phil jeffrey:: Texas, April 2018 trip report
Galveston-Bolivar ferry wait times.
| High Island - HOU | 82 miles | 1:30 hrs:mins |
| Winnie - HOU | 64 miles | 1:15 hrs:mins |
| Anahuac NWR - HOU | 76 miles | 1:30 hrs:mins |
| High Island - Boykin Springs | 135 miles | 2:25 hrs:mins |
| SPI - HRL | 42 miles | 1:10 hrs:mins |
| McAllen - HRL | 40 miles | 0:50 hrs:mins |
| McAllen - SPI | 70 miles | 1:40 hrs:mins |
| Mission - Salineno | 58 miles | 1:30 hrs:mins |
| Salineno - San Ygnacio | 48 miles | 1:00 hrs:mins |
(RGV = lower Rio Grande Valley)
Tides4Fishing
for Gilchrist.
Good tide options (low lows) for Gilchrist TX (Rollover Pass)
| Date | Height | |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 9 | 0.3 | 10:15am flat minimum 6-11:30 |
| Apr 10 | 0.3 | 11:21am flat minimum 8-noon |
| Apr 11 | 0.3 | 12:17pm small dip 11-1pm |
| Apr 12 | 0.4 | 1:03pm small dip 12-2:30pm |
| Apr 14 | 0.5 | 2:25pm small dip 12:30-3pm |
| Apr 16 | 0.8 | 3:45pm small dip |
The circuitous flight route took me EWR-STL-MSY-HOU and about 12 hours net traveling from the time that I left Princeton. Two pieces of luck sped my exit from the airport - my bag was on the carousel as I walked up to it and the Enterprise shuttle was right outside the door. Neither of those things are common at HOU. So I was on the road a little before 2pm. A storm front had not long passed and it was windy with heavy overcast and relatively cool. White-winged Dove was the first trip bird, right over the Enterprise location. Great-tailed Grackles were around the airport. That cold front was the cause of drop-out conditions that were to influence birding over the next few days.
I headed for the San Jacinto Battleground park in Harris Co which had some eBird records, although nothing rare, and had Battleship Texas docked there (a WW-I and II era battleship not one of the truly massive ones). Weather was heavy overcast, 50 degrees, windy almost entirely eliminating passerine activity (two Savannah Sparrows, Northern Cardinal, flock of Common Grackles). Water birds were a little more cooperative: Great and Snowy Egrets, Roseate Spoonbill, White Ibis, Great Blue Heron, Laughting/Ring-billed/Herring Gulls, a Neotropic-ish Cormorant, Caspian Tern and a couple of raptors: Osprey and Red-shouldered Hawk. The marsh came with a "don't eat the fish" warning, so perhaps the lack of evident rails was for a reason.
After checking into the hotel (Scottish Inn and Suites, Baytown, TX - entirely adequate) I bee-lined it for the Anahuac area since the northerly winds made me think that there was potential for a drop-out. I made a quick visit to the rookery on the Trinity River: Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Tree Swallow, Neotropic Cormorant, Anhinga, Great and Snowy Egrets, many Little Blue Herons. The rookery is much less dense and has fewer birds than High Island but was my only Anhinga for the trip. I visited the boat ramp in Anahuac (as in 2017) briefly but nothing of interest but a large flock of Chimney Swifts were circling over Anahuac city hall (200-ish) also trying to roost in the chimney. I tracked along Fairfield Rd east of Anahuac in search of shorebirds initially to no avail, and just as I thought it would be a bust I spied some small groups and eventually found a field with American Golden-Plover in it, along with two Buff-breasted, which then were joined by a flock of Buff-breasted and two Upland Sandpipers. So although activity was limited, I found the target shorebirds. However the number of flooded fields and general shorebird activity was reduced over 2017, at least judging from one afternoon, and this was the only significant "grasspiper" encounter on the first weekend in the UTC. South Pear Orchard Road - productive last year - was devoid of shorebirds and contained a lone Eastern Kingbird. Probably I should focus more on shorebirds on the second UTC leg of the trip, when they are more numerous.
I skipped Anahuac NWR in favor of High Island in case of a fallout, and while this never fully materialized the birding at Hooks Woods was quite decent, albeit in bad light: several Northern Parulas, a couple of Blue-winged Warblers, Yellow-throated Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, 2 male and 2 female Hooded Warblers, Black-and-white Warbler, brief glimpses of Orchard Oriole, Great Crested Flycatcher and a partially molted Summer Tanager. Another large swift flock was milling around over High Island. By 6:30 things were fairly murky so I headed for Anahuac NWR to do a circuit of Shoveler Pond before dusk - this got abandoned because a lot of folorn swallows were resting on the road just past the visitor center and I didn't want to keep flushing them. Mostly Tree Swallows, which should handle the cold but really didn't like the cold temps and very windy conditions at all. A few Barn, Cliff and Northern Rough-winged mixed in. Overnight temperatures dipped into the 40's, very low for a UTC trip.
At Rollover Pass the tide was probably rising, with not that much mud.
Initially Sanderling, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Black-bellied
Plover and Willet were on the near shoreline but some latterly
arriving birders tended to flush them. I called one birder back from
an incautious trundle up the beach because they had improbably not
noticed the Pomarine Jaeger sat on the beach. Perhaps I should
write "Pomarine" because there are some interesting features to this
bird. It did have an extensive black cap that extended below the
bill, but it completely lacked a dark breast-band and the bill was
generally dark (brown base to bill, blackish tip). I don't think
there was much danger of it being a Long-tailed due to the sheer mass
of the bird - quite barrel-chested with a very dark (albeit barred)
belly through vent and close to the size of a Herring Gull. Clearly
the same individual that had been reported from Bolivar and Rollover,
it's this
bird:
ebird report from Apr 5th
and remains a
little enigmatic based on coloration but Pomarine-like based on heft.
Unsuprisingly, it scared the bejesus out of terns and shorebirds when
it took off. eBird reports universally regarded it as Pomarine when I
checked in June 2018, so I marked it down on the trip list and year
list as a Pom.
