Oliveira Park in Brownsville-TX

 I have been trying to find a convenient location to see parrots. I have visited several close by locations but no positive results. So after a bit of research I headed south to Oliveira Park, in Brownsville, where they have been seeing several species roosting just before sunset. A few miles north of there I spotted Green Parakeets on some power lines so I stopped and snapped a few pics.

It was a cloudy day so the pics are not the best quality! From there I continued on to the park. It was still several hours before sunset so I wandered around the park. I saw this Papaya tree loaded with fruit.

I also spotted this Gulf Fritillary butterfly!

Several locals saw my camera and stopped to ask if I was looking for the parrots. They were all friendly and gave me tips on how to see them. It turned out no tips were needed as when they showed up they made a loud enough noise to hear them anywhere in the park! They showed up about 15 minutes before sunset. With the darkening sky and the cloud cover picture taking conditions were very poor. I did get a couple pics of the White-fronted Parrots but  none of the Red-lored Parrots. I could barely make them out even with my binoculars.

The Red-lored look almost the same except the white spot on the forehead is red! Before I left there were well over 100 parrots squawking on the power lines! Right after I snapped some pics of these parrots, a Cooper's Hawk flew in and they all went to the other side of the park. By the time I walked to the new location, it was too dark for more pictures but I was very satisfied in just seeing them. I added 3 life birds yesterday making my total 422 with 15 of those new ones in Texas!

South Padre Island

 I drove down to South Padre Island on the gulf this morning and was rewarded with great weather and 4 life birds! I did have help as I was on a guided birding tour. One of the species was a Black Skimmer.

If you look close you can see its lower bill is much longer than the upper. It feeds by flying just above the water with its long lower beak just skimming the surface and grabbing fish or shrimp! Another bird was the Clapper Rail which is a salt flats rail.

It's not a great picture but it rarely comes far out of the mangroves into the sun! On the other hand the Reddish Egret wades in shallow waters out in the open.

I did not get a picture of the Royal Tern as it flew by too quick to photo. A couple other species I got good photos of that were only added as life birds last week were the Roseate Spoonbill and the Little Blue Heron. I think you can tell which is which without a label!

To see a complete list of todays birds and more pictures, click here: South Padre Island 

Three steps forward and one step back.

 Yesterday morning I bird watched at Estero Llano again in my effort to identify more life birds. I was very lucky to find 3 shortly after arriving! Right off the bat the Crimson-collared Grosbeak flew into sight! As soon as I realized what I was looking at I started trying to get a picture. It was an overcast morning so the picture is not to clear but works for identification!

It is difficult to see red on the red on the chest but it is there. The next bird I only heard and that is the Ovenbird. One of the hosts was walking by and asked what I was hoping to see. While talking she says "Do you hear that Ovenbird?" and pointed to the bushes right beside us. I listened for several minutes and was able to hear it despite my Tinnitus! I spent another 20 minutes hoping to get a picture but no luck. I am sure I will be back there for another try!  The third species I did not realize I got until this morning when I was looking a yesterdays pictures! It is a Tropical Parula. A tiny colorful bird that landed above me while I was waiting to see the Ovenbird!

That made three new life birds. The step back was when I received an email later in the day from the eBird monitor for Douglas county in Oregon. He pointed out a miss identification I had listed last summer. I listed a Glaucous Gull when it was a well worn Glaucous-winged Gull so I lost that bird! oh well, there are dozens more birds species in Texas that I have never seen so I am optimistic that I will be adding to my life list before I head back to Oregon! 

Santa Ana NWR

 Today's birding was done at the Santa Ana NWR. I took a list of 12 species that had been sighted there in the last 30 days that would have been life birds but I did not see any of them! I did get to see another bobcat and this time I got a great picture!

It ran out from under a boardwalk I stepped on! What a beautiful animal! I did get some bird pics that were pretty good like this Black-necked Stilt.

And this Ringed Kingfisher.

It is about 25% larger than the Belted Kingfisher found in Oregon and twice the size of the Green Kingfisher I put on the Estero Llano post a couple days ago. I signed up for a birding walk at the South Padre Island birding center on the gulf. That will be next Thursday about 50 miles south of here. I am looking forward to that!

What a great day!

I birded at Estero Llano again today and had an awesome time. Not only did I get lots of pics of birds but also one of my first ever "in the wild" alligator!

Based on the size of the Night herons above it I estimate this one to be about 7 feet long! Not only did I get pics of this but I have been trying for years to get one of a bobcat and low and behold one crossed the trail not far from me!

It was quite a ways off so the pic is slightly blurred but it still makes me happy! In between these two sightings, I also identified Life bird #411 a Roseate Spoonbill!

I was glassing some vultures when it flew past my field of vision. It was too far for a picture but then it circled and swung back within camera range! I got a lot of good bird pics today so if you are interested in seeing those pics and today's bird list, click here: January 6 2021 This turned out to be a great birthday!

Estero Llano Grande State Park

 I arrived in Weslaco on Sunday and and got set up in the 1015 RV park about noon. Full hookups for $399 per month. I am just a few miles from a number of birding hotspots like Estero Llano Grande. Yesterday morning I headed there with high hopes of adding to my Life Bird list. I checked in and unfortunately due to Covid, they are no longer having guided bird walks so I was on my own! I spent all most 6 hours walking the park and identified 75 species. One of my largest bird lists. Below are some of the species I could ID. First a Green Kingfisher!

There are three types of kingfishers in this area with the Green being the smallest at about 2/3 the size of the Belted which is the most common in Oregon. Next is a Black-bellied Whistling Duck.

One bird that is easy to spot is the Great Kiskadee. It is easy to spot because it is a bright yellow and vey loud and noisy!

I did ID a Yellow-throated Warbler but I could not get a picture! If you would like to see the complete bird list from yesterday and a few more pictures, click here: ebird list