Hi Tweeters,

My Mother & I spent April 3 ? 10 birding Coastal Texas and a short distance up the Rio Grande. The weather was HOT and windy - the wind being both blessing and curse. A blessing because it kept the heat bearable and a curse because, according to the locals, it pushed the migrants right on by. We saw a total of 167 species (including two subs ? Black-crested Tufted Titmouse & Mexican Mallard). We both saw 48 life birds (not all the same ones though). My favorite bird for the whole trip? Hmm . . . That is a tough one. I'd have to say the Northern Parula ? or maybe the Caracaras ? or maybe those funny Green Jays or .. . .. There are so many - who can choose!?!

One of the many fun things about this trip were the people. We met lots of wonderful people at nearly every place we went. At High Island we met a couple from Ventura County, California. Two days later we ran into them at a restaurant in Fulton. Two days after that we ran into them at Sabal Palm and we saw them a fourth time that same day at Laguna Atascosa!! They were very friendly and by the 4th meeting almost felt like old friends! This happened with several other people although never to this extent. One man (from Long Island, New York) was seen at High Island & again at Sabal Palm. Saw one fella with his Dad at three different places in two days including checking in to the same motel we were in! A birding group of mostly retired folks from Ft. Meyers, Florida sat with us for a while at Sabal Palm hoping for an Altamira Oriole ? we had breakfast with them two days later at our motel! At the Brownsville City Landfill we met a birding group from Britain ? they told us about the Glaucous Gull ? the next day we saw them 60 miles up the Rio Grande! Anyway, I hope I?ve not bored you too much with these details.

Here?s where we went and what we saw each day:

April 3 ? Spent at Rollover Pass, Boy Scout Woods at High Island and Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge (where we counted 43 alligators on the 2 ? mile Shovelers Pond Loop). Other wildlife included a very cute Swamp Rabbit at Boy Scout Woods and LOTS of turtles at Anahuac ? one was nose to nose with a very big alligator ? wonder if it became a snack?

American Avocet ? about ? & ? winter/breeding ? I?ve never seen them in winter plumage before

American Coot

American Robin

Barn Swallow

Black-and-white Warbler

Black-necked Stilt

Blue Jay

Blue-winged Teal

Brown Pelican

Brown-headed Cowbird

Caspian Tern

Cattle Egret

Cinnamon Teal ? the folks from the area got VERY excited over this pair ? guess C. Teal are RARE down there this time of year ? they are listed as uncommon in winter and NOT PRESENT for the rest of the year

Common Grackle

Common Moorhen

Double-crested Cormorant

Eastern Kingbird

Eastern Meadowlark

European Starling

Forster?s Tern

Gray Catbird ? LOTS

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Greater Yellowlegs

Great-tailed Grackle

Green-winged Teal

Gull-billed Tern

Hermit Thrush

Hooded Warbler

House Sparrow

Inca Dove

Kentucky Warbler

Killdeer

Laughing Gull

Least Bittern

Least Tern

Lesser Yellowlegs

Loggerhead Shrike

Long-billed Dowitcher

Louisiana Waterthrush

Mourning Dove

Neotropic Cormorant

Northern Cardinal

Northern Harrier

Northern Mockingbird

Northern Shoveler

Ovenbird

Pied-billed Grebe

Prothonotary Warbler

Reddish Egret

Red-winged Blackbird

Ring-billed Gull

Roseate Spoonbill

Royal Tern

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Ruddy Turnstone

Sanderling

Sandwich Tern

Savannah Sparrow

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher ? boy are they COOL looking

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Snowy Egret

Song Sparrow

Sora

Stilt Sandpiper

Summer Tanager

Tree Swallow

Turkey Vulture

White-faced Ibis

White-throated Sparrow ? both the white and tan-striped forms

Willet

Wilson?s Phalarope

Wood Thrush

Worm-eating Warbler



April 4 ? Smith Oaks & Boy Scout Woods at High Island and the Bolivar Peninsula. Spent most of the afternoon puttering around on Galveston Island ? didn?t do any birding there. Smith Oaks has a wonderful rookery with HUNDREDS of Tricolored Herons, Roseate Spoonbills, Black-crowned Night-Herons, Snowy & Great Egrets and Anhingas. We saw many birds on nests (some on eggs and some with chicks already) and several birds courting. If you ever get down there be sure to ask for directions ? it?s difficult to find.