Decent tern showing at Rollover: mainly Royal, some Sandwich, a few of Common, Forster's and Least but no Black Terns. Other birds included both Pelican species, American Avocet, Marbled Godwit, Neotropic Cormorant, one Magnificent Frigatebird - never the commonest bird on these trips and more often missed by me than seen - the first Green Heron of the trip, the distant heron rookery in the heat haze.
I deferred going to Sabine Woods and headed to Anahuac instead via checking some fields - one grassy field held a dispersed flock of American Golden-Plovers, a flooded field with no direct sight lines held many shorebirds near South Pear Orchard Rd but they were only visible when a Northern Harrier flushed them - getting my first Whimbrel of the trip. A pair of Swainson's Hawks were investigating trees near there and Northern Harriers continued to put in a strong showing. I spied one particularly pale Red-tailed Hawk perched out in a bush in the fields - consistent with Krider's, and even paler than the Harlan's/Krider's-like bird I'd seen a few miles north the previous day. Eastern Kingbirds and a few Scissor-tailed Flycatchers were the main evidence of migration. At the entrance to Anahuac NWR the partly-flooded field held Long-billed Dowitchers, Least Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs, Black-necked Stilts and a single Wilson's Snipe. Two tours around Shoveler Pond were moderately productive: two Least Bittern sightings, American Coot, Common Gallinule (Moorhen) and 3 Purple Gallinules, mainly Boat-tailed Grackles but a couple of Great-tailed, White-faced Ibis and an interesting but subadult Ibis that may have been Glossy, vocalizing King Rail and Marsh Wren that both resolutely remained invisible, and the rest of the heron crowd including one Black-crowned and one Yellow-crowned Night-Herons. A few shorebirds adjacent to the tour route included Long-billed Dowitchers, Stilt Sandpipers, Least Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper and Lesser Yellowlegs. In the duck department Gadwall and Blue-winged Teal were in the majority, some Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, Fulvous Whistling-Ducks, Mottled Ducks but less diversity than in 2017. Back down near the HQ the flooded field there held quite a lot of herons and ibis, and some Northern Shovelers, Mottled Ducks and Blue-winged Teal.
After checking into the hotel I did a late afternoon sprint to Sabine Pass/Woods. As with the other UTC areas on this trip I couldn't discern any lingering damage from last fall's devastating hurricane, not even to the Valero plant in Port Arthur that the road to Sabine Pass transects. I spent a little time exploring the area south of Sabine Pass, in particular finding a small exquisitely blue flock of Indigo Buntings with one Blue Grosbeak and one Painted Bunting on the lawn at the entrance to the park - Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site - promptly flushed by the caretaker who was closing the park at 5pm. A Summer Tanager flew by, adding to the primary colors on display. Further down this road (South 1st Ave) to the end of the drivable part I spied Seaside Sparrow and most of a predictably skulking but singing Sedge Wren along with vocalizing Sora and Clapper Rail (the latter by habitat). Late day migrant arrival was clearly happening - Texas Point NWR parking lot held chattering Orchard Orioles and a Hooded Warbler feeding in the grassy lot. At Sabine Woods there were a lot of migrants, so much so that it took me a while to even get past the kiosk area - Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Yellow-throated Warbler, multiple Hooded Warblers, Northern Parula, Black-and-white Warbler, Summer Tanager. Everywhere you went there were migrants, and many of those migrants were Hooded Warblers, giving me a total of over 100 - and more like 150 - for the day. Cerulean Warbler, multiple Worm-eating Warblers, Prothonatory Warbler, 3 more Swainson's Warblers, another Kentucky, both Waterthrushes, a few Tennessee and the first Ovenbirds. More Summer Tanagers, more Orchard Orioles, Great Crested Flycatchers, Swainson's Thrushes, Wood Thrushes. And this was in 1.5 hours of steadily darkening overcast. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were coming in over the marsh in singles, clearly recent arrivals since there was nothing in the direction they were coming from that would otherwise attract them. Many of the migrants were obviously tired, with good odds of them persisting the following morning. After stubbornly remaining in the high 40's for most of the day it had got up to 58 by sunset, which hopefully improved the lot of some of the migrants. The previous day's storm front had provoke a bona-fide drop-out.
Finally left Sabine Woods around lunchtime for Cattail Marsh at Tyrrel Park nr Beaumont: Blue-winged and Green-winged Teals, Mottled Duck, Cinnamon Teal, American Crow, American Coot, Common Gallinule, Wilson's Snipe, Stilt Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, apparently both Dowitchers, American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Savannah Sparrow (incl. road kill). Heard Sora but none of the rails on the early part of the trip were cooperative.
Through Winnie to Bolivar - Rollover was at high tide as it was for the remainder of the day. At Bolivar: Black-necked Stilt, Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral Sandpiper along Rettilon, but the beach was windy and the surf churning away. Royal/Sandwich/Forsters/Least Terns flocks on the beach, Sanderling and Ruddy Turnstone, one Neotropic Cormorant on pilings, both Pelicans. Bumped into local birders who indicated an Iceland Gull on beach - seen - also the four target plovers (Piping, Snowy, Wilson's, Semipalmated), some Western Sandpipers approaching alternate plumage, one Baird's Sandpiper already well-marked. Dunlin, Red Knot, American Avocet in good numbers, one very tie-dye pink Franklin's amongst the Laughing, Gull-billed Tern over marsh, Northern Harrier, Swainson's Hawk, a migrant flock of Northern Shoveler over the gulf. Little Blue Heron and Reddish Reddish Egret rounded out the total
Back to Boy Scout Woods in High Island - Summer Tanager, Orchard Orioles, the now-inevitable Hooded Warbler along road, dark in the "cave" and not much going on along south side - flowering honeysuckle fragance was intense (many hummingbirds - assumed Ruby-throated), White-eyed Vireo, Kentucky Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat singing, a few birds bombing around resisting ID in murky conditions.
