Good local birds, 1/18/21

I still haven't decided to be serious a about state or county year list but the good birds are out there so I just keep ticking them off.  However people who are serious are getting way ahead of me so it may be the usual decision by default.  Yesterday I ran over to nearby Esperanza Street in Progreso.  This is in a new subdivision being built in the old Progreso turf farm.  Very few houses have been built and the old turf grass has attracted a lot of grassland birds.  Best are a trio of female Mountain Bluebirds.

In the same lot with the bluebirds are several Sprague's Pipits.  Since Anzalduas County Park, the usual pipit spot, is closed, we have to find these guys where we can.  I saw four of them through the scope at about 80 yards and a few loud "pishes" brought them in.

Present in the same area was a Say's Phoebe which was hanging out with the Mountain Bluebirds just like the ones at Falcon.

At the entrance to the subdivision was a surprise Lark Bunting.

After a nice morning I went home to watch some NFL playoff games.  That was interruped by a text saying that a Burrowing Owl had just been found atop an irrigation standpipe just down the road from Esperanza Street.  And since the border wall has fenced off our usual location for this species I figured I had better go get it.  I was back home in less than twenty minutes.

While I was watching football I got my first Hooded Oriole of the year on the hummungbird feeder in our back yard.  This shot was through the window.

The day befor I dropped Honey off at the gym and I ran over to Bentsen State Park to tick the long staying Ruddy Ground Dove.

While at Bentsen I got word that a Black-throated Blue Warbler had been found in McAllen.  So I raced over to get this hard to find Hidalgo County bird.

The day before that we got our first Long-billed Thrasher of the year for our yard list.

So my Texas 2021 list is at 201 and my Hidalgo County year list is at 162.  This is more than I've ever had so early in the year and the leaders are way out in front of me.  But I'm not giving up yet.