American Coot

American Oystercatcher ? just one

American White Pelican

Anhinga

Black-and-white Warbler

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Black-necked Stilt

Black-throated Green Warbler

Blue Jay

Blue-winged Warbler

Brown Pelican

Cattle Egret

Common Grackle

Common Yellowthroat

Double-crested Cormorant

Downy Woodpecker

Eastern Meadowlark

European Starling

Forster?s Tern

Gray Catbird

Great Egret

Greater Yellowlegs

Great-tailed Grackle

Herring Gull

Hooded Warbler

Horned Lark

House Sparrow

Inca Dove

Killdeer

Laughing Gull

Least Tern

Loggerhead Shrike

Long-billed Curlew

Long-billed Dowitcher

Louisiana Waterthrush

Marbled Godwit

Mourning Dove

Northern Cardinal

Northern Mockingbird

Northern Parula ? WOW!!

Pied-billed Grebe

Prothonotary Warbler

Purple Martin

Red-breasted Merganser

Reddish Egret

Red-eyed Vireo

Red-winged Blackbird

Rock Dove

Roseate Spoonbill

Royal Tern

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Sanderling

Sandwich Tern

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Snowy Egret

Summer Tanager

Tricolored Heron

Western Sandpiper

White Ibis

White-throated Sparrow

Willet

Wood Thrush

Worm-eating Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler



April 5 ? Aransas National Wildlife Refuge and Goose Island State Park. Early this morning we made an unplanned stop at the South Texas Nuclear Power Project. The Visitor?s Center looked suspiciously like a rest area ? that?s why we stopped. Anyway, it was interesting and we found out they oversee a large wetlands area called Texas Prairie Wetlands Project ? some of which you can see from the highway. Lots of waterbirds on it this time of year.

American Avocet

American Coot

American Crow

American Kestrel

American White Pelican

Anhinga

Barn Swallow

Black Vulture

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck ? Wow! Are they striking birds with their BRIGHT NEON orange bills

Black-necked Stilt

Blue-winged Teal

Brown Pelican

Cattle Egret

Cliff Swallow

Common Grackle

Common Moorhen

Crested Caracara ? one cruising with Black & Turkey Vultures

Eastern Meadowlark

Gray Catbird

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Great-tailed Grackle

Inca Dove

Indigo Bunting ? one molting male

Killdeer

Laughing Gull

Least Sandpiper

Lesser Scaup

Lincoln?s Sparrow

Little Blue Heron

Loggerhead Shrike

Long-billed Dowitcher

Mourning Dove

Northern Cardinal

Northern Harrier

Northern Mockingbird

Pied-billed Grebe

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-winged Blackbird

Ruddy Turnstone

Savannah Sparrow

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Snowy Egret

Turkey Vulture

White Ibis

White-throated Sparrow

Whooping Crane ? saw a family of 3 from the observation tower at Aransas NWR. They were kind of far away but with our spotting scopes we were able to see them quite well.

Willet



April 6 ? Rockport Beach Park, King Ranch Visitor?s Center and several Farm to Market Roads south of Kingsville. At the King Ranch we got so excited over the Golden-fronted Woodpeckers ? later we found out they?re like fleas on a dog in south Texas!!

American Coot

Barn Swallow

Belted Kingfisher

Black Skimmer ? saw a large nesting colony at Rockport Beach Park but as far as we could tell none of them were on eggs yet.

Black-bellied Plover

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

Blue-winged Teal

Brown Pelican

Crested Caracara ? saw SEVEN

Curve-billed Thrasher

Eared Grebe

Eastern Meadowlark

European Starling

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Great Kiskadee

Great-tailed Grackle

Harris? Hawk ? very pretty

Herring Gull

House Sparrow

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Lark Sparrow

Laughing Gull

Least Sandpiper

Lesser Yellowlegs

Loggerhead Shrike

Long-billed Curlew

Mallard

Mottled Duck

Mourning Dove

Northern Mockingbird

Pied-billed Grebe

Piping Plover

Purple Martin

Pyrrhuloxia

Reddish Egret

Ring-billed Gull

Rock Dove

Roseate Spoonbill

Royal Tern

Ruddy Turnstone

Sandwich Tern

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Snowy Egret

Snowy Plover

Tricolored Heron

Turkey Vulture

Wild Turkey

Willet



April 7 ? Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge and South Padre Island. Other wildlife seen at Laguna Atascosa included Mexican Ground Squirrels and a Javelina! We also saw a Coyote and an Eastern Cottontail.

American Avocet

American Coot

Barn Swallow

Black Skimmer

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

Black-necked Stilt

Bronzed Cowbird

Brown Pelican

Brown-headed Cowbird

Cave Swallow

Chihuahuan Raven

Common Grackle

Common Ground-Dove

Common Moorhen

Couch?s Kingbird

Double-crested Cormorant

Eastern Meadowlark

European Starling

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Great Kiskadee

Greater Roadrunner

Greater Yellowlegs

Great-tailed Grackle

Green Jay

Killdeer

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Laughing Gull

Lesser Yellowlegs

Little Blue Heron

Loggerhead Shrike

Long-billed Thrasher

Mourning Dove

Northern Bobwhite

Northern Cardinal

Northern Harrier

Northern Mockingbird

Northern Shoveler

Osprey

Pied-billed Grebe

Plain Chachalaca

Reddish Egret

Red-winged Blackbird

Ruddy Duck

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Snowy Egret

Tricolored Heron

Tufted "black-crested" Titmouse

Turkey Vulture

Whimbrel

Willet



April 8 ? Sabal Palm Bird Sanctuary (what a neat place), the Brownsville Landfill (in search of the Tamaulipas Crow ? which we didn?t find) and Laguna Atascosa NWR. Sabal Palm had LOTS of butterflies and boasts a butterfly garden. We intended to check this out but somehow forgot. Oh well, something to do next time . . ..

