Frontera Audubon Thicket, 4/28/11

Well it's been a month since I posted anything. The continual southerly winds have been pushing all the spring migrants over our heads and there hasn't been much to see. In fact it's been the crappiest spring migration I've ever seen. We finally got a cool front that slowed down the birds and I was able to see a few things at Frontera Audubon Thicket in Weslaco. Here's a sharp looking Chestnut-sided Warbler. I had one in my yard yesterday also.



An unusual peekaboo pose.



A half dozen gaudy Magnolia Warblers were about.



My best bird of the morning was a MacGillivray's Warbler. I didn't get a pic of this western species but I did manage a poor one of his eastern congerer, Mourning Warbler.



Another good bird for the day was my first singing Bell's Vireo. I've seen a few on them in the Valley but they've always been silent.



Here's a teneral male Common Green Darner.



Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 10
Plain Chachalaca 12
Great Egret 2
Snowy Egret 1
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 2
Broad-winged Hawk 2
Gray Hawk 1
Laughing Gull 4
Rock Pigeon 2
White-winged Dove 10
Mourning Dove 1
Inca Dove 2
White-tipped Dove 8
Green Parakeet 7
Groove-billed Ani 1
Common Pauraque 1
Chimney Swift 5
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 5
Buff-bellied Hummingbird 10
Green Kingfisher 1
Golden-fronted Woodpecker 5
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee 2
Least Flycatcher 5
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Brown-crested Flycatcher 2
Great Kiskadee 3
Couch's Kingbird 5
White-eyed Vireo 3
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Green Jay 1
Purple Martin 2
Bank Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 10
Cliff Swallow 15
Black-crested Titmouse 4
Carolina Wren 3
House Wren 2
Clay-colored Thrush 1
Gray Catbird 4
Northern Mockingbird 2
Long-billed Thrasher 3
Nashville Warbler 4
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Magnolia Warbler 6
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Ovenbird 1
Mourning Warbler 1
MacGillivray's Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 3
Canada Warbler 1
Yellow-breasted Chat 2
Olive Sparrow 2
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2
Indigo Bunting 6
Painted Bunting 4
Great-tailed Grackle 12
Bronzed Cowbird 1
Orchard Oriole 3
Altamira Oriole 2
Baltimore Oriole 3
House Sparrow 2

Frontera Audubon Thicket, 3/30/11

With boring March coming to an end, the fun spring birding season is starting to ratchet up. After a couple of weeks of warm, muggy, windy days, we finally got a little cool front to make things more pleasant and the birding picked up accordingly. Once again I got brief looks at the Spotted Towhee at Frontera Audubon Thicket in Weslaco. Ten warbler species were the most I've seen in a while. Here's a Black-throated Green.



Wilson's Warbler in the water feature.



Clay-colored Thrushes are usually around when the mulberries are fruiting. I've even had a couple in my yard lately.




A Gray Hawk has been hanging around lately and making lots of noise.



I'm not sure how many people know that Great Kiskadees have a large showy crest. I see it displayed only a few times a year. If the camera had focused on the bird, this would have been a good pic.



Last night I photographed this large Eyed Click Beetle at the water feature.



Upon closer inspection it turns out he's got a couple of passengers. These are arachnids called psuedoscorpions and it is thought they prey on parasitic mites occuring on some beetles. Live and learn. Well, at least some people do.



Another first for me was this Four-lined Skink.



Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 40
Plain Chachalaca 10
Great Egret 1
Green Heron 2
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 4
Turkey Vulture 2
Broad-winged Hawk 1
Gray Hawk 1
Gull-billed Tern 2
White-winged Dove 1
Mourning Dove 2
Inca Dove 4
White-tipped Dove 11
Green Parakeet 2
Red-crowned Parrot 1
Common Pauraque 1
Chimney Swift 1
Black-chinned Hummingbird 1
Ruby-throated/Black-chinned Hummingbird 2
Buff-bellied Hummingbird 2
Green Kingfisher 2
Golden-fronted Woodpecker 8
Great Crested Flycatcher 2
Great Kiskadee 5
Couch's Kingbird 1
White-eyed Vireo 3
Green Jay 1
Purple Martin 2
Black-crested Titmouse 2
Carolina Wren 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Hermit Thrush 1
Clay-colored Thrush 1
Northern Mockingbird 4
Long-billed Thrasher 5
Curve-billed Thrasher 2
Orange-crowned Warbler 5
Nashville Warbler 2
Northern Parula 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Ovenbird 1
Common Yellowthroat 1
Hooded Warbler 2
Wilson's Warbler 1
Olive Sparrow 2
Spotted Towhee 1
Summer Tanager 1
Northern Cardinal 3
Red-winged Blackbird 50
Great-tailed Grackle 5
House Sparrow 5