- May 19 10:09 am
#64458
The post will discuss two more World Birding Center locations and an odd location on the Rio Grande operated by the Audubon Society. The two State Parks are Estero Llama and Resaca de la Palma and the other location was named Sabal Palms. Although I was encountering Lifers on every outing, I felt the well was drying up and I wanted to get to the ultimate WBC location of South Padre Island.
I didn’t do careful Birding at Estero Llama State Park. This location had a large covered area overlooking a small lake. Tables and chairs for about 30 to 40 persons. While I was there, a couple of Birders had set up scopes and had drinks in hand as they looked out onto the waterway. I didn’t see much worthwhile from this vantage point and noticed a boardwalk paralleling the lake and wandered out into the hot sun.
The first birds I noticed along this path were some Common Gallinule swimming in a pond that could not be seen from the covered viewing area. I walked further and found a sign warning that the path ahead was flooded. Indeed as I reached the end of the small lake I noticed standing water on the path as it went further towards something called Alligator Pond. I thought that this was just a name, but later found out that Alligators were present there.
Where I was neglectful, though, was in ignoring the claimed presence of a Common Pauraque with one chick further ahead. I felt that I would simply not see it, as I have not seen very many Common Nighthawks in the Lower Mainland. Later, though, I met two couples who had seen this bird.
Instead I took some photos of Turtles, red ants swarming something, and headed back.
By this time I was staying in Brownsville, Texas, renowned because often bullets land on the U.S. side of the border. I was far from the border, though. After checking in, I looked out my window and immediately noticed some Gulls flying about. When I had been upriver, there were no Gulls around. These Gulls had black heads, making them photogenic in my view. Laughing Gulls they were – and another Lifer. Any other Gulls I saw, I just ignored.
The next morning I felt re-energized and headed towards Resaca de la Palma. This park had several feeders set up near the visitors’ center and there I encountered my Lifer Altamira Oriole – or several of them. Green Jays were also present in this feeder area.
I looked at the map I was given and set out along a trail that ended on a waterway. This was a jungle-like trail with plants covering the sky overhead. It was dark and the floor of the path was teeming with some sort of running/jumping spiders. Thousands of them. At every step, they were running/jumping out of my way. Not wishing to give them an opportunity to reconsider their flight, I maintained an even pace until I came upon a waterway.
Immediately I saw another Lifer, Least Grebes. There were three of them and I think a pair was in the process of evicting a juvenile. Lots of activity in other words and I took some nice photos. I started to hear some bird calls across the water, but then some nearby Chachalacas started up and I could hear nothing. In fact, later another visitor came to the lookout and we could barely hear one another talk due to the volume of the Chachalacas, birds which would not tolerant any noise other than their own.
Far down the waterway I saw a tree with a large Flycatcher sitting in it and atop of it, a male Northern Cardinal. Then I noticed a dark bird standing by the water in the bush. Took some photos and by the colour of the bill, decided it was a juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron, another Lifer.
I then walked back to the Visitor’s Center and took one of the electric trams on a tour of the park. On this tour the driver stopped so that I could grab a quick photo of a Baltimore Oriole (another Lifer) and of a singing Thrasher, likely another Long-billed. We also encountered a foraging Great Egret and a sitting Tropical Kingbird (I think).
I have noticed that the Great Egrets seem very shy when compared to the Snowy and Cattle varieties. This was highlighted for me later on my journey when I parked near a field with many BN Stilts and Avocets in it as well as three Great Egrets. The Egrets, although they were the furthest away from me took to the air and the other waders ignored me. I propose that the shyness is genetic, being selected for as those not shy were converted to women’s hats.
The next day I went to Sabal Palms, a location recommended to me by the hotel desk manager (who likely wanted me to stay another day). I had not read about this location prior to leaving. Google found it, though. I had to drive through some heavily secured areas – fences, border guards, that sort of thing – to get there. In fact, on their handout maps, they showed the Rio Grande River as adjoining the property. Their Visitor’s Center was an old plantation building and had recently been purchased by the Audubon Society. In the yard outside was a Great Horned Owl nest with two youngsters in it.