On to Anahuac NWR towards dusk. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, many Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Gadwall, Blue-winged Teal, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Great Egret, Roseate Spoonbill, Great Blue Heron, American Bittern, one fly-across Least Bittern, all the gallinules, Long-billed Dowitcher, Lesser Yellowlegs, peeps, Pect Sandpiper, Indigo and Tennessee, saw Marsh Wren, heard King Rail. Down towards the end of road - more Sedge and Marsh Wrens, one Rail across road (at the Clapper-x-King("Kling")-King boundary and in very bad light - frustrating), Short-eared Owl over Rail Prairie which held elusive Seaside and Kekking Clapper-ish rails. Northern Harrier. Compared to 2017 the roadside verge was grown up so I didn't get roadside Sora.
Back-tracked to Sabine Woods where it was fairly birdy but slower than the previous day. Blue-headed, Red-eyed, White-eyed, Warbling Vireos but no Yellow-throated Vireo, still multiple Kentucky (6-ish), several Swainson's Warblers (4-5), both Waterthrush, Prothonotary, Parula, Black-throated Green, Black-and-White, Blue-winged, Worm-Eating, Hooded, Ovenbird. Quite a decent haul. Hooded Warbler numbers down to 0.5-0.3x the peak from Sunday, which corresponds to 20+. Summer Tanager and Indigo Bunting numbers were also down but still there with a few Blue Grosbeaks. Swainson's and Wood Thrushes, Eastern Wood-Pewee and Acadian Flycatcher again. Late morning they'd taken to feeding roadside in the flowers, mostly Orchard Orioles and the "blue" birds, but also one Painted Bunting and one Dickcissel. Also roadside Yellow-throated Warbler, Tennessee and Summer Tanager.
Down towards Sea Rim SP a few Indigo Buntings were milling around, American Avocet in some marsh near the State Park, nothing additional. Back through Winnie and the search for shorebird fields - coming up woth nothing apart from Killdeer and 3 flyby Whimbrel. After a few thousand Whimbrel in 2017 I saw less than 40 total on this trip. Most fields were dry so this reflected mostly the lack of habitat scannable from the road. A submerged field near South Pear Orchard - good in 2017 - had a few Ibis in the air but did not drain during my entire trip so had no exposed mud. Raptors: American Kestrel and Northern Harrier. Common passerines like Indigo Bunting and Orchard Orioles sometimes appeared in the roadside bushes.
At Anahuac NWR also the usual suspects - the "cuh" of a male Least Bittern calling and vanishing into reeds after flying over the dike, a single American Bittern hunting in the reeds near the boardwalk, no Black-bellied Whistling-Duck but several Fulvous, usual ducks including Northern Shoveler but zero diving ducks, Pectoral, Stilt Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher on the shorebird front. I was starting to get a little paranoid that every Yellowlegs I saw was a Lesser and I was skipping over the Greaters, but the Lessers >> the Greaters on this trip at least 10-to-1 and it wasn't just my eyes. One Wilson's Snipe. Glossy Ibis (single adult with the full set of ID diagnostics). Northern Harrier drowning a Blue-winged Teal. Purple Gallinule.
Back at High Island and Smith Oaks: Roseate Spoonbill, Great and Snowy Egrets, Neotropic Cormorant, Tricolored Heron at the rookery amid the usual cacophony. One isolated chick had fallen from nest awaiting it's fate from the Alligators (apparently myopic) - it was guarded by an adult for while, before finally being left to fend for itself. That wasn't going to end well. Nearby a dubiously-planned Common Gallinule nest at ground level near the water seemed primed for scavenging by any number of reptiles. Yellow-rumped Warbler, Spotted Sandpiper were other species of interest. Hooks Woods did not have a lot of volume but Swainson's Warbler at the kiosk, 4-5 Kentucky, Hooded Warbler, White-eyed Vireo, Summer Tanager, Brown Thrasher and Gray Catbird. Cliff Swallow colony at the international waterway concrete bridge as usual (not Cave as reported in at least some eBird reports).
On the way back towards High Island: Tuna Road: Seaside Sparrow, (heard) Sedge Wren, Forster's Tern, probable but again not definitive Nelson's Sparrow, Least Bittern. Rollover Pass at lowish tide, lots of the usual suspects but no Black Tern. A pale Red-tailed (Krider/Harlan's) at bridge over intracoastal waterway.
I ran out of time at/near High Island and repacked hastily - returning the rental car to Enterprise and flew from HOU to HRL. Hugh Ramsey Park near the Harlingen airport held some interesting eBird reports so I stopped to check it out. Mesquite thornscrub with some water features - quite productive for Valley regulars even in mid-afternoon: Least Grebe, Great Kiskadee, Curve-billed Thrasher, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Black-crested Titmouse, two Plain Chachalaca, Verdin. Also migrants: Yellow-breasted Chat, Indigo Buntings, Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, Red-eyed Vireo.
I took a rather indirect route to Laguna Atascosa because of road work - they closed the section of road that is productive for White-tailed Hawk and Bobwhite. Not super-productive but still: Long-billed Thrasher, Couch's Kingbird (vocal), Bronzed Kingbird. Osprey overlook had a few herons, Roseate Spoonbill, Northern Shoveler, Lesser Yellowlegs, Dunlin, Dowitcher sp, American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Stilt Sandpiper, Common Ground-Dove fly-by.
South Padre Island Convention Center had a moderate number of
migrants: Orchard and Baltimore Orioles, Tennesee Warbler, Hooded
Warbler, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Acadian Flycatcher, Northern Parula.
No audible Rails. Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Neotropic
Cormorant, Royal Tern, Black Skimmer. The tide was very high so
little/no exposed mud for rails and shorebirds.
