2010 Tour Narrative
In Brief: The winter of 2010 was a fantastic season for birding the Lower Rio Grande Valley. A series of strong cold fronts that penetrated deep into northeastern Mexico, combined with an unusually wet winter, produced several rarities coming up from the south. We had excellent success with all of the staked-out rarities reported in the valley, including Northern Jacana, Rose-throated Becard, Crimson-collared Grosbeak, and—the star of the show—a juvenile Roadside Hawk. In addition to these Mexican strays, we visited a wintering Northern Wheatear, the second for Texas, an incredible counterpoint to the southern strays. Where else could one see a Northern Wheatear and a Northern Jacana in the same morning? The resident birds in the valley never fail to disappoint, and our repeated views of Green Jays, Altamira Orioles, Plain Chachalacas, and a host of other fine birds restricted to this corner of the United States allowed the participants to really get to know these species rather than merely ticking them off on their lists. Birding at this season in Texas does more than provide an escape from the rigorous wintry weather that holds much of the continent in its grasp; it is as a truly wonderful time to see one of most unique avifaunas in the United States.
In Detail: The boat roared across Aransas Bay and into the morning sun, and soon thereafter we found ourselves relaxing on the top deck, some with coffee in hand, as we were entranced by a foraging family group of Whooper Cranes just a few hundred feet away. During the course of our trip out into the marshes we saw a remarkable 21 Whooping Cranes, almost ten percent of the Texas population. At one point a pair bugled at a passing Brown Pelican, then took flight, providing a fantastic view of these inspiring birds. Truly an unforgettable way to spend the morning!
I suppose some mention should also be made of several glowing flocks of Roseate Spoonbills wheeling overhead, seemingly fearless American Oystercatchers, and close views of feeding Caspian, Royal, and Forster’s Terns. In the afternoon we slipped south along Mustang Island, a large barrier island protecting Corpus Christi Bay. Along the seemingly endless bays, marshes, and pools, we studied feeding Tricolored and Little Blue Herons and several Reddish Egrets. The recent rains were still much in evidence, with flooded swales between the dunes and lots of open freshwater. This made finding grassland sparrows tricky, but proved beneficial to mixed flocks of shorebirds and terns, ducks (including a close and very dapper drake Cinnamon Teal), and wading birds. Raptors, too, were in evidence, with multiple White-tailed Hawks and Crested Caracaras. A nice dinner along Water Street in downtown Corpus wrapped up a truly special opening day to the tour.
On our second day, we took advantage of the excellent crop of rarities with a few stops enroute to the Rio Grande Valley. A stop at a small farmstead in Bee County was very productive, not just for the excellent peanut brittle but for the show put on by a wintering Northern Wheatear, which had spent nearly a month in the farmer’s backyard. This young male bird should have been spending the winter in sub-Saharan Africa, but he seemed quite at home as he perched up and hunted near a compost pile and horse corral.
Flushed with that success, we drove over to Choke Canyon State Park, where we were shortly enjoying point-blank views of a foraging Northern Jacana—an amazing combination of bird species for one morning’s efforts! We walked a short trail at Choke, enjoying our first views of male Vermilion Flycatchers and a cracking male Pine Warbler. After a picnic lunch we headed south, pausing mid-way at perhaps the most famous roadside birding stop in Texas. In the large live oaks we spotted a somewhat surprising Summer Tanager, several Black-crested Titmice, and our first views of the incredibly colorful (and yet well-camouflaged) Green Jays. Our last stop was the beautiful Edinburg World Birding Center, where we were rapidly introduced to such South Texas specialties as Ringed and Green Kingfishers, Least Grebe, and the dapper, almost slapstick, Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks. Perhaps the bird of the afternoon for most of the group, though, was a stunning Buff-bellied Hummingbird giving sustained full-scope views in perfect light. I don’t think I had ever seen the species quite that well before—welcome to the Valley indeed!
Day three started out with heavy overcast skies and blustery wind, due to an unusual cold front sweeping through Texas—possibly responsible for some of this year’s rarities. At the World Birding Center in McAllen, we were happy to meet up with more common Valley specialties, such as troops of the comical and tame Plain Chachalacas and extroverted Great Kiskadees. We spent most of the morning walking the trails and watching the water features and feeding stations—we were definitely not disappointed. The hoped-for male Crimson-collared Grosbeak was found feeding on small Granejo berries, occasionally perching up above the dense brush this species often favors. A cooperative Tropical Parula repeatedly came in to enjoy some orange sections left for the birds by the helpful staff, and two Clay-colored Robins provided great looks. Along with these three great birds, we had fantastic views of the pretty but subdued Olive Sparrow and the striking Green Jays.
In the afternoon we visited Anzalduas County Park, where a very tame Sprague’s Pipit entertained us in the short grassy fields. Working the groves of live oaks in the park’s picnic area turned up an obliging Great Horned Owl on a nest, handsome Yellow-throated and Black-throated Green Warblers, and an elegant Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. The dam held a nice pair of Black Phoebes and a male Hooded Merganser, which entertained us by slowly paddling back and forth into and out of Mexico.