This was another jungle-like very humid location. A Kingbird sitting on a wire looked soaked in sweat. In fact it was so humid that there was a light fog, dulling the bird’s colours.
I proceeded into a trail and found an old abandoned building with some feeders around it. I noticed what I thought was a White-winged Dove on a feeder, but then realized that it didn’t have any white on its wings. So I snapped some photos. Turned out to be another Lifer, a White-tipped Dove, supposedly a very shy Dove. In fact I recall encountering a couple who were staring at some other feeders intently, saying that they had seen a Dove that immediately ran into the bush upon seeing them. They seemed inordinately interested in seeing it. At the time I didn’t know that I had seen and photographed this not-often-seen bird.
I left this area and wandered along the path to a blind overlooking the river. I studied the area through a camera/scope hole and didn’t see anything too interesting. Then on one side I saw a Snowy Egret wading in the water and noticed some motion near it. Took a look through my lens and saw a male Green Kingfisher. Finally, I thought. It was far away, but I took some careful photos. Then he flew towards me (or the blind) and actually landed on the roof. I could hear the pitter-patter of birds’ feed above me. Then silence. I scanned the area and found it again, sitting on a branch on the other side of the river. More photos.
Last year while in Arizona, some people at The Pattons told me that a Gray Hawk was nearby. I didn’t care as I am not a raptor enthusiast. Okay, this is an uncommon bird. So while in the blind at Sabal Palms, I glanced up and noticed a gray hawk sitting in a tree across the river. In fact, it was a Gray Hawk, another Lifer. Even though I was in the blind, it detected me and flew off almost immediately.
I wandered around some more, but after seeing the Green Kingfisher and the Gray Hawk, nothing else caught my interest. So I left the area. Alas, it was one of those dead areas for Google and I had to drive towards civilization before data roaming was restored. At this point I decided to drive to South Padre Island to scout it out for the next day. The hotel desk manager told me that the Brownsville Hampton Inn where I had been staying was close enough to SP Island that I didn’t have to move out. But after making a test trip I determined that it was a long drive and decided her advice was too self-serving.
Next up, the best Birding area I found in Texas. South Padre Island.
I didn’t do careful Birding at Estero Llama State Park. This location had a large covered area overlooking a small lake. Tables and chairs for about 30 to 40 persons. While I was there, a couple of Birders had set up scopes and had drinks in hand as they looked out onto the waterway. I didn’t see much worthwhile from this vantage point and noticed a boardwalk paralleling the lake and wandered out into the hot sun.
The first birds I noticed along this path were some Common Gallinule swimming in a pond that could not be seen from the covered viewing area. I walked further and found a sign warning that the path ahead was flooded. Indeed as I reached the end of the small lake I noticed standing water on the path as it went further towards something called Alligator Pond. I thought that this was just a name, but later found out that Alligators were present there.
Where I was neglectful, though, was in ignoring the claimed presence of a Common Pauraque with one chick further ahead. I felt that I would simply not see it, as I have not seen very many Common Nighthawks in the Lower Mainland. Later, though, I met two couples who had seen this bird.
Instead I took some photos of Turtles, red ants swarming something, and headed back.
By this time I was staying in Brownsville, Texas, renowned because often bullets land on the U.S. side of the border. I was far from the border, though. After checking in, I looked out my window and immediately noticed some Gulls flying about. When I had been upriver, there were no Gulls around. These Gulls had black heads, making them photogenic in my view. Laughing Gulls they were – and another Lifer. Any other Gulls I saw, I just ignored.
The next morning I felt re-energized and headed towards Resaca de la Palma. This park had several feeders set up near the visitors’ center and there I encountered my Lifer Altamira Oriole – or several of them. Green Jays were also present in this feeder area.
I looked at the map I was given and set out along a trail that ended on a waterway. This was a jungle-like trail with plants covering the sky overhead. It was dark and the floor of the path was teeming with some sort of running/jumping spiders. Thousands of them. At every step, they were running/jumping out of my way. Not wishing to give them an opportunity to reconsider their flight, I maintained an even pace until I came upon a waterway.
Immediately I saw another Lifer, Least Grebes. There were three of them and I think a pair was in the process of evicting a juvenile. Lots of activity in other words and I took some nice photos. I started to hear some bird calls across the water, but then some nearby Chachalacas started up and I could hear nothing. In fact, later another visitor came to the lookout and we could barely hear one another talk due to the volume of the Chachalacas, birds which would not tolerant any noise other than their own.
Far down the waterway I saw a tree with a large Flycatcher sitting in it and atop of it, a male Northern Cardinal. Then I noticed a dark bird standing by the water in the bush. Took some photos and by the colour of the bill, decided it was a juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron, another Lifer.
I then walked back to the Visitor’s Center and took one of the electric trams on a tour of the park. On this tour the driver stopped so that I could grab a quick photo of a Baltimore Oriole (another Lifer) and of a singing Thrasher, likely another Long-billed. We also encountered a foraging Great Egret and a sitting Tropical Kingbird (I think).
I have noticed that the Great Egrets seem very shy when compared to the Snowy and Cattle varieties. This was highlighted for me later on my journey when I parked near a field with many BN Stilts and Avocets in it as well as three Great Egrets. The Egrets, although they were the furthest away from me took to the air and the other waders ignored me. I propose that the shyness is genetic, being selected for as those not shy were converted to women’s hats.
The next day I went to Sabal Palms, a location recommended to me by the hotel desk manager (who likely wanted me to stay another day). I had not read about this location prior to leaving. Google found it, though. I had to drive through some heavily secured areas – fences, border guards, that sort of thing – to get there. In fact, on their handout maps, they showed the Rio Grande River as adjoining the property. Their Visitor’s Center was an old plantation building and had recently been purchased by the Audubon Society. In the yard outside was a Great Horned Owl nest with two youngsters in it.
This was another jungle-like very humid location. A Kingbird sitting on a wire looked soaked in sweat. In fact it was so humid that there was a light fog, dulling the bird’s colours.
I proceeded into a trail and found an old abandoned building with some feeders around it. I noticed what I thought was a White-winged Dove on a feeder, but then realized that it didn’t have any white on its wings. So I snapped some photos. Turned out to be another Lifer, a White-tipped Dove, supposedly a very shy Dove. In fact I recall encountering a couple who were staring at some other feeders intently, saying that they had seen a Dove that immediately ran into the bush upon seeing them. They seemed inordinately interested in seeing it. At the time I didn’t know that I had seen and photographed this not-often-seen bird.
I left this area and wandered along the path to a blind overlooking the river. I studied the area through a camera/scope hole and didn’t see anything too interesting. Then on one side I saw a Snowy Egret wading in the water and noticed some motion near it. Took a look through my lens and saw a male Green Kingfisher. Finally, I thought. It was far away, but I took some careful photos. Then he flew towards me (or the blind) and actually landed on the roof. I could hear the pitter-patter of birds’ feed above me. Then silence. I scanned the area and found it again, sitting on a branch on the other side of the river. More photos.
Last year while in Arizona, some people at The Pattons told me that a Gray Hawk was nearby. I didn’t care as I am not a raptor enthusiast. Okay, this is an uncommon bird. So while in the blind at Sabal Palms, I glanced up and noticed a gray hawk sitting in a tree across the river. In fact, it was a Gray Hawk, another Lifer. Even though I was in the blind, it detected me and flew off almost immediately.
I wandered around some more, but after seeing the Green Kingfisher and the Gray Hawk, nothing else caught my interest. So I left the area. Alas, it was one of those dead areas for Google and I had to drive towards civilization before data roaming was restored. At this point I decided to drive to South Padre Island to scout it out for the next day. The hotel desk manager told me that the Brownsville Hampton Inn where I had been staying was close enough to SP Island that I didn’t have to move out. But after making a test trip I determined that it was a long drive and decided her advice was too self-serving.
Next up, the best Birding area I found in Texas. South Padre Island.
- By GMcD
- By stumblingpiper