BIG DAY 4/24

The birding workday began with a 5:30AM departure bound for Choke Canyon State Park to try our hand at grabbing some desert species. This was a pointed maneuver to outpace our competitors (can you even really call them that...) who stuck to Corpus proper. Led by the best birder I've walked with in my life, we took a series of side roads around the park lined by wire fences with scrub on either side. Cassin's and Clay-colored Sparrows and an indescribable ~500 bird Mississippi Kite kettle way off in the distance set the tone for the day. 

Working back toward the coast and stopping at what I believe must've been some insider spots, we added myriad hawks and songbirds. A mudflat adjacent to the park's reservoir held some more niche species that weren't guaranteed on the coastline: Little Blue Heron, Baird's and White-rumped Sandpiper, Inca and Common Ground Doves etc. 

By 9AM we had about 85 species. An hour's drive took us back to the Sparking City by the Sea, with a necessary pit stop at Jack in the Box the observe the Monk Parakeet colony. Throw in Swainson's and Harris's Hawk views from inside the restaurant while awaiting our milkshakes, we were making good time.

After dipping on the storied (apocryphal to me...) Cattle Tyrant downtown, we looked for warblers in a shabby city park. Hooded Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, a surprise Chuck-will's-Widow (maybe the most absurd ID from our leader, as our visual was limited to essentially just a flying brick through the treetops for 1 second), and a beautiful Ruby-Throated Hummingbird display flight were standouts.

Next we headed to the classic CC and Port Aransas destinations. And one of the first sightings upon arrival... my cherished Least Bittern in his full, diminutive glory (world's smallest heron species) high in the reeds. I checked out of the group's mad dash for a while and watched him call, attempt to camouflage, and generally be a freak.

The anticipated shorebirds were all there along with a solid amount of ducks. We had enough time to hit one more spot to locate some blindspots before the final count had to be tallied. It actually came down to the wire with the group desperately searching for Rose-Breasted Grosbeak and Western Tanager. As luck would have it, both species were in the same mulberry right near the parking lot as we were loading into the van.

 

She looks so friendly

 

Damn

 

At the 10 hour cutoff, we had 159 species for the day. We failed to observe a House Finch.

 

The first day of the fest is behind me. We vanned off at 7AM from the botanical gardens up to Port Arsanas. My benchmates were a sweet woman who kept a physical checklist: "My eBird prowess is limited" she claimed, and her husband, who the driver and guide referred to as an S.O.B. (spouse of birder). They seemed to not have smart phones or preferred not to use them, so I aided them in getting the addresses for some parks to check out later in the week. In exchange I received sage advice on marriage, retirement, and aging. The rest of the crew were other East Coasters, most of whom were also on their first excursion into South Texas. 

We hopped from spot to spot up Padre Island, making impromptu stops for looks at Aplomado falcon (didn't know it existed) and White-tailed Hawk (faintly knew it existed) nesting sites along the highway. 

As expected the lifers piled on quickly. It was evident that our guide knew most of everything there is to know about the area. One preserve's gate was unexpectedly locked, but naturally our intrepid leader knew the combination, and later revealed a trail within dedicated to him.

White Ibis

 

I got lucky to pick up a lot of shorebird species that I probably overlooked out west. Ruddy Turnstone, all the terns, Brown Pelicans etc. Intermittent showers cut out our time short in a few locations but it was still a productive day.

 

Brown Pelican

 

 

Least Tern (another entry for the "World's Smallest" list)

 

I'm now at a cursed beach coffee shop, unsure of how to pass the time until tomorrow's 4:45 AM wake up call. I'm in 155th place in the U.S. by species count for the year.

 

LIFELIST: 386
 

 

Started the day with a visit to Estero Llano Grand State Park in Weslaco, not far from where I'm staying. The forecast was looking bad and that generally proved to be the case. This did not stop ~30 godless birders from walking around the wetlands. Again and again, parking lots prove to be exceedingly fruitful. This morning I added Plain Chacalaca, Clay-Collared Thrush, Olive Sparrow, and Long-Billed Thrasher to the growing lifers-in-the-parking-lot list.

My dearest chacalaca

Another frivolous list, species that are the smallest of their family, gained a member as well. A couple of Least Grebes worked their way through the cane, the male giving his bijou calls proudly. 

I shared a nice walk with a lady from Georgia who led me from the visitor's center to the known Pauraque location. No dice on this occasion but we had a lovely chat. Stayed around the area to record some Sora/Gallinule/Grebe/etc din.

 

The rain was really picking up so I ended the morning a bit early. "Gig's up" a grinning floppy-hatted fella said to me in the treasured parking lot. 

I went to a most pitiful supermarket in search of lunch ingredients and then headed back to the church. In the late afternoon the rain let up so I tried my luck with the Edinburg Scenic Wetlands. I guess I lost my bugspray earlier so I got eaten alive out there, but had a nice prolonged sit under a metal veranda soundtracked by a sudden deluge and the persistent Easter Sunday service from a nearby park (and obligatory chacalaca chatter).

