Jabiru in Willacy County, 8/21/08

A couple of weeks ago I heard a rumor of a Jabiru (or a Jacana) up by Raymondville in Willacy County. Well, I couldn't get any more details so I forgot it till I checked out Texbirds Thursday afternoon after a day of boring back to school inservices. They were reporting a juvenile Jabiru in the flooded fields along Hwy 490 west of Raymondville. So I escaped a few minutes early, raced home and grabbed Honey and my camera and we were off. We arrived to find a dozen unsuccessful birders. After an hour of driving and searching someone found the bird right where we were all originally parked. This is about the tenth ABA record, all occuring in late summer or fall in Texas except for two Louisiana records. Jabirus are native from the Atlantic coastal wetland of Tabasco and Campeche in Mexico to Brazil. They like open grassy areas with shallow water. What a bitchin' bird!

Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher at Quinta Mazatlan

Wow, I haven't posted in about six weeks. The spring migration was so hot and windy and boring and school is always very hectic towards the end of the year and I haven't had much interesting to write about. About two weeks ago Dr. Tim Brush's son, John, found a Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher at Quinta Mazatlan in McAllen. These are common summer breeders in the mountains south of here but this individual is, as far as I can tell, a first record for Hidlago County. Every few years a spring migrant overshoot will show up somewhere in Texas. A pair nested in Starr County back in the 70's. This Quinta Mazatlan bird also has a nest in the dead palm. Bronzed Cowbirds were hounding it so that may be what gets raised. The bird was still there as of yesterday.