----- Original Message -----
From: Ruth and/or Patrick Sullivan
To: Gina Sheridan ; tweeters at u.washington.edu
Cc: birders13 at aol.com ; RonPatDexter at msn.com ; jessebirder at cablespeed.com ; grynaf at yahoo.com ; cbirds at comcast.net ; Raybar99 at aol.com ; slickslug at comcast.net ; wlafra at owt.com
Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2005 9:57 AM
Subject: Re: Texas Rarities Trip (long)


Hello Gina,

What a fantastic trip you had,congratulation on all the target birds you found.Thank you so very much for the detailed trip report.You picked a excellent time since birding is so slow up here in Washington and it is so good in the south Texas on the time you went .This trip certainly I will keep this in mind for next year.Thank you again for let us all know how you trip went.


Cheers Ruth and Patrick

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gina Sheridan" <gsherida8502 at yahoo.com>
To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Cc: <birders13 at aol.com>; <RonPatDexter at msn.com>; <jessebirder at cablespeed.com>; <grynaf at yahoo.com>; <cbirds at comcast.net>; <Raybar99 at aol.com>; <slickslug at comcast.net>; <godwit at worldnet.att.net>; <wlafra at owt.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 9:01 PM
Subject: Texas Rarities Trip (long)


> Hi Tweets,
>
> Since several folks have contacted me with regards to
> my recent Texas rarities trip, I thought that I would
> post some of the highlights. Perhaps a few more
> birders will venture to the deep south and try their
> luck with these great birds.
>
> Although I was prepared to go solo if necessary, I was
> quite relieved when Bart Whelton decided to accompany
> me. Since Bart had already birded Texas and much of
> the ABA area in the past, he had a target list similar
> to my own.
>
> Via Southwest Airlines, we arrived in San Antonio
> around 11:00 PM on Feb. 24th. After spending the night
> in the Pearsall Executive Inn, the next morning we met
> up with Martin Reid of the Halff Brothers Ranch. Two
> other birders (Lynn Barbour and Simone ?) from
> Dallas/Ft. Worth) joined the party too.
>
> Our goal for the day was the Rufous-capped Warbler
> that had overwintered along banks of the Frio River on
> a private ranch. The vegetation on this section of the
> ranch was an extensive track of native Tamaulipas
> scrub. As we hiked into the RC Warbler site,
> Long-billed Thrashers and Audubon's Orioles were
> singing. Verdin, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, RC Kinglets,
> Carolina Wrens, Green Jays, Orange-crowned Warblers,
> Lincoln's Sparrow, Olive Sparrow, Blue-headed Vireo,
> Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Golden-fronted Woodpecker,
> Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, No. Caracara, Black & Turkey
> Vultures some of the other birds that we observed on
> the ranch. Although the rainy cool weather was not
> conducive to good herping, I managed to find a couple
> of GREAT-PLAINS NARROW-MOUTHED TOADS
>
> After over an hour of searching the brush piles along
> the Frio River, we finally spotted our quarry. A
> sprite RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER provided us some splendid
> views as it nervously cocked it's tail and behaved in
> a wrenlike fashion.
>
> When we parted company with Martin and the Texan
> birders, we drove about 230 miles to Brazos Bend State
> Park. Our next target was the bird that just happened
> to be the first Texas state record of Streaked-backed
> Oriole. When we found the right spot on the trail, we
> saw the oriole high in the canopy. Later, I had a
> brief view of it's back in someone else's scope.
> However, neither Bart nor I were terribly satisfied
> with these views.
>
> Early on the morning on Feb. 26th, we drove back to
> Brazos Bend for better views of this rare oriole. Some
> thirty other birders had shown up too. This time we
> were all rewarded with some truly excellent views of
> the 1st year male STREAKED-BACKED ORIOLE, which was
> transitioning into adult plumage. After the oriole
> disappeared back into the live oak & yaupon thicket,
> we birded the marshlands and noted White Ibis, Little
> Blue Heron, Swamp Sparrow, Tufted Titmouse,
> Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Chickadee,
