Birding at Edinburg and Frontera

        Birding most morning here in the Valley because afternoons belong to the butterflies. 

Tropical Parula - Frontera

Carolina Wren - Frontera

Black and White Warbler - Edinburgh

Inca Doves - Frontera

Blue-headed Vireo

Blue Bunting - Frontera

Painted Bunting female - Frontera

Black-headed Grosbeak female - Frontera 

Long-billed Thrasher - Edinburgh

Altimara immature - Frontera

Gray Catbird - Frontera

Long-billed Thrasher - Frontera

Curved-billed Thrasher - Edinburgh

Nashville Warbler - Frontera

Olive Sparrow - Frontera

Buff-belly Hummingbird

At Last a Photo of the Elusive Blue Bunting 2/24

A male Blue Bunting has inhabited Frontera since January 31.  He was followed by herds of birders for the first week. Since then, birders have flown driven and  in tour groups have flocked to the small heavily thicketed woodland.  I saw it early on with Paul and Carolee but it was mostly a shadow bird for me.  The Bunting does not seem to like crowds so many birders see it by themselves or with a few others. Since Bill put in a shallow dish under a leaky water valve, it has been frequently seen there. You just have to wait for it. A couple from Kansas had waited for 30 years and a man well into his 90s got it after sitting on my new stool for 2 hours. Ken flew in from Washington to make his 815th lifetime bird.  Later I went back to the favored place and sat for a few minutes and then there was a rustling. First the female Painted Bunting came to the water. It replaced by the Blue Bunting. Like the lady said, I did my happy dance or at least I raised the stool in the air when I saw G. 

Painted Bunting - female 

 Blue Bunting - male

We were lucky enough to see the Grooved-billed Ani  again.   I photographed what 

I thought was a warbler but it was a Blue-headed Vireo.  It was a Grand Bunting Day! 

                                                              Blue-headed Vireo

A Warm Windy Day at Estero with Anita

Birding at Estero was special today because my sister from Minnesota was birding there for the first time. We saw more turtles and alligators than we normally do because John is a great reptile spotter. There were fewer birds because of the strong south wind. The highlight for them was pelicans flying out of the levee and then kettling to gain altitude. Almost as good was seeing Jachin, the best young photographer and his family. 

                    Showy Egrit Hunting

Immature Night Heron 

Female Anhinga in the thicket.  She rejected her mate in the water and saw off.

Tri-colored Heron

American White Pelicans 

Long-billed Dowitchers in foreground and Yellow Legs along the shoreline feeding.

 Long-billed Dowitchers (11 inches)

Least Sandpipers 6 inches

Jachin's hat blew off into the water 2" deep

Fulvous Whistling Ducks

The Fulvous Whistling Ducks are my favorite ducks in South Texas. They have shape, design and beautiful coloring.  Fulvous are at both Santa Ana and Estero. But at Estero Llando Grande they were quite close in a pond on one windy Saturday. We regularly spotted them at Pintail Lakes at Santa Ana either on a log or on a small floating island near where the newest Jacana were seen.

Brushline Road & La Sal del Ray 1/22

                There was plenty to see in the sky that cold morning in January. First is a Harris's Hawk and then a pair of Crested Caracara, known as Mexican Eagles, but not nearly as cool as American Eagles. Then came the White-tailed Kite flying over looking for dinner before preening treetop. On to La Sal del Ray, which is a 1/2 mile hike from the parking lot before the hike. It was pleasant but not sure about the effort it took to get there

Harris's Hawk

Crested Caracaras 

 

White-tailed Kite

Gunnar and Paul my front seat drivers.

                Not much to see at La Sal del Rey, but an Egrit, Sanderlings, plants and salt.