Our last two stops were geared towards the two species of pscittacids found in numbers in South Texas. The McAllen flock of Green Parakeets was fantastic, with about 450 birds wheeling around overhead, bathing in a fountain at nearly arm’s length, perching up in a nearby oak tree, and just having only the kind of fun that parrots seem to enjoy. In Weslaco we had to look for a while, but near dusk a small flock of about 35 parrots flew overhead and then settled down in a small bare tree. We had good views of many Red-crowned Parrots, with several (uncountable) Lilac-crowned’s mixed in for a nice comparison. A great way to cap our first full day in the Lower Rio Grande Valley!
The next day we had an early visit to the World Birding Center of Weslaco, otherwise known as Estero Llano Grande, where we were happy to find an amazingly cooperative trio of Common Pauraques roosting on the ground and nice scope-filling views of Red-crowned and Lilac-crowned (uncountable, but still beautiful and gaudy) Parrots. Several small mixed flocks were moving around, and sifting through them was amply rewarded, as among the Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglet we managed nice views of Brown-crested Flycatcher, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, and several wintering Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. The ponds contained a nice assortment of the expected waterfowl and shorebirds, and we had a very instructive view of a Least and a Pied-billed Grebe in close proximity. Several hunting herons, another pair of Green Kingfishers, and some perched Anhingas rounded out the aquatic cast, while we happily stalked several Grasshopper Sparrows in the adjacent grasslands. The progression of this farm field into a paradise for birds over the last six years has been amazing to witness, and kudos is awarded to the Texas Parks Department for an excellent stewardship effort here.
After a fun morning of birding here and a very invigorating stop at a comfortable coffee shop (with amazing baked goods), we toured a nearby section of the border fence, where we were happy to observe a perched Sharp-shinned Hawk and several White-tailed Hawks over a burning cane field. In the afternoon we toured the brush country to the north of Weslaco, finding several flocks of Sandhill Cranes, some distant Snowy Plovers, and Lark, Vesper, and Cassin’s Sparrows.
Early the next day we visited Bentsen State Park; amid threatening clouds and a very light drizzle, we were rewarded by fantastic views of a bedraggled but still quite beautiful immature male Rose-throated Becard. This individual had been present for several weeks, apparently surviving the cold on a steady diet of lard and peanut butter. We also found some obliging Clay-colored Robins, a Black-headed Grosbeak, and molting Indigo Buntings shabbily dressed in a patchwork cloak of brown and blue.
After a drive upriver, we arrived in the early afternoon at the Rio Grande River just below Falcon Dam, where we were amazed to find a tree with one of the most colorful ornithological displays I have had the privilege to see. In one tree were adult Hooded, Audubon’s, and multiple Altamira Orioles, several Green Jays, two Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, a male Pyrrhuloxia, and a male Northern Cardinal. Little did we know that the best was yet to come! Acting on a tip, we spent some time carefully searching the nearby Falcon Dam State Park, and after several hours of patient scrutiny we located a previously reported immature Roadside Hawk in a dense thicket. There are only about ten records of this dainty raptor for the United States, and we felt fortunate indeed to have a lengthy and almost ridiculously close view of this bird as it hunkered down out of the wind.
Our day upriver coincided with a break in the overcast and cold weather, as the day warmed up into the 60s and remained largely sunny. A few of the most notable finds were several Black Phoebes (a recent colonizer), a feeding flock of over 35 Pyrrhuloxias on an open grassy field, a cooperative pair of Black-throated Sparrows, a nice flock of Chipping and Clay-colored Sparrows, and a territorial male Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. We spent an enjoyable hour at dusk on the bank of the Rio Grande, where we were rewarded by a group of White-faced Ibis, a brief Gray Hawk passing overhead, and a Zone-tailed Hawk coming in to roost nearby.
On our last full day we returned to the coast, with stops along the way below Falcon Dam and near Harlingen. At Salineno we had fantastic views of Audubon’s, Hooded, and Altamira Orioles, a soaring Zone-tailed Hawk, some sleeping Black-crowned Night-Herons, and a few Purple Martins beginning their spring passage into the US. On the drive downriver we encountered a cooperative flock of Lark Buntings, and at a friend’s house in Harlingen we enjoyed views of Ruby-throated and Black-chinned Hummingbirds.
Once on the coast, new birds came thick and fast, with a perched Aplomado Falcon near a nest site and a flock of Yellow-crowned Night-Herons. Offshore, a few Northern Gannets plied the horizon, and Red-breasted Mergansers were bobbing on the water. Hordes of shorebirds were roosting along the beaches, with the many highlights including a small group of Piping and Semipalmated Plovers, a flock of foraging Marbled Godwits, and a single Sandwich Tern. The dense grasses along the boardwalk held a few Sedge Wrens, while stalking the reed beds were both Sora and Clapper Rails. A sumptuous seafood fest filled out a very bird-rich day (with over a hundred species), a fitting end to a great trip through South Texas.
- Gavin Bieber
Updated: February 2010