Tuesday 17 February 2015

TEXAS - 17th February


Spent all day around Estero Llano Grande State Park where despite the cloudy, overcast conditions and the very cold, brisk N wind I had an excellent days birding.   Most of the action was in the woodland around the centre, concentrated around the feeders and fruiting trees; the highlight in the grand scheme of things was probably good views of a WHITE-THROATED THRUSH feeding underneath a fruiting tree in the company of quite a few CLAY-COLORED ROBINS – a real quality bird in US terms being around the 15th record for the country!

                Other new birds for the trip in no particular order were several BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRDS whizzing around the feeders and chasing each other, a single RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD at one of the feeders, a wintering SUMMER TANAGER, several pairs of CURVE-BILLED THRASHERS, a stunning ALTAMIRA ORIOLE, a 1st winter male ORCHARD ORIOLE, a single YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD with hundreds of Grackles, Cowbirds and Red-winged Blackbirds, 2 PURPLE MARTINS overhead, a TROPICAL KINGBIRD picked out amongst the several Couch’s Kingbirds on call, great views of a roosting COMMON PAURAQUE and many COMMON GROUND-DOVES and WHITE-WINGED DOVES around the place.

                There were stacks of other things around as well including a Black-and-white Warbler, a Nashville Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, Olive Sparrow, several American Robins, loads of Great Kiskadees, Blue-grey Gnatcatchers, Black-crested Titmouse, White-tipped Doves, Green Jays, Plain Chachalacas, Long-billed Thrashers, great views of perched adult Cooper’s Hawk, a Harris Hawk, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Golden-fronted Woodpecker and Inca Doves.

                Good numbers of birds around the pools and channels included 20+ CINNAMON TEAL in amongst Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Shoveler, Gadwall and Pintail, a pair of LEAST GREBES, great views of a GREEN KINGFISHER, an ANHINGA, a Night Heron with Great Egrets, Little Blue Herons, Roseate Spoonbills etc. 20+ Least Sandpipers and a couple of Spotted Sandpipers.

                The rest of the reserve away from the centre was actually fairly quiet although there was a female INDIGO BUNTING by Kiskadee Pool, a VERMILLIAN FLYCATCHER on Spoonbill Trail and a flock of 80+ White-fronted Geese seemed to have had enough of the cold weather a flew high south into Mexico!

Green Kingfisher

Orchard Oriole

Golden-fronted Woodpecker eating Oranges

Buff-bellied Hummingbird

Common Pauraque

Great Kiskadee

Clay-colored Robin

Black-and-White Warbler

Least Sandpiper

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