Texas, Day Five - 5/4/08

Home. That word loomed over us like a dark thunderhead as we spent our last hours in Texas birding some areas near Marci and Terry Fullers' house in San Benito on Sunday morning. We were having too much fun to go home: getting up at ridiculously early hours every morning, racing around all day seeing exotic tropical birds, and then grabbing a few hours of sleep. Repeat. Can't ask for a better life.

The shrieks of Great Kiskadees outside the window woke me out of my slumber before my alarm clock did. I groggily got up, showered (picked a few ticks out of my skin at the same time), and then headed out the door to see some of those amazing Texan birds before I had to leave. A beaver swam right by the little dock on the resaca behind the house, much to our delight. It even slapped its tail on the surface of the water, something I've never seen before.


Number One suggested that we go on a brief pre-breakfast birding jaunt by van to some nearby areas to look for Red-crowned Parrots. We jumped at the idea. Sure enough, we easily found a little flock of noisy Red-crowned Parrots hanging out in someone's yard nearby. While everyone else gawked at the parrots, I yawned and told tales of large flocks in my backyard. Backyard - arrgh, a reminder of home.

We decided to explore a small dirt road that looped behind the resaca. Suddenly, the van sank into extremely soft, slimy mud. Up to this point, the dirt had been parched and even cracked, but for some reason this little part of the road was a morass.


After a few futile attempts to push the van out, we temporarily abandoned it and Marci came and picked us up. After eating a delicious banquet prepared by Marci, we birded the yard some more. A few migrants filtered through the treetops, including the only Red-eyed Vireo of the trip (better late than never!). Some small brown butterflies flitting close to my ground caught my attention - Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius). A lifer!


While I was stalking an uncooperative Long-billed Thrasher, this Couch's Kingbird landed on a telephone wire right overhead. Both Couch's and Tropical Kingbirds are resident in the immediate area, but this one was nice enough to call so I could actually identify it. Couch's and Tropical Kingbirds are essentially identical, best differentiated by call.


An Inca Dove flew in and landed on the same wire just a few feet from the kingbird. This tiny dove is quite common in the Lower Rio Grande Valley; one often hears their mournful calls.


I had one hour before I had to leave. What to do? I kept looking for birds, enjoying them in a bittersweet way. Who knows when I'll see Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, Great Kiskadees, or Black-crested Titmice again? I glanced at my phone - 11:50 a.m., ten minutes until I had to leave for the airport. I walked over and staked out one of the hummingbird feeders on the back porch. In the last five minutes, a beautiful Buff-bellied Hummingbird visited the feeder several times. A nice way to end the trip...


With that, I left Texas. As the sun was setting, my plane touched down on a runway at LAX. A few American Crows were hanging out along the runway - didn't see a single one of those in Texas.

A big thanks to Marci and Terry Fuller for letting us stay in their house Saturday night and everything they did for us Sunday morning! I also have to thank Number One and Leica Mom for being awesome mentors/drivers/temporary parents. It was an amazing trip - I saw 219 species in five days, and recorded twenty-eight lifers. Back to my Wrentits and California Gnatcatchers now. :-)

Texas, Day Four - 5/3/08

Today actually started yesterday. Not possible, you think? Well, it did. Following our early bedtime of 3:00 p.m., our alarm clocks rudely interrupted our sleep at 8:00 p.m. We hurriedly prepared ourselves for the big day, checked out of the hotel, and headed to to closest IHOP for "brinner". Over pancakes, eggs, and bacon, we put the finishing touches on our route.

By midnight, we were driving down a dike at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, meditating every time a rock struck the tailpipe of the van with a musical ting. Number One stopped, and we leaped out of the van and into the muggy night (I did, of course, take the precaution of checking for rattlesnakes, skunks, and dead pigs before jumping out). Common Paraques wheezed from the dark woods - our first bird of the day. A Northern Mockingbird burst out into song unexpectedly. A Chuck-will's-widow perched on a roadside post was a pleasant surprise.

