Estero Llano Grande State park, Weslaco, TX

Howdee all,

Today Jeff and I spent the morning and early afternoon birding at Estero Llano Grande State park 

This is a very nice park..with the most wonderful birders who work here..
Huck, John and Kyle..always helpful..you can tell they love what they are doing!

I am combining some photos I took a few days ago with today's…

The below photo was not today..today was all gray..until the sun broke thru the clouds and then it was all HOT..

Black-bellied whistling duck

Roseate spoonbill..men in pink tights…with pink tutu

Wood stork…men in gray tights..with white tutu Black-necked stilt We were looking for the Phalarope..no luck today..The stilts are always fun to watch..   We really wanted to see the Groove-billed Ani today..it would be a life bird for us…

So we went into the woods, where it had been seen

We didn't see it there…We decided to head for what used to be a camping area..to look for the Rose-throated Becard...

Another birder spotted the Becard…we had nice views but no camera shots..

While looking at the Becard..someone noticed the Ani fly by…

How exciting..two great birds in minutes…

Groove-billed Ani 

A life bird for us! Isn't it a strange looking bird? A Rose-throated Grosbeak was also nearby..We had nice looks at a Common Pauraque

The photos below were of a bird we saw a few days previously…

This birds nests on the ground…and blends in very well..

I thought it was a piece of bark..Thanks Huck for showing us this very cool bird.

It became very hot in the afternoon..

       I felt as though I was melting….        Sunflowers are blooming here…Fulvous Whistling Ducks    Curve-billed Thrasher   Great-tailed Grackle

Another great day of birding in Texas!

Birds of the Day

White- wing dove
Great-tail grackle
Mourning dove
Plain Chachalaca
White-tipped dove
Inca dove
Couchs kingbird
Tropical kingbird
Bronzed cowbird
Cardinal
Ruby-throated hummingbird
Golden-fronted woodpecker
Purple martin
Wood stork
Mockingbird
Stilt sandpiper
Black-neck stilt
Long-billed dowitcher
Black-bellied whistling duck
Blue-wing teal
Great egret
Semi-palmated sandpiper
Buff-bellied hummingbird
Ruddy duck
American avocet
Red-wing blackbird
Long-billed thrasher
Great kiskadee
Olive sparrow
Brown-crested flycatcher
Curve-billed thrasher
Cedar waxwings
Green jay
Starling
Groove-billed ani
Rose-breasted grosbeak
Indigo-bunting
Rose-throated becard
Baltimore oriole
Barn swallow
White-eyed vireo
Lesser goldfinch
Brown-headed cowbird
Gull-billed tern
Eastern Meadowlark
Mississippi kite
Pied bill grebe
Forsters tern
American coot
Least grebe
Fulvous whistling duck
Northern shoveler
Gadwall
Marsh wren
Common moorhen
Glossy ibis
Common yellowthroat
Green heron
White pelican
Tri-colored heron
Snowy egret
Scissortail flycatcher
Harris hawk
Eastern kingbird
Chipping sparrow
Roseate spoonbill
Common nighthawk
Killdeer
Clay colored robin
House sparrow
Common paroque

The Yellow flower Farm animals, Weslaco, TX

Howdee all,

Jeff and I wanted to go birding at the wastewater treatment plant in Weslaco last week.  It was closed to the public…

  So I took pictures of this yellow flowered farm we passed..

  and the beautiful farm animals..Makes me not want to eat meat..  Maybe I will stop soon.. I could easily be a vegetarian    I have done it before..

Birding Santa Ana NWR and Benston SP

Howdee all

It was a foggy start to a very gray day….

   Jeff and I decided we would try and find the Hook-Billed Kite at Santa Ana National wildlife refugee.

    We started our morning by joining a group nature walk…

Our guide pointed out a Least Grebe on a nest..  The ever present coot..  Jeff and I decided to leave the group and go off on our own in search of the Kite..

We took Willow trail, where others have seen the Kite..but had no luck..

We climbed one of the observation towers to see what we could see. Summer tanager

Black-crested nuthatchClay-colored thrush    A birding trio..

Plain Chachalaca, Gold-fronted woodpecker, Couchs Kingbird

We saw Kettles of Mississippi Kite and other hawks soaring far above us..

After viewing from the platform we birded around a few ponds in the park.

I wish these Pie-billed Grebes weren't so far away..I wanted to show you how cool looking the babies were..all stripy, orangey bills and heads..   Sora

We left the refugee…No target bird seen..but a great morning of birding..

From Santa Ana we headed to Bentsen state park

again..in search of the Hook-billed Kite.

We took the tram to the Hawk watching platform..

We were immediately treated to hundreds, if not thousands of hawks soaring by in kettles..Very distant views..

Can you see the dots??

There were streams of these kettles coming from Mexico heading north..it was around 3:30 till about 4:30 and then we didn't see as many kettles..

There were hundreds of Mississippi Kites throughout the afternoon circling in kettles..

  There may have been a Hook-billed Kite in the group..but we couldn't tell…too far away We saw a male and female Altamira Oriole   

She was gathering supplies for her nest

her mate followed her as she gathered her nesting materials…   We've had a bit of rain lately and the mushrooms are out..

This looks like some type of Agaricus   Shaggy mane..a very yummy edible..I left them..

As we were walking back the the car

a family of Javalena crossed the trailFunny looking creatures… Another fine day of birding in Texas!

Birds of the Day

Bob white
Great kiskadee
Golden-fronted woodpecker
Great-tailed grackle
Couchs kingbird
Mourning dove
Inca dove
White wing dove
Olive sparrow
Black-crested titmouse
Yellow headed blackbird
Red-winged blackbird
White-tipped dove
Buff-bellied hummingbird
Brown-crested flycatcher
Bronzed cowbird
Long-billed thrasher
Mississippi kite
American coot
Blue-winged teal
Barn swallow
Least grebe
Common yellowthroat
Plain chachalaca
Scissor tail flycatcher
Great egret
Black-bellied whistling duck
Ringed kingfisher
Broad-winged hawk
Little blue heron
Belted kingfisher
Altimira oriole
Clay-colored thrush
Great-crested flycatcher
White-eyed vireo
Common moorhen
Ladderback woodpecker
Northern cardinal
Northern mockingbird
Black-neck stilt
Snowy egret
Tri-colored heron
Cattle egret
Sora
Anhinga
Tropical kingbird
Forsters tern
Neotropic cormorant
Great blue heron
Turkey vulture
Black vulture
Green heron
Western kingbird
Green jay