Friday in the Valley



Back:  Ron Weeks, James Oates, Robert Zirl, Carolyn Goren, Bill Decou, Cynthia Hudson, Larry Weeks
Front:  Raylene Wall, Rose Leach, Brian Williams, Nancy Decou, Peggy Harger-Allen

Friday morning we woke up in the Rio Grande Valley.  Excitement was in the air with anticipation to explore this subtropical habitats.  We started our morning at Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge located along the Rio Grande river in Alamo, TX.  This 2,088 acre refuge is home to over 400 species of birds.  The refuge had miles of trails that cut through thorn forest habitat, board walks over wetlands and a great canopy tower for perfect viewing.  This tower gave us great views of Hooded Oriole,a kettle of Mississippi Kites, nesting Golden Fronted Woodpeckers, White Ibis and a rookery of Great Egret.  This great view inspired us to take our group photo as well. 



Northern Beardless Tyrannulet



Our highlight at this site was a bird we failed to see on King's Ranch, the Northern Beardless Tyrannulet.  This is an extremely plain looking flycatcher who lacks the whiskers of most flycatchers. 

We also picked up some migratory warblers including:  Black and White, Tennessee, Northern Waterthrush, American Redstart and Common Yellowthroat.

After Santa Ana WR we headed to Bentson State Park.  This riparian habitat promised some good migrants and resident bird sightings.  Which included:  Black Pheobe, Groove-billed Ani, Altimira Oriole, and Audubon's Oriole.  We even were lucky enough o flush a Lesser Nighthawk which perched in a tree for all of us to study through the scope. 

Clay-colored Thrush

One bird we needed to see but had been unsuccessful so far was the Clay-colored Thrush.  so, we decided to head to Estero Llano Grande where they had been known to reside.  After working quite hard to see this bird the group was successful!  We also added to our tour list:  Semipalamated Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper and Pectorial Sandpiper.

Elf Owl

The group then returned to the hotel to clean up, get dinner then head back to Bentson State Park to search for the Elf Owl.  We walked through the park and came across a red-legged tarantula.  This nocturnal creature has the ability to jump a good distance and feeds on insects, lizards and small mammals.  After about an hour of searching we heard an Eastern Screech Owl singing nearby.  It is always so calming and exciting to hear owls.  We decided to head back to the vans and just as we did we heard the hooting of the Elf Owl.  We managed to find the general area where it was calling and listened and searched for quite some time.  The owl never showed itself but it was still a pleasure to hear it sing.  As we walked back satisfied with our search we heard several Common Paraques, making our evening truly successful.