South Padre, especially my usual Convention Center "anchor leg", held moderate migrant volume: many Orchard Orioles, Tennessee Warbler, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, plus Worm-eated Warbler, Northern Parula, Hooded Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Indigo and female Painted Bunting, Summer Tanager, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Lincoln's Sparrow, tidal pool: (heard) Sora, Pectoral Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs. Some exposed mud at the end of the boardwalk: all the herons/egrets except Snowy and Night-herons, Pied-billed Grebe, Common Loon (2 in basic) far out in the bay, Royal/Sandwich/Least Terns, Black Skimmer, 3 Whimbrel, many Dunlin, Sanderling, 1 Ruddy Turnstone, 1 Greater Yellowlegs, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover. I spent enough time at the Convention Center that I skipped the Valley Land Fund lots.
I also skipped the Aplomado site along TX-100 due to road construction, but saw one Chihuahuan Raven with the pale feather bases showing in the wind. Old Port Isobel Road was in decent condition (a relative statement) and most importantly actually dry - Cassin's Sparrow at the start and end of the dirt road, Aplomado Falcon perched near the road, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Curve-billed Thrasher, Crested Caracara. On only my second-ever visit to the Brownsville Sanitary Landfill (the dump): aforementioned CT birder amongst usefully a group of other experienced birders (more eyes = more success), abundant gulls (Laughing, one Franklin's), Crested Caracara, White-tailed Hawk, and after a little searching found two Tamaulipas Crows on a small pile of debris a little downhill from the main dump - the other birders were concentrating on areas that had been highlighted in previous reports so I looked elsewhere. Not a very tough ID given that American Crow is not within a 200 miles of Brownsville and Chihuahuan Raven is much larger, but Great-tailed Grackle is of comparable size (albeit different structure). I also one heard one giving the "strangled toad" call while driving back down. They were very accommodating to birders at the landfill, which is good of them considering how absurd the hobby actually is when 8 of us are perched on a wind-blown pile of wood chips and garbage looking for crows. The dump surely doesn't handle all the garbage from Brownsville - it seems too small for that. This was only my second sighting ever of Tamaulipas Crow - the first one being many years ago at the NOAA airport site (2001 on the April TX-AZ road trip).
After that excitement, Frontera Audubon was slow: White-tipped and White-winged Dove, fly-over Swainson's Hawk, Great Crested Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, a pair of Green Kingfishers, White Ibis, Snowy Egret, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Olive Sparrow, Golden-fronted Woodpecker - but otherwise missing many valley regulars in hot mid afternoon. Estero Llano Grande SP: many water birds - mostly Blue-winged Teal, a few Cinnamon, Black-bellied Whistling and Fulvous Whistling-Ducks, Shoveler, Gadwall, Ruddy Duck, Lesser Scaup, Cave Swallow, White-winged Dove, White-tipped Dove, Inca Dove, Belted Kingfisher, typical range of herons, Semipalmated (1), Western (3), Least (severl) Sandpipers, Black-necked Stilt, Long-billed Dowitcher, Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Sora (heard-only, still evading me), Least Grebe, Plain Chachalaca. The Pauraques had moved their roost site and were on the nest, so proved to be elusive.
I did a pass through Rangerville for the sod farm but struck out, doubtless not helped by the hunting White-tailed Hawk. I only saw Horned Lark. The nearby "Cannon Rd loop" was more birdy with Couch's and Tropical Kingbirds, Lark Sparrow. A traditional dusk visit to Oliveira Park in Brownsville proved to be the third CT birder encounter of the day, but the actual target was Red-crowned Parrot. Also saw Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, and heard a Tropical Kingbird but this is not a site known for its diversity. Perhaps because of the wind, the parrots were not all that cooperative and did not perch up on the wires before going to roost in the palms. Heavy overcast conditions didn't help with the lighting either so I was only certain about Red-crowned Parrot despite the likely presence of a number of other parrot species in small numbers.
Back to South Padre for the night.
Over the bridge to the mainland and Laguna Atascosa NWR: Bronzed Cowbird, a less than entirely healthy Green Jay slumped on the small fence near the visitor center, Greater Roadrunner, Olive Sparrow, Black-crested Titmouse, snake in tree. Osprey Overlook: Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Ruddy Duck rafts, Mottled Duck, various herons and Roseate Spoonbill.
On Friday it was 94 degrees high mid-valley, so being the bright spark that I am I went to Santa Ana NWR so I could get cooked in the heat: Great Kiskadee, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Couch's and Tropical Kingbirds, heard a Parula (likely Tropical given the location), Brown-crested Flycatcher, three singing (and 1 seen) Clay-colored Thrushes, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Blue-winged Teal, American Coot, swallows including Northern Rough-winged and Cliff. The usual anecdote of Clay-colored Thrush once being a relevant rare bird is relevant here, given that a quick eBird search will show you that they are now findable from mid-valley up through Salineno.
McAllen Green Parakeets were at 10th/Dove and then off to Bentsen - Cave Swallow, Black Phoebe, Spotted Sandpipers, singing Clay-colored Thrush and two Elf Owls. Fly-over nighthawk sp (likely Lesser) and two barely visible but vocal Common Pauraques in the parking lot, plus one over the irrigation canal.
Despite some early morning rain I tried Salineno Cutoff ("dump") Road - not much except Black-throated Sparrows, Lark Sparrow. Falcon/Starr County Park had the usual run down vibe - (the?) Cactus Wren singing from thin flagpole that seems to be standing in for the fallen yucca stalk, Hooded Orioles, Vermilion Flycatcher, more Lark Sparrows, two vocal Ash-throated Flycatchers. Another singing Cassin's Sparrow on the northern fence line (along Falcon State Park approach road) which also had Bullock's Oriole, Cactus Wren on wires. Bullock's Orioles and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers were making some migration move but hawk migration wasn't in evidence - one Swainson's Hawk seen along with Osprey.
Falcon State Park had Verdin, Curve-billed Thrasher, Osprey, Pyrrhuloxia, White-eyed Vireo, various doves. Nothing much happening apart from the only Pyrrhuloxia for the entire trip. Notably no Roadrunner, quail of any type. Slacker-like I took a couple of hours out in the early afternoon to recover from encoraching tiredness.
