Red-legged Honeycreeper at Estero Llano Grande State Park, 11/28/14

Wow!  It finally happened.  Park naturalist Ruben Rangel at Estero Llano Grande State Park found and photographed a funny looking little green bird with a decurved bill that no one could identify.  At least not until Mary Gustafson had a look.  She instantly recognized it as a basic plumaged Red-legged Honeycreeper. Wannabe experts from across the country are immediately declaring it to be an escaped pet as Red-legged Honeycreeper is known to exist in the pet trade.  They are ignoring the fact that the species occurs regularly as close as 300 mile south of the RGV and is migratory in the northern part of its range.  It is a fact that migrants occasionally go in the opposite direction which would fit perfectly for this little bird.  I've been expecting we would see one some day although I was expecting a spring overshoot rather than a fall wrong way migrant.

Anyway after a few tries I finally got to see it yesterday with a happy group of birders.  Hope it stays a while so I can get some better pics.

The Texas Bird Record Committee will have some work a head of them as this Red-legged Honeycreeper along with the Common Crane, Gray-crowned Rosy-finch and Pacific Wren are all waiting to have their possible acceptance to the Texas state list judged.  I think its a good bird.  No one can be sure, but it seems to me more likely than an escaped pet. 

Yturria Brush, 11/26/14

It was an absolutely perfect morning at the Yturria Brush unit of the Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR.  My goal was to try to pick up some Hidalgo County year birds and I was successful with five Green-tailed Towhees among the ten species of sparrows.  The first was just north of where the gas well road turns to the left.  The other four were beyond the solar powered well.  Unfortunately they were not very photogenic.

On the other hand, Black-throated Sparrows are always available for photo opps.

Another bird I have difficulty trying to photograph is Verdin.  They are hard to get close to.

This Northern Cardinal flew right up in my face.  My camera always has trouble with the bright red on cardinals and Vermillion Flycatchers.

The white breast patch on a black body is the best field mark for a young White-tailed Hawk.

After walking 2.5 miles in, birding all the way, the return trip was spend looking for butterflies.  Here's a knockout Great Purple Hairstreak.

Greater White-fronted Goose  15
Black Vulture  2
Turkey Vulture  2
Northern Harrier  1
White-tailed Hawk  1
Red-tailed Hawk  2
Common Ground-Dove  3
Mourning Dove  8
Greater Roadrunner  3
Golden-fronted Woodpecker  1
American Kestrel  2
Eastern Phoebe  2
Loggerhead Shrike  2
White-eyed Vireo  5
Verdin  10
House Wren  12
Bewick's Wren  2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  5
Curve-billed Thrasher  2
Long-billed Thrasher  2
Northern Mockingbird  45
Orange-crowned Warbler  25
Olive Sparrow  2
Green-tailed Towhee  5
Cassin's Sparrow  2
Clay-colored Sparrow  1
Lark Sparrow  5
Black-throated Sparrow  9
Savannah Sparrow  1
Grasshopper Sparrow  1
Lincoln's Sparrow  20
White-crowned Sparrow  5
Northern Cardinal  7
Pyrrhuloxia  3
Great-tailed Grackle  1