Bare-throated Tiger-Heron at Bentsen St. Pk., 1/6/10

Finally!!! This morning I only had to wait about two hours before getting some great looks at the Bare-throated Tiger-Heron. Today it showed well near the dumpsters behind the WBC buildings. I've seen many of them in Mexico but this first ABA record is mighty cool. Notice the brown spot on its shoulder. That is an old feather from the barred juvenile plumage.









Got some other good year birds. Like the Rock Wren still present at Anzalduas.



Also at Anzalduas I ticked the Black Phoebe and Geen Kingfisher.





I missed the Hooded Merganser for the third time. A Black-throated Gray Warbler was nice but I didn't try to get a pic. American Pipits are always photogenic at Anzalduas.

Sparrow Road, FM 2221, 1/5/10

Yesterday for the Bentsen CBC, I covered what is know as the Sparrow Road, FM 2221. It lived up to its name with plenty of sparrows but not a whole lot else. Sparrows are pretty hard to find in the RGV during most winters so I'm enjoying the opportunity to see a few. I've had 13 species in just the last three days. Best bird for me was this female Lark Bunting.



Clay-colored Sparrows don't get all the credit they deserve for being such a sharp little bird.



Black-throated Sparrows are pretty cute too.



Here's a Vesper Sparow.



A small flock Long-billed Curlews came up close.



Black Vulture 2
Turkey Vulture 5
Northern Harrier 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Cooper's Hawk 2
White-tailed Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 3
American Kestrel 3
Killdeer 14
Long-billed Curlew 8
Mourning Dove 30
Common Ground-Dove 6
Greater Roadrunner 1
Golden-fronted Woodpecker 6
Eastern Phoebe 1
Great Kiskadee 4
Loggerhead Shrike 5
White-eyed Vireo 3
Green Jay 1
Verdin 7
Bewick's Wren 1
House Wren 8
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 8
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 6
Northern Mockingbird 30
Curve-billed Thrasher 2
Orange-crowned Warbler 20
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Cassin's Sparrow 25
Clay-colored Sparrow 3
Vesper Sparrow 43
Lark Sparrow 48
Black-throated Sparrow 5
Lark Bunting 1
Savannah Sparrow 33
Grasshopper Sparrow 5
Lincoln's Sparrow 10
Northern Cardinal 2
Pyrrhuloxia 38
Red-winged Blackbird 16
Western Meadowlark 65