Progresso Sod Farm, which I prefer to visit on a Sunday, was quite productive: American Golden Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral Sandpiper on wet sod; American Golden Plover, Buff-bellied and Baird's Sandpiper on the drier side, plus Horned Lark, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.
Estero Llano Grande SP: standards including Pectoral Sandpiper, Cinnamon Teal, Roseate Spoonbill and a vocal Northern Beardless-Tyrranulet but no sign of an of the three targets: Bewick's Wren (heard?), Lesser Goldfinch or Pauraque. Did have two Yellow-billed Cuckoos with some vocalization.
The vicinity of Old Port Isabel Road held White-tailed Hawk, Swainson's Hawk. It's my usual route to check South Padre before heading to the airport so back at the Convention Center: Cerulean Warbler plus some evidence of arriving birds: Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Lincoln's Sparrow, Sora at the seed cast around the lawn, Orchard and Baltimore Orioles, Tennessee Warbler, Northern Waterthrush. Sheepshead Lots: Wood Thrush, Northern Waterthrush, Painted Bunting in a very brief visit. Then I returned the car to National and flew the short hop from HRL to HOU on SouthWest, arriving after dark and making a late arrival into Winnie.
Back to the Winnie area. Anahuac NWR: Least Bittern, Stilt Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper plus the usual suspects. Agricultural fields in the general area of the NWR had Eastern Kingbird and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher as token migrants. Agricultural fields were drier, if anything, than the five days previously so it wasn't going to be an epic shorebird experience (see 2017). Like the passerines, shorebird numbers should be greater in mid- than early- April but that doesn't mean you'll be surrounded by them at any site.
Rollover Pass at mid-low tide had a good variety including, finally, Black Tern. Marbled Godwit, American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Forster's/Sandwich/Royal/Caspian Terns, both Pelicans, Piping/Snowy/Semipalmated/Black-bellied Plovers, American Oystercatcher, Red-breasted Merganser. Tuna Rd: Seaside Sparrow, White-tailed Kite, Forster's Tern, Clapper Rail bathing in a puddle in the middle of the road and calling repeatedly (a hormonal male?) and the inevitable potential Nelson's fly-bys that refused to perch up. More White-tailed Kites seen back towards High Island, inevitably, since I had finally seen my first one. Nelson's Sparrow numbers appear to peak in late April and seem to be migrants here more so than overwintering birds.
Hooks Woods was deathly slow: Wood Thrush, Summer Tanager. Boy Scout Woods a little better with Orchard/Baltimore orioles in one tree with Cedar Waxwings, Indigo Bunting and Orchard Oriole plus Gray Catbird at the drip, Northern Parula, Indigo Bunting and Yellow-billed Cuckoo on the more open southern edge. Upland Sandpiper at Whites Ranch Road in a cow pasture, and more Upland at Fairview Road with American Golden Plover. At Herbert Road they were repaving the road but I still saw several Buff-breasted Sandpipers with American Golden Plover along this road. A kekking King Rail was in the ditch at S. Pear Orchard Rd.
Anahuac NWR at dusk: Least Bittern, Orchard Oriole, Common Nighthawk.
Checked out of the hotel and went to Anahuac NWR - where the usual suspects plus Bald Eagle and Least Bittern. Rollover - had a plague of birders and a lot of terns - nothing new here. I spent the final part of the birding time at Smith Oaks rookery and then repacked and headed to Houston Hobby.
| Species | Scientific | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Black-bellied Whistling-Duck | Dendrocygna autumnalis | uncommon widespread |
| Fulvous Whistling-Duck | Dendrocygna bicolor | Anahuac NWR and Estero Llano Grande SP |
| Blue-winged Teal | Spatula discors | common widespread |
| Cinnamon Teal | Spatula cyanoptera | Anahuac NWR and Estero Llano Grande SP |
| Northern Shoveler | Spatula clypeata | uncommon widespread |
| Gadwall | Mareca strepera | uncommon widespread |
| American Wigeon | Mareca americana | Laguna Atascosa NWR |
| Mallard | Anas platyrhynchos | "Mexican" Mallard at Salineno |
| Mottled Duck | Anas fulvigula | RGV and UTC |
| Northern Pintail | Anas acuta | one at Laguna Atascosa NWR |
| Green-winged Teal | Anas crecca | uncommon |
| Lesser Scaup | Aythya affinis | one at Estero Llano Grande SP |
| Red-breasted Merganser | Mergus serrator | one at Rollover Pass (UTC) |
| Ruddy Duck | Oxyura jamaicensis | one at Estero Llano Grande SP |
| Plain Chachalaca | Ortalis vetula | various RGV |
| Least Grebe | Tachybaptus dominicus | Hugh Ramsey, Santa Ana |
| Pied-billed Grebe | Podilymbus podiceps | widespread, common at Anahuac NWR |
| Rock Pigeon | Columba livia | widespread |
| Red-billed Pigeon | Columba flavirostris | four at Salineno |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | Streptopelia decaocto | widespread uncommon |
| Inca Dove | Columbina inca | a few in RGV |
| Common Ground-Dove | Columbina passerina | RGV |
| White-tipped Dove | Leptotila verreauxi | RGV |
| White-winged Dove | Zenaida asiatica | common to abundant (Santa Ana NWR) |
| Mourning Dove | Zenaida macroura | common to abundant |
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo | Coccyzus americanus | uncommon but several locations UTC and RGV |
