Black & White Warbler (Frontera Audubon)

Blue-headed Vireo (Frontera Audubon)

Burrowing Owl (Granjeno)

Clay-colored Thrush (Santa Ana NWR)

Green Kingfisher (Santa Ana NWR)

Hooded Oriole (Estero Llano Grande SP)

Least Sandpiper (Estero Llano Grande SP)

Orange-crowned Warbler (Estero Llano Grande SP)

Plain Chacalaca (Estero Llano Grande SP)

Wesleco to Falcon SP—D Day +31-33—February 1-3—Our birding in the LRGV was greatly impacted by continuous days that were cloudy and often drizzle.  After a good day at Estero Llano Grande SP on our first day in the Valley we really failed to add much to our list.  We had tried for the Golden-crowned Warbler on Wednesday but struck out.  So, on Thursday we headed back to Frontera Audubon Sanctuary to search for the elusive warbler.  We spent the better part of the morning there and finally were successful.  We found the warbler for brief looks with a small group of warbler, Black & White, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Orange-crowned Warbler.  With our success we decided to head back toward the National Butterfly Sanctuary to try for the Ani and Hook-billed Kites.  The weather turned ugly,  a very heavy drizzle so we turned back and headed out to Dan Honeycutt’s home in search of the Fulvous Whistle-Duck reported there.  We did add several hundred Black-bellied Whistling Ducks but no Fulvous.  At the end of January, we had reached 178 species for the year. 

On Friday, February 1, we headed out to Santa Ana NWR to find the Grove-billed Ani.  No luck on that but on our hike around Pintail Lake and back we were able to find and photograph a nice Green Kingfisher.  In addition, Santa Ana provided good looks at Wilson Snipe, Peregrine Falcon, Tropical Kingbird, Clay-colored Thrush and Black Phoebe.  After we left Santa Ana we headed back across the Valley to Bentsen.   We were able to locate the Ferruginous Hawk in the field across from the National Butterfly Sanctuary before we headed into Bentsen SP.  Bentsen SP provide noting to add to our list although we did have several nice looks at Gray and Harris’s Hawks and Green Jays.  After Bentsen we headed to Granjano, a small settlement just north of the river, looking for the reported Burrowing Owls and a Short-eared Owl.  We arrived at about 5 PM and were quickly rewarded with a low flying Short-eared Owl and then three Burrowing Owls just 25 feet away for great looks and a nice photo op.  From there we headed back to camp and prepared to leave in the morning.

On Saturday morning we headed to a local tire shop to fix the trailer tire which was going flat.  After some difficult maneuvering we were able to get into the yard and back into a bay to have the tire take off and repaired.  I was amazed to find a very large screw embedded in the tire.  They were very quick and in no time, we were headed out of town toward Falcon SP our next stop.  We arrived at the park just after 12 PM and were very lucky to get a site for the night.  They are currently renovating about half of the campsites and so they are limited on space.   We did get checked in and after a quick lunch we headed out birding.  In the afternoon we birded Avalos Road, a county road I use to bird when I compiled the Falcon CBC.  I was shocked and amazed at the lack of sparrows along what had always been a very birdy road.  When we returned to Highway 83, we had seen very few birds.  I then headed toward the old Santa Margarita Ranch road looking for Black-tailed Gnatcatchers.  There was one place I rarely have not found them, and this time was no exception.  We called up a pair and they were very cooperative. In addition to the gnatcatcher we added Clay-colored and Black-throated Sparrow.  Then it was back to camp.  The next morning, we headed over to Salineno.  At the river before sunup, we were joined by a couple of old friends Fred and Janice been with me to Minnesota and Alaska.  We searched in vain for the Morlet’s Seedeater reported there and did not see any Red-billed Pigeons to boot.  We only added to the list a couple of birds for the day, Audubon’s and Hooded Oriole.  While at the Salineno Feeders I heard an unmistakable voice, that of White Keys, my friend from Alaska.  White Keys and his wife were there and after chastising him for failing to have the Whale Fat Follies show last summer in Anchorage, I took them in search of the seedeater.  We spent the better part of a 2 hours looking for this elusive bird but were once again stymied.  So, we said goodbye to White Keys and headed back to camp to pack up and move on to Lake Casa Blanca SP.  We arrived in mid-afternoon and after setting up.we headed over to Ranchito Road and surveyed the Lake.  The only thing new for us was a Laughing Gull and a Ringed Kingfisher.   So thus, ended our LRGV trip and now we prepared to work on the Laredo Birding Festival.