A muffled chuckle coming from a dense stand of trees caught our attention. The bird responsible for this was an Elf Owl. We were excited; this owl, smaller than a coke can, is a tough one to dig out. A second owl whistled nearby - an Eastern Screech-Owl. A Common Nighthawk croaked out its beer call in the distance. Not even an hour had passed, and we were finding some great night birds.

We cruised around some nearby back roads to look for Barn Owls. We stopped several times, trying to squeak one in. At one such stop, I walked to the other end of the van while the others watched for Barn Owls. Suddenly, a ghostly pale bird swooped across the road in front of me. "BARN OWL!! BARN OWL!!" I yelled, but the silent wraith had disappeared into the murk with moth-like wingbeats. No one else saw it. According to the rules, at least two people on the team must see every bird. Barn Owl remained a hole on our checklist. We spent quite a while walking around Bentsen by moonlight, swatting mosquitoes and straining our ears for other night birds.

By three a.m., we headed upriver. We struggled to remain awake as the miles dragged. At least two people had to stay awake in case a Barn Owl flew across the road, while the other two slept (or, as they insisted, "rested their eyes"). By four-thirty we were bumping our way into Santa Margarita Ranch, occasionally slipping by rather ferocious-looking cows. We frequently stopped, listening for Barn Owls and Common Poorwills. We were rewarded with only paraques and mockingbirds. Finally, a Common Poorwill began calling w-a-a-a-y in the distance. You could hear it if you cupped your ears and used your imagination...

We anxiously waited for dawn at Salineno. Slowly, ever so slowly, the blackness began to blend into gray as the night faded into dawn. Suddenly, a raspy screech pierced the darkness. Barn Owl! Everyone heard it, so the little white circle beside Barn Owl on our checklist was filled in with satisfyingly black ink.

As it got lighter and lighter, we picked up more and more species for our list. Our eyes were ever on the river, hoping for certain rare Mexican species. Slowly, this paid off. Red-billed Pigeons showed up, and were quickly followed by both Green and Ringed Kingfishers. A stunning Gray Hawk immigrated from the United States to Mexico. It must be nice, I thought, to be a bird. Borders don't matter. The Rio Grande is just another river, and the south side is much the same as the north side. Mexico was almost a stone's throw away; so close, in fact, that we could hear the Mexican roosters announcing daybreak with gusto. The American roosters crowed back at them. The roosters weren't the only birds calling in Mexico; a Yellow-billed Cuckoo taunted us by calling from somewhere across the river. We never did find one in the United States, so it didn't find its way on to our checklist (only birds found on the US side of the border count for the Great Texas Birding Classic).

We headed to Starr County park next. We had excellent luck here. A couple Clay-colored Sparrows, a great species to find on a big day, were quickly followed by a lone Chipping Sparrow. In short order we found many of the expected brush land species such as Verdin, Cassin's Sparrow, Cactus Wren, Pyrrhuloxia, and Ash-throated Flycatcher. A male Vermilion Flycatcher, very likely the same one we saw yesterday, was still hanging around.


We lucked into a pair of House Finches (don't laugh - they are tough to find in the Lower Rio Grande Valley!), and eagle-eyed Bunting Boy picked out a pair of Bobwhites right alongside the road. We contemplated changing his code name to Bobwhite Boy, but popular vote rejected this.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, our total for the day climbed. We headed down river towards Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, only stopping at Roma Bluffs to find our only Audubon's Oriole and Cave Swallows of the day. After a seemingly endless drive filled with games of word association, lame jokes, and random videos, we arrived at Santa Ana late in the morning. Suddenly, we were in full-alert birding mode. Within five minutes of arriving I spotted a Clay-colored Robin lurking in the brush near the visitor center. We stalked down the trails, hungrily seeking new species. We came through with difficult bird after difficult bird: a Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet here, a House Wren there, a Solitary Sandpiper...