| Greater Roadrunner | Geococcyx californianus | Laguna Atascosa NWR |
| Lesser Nighthawk | Chordeiles acutipennis | South Padre Sheepshead lots, prob. in flight at Bentsen |
| Common Nighthawk | Chordeiles minor | one at dusk over Anahuac NWR |
| Common Pauraque | Nyctidromus albicollis | heard and seen at Bentsen SP |
| Chimney Swift | Chaetura pelagica | Anahuac town, High Island |
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird | Archilochus colubris | SPI and UTC |
| Buff-bellied Hummingbird | Amazilia yucatanensis | Frontera Audubon and Estero Llano SP |
| Clapper Rail | Rallus crepitans | heard coastal saltmarsh (but not SPI), seen Tuna Rd |
| King Rail | Rallus elegans | heard at and near Anahuac NWR |
| Sora | Porzana carolina | seen at Anahuac NWR and SPI, heard other locations |
| Purple Gallinule | Porphyrio martinicus | Anahuac NWR |
| Common Gallinule | Gallinula galeata | locally common (Anahuac) |
| American Coot | Fulica americana | locally common (Anahuac) but widespread |
| Black-necked Stilt | Himantopus mexicanus | uncommon widespread |
| American Avocet | Recurvirostra americana | locally common on UTC |
| American Oystercatcher | Haematopus palliatus | a few at Rollover Pass |
| Black-bellied Plover | Pluvialis squatarola | uncommon RGV and UTC |
| American Golden-Plover | Pluvialis dominica | locally common on UTC, sod farms on RGV |
| Snowy Plover | Charadrius nivosus | Bolivar beach |
| Wilson's Plover | Charadrius wilsonia | Bolivar beach |
| Semipalmated Plover | Charadrius semipalmatus | UTC (Bolivar, Rollover) and RGV (SPI) |
| Piping Plover | Charadrius melodus | UTC (Bolivar, Rollover) and RGV (SPI) |
| Killdeer | Charadrius vociferus | widespread common |
| Upland Sandpiper | Bartramia longicauda | UTC pastures |
| Whimbrel | Numenius phaeopus | <50 total, UTC and RGV |
| Marbled Godwit | Limosa fedoa | several at Bolivar beach and Rollover Pass, a few at SPI |
| Ruddy Turnstone | Arenaria interpres | a few at Bolivar beach and SPI |
| Red Knot | Calidris canutus | a few at Bolivar beach |
| Stilt Sandpiper | Calidris himantopus | uncommon |
| Sanderling | Calidris alba | common to abundant coastally |
| Dunlin | Calidris alpina | common to abundant coastally |
| Baird's Sandpiper | Calidris bairdii | UTC (Bolivar Beach) and RGV (Progreso sod farm) |
| Least Sandpiper | Calidris minutilla | uncommon |
| Buff-breasted Sandpiper | Calidris subruficollis | UTC (pastures) and RGV (sod farms) |
| Pectoral Sandpiper | Calidris melanotos | UTC and RGV |
| Semipalmated Sandpiper | Calidris pusilla | a few at Bolivar beach |
| Western Sandpiper | Calidris mauri | a few at Bolivar beach |
| Short-billed Dowitcher | Limnodromus griseus | uncommon to common, saltwater |
| Long-billed Dowitcher | Limnodromus scolopaceus | uncommon to common, freshwater |
| Wilson's Snipe | Gallinago delicata | a few on UTC |
| Spotted Sandpiper | Actitis macularia | three; |
| Solitary Sandpiper | Tringa solitaria | a few |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | Tringa flavipes | common |
| Willet | Catoptrophorus semipalmatus | common |
| Greater Yellowlegs | Tringa melanoleuca | uncommon surprisingly |
| Pomarine Jaeger | Stercorarius pomarinus | Rollover Pass |
| Laughing Gull | Leucophaeus atricilla | abundant |
| Franklin's Gull | Leucophaeus pipixcan | mostly as singles UTC and SPI, one small flock Laguna Vista |
| Ring-billed Gull | Larus delawarensis | uncommon coastally |
| Herring Gull | Larus argentatus | uncommon coastally |
| Glaucous Gull | Larus hyperboreus | one at Bolivar beach |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | Larus fuscus | one at Bolivar beach |
| Iceland Gull | Larus glaucoides | one at Bolivar beach |
| Least Tern | Sterna antillarum | common to abundant coastally |
| Gull-billed Tern | Sterna nilotica | uncommon |
| Caspian Tern | Sterna caspia | uncommon |
| Black Tern | Chlidonias niger | a few at Rollover Pass and Bolivar Beach |
| Common Tern | Sterna hirundo | common on beach areas |
| Forster's Tern | Sterna forsteri | common on coastal bays |
| Royal Tern | Sterna maxima | common coastally |
| Sandwich Tern | Sterna sandvicensis | common coastally |
| Black Skimmer | Rynchops niger | common coastally |
| Common Loon | Gavia immer | two basic plumage at SPI |
| Magnificent Frigatebird | Fregata magnificens | one at Rollover Pass |
| Neotropic Cormorant | Phalacrocorax brasilianus | common widespread |
| Double-crested Cormorant | Phalacrocorax auritus | two at Rollover Pass |
| Anhinga | Anhinga anhinga | a few at Trinity River (Wallisville) UTC |
| American White Pelican | Pelecanus erythrorhynchos | uncommon |
| Brown Pelican | Pelecanus occidentalis | common |
| American Bittern | Botaurus lentiginosus | total of 3 at Anahuac NWR |
| Least Bittern | Ixobrychus exilis | several at Anahuac NWR, two at SPI |
| Great Blue Heron | Ardea herodias | uncommon |
| Great Egret | Ardea alba | common |
| Snowy Egret | Egretta thula | common |
| Little Blue Heron | Egretta caerulea | uncommon |
| Tricolored Heron | Egretta tricolor | common at Anahuac NWR, otherwise uncommon |
| Reddish Egret | Egretta rufescens | SPI, Rollover, Bolivar beach |
| Cattle Egret | Bubulcus ibis | common |
| Green Heron | Butorides virescens | uncommon |
