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Spring in South Texas

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Spring in South Texas SPRING IN SOUTH TEXAS MARCH 31–APRIL 9, 2019 Green Jay, Quinta Mazatlan, McAllen, Texas, April 5, 2019, Barry Zimmer LEADERS: BARRY ZIMMER & JACOB DRUCKER LIST COMPILED BY: BARRY ZIMMER VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM SPRING IN SOUTH TEXAS MARCH 31–APRIL 9, 2019 By Barry Zimmer Once again, our Spring in South Texas tour had it all—virtually every South Texas specialty, wintering Whooping Cranes, plentiful migrants (both passerine and non- passerine), and rarities on several fronts. Our tour began with a brief outing to Tule Lake in north Corpus Christi prior to our first dinner. Almost immediately, we were met with a dozen or so Scissor-tailed Flycatchers lining a fence en route—what a welcoming party! Roseate Spoonbill, Crested Caracara, a very cooperative Long-billed Thrasher, and a group of close Cave Swallows rounded out the highlights. Strong north winds and unsettled weather throughout that day led us to believe that we might be in for big things ahead. The following day was indeed eventful. Although we had no big fallout in terms of numbers of individuals, the variety was excellent. Scouring migrant traps, bays, estuaries, coastal dunes, and other habitats, we tallied an astounding 133 species for the day. A dozen species of warblers included a stunningly yellow male Prothonotary, a very rare Prairie that foraged literally at our feet, two Yellow-throateds at arm’s-length, four Hooded Warblers, and 15 Northern Parulas among others. Tired of fighting headwinds, these birds barely acknowledged our presence, allowing unsurpassed studies. A pair of Aplomado Falcons at a new nest site was a huge surprise. Shorebirds were plentiful with 26 species recorded that day (and 30 total for the trip), including the endangered Snowy and Piping plovers, Wilson’s Plover, American Oystercatcher, Long- billed Curlew, and a flock of 200 or so American Avocets. Brilliant pink Roseate Spoonbills side by side with subtly pink Franklin’s Gulls, Black-bellied and Fulvous whistling-ducks, numerous Reddish Egrets, three magnificent White-tailed Hawks—the good birds just kept coming. Several South Texas specialty birds made their first appearances as well, with Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Couch’s Kingbird, Great Kiskadee, and Black-crested Titmouse all seen. It was a day of dizzying activity and too many highlights to count. And this was only our first day! Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Spring in South Texas, 2019 Prairie Warbler, The Willows, Mustang Island, Texas, April 1, 2019, Barry Zimmer The ensuing two days along the Central Coast added much more to our growing list. Twenty-eight Whooping Cranes, including a pair that flew right past our boat and then landed quite close in the marsh, were certainly at the top of the list. Least Grebe, very responsive Clapper Rails, bare fields filled with “grasspipers” (American Golden-Plover, Upland Sandpiper, Baird’s Sandpiper), two rare Lesser Black-backed Gulls, eight species of terns, Sedge Wren, Louisiana Waterthrush, and a late Nelson’s Sparrow from ten feet away were among the most memorable. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Spring in South Texas, 2019 Whooping Crane, Aransas NWR, Texas, April 2, 2019, Barry Zimmer From there, we headed southward toward the famed King Ranch. En route, we stopped at the tiny town of Sarita, where we saw Buff-bellied Hummingbird, our first fabulous Green Jays, a somewhat out-of-range Clay-colored Thrush, and more Hooded Orioles than we could count. The next morning, our luck continued on the ranch itself, with all four main target species tallied by 10:30 AM. The Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl initially proved elusive but, ultimately, we had close, scope views for all. The shy Audubon’s Oriole was more cooperative than usual, Tropical Parulas allowed several superb views, and a feisty Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet serenaded us from an oak. Other notables included 50 or more Wild Turkeys, displaying male Vermilion Flycatchers, two late Sprague’s Pipits, Olive Sparrow, and brilliant Summer Tanagers. Nearly three full days in the Lower Rio Grande Valley were next on the agenda. A late afternoon search of residential McAllen yielded 104 Green Parakeets and a Red- crowned Parrot (we would see a flock of 26 the next morning), as they gathered before heading to roost. The next morning, we birded Estero Llano Grande State Park, where we saw a roosting Common Pauraque, a rare Swallow-tailed Kite, a stunning male Green Kingfisher, and our first Altamira Oriole among others. In the afternoon, we headed to Quinta Mazatlan in search of an accidental Crimson-collared Grosbeak that had overwintered at the site. Although we didn’t see the grosbeak, we enjoyed wonderful close studies of Plain Chachalaca, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Great Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 