Buoyed up with enthusiasm, we rode out of Santa Ana. The next spot was the La Feria Sod Farm. We came, we saw, we conquered. Shorebirds swarmed over the flooded sod. I feasted my eyes on the bonanza; Baird's Sandpipers, White-rumped Sandpipers, Buff-breasted Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Pectoral Sandpipers... all in perfect breeding plumage, scampering about madly. All of these are rare in California. Nearby, on the dry grass, the landlubbers of the shorebird family foraged: Upland Sandpipers (code name: Bug-eyed Grasspiper or Periscope-necked Meadow-Strider).


Suddenly, Number One let slip a gasp reminiscent of a choking elephant. A large shorebird, dwarfing the dowitchers and phalaropes, had dropped out of the sky to a flooded furrow. It couldn't be anything other than a Hudsonian Godwit, with that long, bicolored bill, deep red underparts, and spangled upperparts. A tough bird to find, and definitely a bonus bird for our big day.

We finally tore ourselves away, and doggedly battled traffic through the valley cities. We picked up Long-billed Curlew, Tropical Kingbird, Green Parakeet, and Eastern Wood-Pewee in San Benito without even having to leave the car. Our hopes were pinned on South Padre Island and Route 48.

Route 48 traverses extensive coastal grasslands and wetlands. We easily added many coastal species to our list. We patched up our shorebird list, finding coastal species such as American Oystercatcher, Wilson's Plover, and Sanderling (a major cause for celebration!). I spotted a soaring White-tailed Hawk at sixty miles per hour, and everyone got on it without even having to slow down. As we rolled over the causeway to South Padre Island, we raked the sky and water for birds. This paid off, with our only Brown Pelicans of the day. We stopped and searched the scattered clumps of exotic vegetation right by the entrance to the island. Here, neotropical migrants played hide-and-seek with us while simultaneously trying to keep out of the wind. We added Yellow-throated Vireo, Scarlet Tanager, a few warblers here. We raced up to Sheepshead, where we garnered a few more warblers.

Convention Center, Convention Center. The biggest, meanest migrant trap on South Padre Island. Would all those migrants still be there? Would the Least Bitterns show their faces? Would any rarities show up? Would...?

We sprang from the car, scrambling past seat belts, back packs, fellow team members, and other obstacles. We worked the bushes, finding lots of birds: a Cape May Warbler, an Ovenbird, an entire flock of orioles with one blue oriole - whoops, a Blue Grosbeak! I scoped out the flats while everyone else searched out more migrants. A couple Philadelphia Vireos popped out of nowhere, followed by a Blackburnian Warbler. We sprinted down the boardwalk, and Hop quickly pulled a Least Bittern out of nowhere. Ray called us over to look at our first Veery of the day. Then...

"SOOTY TERNS!!! SOOOOOOTTTY TERNS!!!!" Number One bellowed above the howling wind. Sure enough, a pair of raucously-calling Sooty Terns were flying up the beach. A rare bird for Texas, and completely unexpected. Naturally, a life species for me. After they had disappeared and we had recovered from the shock, we continued birding. I wasted about two seconds photographing this cute fledgling Northern Mockingbird.


Light faded. Twenty-four hours isn't very long. We had just about run out of birds to find. No Black-crowned Night-Heron - we looked in vain. We headed back down Route 48 in hopes of finding a Peregrine Falcon, White-tailed Kite, or anything that would be new for our list. Nope. Suddenly, we all realized how tired we were. As darkness crept over the land, we headed back to San Benito where we were staying overnight at Marci and Terry Fuller's house. I collapsed on my cot at some late hour and fell into not sleep but hibernation.

Oh yeah, I forgot to say how many species we got. One hundred and ninety-five. Not bad!

Texas, Day Three - 5/2/08

Beep-beep... beep-beep... Why are alarm clocks such horrible things to wake up to in the morning? I pondered this while extricating myself from bed early Friday morning. We had to leave the hotel by five to get to the upriver areas we were scouting today by dawn. Maybe I should have gone to bed earlier - four hours isn't very much.

