Willacy County Migrants, 4/21/26

After a day of recovery I was ready to get back at it.  Evan Farese saw lots of good stuff on the Port Mansfield Nature Trail and it was still kind of drippy so I thought it would be a good idea to work on my Willacy County list.  First stop was the playa on CR 315 and 1900.  I wanted to check out shorebirds and see if any tiger beetles were out.  Snowy and Wilson's Plovers may stay to nest here.

Clouds and rain would interfere with photography all day.  Usual migrants were around.  Nice to get some Semipalmated Sandpipers.

I was surprised to find four species of tiger beetles.  I was hoping this Ellipsptera would be the rare Rio Olmos Tiger Beetle but it was just the common Coastal Tiger Beetle.

A stop at the woodcock spot on FM 1420 turned up a Yellow Warbler and an Eastern Kingbird.

A bit later I was checking out the brush of the El Sauz Ranch along TX 186 when a pickup pulled up.  I didn't recognize the truck but young hotshot birder Nolan Walker popped out so we worked the brush a bit.  Lots of migrants out.  I missed shots of the good stuff like Blue-winged and Golden-winged Warblers.  This Worm-eating Warbler was my 301st species for Willacy County.

This good looking Scarlet Tanger was more cooperative.

We wanted to check out the action closer to the coast so we moved over to the Port Mansfield Nature Trail.  First bird was a black-throated Green Warbler.

Followed by a couple of Chestnut-sided Warblers.

Plenty of Black-and-white Warblers out acting like nuthatches.

Acadian Flycatcher was my only Empidonax.

Red-eyed Vireo.

eBird flagged this Magnolia Warbler for being early.

Summer Tanagers were out.

Here's a female American Redstart.  I have a hard time getting photos of males.

At this point Nolan left to check out Wildlife Road but I wasn't done here.  First Yellow-billed Cuckoo for 2026.

The ground was littered with Gray Catbirds.

Then some good warblers but kinda crappy photos.  Protonotary, Worm-eating and Kentucky Warblers.  I guess the Prothonotary is ok but I cropped the hell out of it.

I love Wood Thrushes.

I walked out of the brush to the mowed area and found a flock of Pectoral Sandpipers.

And lastly a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak who had just nabber a grain of corn out of the deer feeder.

Defintely my best day in Willacy County in a log time.

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck  25

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  1

White-winged Dove  1

Mourning Dove  50

Yellow-billed Cuckoo  1

Ruby-throated Hummingbird  10

Buff-bellied Hummingbird  1

Solitary Sandpiper  1

Lesser Yellowlegs  1

Pectoral Sandpiper  20

Laughing Gull  10

Little Blue Heron  4

Black Vulture  1

Turkey Vulture  2

Golden-fronted Woodpecker  1

Eastern Wood-Pewee  3

Acadian Flycatcher  2

Brown-crested Flycatcher  1

White-eyed Vireo  4

Yellow-throated Vireo  1

Blue-headed Vireo  1

Red-eyed Vireo  2

Gray Catbird  20    Probably more.  All over the place.

Long-billed Thrasher  1

Northern Mockingbird  1

Wood Thrush  3

Lincoln's Sparrow  1

Yellow-breasted Chat  1

Baltimore Oriole  1

Red-winged Blackbird  1

Bronzed Cowbird  3

Brown-headed Cowbird  5

Great-tailed Grackle  25

Worm-eating Warbler  1

Northern Waterthrush  1

Black-and-white Warbler  8

Prothonotary Warbler  2

Tennessee Warbler  6

Kentucky Warbler  3

Common Yellowthroat  2

Hooded Warbler  6

American Redstart  4

Magnolia Warbler  1

Northern Yellow Warbler  1

Chestnut-sided Warbler  3

Black-throated Green Warbler  3

Summer Tanager  4

Scarlet Tanager  1

Northern Cardinal  1

Pyrrhuloxia  1

Rose-breasted Grosbeak  4

Blue Grosbeak  2

Indigo Bunting  3

Painted Bunting  1