Rio Grande Valley: 2

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After having a great visit to Quinta Mazatlan on Tuesday morning, we spent the overcast, damp afternoon at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. Unfortunately, most of the trails were too muddy for the shoes we were wearing and so we were restricted to birding the Chachalaca Loop.

The trees along the trail held a nice selection of common species: Black-crested Titmice, Orange-crowned Warblers, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Great Kiskadees etc. Two Common Pauraques were hunkered down among the leaves by the path.

The most productive area, though, was the pond in front of the central observation deck and this is where we spent most of our time.

Duck numbers were surprisingly low but we saw a few Gadwall, Northern Shovelers and American Coots as well as a Ruddy Duck, a Pied-billed Grebe and a Common Gallinule.

Wading birds were almost totally absent except for a Green Heron fishing among the reeds.

I was too slow to get photos of 3-4 Common Yellowthroats that kept working through the reeds near the deck.

One bird that I was hoping for at Santa Ana was Green Kingfisher and so we were delighted when a female landed on a branch far out over the water.

She soon disappeared but was immediately replaced on the branch by her mate.

By the time we left Santa Ana, we had also seen a few more interesting birds, including a Sora and a Least Grebe.

Wednesday was supposed to bring the highlight of our trip, the weekly birdwalk at Estero Llano State Park, but it didn't work out that way. We arrived at the site on a gray, drizzly morning to find that the trails were very muddy indeed. The pond in front of the Visitor Center was too deep to attract waders but it did have a few Killdeer, a Wilson's Snipe and a Spotted Sandpiper. It also had a good number of ducks. Blue-winged Teal and Green-winged Teal (below) were the most numerous.

Much more exciting was the presence of half-a-dozen Cinnamon Teal, one of my favorite ducks.

We spent quite a lot of time watching Plain Chachalacas, Red-winged Blackbirds, Black-crested Titmice, Orange-crowned Warblers, Green Jays (below) and a Buff-bellied Hummingbird working the feeders near the Visitor Center.

After this we walked up to the main feeding station in the tropical area of the park, where we saw many of the same birds that we had just been watching. We had some new species as well, though. Inca and White-tipped Doves were busy on the ground while other birds included a Lincoln's Sparrow and a couple of Golden-fronted Woodpeckers. It was here that we saw our first Long-billed Thrasher of the trip. 

We had seen two Curve-billed Thrashers the previous day at Quinta Mazatlan  but I hadn't managed to get a reasonable photo of either of them. So I was pleased when another one strolled into the open here.

After several hours at Estero Llano we headed back to the motel. I then drove over to Bentsen-Rio in hopes of seeing some more local specialty birds. My visit started well when I was treated to a display of hovering and fishing by a Ringed Kingfisher. However, the rest of my visit produced very few birds indeed, except for the usual Chachalacas, Great Kiskadees, Green Jays and White-tipped Doves (below) at feeders.

A feeder in front of the Visitor Center had my first Ruby-throated Hummingbird of the trip and of the year.

I was feeling very disappointed as I got back into the car in the parking lot. Then I noticed an odd-looking Northern Cardinal a few yards away. Of course, it wasn't a Cardinal but rather a Pyrrhuloxia, one of my target birds for the trip.

Getting to watch a Pyrrhuloxia and a Ringed Kingfisher made my visit to Bentsen-Rio worthwhile. However, I had much higher hopes for the sites we planned to visit on Thursday: Salineno and Falcon State Park. All being well, the former would produce some good looks at Orioles and the latter some at birds that prefer a more arid landscape than the other sites we were visiting.
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Valley Trip 2: Estero Llano (contd.)

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The feeders behind the Visitor Center were attracting a steady stream of birds: Orange-crowned Warblers, Black-crested Titmice, House Sparrows, Plain Chachalacas and Green Jays.

An Olive Sparrow made a very brief appearance.

A Curve-billed Thrasher flew onto a seed-table and posed.

A few minutes later a Long-billed Thrasher turned up. 

It was a treat to see both Thrashers because we don't get either species around Houston. The closest we get to them is the Brown Thrasher,  a bird with a much brighter, more rufous back.

The Tropical Area was busy with Green Jays (below) and Great Kiskadees. 

We sat down for a while and watched as a succession of birds came to feeders and to some half-grapefruits nailed to tree trunks. Plain Chachalacas seemed to find the grapefruits irresistible.

Here, as everywhere on our trip, we saw both Ladder-backed and Golden-fronted Woodpeckers. The Ladder-backed is rather similar to the Downy Woodpecker, a species that we see in our area. The Golden-fronted (below) is a larger, bolder and more common bird and it strongly resembles the Red-bellied Woodpecker of southeast Texas.

