Limpkin in Willacy Couty, 1/31/26

With the fantastic butterfly fall/winter we've had here in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of south Texas I've not done a lot of birding lately.  But with the onset of some cooler weather, warm blooded birds are easier to find than ectothermic butterflies.  So when Ryan Rodriguez found a South American Kelp Gull and a flock of Black Scoters at Port Mansfield on a cold blustery day I made the long drive over to Willacy County.  Well I checked all the accessible spots but couldn't find them.  

As I headed home, the WhatsApp dinged.  Some visiting winter birders were reporting American Woodcocks (plural!) at what I call the wet spot on FM 1420 not far away.  I know that location well and always check it when I pass through.  Multiple rare American Woodcocks at a spot where I would expcet to find Wilson's Snipes found by visiting birders?  In my cold negative frame of mind, "Yeah, I bet." was my thought and I continued home.

Well it turned out there were at least three American Woodcocks and I kicked myself for not making the short detour to see them.  But numerous birders went to tick them.  Then more visiting birders found a Limpkin on Wildlife Rd for a first Willacy County record.  That's enough!  I had to get back out there.  So again I made the long eastward drive with the sun in my eyes and hope in my heart.

The moist wooded patch on FM 1420 looked like a good woodcock spot.  But despite investing ninety minutes I couldn't find any.  This guy may have ahd something to do with it. 

But other than being woodcockless the little moist wooded area was hopping.  My first bird was this Hermit Thrush.

Then a pair of Clay-colored Thrushes.  These omnivores will eat anyting.  Often they are seen pulling earthworms from the ground, but this one was dining on aquatic snails.

And a foraging Northern Waterthrush.  These are not rare in the Valley during winter but they can be hard to find.

A bright yellow Wilson's Warber glowed in a spot of sun.

And a Common Yellowthroat.

And a small flock of Green jays.

Three expected Wilson's Snipe flushed from the pond across the road.

With snipe in the bag but no woodcocks, I headed over to Wildlife Rd.  They've had a lot more rain along the east side of the Valley so there is still standing water.  The rest of the RGV is bone dry.  Just as I had started my search for the Limpkin, Ryan Rodriguez shows up and it doesn't take him long to find our quarry.  It wasn't much of a view.  After Ryan left it briefly popped out in the open.

Wet areas in the Valley always have wintering Vermillion Flycatchers.

Got my first Black-and-white Warbler for the year.

Limpkins used to be restricted to the Neotropics and south Florida where the large apple snails they feed on can be found.  But the snail is a popular aqaurium pet and has consciously or inadvertently been introduced across the gulf coast where with the help of global warming, numbers have exploded.  Limpkins are now regulargly seen in SE Texas.  I have now seen them in all four RGV counties.  As the ephemeral wetlands down here do not have apple snails, Ryan and I surmised they may be feeding on amphibians and crayfish.  We do not know if our Limpkins are coming from east Texas or up from Mexico.