The Birding Center at South Padre Island was a treasure trove of Texan specialities - all providing great views and including several lifers for me. Things were hot on the heron front, with Great Blues and Louisiana Herons particularly visible, as well as Yellow-crowned Night Herons, Great and Snowy Egrets, Green Herons and numerous Least Bitterns.
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| Great Blue Heron |
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| Louisiana Heron |
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| Yellow-crowned Night Heron |
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| Least Bittern |
These herons fed alongside numerous
White Ibis, whilst in the vegetation scuttled a
Clapper Rail. I was expecting this skulker to be difficult to find, but it fed regularly in the open, even walking underneath us on the boardwalk at one stage.
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| Clapper Rail |
On the areas of water, were some more bonuses. An incredibly tame
Pied-billed Grebe (one of 8), the abundant
Black-bellied Whistling Duck and the localised
Mottled Duck.
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| Pied-billed Grebe |
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| Mottled Duck |
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| Black-bellied Whistling Duck |
Lying off the coast, South Padre Island also had some sea-going specialities. First, a tern bonanza including
American Black Tern,
Least Tern,
Caspian Tern,
Royal Tern and
Sandwich Tern.
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| American Black Tern |
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| Royal Tern |
Also in the skies were
Magnificent Frigatebirds and
Brown Pelicans.
Not the best time of year for waders, but we still came across
Willets,
Killdeers, breeding
Black-necked Stilts, a pair of
American Oystercatchers and this oddly-behaving
Wilson's Plover.
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| Wilson's Plover, what's he up to? |
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