> Black-bellied Whistling Duck, and American Bittern. My
> life herp of the day was a golden brown colored GROUND
> SKINK.
>
> As we left the park, a moderate to heavy rain began.
> In fact, it rained all the way on our 320 mile long
> drive to the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
> Despite the rain, we saw Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese,
> and a White-tailed Kite.
>
> Upon arrival in Weslaco, we met Fran Haywood at the
> Frontera Audubon refuge. Fran had been keeping me
> appraised of the rarities in the LRGV and had
> encouraged me to visit.
>
> Since the rain had stopped, we used the late afternoon
> to seek out the big rarities that had been wintering
> in Frontera. Within the next two hours, we had seen
> Black and White Warbler, Plain Chachalaca,
> White-tipped Dove, Black-crested Titmouse,
> Curve-billed Thrasher, and Great Kiskadee. When we
> found the male CRIMSON-COLLARED GROSBEAK, we tracked
> it as it slowly make it's way though the understory.
> Suddenly, we noticed that a male ELEGANT TROGON was in
> the same field of view as the CC Grosbeak! Nice!
>
> Later, Fran briefly spotted the other big rarity
> target, the White-throated Robin. As we struggled to
> get on this bird, we saw several CLAY-COLORED ROBINS
> and an Ovenbird. Finally, I spotted the WHITE-THROATED
> ROBIN scratching in the leaves like a towhee. The WT
> Robin ended up roosting in a tree about 15 feet high.
> When we left Frontera, we saw a large flock of
> RED-FRONTED PARROTS come into a neighborhood roost.
>
> In the evening, we enjoyed a home cooked meal
> (delicous fresh fish that Brad had caught) and the
> pleasant company of the Haywoods. Afterwards, we drove
> to Brownsville and were planning on birding Sabal Palm
> Sanctuary the next morning.
>
> On the morning of Feb. 27th, we entered Sabal Palm.
> Our first order of business was to find the
> Gray-crowned Yellowthroat. As we approached the back
> side of the Resaca Trail we saw the yellow ribbon that
> marked the spot. Incredibly, some kind of yellowthroat
> was singing in the shrubs right along the trail.
> Within five minutes, Bart and I had crippling views of
> a male GRAY-CROWNED YELLOWTHROAT. By the time another
> dozen birders had arrived the bird had moved much
> farther back into the tall grass.
>
> As we continued to bird the lovely Sabal Palm refuge,
> we saw TROPICAL PARULA, Yellow-throated Warbler, Sora,
> Neotropic Cormorant, LEAST GREBE, Black-crowned Night
> Heron, and RINGED KINGFISHER. When Bart did his
> Ferruginous Pygmy Owl call, a Black-throated Green
> Warbler, Orange-crowned Warblers, and a ROSE-THROATED
> BECARD came in to investigate. Herpwise, we saw
> several Red-eared Sliders and one RIO GRANDE RIVER
> COOTER.
>
> As the afternoon turned very warm and sultry, we
> stopped by the resaca at UTB where a Golden-crowned
> Warbler had been wintering.
> While there were over a dozen birders bushwacking
> through the woods, a Couche's Kingbird appeared and
> Green Anoles began displaying. However, no GC Warbler
> was seen.
>
> Early on the morning of the 28th, we were back at the
> UTB resaca. The Canadian couple whom we had met on the
> previous day, were frantically waving us in. As we
> stood listening to a Hooded Warbler type song, a
> brightly colored GOLDEN-CROWNED WARBLER came into full
> view. As we left the UTB campus, a flock of GREEN
> PARAKEETS flew overhead.
>
> In the afternoon, we headed up to Laguna Atascosa.
> Along FM 106, Bart spotted a raptor in a plowed field.
> Suddenly two APLOMADO FALCONs lifted out of the field
> and gave chase to passing White-tailed Hawk. The
> falcons flew in close to the road before landing back
> into the field. We had some marvelous scope views of
> the standing falcons before they lifted off and chased
> some terrified Horned Larks.
>
> Farther east on FM106, we saw another Aplomado Falcon
> on a power line. This bird (unlike the others) was
> clearly banded.
>
> In general, this route is raptor rich. Caracaras,
> vultures, WT Kites, Harris's Hawks, White-tailed
> Hawks, Kestrels, Osprey, and No. Harriers were all
> seen in this corridor. In addition, we saw one
> ZONE-TAILED HAWK that I was ready to pass off as
> Turkey Vulture.
>
> Within the refuge itself, we saw Vermillion
