could see birds in the distance on Pintail Lake so I headed off in that direction.  A couple of female Buffleheads were a nice find.

And then I saw a drake duck with a head of the most unusual green I've ever seen on a duck.  First thing I though of was the Eurasian Falcated Duck.  The green head had a chestnut tinge to it.  The sides of the duck were gray and it had a rump and black vent.  Then it came to me.  I was looking at a hybrid Mallard x Northern Pintail.  It even had a bit of chestnut on the breast with a faint neck ring.  Pretty cool.

Here's the list for the day.

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Hidalgo, Texas, US

Jan 11, 2020 8:10 AM - 1:30 PM

Protocol: Traveling

2.5 mile(s)

Checklist Comments:    Pintail Lakes and around Willow Lake

57 species (+3 other taxa)

Blue-winged Teal  25

Cinnamon Teal  2

Northern Shoveler  25

Gadwall  150

Mottled Duck (Gulf Coast)  10

Northern Pintail  25

Mallard x Northern Pintail (hybrid)  1

Green-winged Teal (American)  15

Lesser Scaup  2

Bufflehead  2

Least Grebe  14

Pied-billed Grebe  20

Inca Dove  1

White-tipped Dove  1

American Coot (Red-shielded)  80

Black-necked Stilt (Black-necked)  35

American Avocet  1

Least Sandpiper  20

Long-billed Dowitcher  70

American Woodcock  1

Greater Yellowlegs  12

Lesser Yellowlegs  2

Caspian Tern  1

Neotropic Cormorant  10

American White Pelican  4

Great Egret (American)  1

Snowy Egret  4

White Ibis  16

White-faced Ibis  26

Turkey Vulture  4

Harris's Hawk  7

Red-shouldered Hawk (lineatus Group)  1

Red-tailed Hawk  1

Green Kingfisher  1

Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Northern)  6

Ladder-backed Woodpecker  3

Crested Caracara  1

American Kestrel  1

Black Phoebe  1

Eastern Phoebe  3

Great Kiskadee  8

Tropical/Couch's Kingbird  1

Loggerhead Shrike  1

Green Jay (Green)  10

Black-crested Titmouse  4

Tree Swallow  5

swallow sp.  5

Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (caerulea)  4

House Wren (Northern)  1

Carolina Wren (Northeast Mexico/South Texas)  2

Long-billed Thrasher  1

Northern Mockingbird  2

House Sparrow  4

Olive Sparrow  1

Savannah Sparrow (Savannah)  1

Red-winged Blackbird  60

Orange-crowned Warbler  10

Common Yellowthroat  4

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  1