| Black-crowned Night-Heron | Nycticorax nycticorax | uncommon, SPI and Anahuac NWR |
| Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | Nyctanassa violacea | uncommon, SPI and Anahuac NWR |
| White Ibis | Eudocimus albus | uncommon but widespread |
| Glossy Ibis | Plegadis falcinellus | one at Anahuac NWR |
| White-faced Ibis | Plegadis chihi | common on UTC at/near Anahuac NWR, several on RGV |
| Roseate Spoonbill | Platalea ajaja | uncommon widespread |
| Black Vulture | Coragyps atratus | common |
| Turkey Vulture | Cathartes aura | common |
| Osprey | Pandion haliaetus | uncommon widespread |
| White-tailed Kite | Elanus leucurus | ~5 on UTC near High Island |
| Mississippi Kite | Ictinia mississippiensis | one at Santa Ana NWR |
| Bald Eagle | Haliaeetus leucocephalus | one at Anahuac NWR |
| Northern Harrier | Circus hudsonius | at times common on UTC, one or two RGV |
| Harris's Hawk | Parabuteo unicinctus | a few RGV |
| White-tailed Hawk | Geranoaetus albicaudatus | RGV coastal prairie and Weaver Road sod farm |
| Gray Hawk | Buteo plagiatus | Salineno and Santa Ana NWR |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | Buteo lineatus | two on UTC |
| Swainson's Hawk | Buteo swainsoni | uncommon but widespread |
| Red-tailed Hawk | Buteo jamaicensis | UTC |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | Otus asio | Santa Ana NWR (McCall's?) |
| Elf Owl | Micrathene whitneyi | Bentsen SP |
| Short-eared Owl | Asio flammeus | Anahuac NWR at Yellow Rail prairie |
| Ringed Kingfisher | Megaceryle torquata | Salineno |
| Belted Kingfisher | Megaceryle alcyon | uncommon widespread |
| Green Kingfisher | Chloroceryle americana | Frontera Audubon |
| Golden-fronted Woodpecker | Melanerpes aurifrons | uncommon RGV |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | Melanerpes carolinus | Sabine Woods |
| Ladder-backed Woodpecker | Dryobates scalaris | uncommon RGV |
| Downy Woodpecker | Dryobates pubescens | Sabine Woods |
| Crested Caracara | Caracara cheriway | uncommon widespread |
| American Kestrel | Falco sparverius | one or two UTC |
| Aplomado Falcon | Falco femoralis | Old Port Isobel Road |
| Green Parakeet | Psittacara holochlorus | McAllen 10th/Dove |
| Red-crowned Parrot | Amazona viridigenalis | Oliveira Park in Brownsville |
| Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet | Camptostoma imberbe | Santa Ana NWR |
| Eastern Wood-Pewee | Contopus virens | two at Sabine Woods |
| Acadian Flycatcher | Empidonax virescens | two at Sabine Woods, one at SPI |
| Black Phoebe | Sayornis nigricans | one at Bentsen SP |
| Vermilion Flycatcher | Pyrocephalus rubinus | Falcon CP |
| Ash-throated Flycatcher | Myiarchus cinerascens | Falcon CP, probably at Salineno |
| Great Crested Flycatcher | Myiarchus crinitus | High Island and Sabine Woods |
| Brown-crested Flycatcher | Myiarchus tyrannulus | a few at Santa Ana NWR |
| Great Kiskadee | Pitangus sulphuratus | widespread RGV |
| Tropical Kingbird | Tyrannus melancholicus | several pairs RGV: Cannon Rd loop, Santa Ana, Sheepshead lots on South Padre |
| Couch's Kingbird | Tyrannus couchii | widespread RGV |
| Western Kingbird | Tyrannus verticalis | one at SPI |
| Eastern Kingbird | Tyrannus tyrannus | RGV and UTC |
| Scissor-tailed Flycatcher | Tyrannus forficatus | RGV and UTC |
| Loggerhead Shrike | Lanius ludovicianus | uncommon widespread |
| White-eyed Vireo | Vireo griseus | uncommon widespread |
| Yellow-throated Vireo | Vireo flavifrons | a few, Sabine Woods, one at SPI |
| Blue-headed Vireo | Vireo solitarius | a few, Sabine Woods |
| Warbling Vireo | Vireo gilvus | uncommon RGV, UTC |
| Red-eyed Vireo | Vireo olivaceus | uncommon RGV, UTC |
| Green Jay | Cyanocorax yncas | widespread RGV |
| Blue Jay | Cyanocitta cristata | Sabine Woods, High Island |
| American Crow | Corvus brachyrhynchos | UTC (two heard vocalizing) |
| Tamaulipas Crow | Corvus imparatus | two at Brownsville landfill |
| Chihuahuan Raven | Corvus cryptoleucus | one along TX-100 near Aplomado site |
| Horned Lark | Eremophila alpestris | a few, especially Progreso Sod Farm |
| Purple Martin | Progne subis | uncommon |
| Tree Swallow | Tachycineta bicolor | common in UTC |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow | Stelgidopteryx serripennis | uncommon |
| Bank Swallow | Riparia riparia | Salineno |
| Cliff Swallow | Petrochelidon pyrrhonota | widespread uncommon UTC and a few in RGV |
| Cave Swallow | Petrochelidon fulva | Bentsen SP and Estero Llano Grande SP |
| Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica | widespread common |
| Black-crested Titmouse | Baeolophus atricristatus | RGV |
| Verdin | Auriparus flaviceps | Salineno, Falcon CP, Hugh Ramsey |
| House Wren | Troglodytes aedon | a few UTC and RGV |
| Sedge Wren | Cistothorus platensis | uncommon and elusive UTC and RGV, seen once near Sabine Woods |
| Marsh Wren | Cistothorus palustris | uncommon and elusive UTC, marginally more cooperative SPI |
| Carolina Wren | Thryothorus ludovicianus | uncommon RGV and UTC |
| Cactus Wren | Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus | Falcon CP |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | Polioptila caerulea | a few |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | Regulus calendula | one or two only |
| Swainson's Thrush | Catharus ustulatus | a few at Sabine Woods |