After a long drive (almost seventy miles) we finally reached Santa Margarita Ranch (pictured above). Much of the ranch is arid brush land, with birds such as Verdin, Black-throated Sparrow, Pyrrhuloxia, and Cactus Wren, but a moist strip of riparian habitat lines the banks of the Rio Grande. As we drove in, Lesser Nighthawks coursed through the air in pursuit of insects.

Number One led us to a bluff overlooking the Rio Grande. The Rio Grande is a highway for many different kinds of birds. Egrets, herons, doves, and ducks were flying up and down the river. I spotted a Red-billed Pigeon perched up on top of a snag downriver - first lifer of the day. This sought-after species's range barely juts up into the United States. A slow, mournful whistle drifting up from the brush below caught our attention, for a good reason: Audubon's Oriole! It eventually popped into view. Another lifer, and my 600th life bird.


Suddenly, two large black birds with white wing patches swung into view around a bend in the river. Muscovy Ducks! This species is well-known throughout the United States, since released/escaped domestic individuals are common in urban parks; only here in southernmost Texas do wild Muscovy Ducks occur.


Our next stop was Salineno. There's a small boat ramp on the river's edge, and some nice riparian vegetation. An interesting incident delayed us here longer than we had anticipated, but we made the most of it and found some interesting birds.


A beautifully-marked Spotted Sandpiper was teetering his (or her?) way along the edge of the boat ramp most of the time we were present. It's nice to see them with spots! I imagine it is a female, since it is so brightly marked.


We also came across this duskywing basking on the ground near the van. After much studying and arguing, we came up with the identification of Funereal Duskywing (Erynnis funeralis).


On our way out of Salineno, we birded the Salineno Dump Road. As the name implies, the road is a dump. Random trash, including toilets, old tires, and beer cans, litters the ground along the road. It's sad to see how the environment is trashed down in southern Texas. And, of course, there's the whole mess with the proposed border wall. We found a second-year male Painted Bunting singing sweetly away right beside the road and several feet above an abandoned toilet. Sorry yet again Chris - just skip over the photo.


We took a spin around Starr County Park, which lies almost in the shadow of the Falcon Dam water tower. Some people would call it a campground; I would call it land with some crude picnic tables, shelters, and restrooms slapped hastily on it.


Starr County Park is covered with grassland and dry, scraggly bushes. This whole upriver area has several species of birds, such as Ash-throated Flycatcher, Black-throated Sparrow, and Vermilion Flycatcher, that are impossible or extremely hard to find farther downriver. It's a long drive for a big day, but it's worth the gamble because of these different species. As we jolted down the rough gravel road through the "campground", Bunting Boy spotted one of these: a brilliant male Vermilion Flycatcher sitting up on a bush. Someone else spotted an Ash-throated Flycatcher perched on some nearby telephone wires. A common enough species in Orange County, yet a "must-have" species on a big day in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.


A few sparrows swirled out of the grass in front of the car. Sparrows of any kind are not very numerous in the Lower Rio Grande Valley at this time of the year, so they were worth a look. The white tail tips flashing as they flitted away instantly identified them as Lark Sparrows. Hop spotted a different sparrow sitting in a nearby bush - a Lark Bunting, a decent bird for this late in the year. Another life bird for me.

We cruised down some nearby roads, looking for Cassin's Sparrows. Eventually, we found one singing right along the road. This dull brown bird gets my vote for the best singer in the United States. Although certainly not impressive to look at, as soon as it opens its bill and pours out its poignant song, you'll be amazed. We even saw it skylarking (floating through the air while pouring out that song). It landed on the fence right outside the car - here it is, as seen between the car's side mirror and Number One's ear.


With that, we pulled a U-turn and sped back towards McAllen. Bedtime: 3:00 p.m. Big day coming. Need sleep.