Walking back to the exit, we came across a bird I'd been hoping for: Clay-colored Thrush, which is another Valley specialty bird. Unfortunately, it refused to come out of the undergrowth to let me get a photo.

As we had enjoyed our visit, we decided to return to Estero Llano at 8:30 the following morning to participate in a guided birdwalk. Among other things, I was hoping that the walk would turn up a Common Pauraque and an Eastern Screech-Owl.
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Valley Trip 1: Estero Llano

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Before last week, our most recent trip to the Rio Grande Valley was in June 2012. On that trip I discovered what has come to be my favorite Valley birding site: Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco.

When I visited in 2012, I was amazed by the number of wading birds that could be seen from the observation deck outside the Visitor Center. There were probably 200-300 birds in view.

When Dee and I visited the park last Friday morning, there wasn't a wading bird in sight. However, as it was winter, the pond was busy with ducks and other waterbirds. We spent an hour walking around and watching the activity on the water. 

American Coots were well represented and there were also a few Common Gallinules.

At first the only Grebes we could see were Pied-billed but it wasn't long before we were lucky enough to spot a Least Grebe (below).

Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal were present. In the photo below a Green-winged is hunkered down near an American Coot.

A solitary Lesser Scaup was pottering around among a dozen or so Ring-necked Ducks (below).

Northern Shovelers are big, brightly colored ducks. It is always fun to watch them as they reach down to feed on underwater vegetation or stand up to preen.

While a few Ruddy Ducks kept too far away for me to get photos, Northern Pintails were more cooperative. What beautiful birds they are!

This American Wigeon appeared to be the sole representative of its species on the pond.

A single Black-bellied Whistling Duck kept watch over the water.

Just as we were leaving the pond, two Turkey Vultures circled far overhead. I checked both of them out with binoculars in case one was really a Zone-tailed Hawk, a species I saw for the first time earlier this year near Junction. Sure enough, one of these two Vultures turned out to be a Zone-tailed Hawk. 

After our hour around the pond, we decided to check out the feeders behind the Visitor Center and then to walk up to see which birds were hanging out in the Tropical Area. 
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Valley Trip: Last Day

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Sunday morning I arrived at Estero Llano State Park in Weslaco at 7:45. As the park opened only six years ago and I had never visited it before, I was excited to see what it had to offer.

I walked down to the visitor center and was amazed to see hundreds of wading birds on the shallow lake next to the observation deck.

Great and Snowy Egrets, White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbills and Black-necked Stilts were all feeding in the morning sunlight.

There were other birds, too. A juvenile Yellow-crowned Heron was perched near a Great Egret.

The dark plumage of a Tricolored Heron stood out among the white of the egrets.

Laughing Gulls and Black-bellied Whistling Ducks wheeled overhead.

I scanned the water for other birds and found my first Wood Stork of the year next to a Roseate Spoonbill.

Buff-bellied Hummingbirds were busy among the Turk's Cap behind the center while Plain Chachalacas strolled across the building's roof.

There was a bird walk scheduled for 8:30. Since I was early for it, I decided to walk over to the Rio Grande to look for Green Kingfishers. On the way I passed several Great Kiskadees, including a pair with a juvenile.

I scanned the river banks but once more failed to find a Kingfisher.

So I headed back to the visitor center, passing a Purple Martin house that Martins were sharing with House Sparrows.

I was the only person who turned up for the bird walk and so I had the two guides to myself. As we started the walk, we passed Black-crested Titmice, Curve-billed Thrashers, and both Golden-fronted and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers. We saw several Clay-colored Thrushes, including this juvenile.

The guides showed me a Groove-billed Ani sitting on a nest but I wasn't able to get any photos.

Then the guides showed me the nest that was being constructed by a Rose-throated Becard, and extremely rare bird in the USA and a lifer for me. When the guides ended the walk, I stayed behind to watch the nest. After 15 minutes I was rewarded with good looks of the female bird as she fussed around her nest. My photos weren't so good!

I walked back to the parking lot to find an Altamira Oriole sitting on the car's wing mirror. The bird immediately flew up into a nearby tree, where I managed to grab a couple of photos.

Then it was time to head for the motel to pick up Dee before starting the long drive back to Houston. Our trip had gone all too quickly and had involved a lot of driving, but it had certainly been worthwhile. Perhaps we'll do another trip to the Valley in the fall, when it won't be as hot and when we might be able to stay longer. And perhaps next time I'll finally get to see a Green Kingfisher.
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