Our Last Guided Bird Walk at Santa Ana 2017

It was a laid back walk with no pressure to produce birds or find them in a crowd. Since the water filled the Pintail Lakes and Cattail Lakes the waders and shore birds have not returned.  But the sun was out and the breeze came up and a few good birds made their appearance.  The hike was also a good bye to friends and the creatures and natural beauty of Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge. We reminisced about past sightings and miracles we were privileged to witness.  Our profound hope is that it will NOT be a fence or a wall that is proposed for the Rio Grande River. 

Northern Cardinal (Southern intense coloring)

Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet

Harris's Hawk 

Solitary Sandpiper

Tri-color Heron

Kiskadee

Gadwall (showing his brick red patch on his shoulder)

Northern Beardless Tyrannulate at Santa Ana

It was a hot and humid 73 when we met Laura and Steve for the Monday bird walk.  Lucky for all of us no one else showed up. So Gunnar and I birded with two excellent birders.  The first vocalizations were of a White-eyed Vireo and the Northern Beardless Tyrannulate.  This was the first time this trip that I saw this cute bird out in the open. We heard but did not see whispering Thrashers in the brush, or the Verdin, Vireo but had a brief glimpse of Altirma Oriole.  3/6

South Padre - DUCKY! (February)

South Padre Birding Center is on the Madre side with freshwater ponds full of waterfowl.  So there is an abundance of ducks that hangout there with all the Winter Snowbirds.  All these ducks are seen in Minnesota nesting or during spring and fall migrations.

                                                       Red-breasted Merganser male above resting.

   
                                                                             

         

             Red-breasted Merganser
                     (female  2 photos)

Widgeons  standing in the shallows and being beautiful!

Mostly Redheads, one Scaup and 2 Black-necked stilts.

Bufflehead   (Female)

   

 This is is the Pintails story, and I am sticking to it.  The female said,  OK then,  x *^&% off!

                                              

I'm out of here!

 

National Butterfly Center 2/2

After a short visit to the Hildago, we made our way to Palm View and NABA.  There was plenty of Butterfly action but the birds were scarce because of the Sharp-shinned poised above the feeder. The heat of mid-day sent us home early but they were still fluttering by. 

Crimson Patch  2"

Zebra Heliconia  @4"

 Long-tailed Skip;per

  Long-tailed Skipper female

White-stripped Skipper

 Tropical Leaf-wing

Dainty Sulphur 1"

Southern Dog-face @2"

SRGV Blossoming Up

Spring is coming to SRGV earlier than the past years we've been here. At Estero Llando Grande State Rick Snyder leads a plant walk every Thursday.  At first I went there so I would know what tree birders were talking about when siting a Warbler or some such creature. Now I can name many trees with beautiful blossoms.  One of the most unusual plant is the Bailey's Ball Moss with orchid like flowers coming out high in the host tree.  The flowers are surprisingly hard to see. 

                The Palo Verde  has bright yellow flower with orange stamines.  I love their green branches.

                             
                The Remata is another tree with very similar small bright yellow flowers

 The Mequite has large catkins for flowers that Gunnar is checking out.

Burrowing Owl on Border Road

After delaying the hunt for a month, the Burrowing Owl was our target bird.  The road is between Santa Ana and East Alamo.  As we started the drive we saw a dozen Curlews fly up from the fields when 6 large dogs were running down the road.  The owner called the dogs back so we could proceed.  The small Owl burrowed down in a dirt bank, unlike the Burrowing Owl in Mission which sits among the rocks on the levee.  The Owl stayed in the hole but keep his vision on us and I moved about.  On the way to Alamo Road we scared up a Prairie Falcon who seems to be consistent in that field.

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Cardinals at McAllen Nature Center

With a week left in South Rio Grande Valley, I had better start posting again.  It has been hot in the Valley so we left for South Padre more than in past years.  But March 3rd was a cool cloudy 73 degrees.  So we explored Old McAllen and then went to the Nature Center near Ware on Bus. 83.  Cardinals were in excess at the feeding station and most were female. Their coloring is spectacular compared to the duller Northern variety of Cardinals.