Statewide (Houston Audubon Society) RBA
February 10, 2008
Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2008 09:42:50 -0500
Reply-To: live4birds@AOL.COM
Sender: "National Birding Hotline Cooperative (Central)"
<BIRDCNTR@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
From: Mary Gustafson <live4birds@AOL.COM>
Subject: RBA Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley Feb. 11 update - ELAENIA, possibly
White-crested!
Comments: To: TEXBIRDS@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
To: BIRDCNTR@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
Precedence: list
List-Help: <http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?LIST=BIRDCNTR>,
<mailto:LISTSERV@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU?body=INFO BIRDCNTR>
List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:BIRDCNTR-unsubscribe-request@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
List-Subscribe: <mailto:BIRDCNTR-subscribe-request@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
List-Owner: <mailto:BIRDCNTR-request@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
List-Archive: <http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?LIST=BIRDCNTR>
X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at email.arizona.edu
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by virtualbirder.com id
m1AEhNJD015280
RBA
* Texas
* Lower Rio Grande Valley
* February 11, 2008
- Birds Mentioned
+ (Details requested by TBRC - Mark.Lockwood AT tpwd.state.tx.us)
.
Our rare bird alert includes recent reports of…
.
+Masked Duck
Muscovy Duck
Hook-billed Kite
Common Black-Hawk
Groove-billed Ani
Allen’s Hummingbird
+Dusky-capped Flycatcher
+!!!Elaenia – possible White-crested - FIRST US RECORD !!!
Winter Wren
Mangrove Warbler
Tropical Parula
White-collared Seedeater
+Blue Bunting
.
hotline: Texas Parks and Wildlife - Lower Rio Grande Valley Birding
Hotline number: (956) 584-2731
to report: rgvbirds AT hotmail.com (preferred) or (956) 584-2731 option
compilers: Mary Gustafson (Rio Grande Joint Venture), Jennifer Owen
(Estero Llano Grande State Park) and John Yochum (Bentsen-RGV State Park).
.
- Transcript
.
Thank you for calling the Lower Rio Grande Valley Birding Hotline sponsored by
Estero Llano Grande State Park, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and the World Birding
Center. This hotline is normally updated Thursdays by 5 PM. Please send
observations to Texbirds or to the hotline email address. Thank you to those
who sent reports!
.
Dan Jones found an Elaenia on South Padre Island at 3:45 on Saturday February 9,
and it continued through Sunday morning. Initially thought to be a
Yellow-bellied Elaenia which occurs north to Veracruz, some field marks are
thought to fit White-crested Elaenia better. The bird is at the Sheepshead
lots, a Valley Land Fund reserve. The only prior record of an Elaenia in the
USA is a Greenish Elaenia present at High Island in 1984. The SPI bird is
clearly not a Greenish Elaenia, whatever it is will be a first US Record.
Documentations for this extreme rarity are highly desired, with Elaenias
recordings or descriptions of the voice are especially desired. This is a TBRC
Review Species. Please send all documentations to the TBRC.
.
To reach this site, cross from Port Isabel to South Padre Island and go north.
Watch for the Pizza Hut on the left (bay/west) side, and take the next left on
Pompano. Proceed to the stop sign, turn left and Sheepshead is the first
street on your left.
.
David Benn found a female Blue Bunting at Sabal Palm Sanctuary on Saturday
February 9. The Dusky-capped Flycatcher continues at this location.
.
Several Masked Ducks are on the King Ranch to the north of our area. Access to
the ranch is by prior arrangement, call 361-592-8055 for information. These
birds have been seen on the half-day tour. This is a TBRC Review Bird.
.
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have been reported recently from Frontera Audubon
Sanctuary, Bentsen State Park, Anzalduas County Park, and Santa Ana NWR. Gray
Hawks are at most riparian Valley birding sites this winter, and Frontera
Audubon Sanctuary in Weslaco. Broad-winged Hawks are widely distributed as
well. Winter Wrens, rare in the area, have been reported in the last two weeks
at Santa Ana NWR, Bentsen and Estero Llano Grande State Parks. At least three
Ferruginous Hawks were near the Cameron-Willacy county line on January 26 along
with at least two Swainson’s Hawks. Two more Swainson’s were north of
Mercedes on the same day.
.
Aplomado Falcons are often found on Route 100 near Laguna Vista and on the road
to Boca Chica, and also near Buena Vista Road and FM 106. Mangrove Warblers
continue, this well-marked subspecies or unrecognized species is present
year-round. For more information on seeing the Mangrove (Yellow) Warblers
contact the South Padre Island Nature Center at (956) 299-0629.
.
At Sabal Palm Grove east of Brownsville, Dusky-capped Flycatchers continue near
the boardwalk. This is a TBRC Review Species. A few Groove-billed Ani winter
over at this site are reported irregularly. A MacGillivray’s Warbler is
present near the start of the boardwalk
.
