Tweeters:
If you're like me you probably find the hawk-owl news very tough. On a happier note thought I'd pass along some photos and video for Texas birding fans. If you are headed for Houston and haven't yet gone, I strongly recommend the Attwater NWR GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN tour--it is really terrific and I don't know of a better spot in Texas for winter sparrows. The first Saturday each month (8 a.m. sharp) they provide guided tours to closed parts of the refuge with the birds, which are an critically endangered subspecies not known elsewhere:
(Gr Prairie-Chicken video from tour):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/14115261 at N05/23591001764/in/datetaken/
Sprague's Pipits are always welcome too:
https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/14115261 at N05/23923094800/
(Complete EBird list from Dec. 5 Attwater NWR tour): http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S26142471)
Then--had just enough time to locate the N. JACANA south of San Antonio and visit Laredo to the southwest. Imagine--7 CLAY-COLORED ROBINS up very close in Laredo, like this one:
https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/14115261 at N05/24136028801/
And 21 WHITE-COLLARED SEEDEATERS were a lot more than expected, at the same Laredo spot, one at point-blank range here:
https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/14115261 at N05/23591001764/
GREAT KISKADEES are much more common but photogenic:
https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/14115261 at N05/23591001444/
The complete EBird list for Las Palmas trail/preserve in Laredo is here:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S26162919
Scott AtkinsonLake Stevensmail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com