Thursday evening we went to listen to Pete Dunne speak at the "Texas Tropics Nature Festival" He was funny and informative. Gave a great speech.

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

Blue-winged Teal

Bronzed Cowbird

Buff-bellied Hummingbird ? gutsy little thing. Would fly right up to where people were sitting and perch with in arms reach!

Cattle Egret

Chihuahuan Raven

Common Yellowthroat

Couch?s Kingbird

Glaucous Gull ? one seen at the landfill

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Great Kiskadee

Great-tailed Grackle

Green Jay

Hooded Oriole

Laughing Gull

Least Grebe

Long-billed Thrasher

Northern Cardinal

Northern Mockingbird

Northern Shoveler

Olive Sparrow

Pied-billed Grebe

Plain Chachalaca ? they were so funny to watch trying to keep their balances on the branches!

Prothonotary Warbler

Sora

Swallow-tailed Kite

Turkey Vulture

White-tipped Dove

Wilson?s Warbler



April 9 ? we went a field trip offered by the "Texas Tropics Nature Festival" to Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park. Before going to the state park we went to Anzulduas County Park in search of a couple of rarities that had been reported. Found one ? the Tropical Parula.

Altamira Oriole

American Coot

Anhinga

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

Broad-winged Hawk ? saw several large kettles ? pretty awesome to watch

Bronzed Cowbird

Brown-crested Flycatcher

Cattle Egret

Common Moorhen

Couch?s Kingbird

Double-crested Cormorant

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Great Kiskadee

Great-tailed Grackle

Green Jay

House Sparrow

Inca Dove

Indigo Bunting ? LOTS of both sexes; males in all stages of molt including a few that were almost in full breeding plumage ? we were told that the males always have yellow bills when they?re in south Texas and that only after they leave do their bills turn dark ? then they?re in full breeding plumage. We both found that very interesting. Another thing we found interesting is that this isn?t mentioned in any of the books we have. After we were told this we noticed that ALL of the males we were seeing had YELLOW bills!

Least Grebe ? saw one feeding a chick

Lincoln?s Sparrow

Long-billed Thrasher

Mississippi Kite

Osprey

Plain Chachalaca

Red-winged Blackbird

Ringed Kingfisher

Ruddy Duck

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Snowy Egret

Spotted Sandpiper

Tropical Parula ? WOW! What a gorgeous little bird ? although Mom & I both thought the

Northern was prettier!

Tufted "black-crested" Titmouse

White-tipped Dove

White-winged Dove



April 10 ? same as on the 9th -- We?d signed up for what the festival called "Guarantee Van" and didn?t know they were planning on going to the same places we?d gone the day before. Had we known this we probably would have signed up for a different field trip on Friday. It worked out okay because we had a MUCH smaller group on Saturday and as you can see we did see different birds.

Barn Swallow

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck ? watched one flying from tree to tree looking in the crotches for a suitable cavity to nest in

Black-necked Stilt

Blue-headed Vireo

Bronzed Cowbird

Brown-headed Flycatcher

Caspian Tern

Cattle Egret

Cave Swallow

Clay-colored Robin ? pair ? great find!

Cliff Swallow

Couch?s Kingbird

Double-crested Cormorant

Eastern Screech-Owl ? it?s head was poking out it?s nest hole in a dead palm tree

European Starling

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Great Egret

Great Kiskadee

Great-tailed Grackle

Green Jay

Green Parakeet ? saw a large flock in the town of McAllen

Harris? Hawk

Indigo Bunting

Killdeer

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Laughing Gull

Least Grebe

Long-billed Thrasher

Mallard ? "Mexican" form

Mottled Duck

Neotropic Cormorant

Northern Mockingbird

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Pied-billed Grebe

Plain Chachalaca

Red-winged Blackbird

Rock Dove

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Snowy Egret

Spotted Sandpiper

Tufted "black-crested" Titmouse

White-tailed Hawk ? 2 seen on US 77 between Raymondville & Kingsville

White-tailed Kite

White-tipped Dove



Laurinda
Mountlake Terrace, WA
(just north of Seattle)
RindaA at worldnet.att.net