Mottled Duck fledglings in different stages of development were also a cool sight. Funnily these must be my first lifer that I've seen with young.

 

Had dinner at China Cafe, a personally recommended buffet in McAllen. Things were going well until a fist fight broke out between two cooks in the back. I only heard the clanging of pots in the distance, but luckily a nearby diner was on the scene and gave us a little reenactment. I'd like to think they were disputing who had to handle Hot Cheetos/Dogs sushi duty that night. 

LIFELIST:365

 

 

Sorry for the blog neglect. Just know that I finished Arizona with 171 species, putting me at 321st place in the ABA area for this year at the time of writing. So many memorable encounters with some of my favorite birds. I'd have to choose the pursuit of Elf Owls at Madera Canyon as my favorite. 

Absolutely no idea how to shoot at night

I'm now in a dormitory-style lodge that's part of the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle, a historically significant basilica in the area. The hallways are wide open and severe. The sound of footsteps in the corridors reminds me of the church I went to Boy Scout meetings in. My neighbors consist of clergymen and pilgrims visiting for Easter Sunday Mass tomorrow. All glory to God. I'm not in another Motel 6.

 A perfect place for monastic study of empidonax

Earlier in the day en route to the Rio Grande Valley, I checked out Mitchell Lake in San Antonio for several hours, first walking the dried out pond and then car-birding a number of basins in the wetlands. It felt like the sky would open up any minute, but I managed to spot a number of lifers.

Fulvous Whistling-Duck, pretty rare for this location

 

 

Black-crested Titmouse

Spending a few days here trying to make it to most of the classic Hidalgo and Cameron county spots. 

LIFE LIST: damn im at 353

Lotta hiking sans camera and it feels great. Knowing what the coming week holds I'm trying to take it a bit slower on the obsessive camera front. Nonetheless still tacking on lifers. A lot of classic Arizona species. Gilded Flicker, Harris' Hawk, Curve-Billed Thrasher. Last night I finally actually listened for a Great Horned Owl from my tent.

Got a nice beatdown this afternoon on Usery Mountain. Thinking and talking to myself on the trail for the most part. 

LIFE LIST: Two hundred and eighty-four species.

 Hello from Phoenix.

 Countless great encounters over the past several days:

 

Red-shouldered Hawk

 

 Snowy Plover

 

Western Flycatcher

 

Spent two nights on BLM land north of Yuma, AZ. The site was wide open, pretty dispersed, and most campers were in RVs. Blustery and warm during the day, cool and calm at night. First time staying at a dry camp, I was a little underprepared for that! I dearly missed a picnic table. Sleeping proved slightly difficult due to the grunting and squealing of javelinas carrying across the desert. It freaked me out! Even knowing that these half-blind hogs are no real threat, my heart would race throughout the night when one would blurt out within earshot. Hilarious really.

90-100 degree days ahead. I have three nights booked for Lost Dutchman State Park. Paralyzed by the birding opportunities. A good problem to have.

Sacred Datura (had a morsel)

 

 

Anna's Hummer

 

Absolute daggers from another RS

 

Ladder-backed Woody 

 

 

 

Somescatteredincompletesandiegowords. Phone post.

Pitched at Tijuana Valley Regional Park for a few days. It's a recently re-opened site which still appears closed on Google Maps, so I basically have the place to myself. Lots of helpful staff pointed me to some hotspots nearby, most of which are in the greater Tijuana Valley. 

Morning one I walked a network of horse trails for hours. In the trenches I found several SoCal species I'd been seeking. Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Hutton's Vireo, endless Orange-Crowned Warblers etc. Drove north by Sea World (which I never really ascribed to a specific city, it just existed placelessly in my mind) to a slough and finally found Wilson's and Townsend's Warblers.

In the AM today I went to a marshy trail by a dairy farm to find songbirds. Marsh Wren, Western Flycatchers, Tropical Kingbirds made themselves known. Also a lot of hillarious Pied-Billed Grebe vocalization, check that out. But really just cruising the little rivulets off of the pond and looking at succulents occupied most of my time. 

Later I went to the beach and had an amazing encounter with a Snowy Plover marching proudly out of its protected nesting area 10-15 feet in front of me. I went prone in front of a few confused onlookers for the damn thing to take photos and it was very cooperative. Here's me shortly after:

In my campground amidst the roar of border patrol helicopter traffic, there are constant wichity-wichity-witchity, sweet sweet I'm so sweet, and teee tee t t t songs (yellowthroat, yellow, yellow-rumped). A jaundiced experience.uhhh I also just got my first owl. And now there are a pair of them screaming together in the valley over the sparse, perilous killdeer caterwaul and crickets and frogs and still more helicopter whirl.

Tomorrow I'm headed back east which makes me a bit sick to my stomach. Going to read some Georg Trakl to feel sicker and go to bed. CA/AZ border bound tomorrow!