Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

   
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Texas Adventure
10-24 Apr 2004
Narrated by Henry Detwiler

Barry & Margie Hawthorne, Ron Nelson, and I enjoyed two weeks and 2600 miles of birding in the great state of Texas. 
276 species -- complete list at end of page
Click on thumbnail pictures for full-sized shots. 

SATURDAY, 10 Apr 04

Ron had arrived on Friday, so after picking up our minivan, I met him at the Hyatt Hotel, and we did a little "pre-trip" birding.    Barry, Ron, & Margie -  Elliot Landfill, Corpus Christi

We reconnoitered the Monk Parakeet colony (1) west of the airport--but saw no birds.  A short while later we were back at George Bush International Airport, staking out the luggage carousel, where we met Barry and Margie. We returned to the parrot colony, and saw a handful of Monk Parakeets returning to their evening roost--a great way to start out the trip!   As we drove west  towards Sealey, the sky opened up, slowing the interstate traffic to a crawl.

  

SUNDAY,  11 Apr 04

Clouds and rain were the order of the day, but we picked out some good birds on the way to Attwater NWR (2) and along the refuge loop.  Ron got his first of many Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, and Margie spotted an American Bittern pretending to be a reed.  On the road again, we saw many Crested Caracaras.  Between more rain and hail at Aransas NWR (3), we saw waders, a Blue Grosbeak, and a beautiful pair of White-tailed Hawks.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks     Upland Sandpiper

  

MONDAY, 12 Apr 04

Tricolored Heron with lunch

We boarded the "Skimmer" in the morning and set out to find the Whooping Cranes.  The cold and rain continued, so we were happy to be peering out  glass windows from the inside of the boat.  Capt Tommy Moore found us a family of three whoopers, our first Roseate Spoonbills, and our only Sandwich Terns.

After lunch the weather cleared and we headed to the Elliot Landfill (4) in Corpus Christi to search for a rare Yellow-footed Gull with a broken primary feather and missing secondaries.

Franklin's Gulls

 

After donning orange safety vests, we hiked over mounds of garbage in a vain search for old "Gimpy".  Still, the spectacle of thousands of Laughing Gulls,  Franklin's Gulls sporting a breeding shade of pink, and Herring Gulls was truly awesome.

Couch's Kingbird

A final stop at a park in Kingsville (5) yielded more beautiful Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Pyrrhuloxia, Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, Curve-billed Thrashers, and several Couch's Kingbirds.

  
 TUESDAY, 13 Apr 04

Monica Burdette was our host at El Canelo Ranch (6) this morning, and she showed Barry & Margie and Ron their life Ferruginous Owls--a pair looking down at us in her beautiful back yard. Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl

Northern Bobwhite Other birds that were equally at home in Monica's yard and on their ranch included Curve-billed Thrasher, Hooded Oriole, Northern Bobwhite, and Golden-fronted Woodpecker. Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Our next stop was at one of the crown jewels of the NWR system, Laguna Atascosa (7).  From the moment we arrived we were bombarded with new and beautiful birds.  At the bird  blind and along the trails we were impressed by showy Green Jays, a Summer Tanager, Plain Chachalacas, White-tipped Doves, Bronzed Cowbirds, a Blue-headed Vireo, hordes of Indigo Buntings, and our first 'gator. Plain Chachalaca

Indigo Bunting Green Jay

. American Alligator

  
  
WEDNESDAY, 14 Apr 04

Buff-bellied Hummingbird

From Harlingen we drove south to Sabal Palm Audubon Sanctuary (8), where we were welcomed by another lifer, this exquisite Buff-bellied Hummingbird.

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