Texas Spring - Apr 2007
by
Henry Detwiler
Chuck Gooding and I spent ten days roaming the Rio Grande Valley
and Big Bend National Park this past April, joined for a few days by
friends Al & Helga from Calgary.
241
species--bird list is at the bottom of the page
Click on
thumbnail pictures for full-sized photos. 
RIO GRANDE VALLEY & HILL
COUNTRY
| Chuck and I met on Apr 18th at San Antonio, and drove
down to Kingsville for our first killer bird of the trip, a female
Masked Duck. We had to wait until sundown, but it was worth
it! |
Chuck, Helga, Al, &
Henry
|
|
Black-throated Green Warbler
A few migrant warblers, like this
Black-throated Green, were working the trees, and the resident
Groove-billed Anis had just returned from their winter homes.
|
The next day we explored Sabal Palms Audubon Sanctuary southeast of
Brownsville.
Groove-billed Ani, Sabal Palms
|
Olive Sparrow, Sabal Palms
Here and elsewhere in the valley, Long-billed Thrashers dart out
from under cover to snag a quick meal. The feeding station at
Sabal Palms is a reliable spot to see them. |
This sanctuary preserves the last vestiges of what used to be a large
swath of native palms along the Rio Grande. It also encompasses
a lot of native scrub, home to the Olive Sparrow.
Long-billed Thrasher, Sabal Palms
|
|
We heard about some fancy birds on
Galveston Island, including a target for Chuck, the Painted Bunting.
So we drove north and east, and were greeted with a true fallout of
migrants. At our first stop, Baltimore Orioles and Rose-breasted
Grosbeaks were everywhere. |
Baltimore Oriole, Galveston
|
|
Hooded Warbler, Galveston
Other nice birds here included Sedge
Wren, three tanagers: Western, Summer, and Scarlet, and a smattering
of eastern wood warblers.
|
The next stop was at the convention center. The tiny plot of
woods here was chock full of birds. This Hooded Warbler was
too exhausted to care about all the birders, and it was here that
Chuck got his Painted Buntings!
Rose-breasted Grosbeak,
Galveston |
|
The wetlands around the convention center had a fine collection of
waders and shorebirds. We also scored on rails, seeing a pair
of Clappers and hearing Virginias. |
Little Blue Heron, Galveston
|
|
|
| The next few mornings we went along the Rio
Grande River in search of targets and other local specialties.
Below the Roma Cliffs we saw our first Aud Orioles, a
Clay-colored Robin, and this fine Golden-fronted Woodpecker
feeding it's young. |
Golden-fronted
Woodpecker, Roma |
|
|
Altamira Oriole, Chapeno
Green Jay, Chapeno |
We spent two mornings at Chapaneno looking for the
Muscovey Duck. We had no luck the first morning--getting
there too late. But the next morning we got there earlier,
and had a bit more luck. At the feeders were a steady
procession of birds, including these two colorful Valley
residents, the Altamira Oriole and the Green Jay. |
| On two nights we went after night birds in the
Valley. We saw and heard Pauraques, Elf Owls, Ferruginous
Pygmy-Owl, Chuck-wills-widow, and Eastern Screech-owl. But for
all our searching, and all its calling for two straight nights, we
never once saw the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. |
Eastern Screech-Owl
Bentsen Rio-Grande State Park
|
|
At San Ignacio we easily found the
White-collared Seedeater and this Great Kiskadee. Here, as
elsewhere, we found many butterflies and damsels--truly a
naturalist's paradise.
Rubyspot Damselfly, San
Ignacio |
Great Kiskadee, San Ignacio
|
| From the Rio Grande we moved north to the Hill
Country. At Lost Maples State Park we found the endemic
Golden-cheeked Warbler and at Kerr Wildlife Area we found the
Black-capped Vireo--and these beautiful cacti.
|
Opuntia Cacti, Lost Maples
|
|
Gray Hairstreaks
|
Here also were a variety of beautiful butterflies,
including these "two-headed" hairstreaks. At a feeding
station this handsome Blue Grosbeak filled up on corn.
Blue Grosbeak, Lost Maples
St. Park
|
|
The Hill Country was incredibly birdy, and on our last morning there
we added Yellow-throated Warbler to our burgeoning list. This was
our rainiest day to date, and we left the beautiful green
countryside for the drier lands of west Texas. |
Golden-cheeked Warbler, San
Antonio
|
On to BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK |
