Sooty Tern at Rockport Beach, 6/27/10

Jon McIntyre has found another good bird, this time a Sooty Tern at Rockport Beach. Sooty Tern is actually a very common bird found in tropical pelagic waters around the world. But it's not every day in Texas you can see one from terra firma. Usually, if you want to see one, you have to be bouncing up and down on a pelagic birding trip, trying to keep from tossing your cookies! So Honey and I headed up there yesterday and got some great looks.





The Sooty Tern is hanging out at a breeding grounds for Black Skimmers and Laughing Gulls.







We then traveled up the road to Goose Island Stae Park where we didn't see too many birds but I got great shots of this cute little female Seaside Dragonlet. It's the only species of dragonfly know to breed in salt water.

Botteri's Sparrow in Hidalgo County, 6/24/10

For the past two summers Mary Beth Stowe has heard a Botteri's sparrow singing somewhere NE of Sal Del Rey in Hidalgo County. As far as I know there are no county records but I never got up there to check it out. Well a few days ago she heard one in the same location to make it three years in a row and this time got a good sound recording. So I headed up there yesterday and sure enough there it was singing in perfect habitat. I have to say "Thanks MB for my Hidalgo County bird #350." In fact I think I had three birds including young. Problem is it's hard to separate them from Cassin's Sparrow which I also heared singing in the distance.







There was also this young Black-throated Sparrow.



Mary Beth also had three Purple Gallinules at a neaby pond I had not previously visited. Sure enough they were still there.



And while looking for the gallinuels I got a brief look at this rare Claret Pondhawk. It may be the northernmost ever recorded. When I first saw it I thought it was a Red-tailed Pennant and was not even going to photograph it, then I recognized what it was as I looked through the lens.