A Summer Tanager is wintering at Valley Nature Center in Weslaco. Frontera
Audubon Sanctuary in Weslaco continues to host several interesting birds
including Northern Waterthrush, Ovenbird, Wilson’s Warbler, and Clay-colored
Robins.
.
At Estero Llano Grande State Park, Groove-billed Anis are seen nearly daily near
Alligator Lake or the floodway. Check the eBird kiosk for more information. A
Black-headed Grosbeak was photographed by Alligator Lake. Shorebirds and
herons are present in numbers as well. Roseate Spoonbill and American Avocet
can be seen at the Park or the adjacent Llano Grande Flood Channel. Both
Buff-bellied and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds continue at the feeders.
.
At Santa Ana NWR a stunning adult male Orchard Oriole was present at the feeders
on January 20 and as recently as January 26. Clay-colored Robins are still
near the formerly muddy lake (now filled) north of the parking. A pair of Wood
Duck was reported January 19.
.
Clay-colored Robins have been easy to see at the suet feeders at Quinta Mazatlan
WBC in McAllen. A Western Tanager is present as are Buff-bellied Hummingbirds.
.
The drake Wood Duck continues at Edinburg. Audubon’s and Orchard Orioles are
reported here as well as a Palm Warbler on January 27.
.
At Anzalduas County Park recent reports include Black-headed Grosbeak,
Zone-tailed Hawk, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulets, and lots of warblers. The
large grassy field on the entrance road has wintering Sprague’s Pipit but they
are tough this year. The marsh on the entrance road often has waterbirds.
Please park by the gatehouse and walk back to the marsh, do not park on or near
the road by the marsh.
.
At Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, a Hooded Warbler was reported from the
water feature east of the La Coma Circle area. A Palm Warbler was discovered in
the resaca area and continues there. The adult male Allen’s Hummingbird was
seen through February 3 the HQ area feeders along with Buff-bellied, Rufous,
Ruby-throated and Black-chinned Hummingbirds. Other unusual birds in the park
include Ovenbird at the gatehouse feeders, Tropical Parula (latest January 29)
near Eagle Pond or the Kiskadee Blind. Pauraque are present and often found at
dawn or dusk on the park roads. Verdin and Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet are
also present. Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Barn Owl, Eastern Screech-Owl and Great
Horned Owl are all present in the park.
.
Red-crowned Parrots and Green Parakeets can be seen or heard in many valley
cities, especially early and late in the day. In McAllen, Green Parakeets
stage on 10th Street between Violet and Dove. Recently Red-crowned Parrots
have been in Weslaco near Valley Nature Center, at Texas and 5th, and 11th and
Indiana. In Harlingen, try Pendleton Park at the intersection of Grimes and
Morgan. Fort Brown in Brownsville has both species, and they have been on Cowan
Terrace recently as well north of Rt. 4 near the airport.
.
At Falcon State Park the Scott’s Oriole was last seen January 21. A
Green-tailed Towhee and Clay-colored Sparrows are present at the feeders. Also
present at times are Yellow-headed Blackbird and Scaled Quail.
.
At Salineno a White-collared Seedeater female is occasionally seen in the tall
grasses and once looking at the drip. Both Hook-billed Kite and Common
Black-Hawk have been reported off and on, both were seen over the weekend. Watch
for Red-billed Pigeons in flight or perched high on the islands early or late
in the day. Muscovy Ducks are seen most late afternoons flying by the river
access with totals over 20 birds, the morning flight is 8-9 AM. The feeding
station is a good place to see Hooded and Audubon’s Orioles, and recently a
Clay-colored Robin. Roma Bluffs WBC has had Red-billed Pigeon of late also.
.
Upriver and out of our area, White-collared Seedeaters can be found with
patience at the San Ygnacio Seedeater Park at the foot of Washington Street and
at the Zapata County Park in Zapata off 9th Street.
.
There are no recent Brown Jay reports from Chapeno. There is a public boat
ramp at Chapeno, but access to the river below the feeding station at Chapeno is
by prior arrangement only, contact the owner at 956-237-2033 or fax him after
hours at 956-765-6089. Brown Jay is a TBRC Review Species.
.
The Wikibird guide is back up, check out
http://wikibird.org/wiki/Rio_Grande_Valley_birding_guide . Thanks to Tim
Whitehouse for this great service!
.
This hotline covers birds and birding in Starr, Hidalgo, Cameron, and Willacy
counties. Directions to sites mentioned in this tape can be found in A
Birder's Guide to the Rio Grande Valley by McKinney et. al, or the Birding and
Butterfly map of the Rio Grande Valley that is available free of charge at
Estero Llano Grande State Park.
.
Please report sightings to rgvbirds AT hotmail.com (Replace AT with @) or (956)
584-2731 option 3. Thanks to everyone who reported their sightings to Texbirds
or the compilers.
.
Mary Gustafson
Mission, Texas
________________________________________________________________________
More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail ! -
http://webmail.aol.com