Spring in South Texas, 2019 Kiskadee, Green Jay, Clay-colored Thrush, Long-billed Thrasher, and others as we waited. That evening, we ventured out on an owling expedition that was about as successful as possible with point-blank views of Common Pauraque (from ten feet on the road), Elf Owl, and Eastern Screech-Owl. Green Kingfisher, Estero Llano Grande State Park, Texas, April 5, 2019, Barry Zimmer The next day we birded various spots on South Padre Island in the morning. Migrant traps were alive with birds. Three species of vireos, Wood Thrush, Gray Catbird, Orchard Oriole, and 13 species of warblers (including 7 Prothonotarys, Kentucky, Hooded, and a very rare “Mangrove” Yellow Warbler) kept us on our toes. Elsewhere on the island, we added 4 Least Bitterns (one just ten feet away) and several Soras. We went back to Quinta Mazatlan in the afternoon for another try at the grosbeak. Once again, we dipped on that rarity but did have an almost equally rare Rose-throated Becard and a roosting Chuck-will’s-widow as consolation prizes. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 5 Spring in South Texas, 2019 Prothonotary Warbler, Sheepshead, SPI, Texas, April 6, 2019, Barry Zimmer Our tour concluded with a day-and-a-half up valley around the vicinity of Falcon Dam. We had few remaining possibilities but managed to clean up almost everything with 10 Red-billed Pigeons, a couple of Ringed Kingfishers, and a half-dozen Morelet’s Seedeaters. A nice variety of desert birds, including Scaled Quail, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Verdin, Cactus Wren, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Pyrrhuloxia, and Black- throated and Cassin’s sparrows were the icing on the cake. In all, we tallied a record-tying 245 species of birds on our fantastic journey through South Texas, seeing virtually every area specialty bird, enjoying a great variety of migrants, and adding some nice rarities to boot. This is an area that simply must be experienced in April. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 6 Spring in South Texas, 2019 ITINERARY: March 31 - arrival in Corpus Christi; brief afternoon visit to Tule Lake (32 species) April 1 - Blucher Park, Rose Hill Cemetery, Oso Bay, Hans & Pat Suter Boardwalk, Flour Bluff pond along Caribbean Drive, Snoopy’s, Mustang Island----The Willows, Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center, drive to Rockport (133 species; 139 total) April 2 – Moore’s Pond, Cape Velero, boat trip to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge & the Intercoastal Canal, Cavasso Creek, FM 774 near Austwell, Goose Island State Park (118 species; 158 total) April 3 – Port Bay Road, Cape Velero, Rockport Beach Park, Port Aransas (Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center, Paradise Pond, Mustang Island Jetty & beach, The Willows), Chapman Ranch, Sarita (127 species; 174 total) April 4 - Norias Division of King Ranch, Highway 186 west of Raymondville, residential McAllen (76 species; 194 total) April 5 – residential Weslaco, Estero Llano Grande State Park, Quinta Mazatlan, evening owling at Bentsen State Park (116 species; 211 total) April 6 - Hwy 100 near Laguna Vista, South Padre Island (Sheepshead, South Padre Island Birding Center, SPI Convention Center), Quinta Mazatlan (117 species; 222 total) April 7 – Santa Ana NWR, Salineno, Falcon State Park (108 species; 234 total) April 8 - Santa Margarita Ranch & Bluff, San Ygnacio, Las Palmas (106 species; 245 total) April 9 – Salineno, drive to Laredo (60 species; 245 total) KEY: C = coastal areas around Rockport, Port Aransas and Corpus Christi K = King Ranch, Sarita, Chapman Ranch V = all valley areas from South Padre Island to Laredo bold-faced species indicate birds of rare, casual or accidental occurrence in the area Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 7 Spring in South Texas, 2019 underlined species indicate birds of very uncommon occurrence in the area or species which occur regularly but in such low densities as to be easily missed BIRDS: Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis ) C,K,V---almost daily Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor ) C,V---surprisingly, seen on four different days, including a flock of 46 at Oso Bay and another 23 at Moore’s Pond; this uncommon species is often missed entirely Blue-winged Teal ( Anas discors ) C,V Northern Shoveler ( Anas clypeata ) C,V Gadwall (Anas strepera ) C,V American Wigeon ( Anas americana ) C Mallard (Anas platyrhynchus ) V---a few of the “Mexican Duck” subspecies diazi seen from the bluff & Salineno Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula ) C,V Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca ) C,V Redhead (Aythya americana ) C,V---one late male along Mustang Island & two more at South Padre Lesser Scaup ( Aythya affinis ) C---getting somewhat late, but we had several sizable groups this year Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola ) C----a few late birds (four total)
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