Collared Plover at Hargill Playa.

This morning local birders, Mary Beth Stowe and Pat Heirs found a Collared Plover at the Hargill playa on 1st and Lincoln.  This is only twelve days earlier than when I found the one there last year on Aug. 2.  Pat and Mary Beth are members of the Birder Patrol who regularly check out less commonly birded areas across the Rio Grande Valley.  I knew they would find something good someday.  Congratulations to Pat and Mary Beth for finding this 3rd USA record.  I ran up right after I got the call from Mary Beth and was able to get a few photos.

Now the questions begin.  This is an adult bird.  Is it the same one as last year?  The playas has been covered many times since the last bird disappeared last August.  In fact I was out there just a few days ago and failed to see it.  Are they breeding somewhere in the area?   There's quite a few barren saline playas in the area.  There's lots of water in the playa so maybe this one will hang around a while.

Canada Goose at Estero Llano Grande, 7/3/15

 A couple of weeks ago Huck Hutchens and the gang found a Canada Goose right off the deck at Estero Llano Grande State Park.  This might not seem like a big deal but it was a new Hidalgo County bird for all of us who keep county lists.  "Canada" type geese are very rare in the Rio Grande Valley in winter and one in the summer is unprecedented.  I saw some Cackling Geese years ago at the Sugar House Pond but this was my first Valley Canada Goose.  Luckily it was a pretty big one and easy to ID.  Could it be an escaped bird? Hard to say but it only hung around that afternoon and was never seen again.