| Hermit Thrush | Catharus guttatus | one or two at Sabine Woods, High Island |
| Wood Thrush | Hylocichla mustelina | a few at High Island, Sabine Woods, SPI |
| Clay-colored Thrush | Turdus grayi | singing at Bentsen SP and Santa Ana NWR |
| Gray Catbird | Dumetella carolinensis | uncommon |
| Curve-billed Thrasher | Toxostoma curvirostre | Falcon CP |
| Brown Thrasher | Toxostoma rufum | Sabine Woods |
| Long-billed Thrasher | Toxostoma longirostre | RGV uncommon |
| Northern Mockingbird | Mimus polyglottos | common |
| European Starling | Sturnus vulgaris | widespread |
| Cedar Waxwing | Bombycilla cedrorum | High Island |
| House Sparrow | Passer domesticus | urban |
| Olive Sparrow | Arremonops rufivirgatus | RGV |
| Cassin's Sparrow | Peucaea cassinii | Old Port Isobel Road and Salineno |
| Chipping Sparrow | Spizella passerina | one or two UTC |
| Lark Sparrow | Chondestes grammacus | uncommon in RGV, a few at Sabine Woods |
| Black-throated Sparrow | Amphispiza bilineata | Salineno "dump" road |
| Savannah Sparrow | Passerculus sandwichensis | common to adundant, especially on UTC |
| Seaside Sparrow | Ammospiza maritima | territorial at Tuna Rd, Bolivar peninsula |
| Lincoln's Sparrow | Melospiza lincolnii | uncommon in RGV, very uncommon in High Island |
| Swamp Sparrow | Melospiza georgiana | a few in UTC |
| White-crowned Sparrow | Zonotrichia leucophrys | a few stragglers at High Island |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | Icteria virens | uncommon but singing, RGV and UTC |
| Yellow-headed Blackbird | Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus | individuals at SPI |
| Eastern Meadowlark | Sturnella magna | uncommon UTC and RGV |
| Orchard Oriole | Icterus spurius | common at High Island and SPI |
| Hooded Oriole | Icterus cucullatus | Salineno |
| Bullock's Oriole | Icterus bullockii | Salineno, SPI |
| Altamira Oriole | Icterus gularis | Salineno |
| Audubon's Oriole | Icterus graduacauda | Salineno |
| Baltimore Oriole | Icterus galbula | UTC and RGV |
| Red-winged Blackbird | Agelaius phoeniceus | common and widespread |
| Bronzed Cowbird | Molothrus aeneus | uncommon RGV |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | Molothrus ater | uncommon widespread |
| Common Grackle | Quiscalus quiscula | uncommon in grassy suburban areas in UTC |
| Boat-tailed Grackle | Quiscalus major | common breeder at Anahuac NWR |
| Great-tailed Grackle | Quiscalus mexicanus | abundant throughout |
| Ovenbird | Seiurus aurocapillus | a few at Sabine Woods |
| Worm-eating Warbler | Helmitheros vermivorus | several at Sabine Woods, one or two at SPI |
| Louisiana Waterthrush | Parkesia motacilla | UTC, particularly Sabine Woods |
| Northern Waterthrush | Parkesia noveboracensis | uncommon at UTC+RGV |
| Blue-winged Warbler | Vermivora cyanoptera | a few UTC+RGV |
| Black-and-white Warbler | Mniotilta varia | uncommon but widespread |
| Prothonotary Warbler | Protonotaria citrea | a few on UTC |
| Swainson's Warbler | Limnothlypis swainsonii | 16 in 3 days on UTC |
| Tennessee Warbler | Oreothlypis peregrina | frequent at SPI, less common on UTC |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | Oreothlypis celata | one (!) at SPI |
| Nashville Warbler | Oreothlypis ruficapilla | a couple at RGV sites |
| Kentucky Warbler | Geothlypis formosus | several per day on UTC, individuals at SPI |
| Common Yellowthroat | Geothlypis trichas | widespread uncommon |
| Hooded Warbler | Setophaga citrina | at times abundant (100-150 on one day!) |
| American Redstart | Setophaga ruticilla | two at SPI |
| Cerulean Warbler | Setophaga cerulea | one at Sabine Woods, one at SPI |
| Northern Parula | Setophaga americana | several (UTC, RGV) |
| Tropical Parula | Setophaga pitiayumi | singing male at Santa Ana NWR |
| Blackburnian Warbler | Setophaga fusca | one at High Island |
| Yellow Warbler | Setophaga petechia | male and female at SPI (non-Mangrove) |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | Setophaga coronata | a few stragglers |
| Yellow-throated Warbler | Setophaga dominica | a few (UTC, RGV), particularly Sabine Woods |
| Prairie Warbler | Setophaga discolor | one at Sabine Woods |
| Black-throated Green Warbler | Setophaga virens | < 10 (UTC, SPI) |
| Wilson's Warbler | Cardellina pusilla | one at SPI |
| Summer Tanager | Piranga rubra | uncommon widespread |
| Scarlet Tanager | Piranga olivacea | two at Sabine Woods |
| Northern Cardinal | Cardinalis cardinalis | widespread |
| Pyrrhuloxia | Cardinalis sinuatus | one at Falcon SP |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | Pheucticus ludovicianus | two individual males (SPI, High Island) |
| Blue Grosbeak | Passerina caerulea | a few singles at SPI, Sabine Woods |
| Indigo Bunting | Passerina cyanea | widespread common migrant |
| Painted Bunting | Passerina ciris | a few singles at SPI, Sabine Woods |
| Dickcissel | Spiza americana | one at Sabine Woods |
| Morelet's Seedeater | Sporophila torqueola | Salineno |
| Black-chinned Hummingbird | Archilochus alexandri | Salineno - feeding female pumping tail |
| Virginia Rail | Rallus limicola | in flight chased by Sora at SPI |
| Cooper's Hawk | Accipiter cooperii | probable at Laguna Atascosa NWR |
| Bewick's Wren | Thryomanes bewickii | probably heard at Estero Llano Grande SP |
| Nelson's Sparrow | Ammospiza nelsoni | probable at Tuna Rd |