Back From Texas

I arrived home last night exhausted but happy from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. I was competing in the Great Texas Birding Classic as a part of the ABA/Leica Tropicbirds team. I won't spoil you by revealing the details just yet; I'll post each day separately because I took so many photos.

We had a blast. I personally recorded twenty-seven life birds, pushing my life list to 601 (Lark Bunting was the 600th). In the half-week we spent birding, we found 219 species, and on Saturday we recorded 195 species.

I would like to thank Leica for sponsoring our team; the ABA; Jeff and Liz Gordon for being our mentors/drivers; and especially all who sponsored me. I will be sending you a quick report and bill in the mail as soon as possible.

Oh yeah - the photo at the top. That's our team, the 2008 ABA/Leica Great Texas Birding Classic Tropicbirds. From left to right: Jeff Gordon, Liz Gordon, Hope Batcheller, Saraiya Ruano, Nico Sarbanes, and me. I know, we look ridiculous, but we were sleep-deprived...

Support the Tropicbirds!

A week from Wednesday, I will be lifting off in a jet from LAX headed for Harlingen, Texas. The reason? Well, birding of course, but there's more to it than that. I was selected to be on the American Birding Association (ABA)/Leica Tropicbirds team, a team of four young birders competing in the Great Texas Birding Classic. The Great Texas Birding Classic is a famous twenty-four bird-a-thon. Our purpose is to raise funds for the American Birding Association's youth education program. The ABA runs a fantastic youth education program. They run the Young Birder of the Year Contest, in which young birders are encouraged to take field notes, draw birds, write about birds, and photograph birds; they publish A Bird's-Eye View, a student newsletter written by young birders; they organize Young Birder Conferences in prime birding locations around the country; and they provide scholarships to young birders to attend birding camps and conferences. Sponsoring the Tropicbirds helps fund all these good causes.


Some of my old issues of A Bird's-Eye View.

The ABA's youth education program has greatly encouraged and influenced my birding over the years. Three years ago, I won the Young Birder of the Year Contest, and two years ago I was awarded a scholarship to attend Camp Chiricahua in the birding paradise of southeastern Arizona. Now is my chance to give back and support the program!

So far, I've raised about $1,850 for the American Birding Association's youth education program. I'm still about $150 short of my goal of $2,000 - please donate and help me reach my goal!


Will your name be added to my pledge form???

How to donate: If you wish to donate, please send me an email at prairiemerlin@gmail.com. Include your name, full address, and pledge amount, and I will add you to my pledge form. In mid-May, after the competition, I will mail you a report and bill with payment instructions. There are two different ways to pledge: flat rate and amount per species that we find on our big day (we'll probably see around two hundred species). You can also pledge online at http://www.americanbirding.org/. I'd much rather you pledge directly to me so I can keep better track of how much money I've raised. If you do pledge online, please check the "Great Texas Birding Classic" box and write "Through Neil Gilbert" in the comments field. Thanks!

Also, a BIG thanks to everyone who has already donated. I greatly appreciate it! Look for the report in your mail in mid-May.

Our route on May 3rd will take us along nearly one hundred and fifty miles of the Rio Grande from Salineno to South Padre Island . We will bird such famous birding spots spots such as Bensten-Rio Grande Valley State Park, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, and South Padre Island.



The Lower Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas is the only spot in the United States to find many Mexican species that barely push over the border into Texas. Some of these include Green Jay, Ringed Kingfisher, White-tipped Dove, and Common Paraque. We will be looking for these, and many others as well. I've never been to Texas before, so many of these will be life birds for me.

Our drivers and mentors will be Jeff and Liz Gordon, two extraordinary birders from Delaware. Our team consists of the following young birders:

Saraiya Ruano, 17, of Colorado Springs, CO. Team Captain
Hope Batcheller, 16, of Petersburgh, NY.
Neil Gilbert, 15, of Orange, CA. Me!!
Nico Sarbanes, 14, of Baltimore, MD.

Please consider sponsoring me and pledging. Thank you!