> Flycatcher, CLAY-COLORED ROBIN, White-rumped
> Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Gull-billed Tern, Caspian
> Tern, Royal Tern, Redheads, one Great Scaup, ROSEATE
> SPOONBILLs, Purple Martin, Black Skimmers, etc. A
> MARSH RICE RAT was the life mammal of the refuge.
> Although, we wanted to try for the Mangrove Warbler on
> the Padre Island cruise, the trip was cancelled due to
> high winds.
>
> In the late afternoon, we birded Santa Ana NWR. Plenty
> of swallows (Bank, Cliff, and Trees) and a Peregrine
> Falcon were present above Pintail Lake. An Altimira
> Oriole and an Eastern Fox Squirrel was at the visitor
> center, but otherwise birding was slow.
>
> On the morning of March 1st, we birded Santa Ana
> again. Although we saw Stilt Sandpiper, Least
> Sandpiper, Pintail, both species of yellowlegs and
> dowitchers, Black-necked Stilts, and White-faced Ibis,
> we didn't find Blue Bunting or Roadside Hawk. However,
> I finally found the two male ROSE-THROATED BECARDs
> near the junction of C & B trails. Both of them had
> the full rose colored throat patches, but one bird was
> still in first year cinnamon buff plumage too. Bart
> and I were rather amazed by how the becards could
> easily disappear into the leafy canopy.
>
> In the early afternoon, we visited the DeWind's famous
> feeders in Salineno. There were at least ten Altimira
> Orioles, a pair of AUDUBON'S ORIOLEs, a family of five
> BROWN JAYs, Ground Doves, Inca Doves, Cactus Wren,
> Green Jays, etc. all over the feeders.
>
> In the evening, we were in position for the San
> Ygnacio Roadside Hawk, but the bird did not show up.
> Jon Dunn and his friend Lucy had come in that evening
> to see the Roadside Hawk too. Another Washingon
> birder, Keith Brady, was on site as well.
>
> On the morning of March 2nd, we marched down the
> raptor trail and saw precious little. However, Keith
> had found a White-collared Seedeater on the trail
> through the canebreak that was just south of the boat
> ramp. As Jon, Lucy, John O'Neil (from South Carolina),
> Bart, and I stood near the mark that Keith had made on
> the trail, we spotted the adult male WHITE-COLLARED
> SEEDEATER about five feet up in a willow tree in the
> canebreak. Jon gave all of us excellent scope views of
> this LRGV rarity.
>
> Since the Roadside Hawk was a no-show on the previous
> evening, most of us decided to make an early morning
> attempt at the Santa Ana Roadside Hawk for the next
> day. In route, we checked the Salineno again. Bart and
> I spotted an unusual immature buteo on the Mexican
> side of the river. This might have been a Roadside
> Hawk, but it never came over the U.S. side anyway.
> HISPID COTTON RATS joined the birds at the DeWind's
> feeders.
>
> However, Bart and I had a fantastic scope view of
> perched RED-BILLED PIGEON near the Salineno dump. We
> could see the deep rosy coloring of the head, neck and
> shoulder patches, the red iris, and the yellow-tipped
> red bill quite well. What a treat!
>
> In the late afternoon, we once again worked the C
> trail along the river in Santa Ana. We saw
> Red-shouldered Hawk, and Harris's Hawk, but no
> Roadside.
>
> On our last full day, March 3rd, Jon Dunn, Keith
> Brady, and quite a few others again looked in vain for
> the Roadside Hawk. We didn't see any Hook-billed Kites
> either. In the early afternoon, ROSEBELLY LIZARDs and
> a Southern Prairie Lizard came out along the trails.
> Butterflies such as Mexican Bluetail, White-striped
> Longtail, Brown Longtail, Funeral Duskywing, and
> Red-bordered Pixie flitted around the butterfly
> garden.
>
> In the evening, we once again dipped on the Roadside
> Hawk. On the lst morning, March 4th, we saw an
> accipitor shaped hawk in the gloomy dawn. However, it
> seemed too light breasted to be the Roadside and could
> have been a Cooper's Hawk.
>
> Although we were denied a definitive, countable
> Roadside Hawk, I still ended the trip with seven life
> birds, four life herps, and two life mammals. In
> addition, we had superb views of five out of the six
> species that weren't technically lifers but were birds
> that I had not previously seen as well as I would have
> liked. All in all, it was a wonderful trip.
>
> Gina Sheridan
> Spokane, WA
>
>
>
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